This model works for some things, but applying it to everything causes problems because humans value more intangible things than tangible things; there is no market value for a life partner. That equation can’t be written because the point is that it’s not an economic decision.

I think the underlying flaw is not that we aren’t measuring Sustainability, Social Responsibility, Transparency, etc. Rather that we’re trying to make too many decisions economic. Not that I can suggest a solution for that problem. It’s a cultural approach to the same issue, and I don’t know if trying to make big social change or big economic change is more difficult.

But I do think that many people would agree that clean air and water, green space, ethically produced products, and so on, are issues that transcend economics. Which suggests to me that we need a solution which also transcends economics.

I hope you enjoy my book – please let me know what you think.

Tim Sanders
author, Saving The World At Work
http://www.SavingTheWorld.net

“B Corporations are a new type of corporation which use the power of business to solve social and environmental problems.”

Care2.com, whose mission has long included sustainability, became a B Corporation last year:
http://www.bcorporation.net/care2

This doesn’t answer your immediate question, but it’s a goal for established medium- to large-sized businesses. I think third-party certification is definitely a required ingredient toward establishing sustainability as anything more than “nice to have.”