Sustainable Business Project

About five years ago, I read Robert Kiyosaki's wildly popular book, "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" (www.richdad.com) At the time, I was looking to re-evaluate my relationship with money given my desire to own a house, have kids and really understand my financial future.

At the time, I was still knee deep into environmental and social organizing in Santa Barbara County and realized that I was going to have a difficult time living in Santa Barbara on this non-profit income.

"Rich Dad, Poor Dad" was an amazing read and really affected me. It took a long time negative issue for my liberal mind and helped me understand the power of understanding how money and business work. For year previous, I had spoken to students at UCSB counseling them that we did not need more 'activists' simply dedicated to pounding the pavement. We needed people who understood the business world, finances, trade, manufacturing etc. For all that counsel I gave years ago, this was my own first step to following my own advice.

Robert breaks down his own interpretation of the philosophy behind those who embrace money and those who have a negative relationship with it in the form of his 'rich dad' who is a business man and his 'poor dad' who is a teacher. He also challenges you to understand issues like passive income, assets and liabilities. This is a compelling read and I would recommend it to anyone.

After reading the book with my environmental and social sensibilities, I was left wanting to learn more about understanding and making money in a socially responsible fashion. Rich Dad, Poor Dad is completely devoid of such a discussion and they don't claim to offer such information.

So who is the eco-finance guru out there? Who is going to write the book that teaches environmentally/socially minded individuals the power of the dollar, how to understand finances and business?

I'm sure there are authors out there already. I know Paul Hawken's "Ecology of Commerce" was a step in the right direction. Who else is out there?