The Natural Advantage of Nations, published by Earthscan in January 2005, has been described as 'a must read for anyone serious about understanding the global phenonomen and trend of sustainable development'. We spoke to Karlson 'Charlie' Hargroves, one of the editors of the book and Project Coordinator at the Natural Edge Project.


Briefly, as you see it, what is the main message or central point of the book?

The book presents a robust thesis showing for the first time that, wisely applied, the pursuit of sustainable development can lead to higher economic growth and increased employment whilst proactively tackling the challenges to our social and environmental systems. We are confident that the book draws a bold vision of an ecologically sustainable future and then tells us how to get there by building on the lessons of competitive advantage theory, economics and ecology. This is not another book of nice ideas. Rather it covers the latest most significant developments and emerging consensus in the actual day to day practice of sustainable development by business, government, institutions, civil society, universities, research and development organisations, and educational institutions from around the world. Numerous leading experts have lent their support to this book because it shows that pursuing sustainable development in any organisation and on any scale, nationally and internationally, is no longer a walk into the unknown.


What made you decide to write it? Were there any particular events, examples, personal experiences etc. (positive or negative)?

Michael and I came together through a mutual friend, James Moody, and quickly realised that we shared a passion for finding real ways to make our society more sustainable. We then searched for ways to study the field at a post graduate level and back in 2002 found very few programs suitable. So we decided to make a commitment to each other to bring together the emerging consensus on how to actually ‘do’ sustainable development to help others to teach it and in the process teach ourselves. We were overwhelmed with the support we received throughout the project and have been given access to an amazing array of research and case studies that kept the fire burning throughout the project.

From what do you take the greatest encouragement (again in relation to the book)?

The process of working with Mike to research and develop the content along with editing the co-author chapters has been an overwhelmingly inspiring experience. Our team worked over 3 years with over 75 individual mentors, 70 partners and supporting organisations and 30 leading co-authors and contributors to build the book. As a young engineer I am very excited by the emerging examples of applying sustainable development to a range of fields and finding robust mechanisms to support their implementation. I am confident as many now are that the coming decade will see the realisation of a ‘next industrial revolution’ as the pioneers in the field foretold.


How positive are you (and what indications do you have?) that the ideas expressed in the book will be accepted and implemented?

In a field like sustainable development the goal posts are constantly moving. As we were researching the book much of the material we thought was going to be ‘out there’ was implemented by at least a small number of pioneers by the time the book went to print. The main reason for this is that the book is business and government friendly and focuses on how environmental and social activities of companies and nations can influence competitive advantage. And thankfully, for the earth’s sake, there are many many examples of profitable solutions to such challenges.


Is there anything else you think might be of interest to someone reading this article?

As Hunter Lovins tells her MBA students at Presidio World College… ‘we are creating the field as we go along’… now is the time for innovation and creativity… a time to aspire to align all professional practice towards the goal of a (more) sustainable economy to improve the well being of all our peoples, restore a clean and safe environment and truly be proud of the work we are all doing to deliver a strong economy, society and environment to our children.