“Only when the last tree has died and the last river been poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realise we cannot eat money.”

This proverb comes from the Cree tribe of the Canadian indigenous population. I first read it when I was nine and it inspired me to do a junior school project on sustainability. It stayed with me, as did the concept of planning everything for seven generations. This proverb shaped me and lead me and guided me even when i didn’t realise it. Some 46 years later it still does and this book looks at the consequences of business not behaving in this way.

I’m a firm believer in the power of enterprise to do good. But I acknowledge it has created nearly all of the World’s problems. I think its the only thing that can solve them as long as its motivations are aligned with social and environmental equity. This is possible. Actually, it is essential and it is our only hope.

While businesses, both big and small, have undoubtedly caused the majority of our environmental and sustainability problems, they are also the only thing that can solve these issues at scale. You Can't Make Money from a Dead Planet looks at the challenges we face and shows how business needs to change in order to be the driver of the solution.

Bestselling author and sustainability strategist Mark Shayler explains why there is no contradiction between being profitable and doing the right thing for the planet and doing the right thing for your customers. Providing insights, enthusiasm and the tools to align your business with sustainability, it blends explanations of the challenges that we face, with stories from those business that have excelled in sustainability.