Stirring It Up: How to Make Money and Save the World

By Gary Hirshberg

Book Overview

A true force for change, Gary Hirshberg has been at the forefront of movements working for environmental and social transformation for 30 years. From his early days as an educator and activist to his current position as President and CE-Yo of Stonyfield Farm, the world's largest organic yogurt company, Hirshberg's positive outlook has inspired thousands of people to recognize their ability to make the world a better place.

In Stirring It Up, Hirshberg calls on individuals to realize their power to effect change in the marketplace -- "the power of one" -- while proving that environmental commitment makes for a healthier planet and a healthier bottom line. Drawing from his 25 years' experience growing Stonyfield Farm from a 7-cow start-up, as well as the examples of like-minded companies, such as Newman's Own, Patagonia, Wal-Mart and Timberland, Hirshberg presents stunning evidence that business not only can save the planet, but is able to simultaneously deliver higher growth and superior profits as well.

Hirshberg illustrates his points with practical information and advice, as well as engaging anecdotes from what he calls "the bad old days" of his yogurt company: how a power outage left him milking cows by hand, how a dumpster fire revealed the need for better packaging, and his camel manure taste test challenge to a local shock jock. He also describes hands-on grassroots marketing strategies -- printing yogurt lids with provocative, politically charged messages, handing out thousands of free samples to subway commuters to thank them for using public transit, and devising the country's first organic vending machine -- explaining how these approaches make a much more powerful impact on consumers than traditional advertising.

An inspiring book for business owners and managers as well as anyone interested in saving the environment, Stirring It Up demonstrates how companies can work to save the planet, while achieving greater profits and satisfaction, and how we can all use the power of conscious consumption to encourage green corporate behavior.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1401303447
• ISBN13: 9781401303440
• Release Date: January 2008
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
• Length: 204 Pages
• Weight: 1.17 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.4" x 9.5"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Highley Recommended

Excellent depiction of what truly environmentally conscious companies and individuals can and should do to help ensure sustainability of our planet for future generations. Stonyfield Farms and their CEO Gary Hirshberg provide an ever improving benchmark for making ecologically-minded decisions while achieving business success. Highly recommended.

here's proof that we have to live in harmony with nature.........

Historically and at present, every school curriculum, be it at regular school or college level stresses the importance of getting and spending, about materialism, about maximizing profits and return on investment, all with good intention, but nowhere are we thought about living in harmony with nature, about sustainability and preservation of the environment, every class in business emphasis maximum profit, but not one of them teaches us about the impact to the environment and at what cost it is to Mother Nature. We are taught about making short term profits but not about the long term impact to the environment, this practice is going to cause untold misery and suffering for future generations. We as custodians of the environment, nature, the animal and plant world, supposedly of a higher intelligence are suppose to safeguard and protect it, but we are all guilty of abusing it. Industrialization and modernization has certainly given us a more comfortable lifestyle, but at what price? As a species, we human beings have consumed, exploited, and destroyed more of the earth's resources in the past fifty years than all of the previous years human existence combined. Besides the reduction of carbon emissions and finding alternative energy sources, one of the other solutions is to change textbooks to factor in climate and environmental issues into the business equation, as well as to change our mindsets as to how we impact the environment in our daily lives. No other news item, activity or event is going to dominate our lives in the future more than Global Warming, the climate and the environment. If we don't reverse this trend or stop it, generations of people in the future will be facing a life of hardship and suffering to difficult to fathom, for a preview of this view the movies "Mad Max" and "Waterworld". Hirshberg has proven that businees can work in harmony with nature and still make profit, this book should be read by the CEO's of all companies so that they can drive the changes from the top, like what Lee Scott of Walmart is doing. Let's hope that Hirshberg's predictions for the year 2028 will materialize (chapter 8). The Green Revoluion has to start now, or else it may be to late, history will be the judge. A Great Read, highly recommended! Bharat Vala Patel Lenasia, SA Cincinnati, US

True Business Success Stories

this is a great book because it shatters one of the big myths and that is that there, somehow, is a disconnect between being successful in business and doing something right for the earth the stories about Timberland, Patagonia, and even Wal-Mart are really interesting and it's very interesting read - especially for a business book, something I rarely read plus there are about $10 in coupons in the back for Stonyfield products :)

Eco-friendly is pocket-friendly

FDR once said ""We have always known that heedless self-interest was bad morals; we know now that it is bad economics." The flipside of this is that not only is running your business with the environment in mind is not only good morals, it is good business, and Hirshberg, who has made millions incorporating earth-friendly practices into his business is proof, and this is a great, entertaining book that shows how he and others are lining their pockets and saving the planet at the same time. Kudos.

A compelling case for sustainability in business

Hirshberg does a great job of showing how reducing a company's environmental impact can do wonders for the bottom line. As a businessman, he recognizes that telling people to buy a product because "it's the right thing to do" won't work. Instead, he focuses on producing a quality product using sustainable practices. Unlike a lot of books written by CEO's, this one doesn't focus on just the author's company. He profiles about a dozen other companies (Terracycle, Patagonia, Timberland...) that are breaking new ground and making money with earth-friendly strategies. One bonus feature - there are a number of coupons for products from Stonyfield and other profiles companies in the back of the book.