Most Influential Sustainable Business Books

What are the sustainable business books you need to read to be successful in the New Economy? Readers of TriplePundit.com voted and the list of most influential sustainable business books is out.

The list included some of the usual suspects–Paul Hawken appeared twice, with Natural Capitalism, largely regarded as one of the seminal works on the entire field, and Ecology of Commerce, the book Ray Anderson cited as his “Spear in the chest” wake-up call that helped him turn Interface Carpets into arguably the most sustainable large company on the planet.   Michael Pollen made the list with In Defense of Food, largely regarded as one of the seminal and defining works on sustainable food.  The best-selling of all the books, Thomas Friedman’s Hot, Flat, and Crowded, placed in the top ten, though not at the top, perhaps demonstrating that best-selling doesn’t necessarily translate into most influential for those of us embedded in the green economy. Cradle to Cradle and Biomimicry received a lot of votes, showing the importance of sustainable manufacturing and product design.  Gil Friend, (pardon the pun), a ‘friend’ of Triple Pundit, got the second most reader votes for The Truth about Green Business, a book that aims to dispel myths about the inefficiencies of the green economy.  Jared Diamond’s Collapse also made the list, perhaps demonstrating the frustration many people feel with the government of the U.S. and its short term focus, lack of commitment to future generations, and unclear strategy to move us out of the stone age.  Woody Tasch made the top ten with Slow Money, a treatise on investing in local and sustainable food as a pathway out of economic and environmental ruin.

The top vote getter was Strategy For Sustainability:  A Business Manifesto, a strategy book, written by Adam Werbach, former President of the Sierra Club and Global CEO of sustainability consulting firm Saatchi & Saatchi S.