The New Capitalists

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Some hope, however, that the combined forces of CSR values, consumer demand, and shareholder pressure can align doing well with doing good. For example, fuel costs are compelling corporations to reduce their energy dependence at the same time that consumers are demanding greener goods. The end result, intended or not, is environmental reform.

Consider Wal-Mart's energy independence pledge. "We have taken a lot of heat from some of our supporters for working with Wal-Mart," says Cory Lowe, outreach coordinator at the nonprofit Rocky Mountain Institute, which is providing technical support in Wal-Mart's store and truck redesigns. "But we want to save the most barrels of oil we can. Wal-Mart's fleet gets 6 miles per gallon, which is terrible. We're going to move them to 12, and that alone will make a huge difference."

Stories like this one, says Megatrends author Patricia Aburdene, prove that honoring values other than profits can actually improve the bottom line. "Money isn't the root of all evil -- pursuit of money is," she says. "Conscious capitalists want to make money, too, and to that extent we're just as greedy as we used to be. But we want to do it by doing right by our communities and our employees and the planet as a whole. The fact that our businesses are outperforming the unconscious capitalists shows that we're onto something."

Joseph Hart is an associate editor of Utne.

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