Book Description
The essential guide for forward-thinking business leaders who see the Green Wave coming and want to profit from it
This book explores what every executive must know to manage the environmental challenges facing society and business. Based on the authors' years of experience and hundreds of interviews with corporate leaders around the world, Green to Gold shows how companies generate lasting value, cutting costs, reducing risk, increasing revenues, and creating strong brands, by building environmental thinking into their business strategies. Daniel C. Esty and Andrew S. Winston provide clear how-to advice and concrete examples from companies like BP, Toyota, IKEA, GE, and Nike that are achieving both environmental and business success. The authors show how these cutting-edge companies are establishing an “eco-advantage” in the marketplace as traditional elements of competitive differentiation fade in importance. Esty and Winston not only highlight successful strategies but also make plain what does not work by describing why environmental initiatives sometimes fail despite the best intentions.
Green to Gold is written for executives at every level and for businesses of all kinds and sizes. Esty and Winston guide leaders through a complex new world of resource shortfalls, regulatory restrictions, and growing pressure from customers and other stakeholders to strive for sustainability. With a sharp focus on execution, Esty and Winston offer a thoughtful, pragmatic, and inspiring road map that companies can use to cope with environmental pressures and responsibilities while sparking innovation that will drive long-term growth. Green to Gold is the new template for global CEOs who want to be good stewards of the Earth while simultaneously building the bottom line.
Customer Reviews:
Superior Primer for the Green Movement.......2007-09-17
This book was a primary resource for the development of my client's green program. It was focused enough to provide a thorough understanding of the hot environmental issues, without being too tree-huggerish. It highlights the responsibilities of global stewardship along with those of being financially accountable in the business arena.
Excellent Book.......2007-09-10
Green to Gold is a very thorough, well written book. Anyone involved in marketing should definitely take the time to read this book. I learned a great deal from this book it was well worth my investment of money and time.
Straightforward sustainability manual.......2007-06-15
Sesame Street's Kermit the Frog famously observed, "It's not easy being green." Whether easy or not, environmental and social pressures are pushing more and more companies to ride the "green wave" to ecological sustainability. In this beautifully organized, crisply written book, Daniel C. Esty and Andrew S. Winston, both Yale professors, describe how sustainability can create competitive advantage. They succinctly make the business case for sustainability, and then provide a playbook of green strategies and tactics. The presentation is neither too abstract nor too detailed: It's just right. Nor is their presentation one-sided: They enumerate many ways sustainable products and strategies can go wrong. While some of their suggestions may seem obvious, the authors deserve praise for collecting so many excellent tips and tricks, and for describing them in memorable (mostly) jargon-free prose. We highly recommend this smart book to any business leader who wants to move beyond rhetoric to action. While Kermit's wisdom is doubtless correct, this handbook makes being green much easier.
Green to Gold.......2007-05-14
I bought the book because of the title. I was not disappointed. The book is more focused on business prospects than on real environmental issues but it was what I was looking for.
Best Available Primer for Top Management.......2007-03-15
I have read and praised "Natural Capitalism," "Ecology of Commerce," and "Cradle to Cradle," here at Amazon, and I mention them to emphasize that this book, "Green to Gold," is the hands-down no-contest best primer for top management. The others are intellectual presentations. This is a business oriented primer with lots of facts, lists, and resources.
It is a pro-business book that focuses on opportunities. It is extremely well-organized, with three parts, twelve chapters, and three appendices including a superb list of active web sites relevant to doing well by doing good.
This book is based on hundreds of interviews over four years, and every aspect of it is professional presented, including boxes with "10 second overviews" interspersed throughout.
The authors are compellingly pointed in their discussion of how the environment, and attendant regulations and attendant risks of catastrophic costs, is no longer a fringe issue. Mistakes in cadmium content of connecting cables can cost hundreds of millions.
The authors excel at discussing the new pressures from natural limits that are now visible (changes that used to take 10,000 years now take 3--see my reviews on Ecological Economics, the Republican War on Science, the varied books on Climate Change, etc) and the fact that there is a growing range of stake-holders who are altering the balance of power.
The authors are clear in noting that environmental compliance and wisdom is neither easy nor cheap, but they are equally detailed in documenting that most investments to reduce environmental costs are recouped within 12-18 months. In one cited example, 3M saves $1 billion in the first year alone on pollution reduction, and over the course of a decade, was able to reduce its pollution by 90%.
On page 33 they list the top 10 environmental issues and I like this list very much as an expansion on "Environmental Degradation" which is the over-all threat that the High Level Threat Panel of the United Nations ranked as third out of ten, to Poverty and Infectious Disease. They are:
01 Climate Change
02 Energy
03 Water
04 Biodiversity and Land Use
05 Chemicals, Toxics, and Heavy Metals
06 Air Pollution
07 Waste Management
08 Ozone Layer Depletion
09 Oceans and Fisheries
10 Deforestation
The authors do a superb job in summarizing each of these in several pages perfectly suited to the busy manager. For those desiring more in-depth looks, see my many reviews across the board, including "Priority One," various books on energy, "WATER: The Fate of Our Most Precious Resource," "Pandora's Poison," and "Blue Frontier."
The bottom line for the first part of the book: extremes can no longer be dampened down; and we now recognize the eco-system value of the wetlands that we have paid the Army Corps of Engineers to eradicate for decades.
The authors devised a schema for businesses to develop an understanding and then a strategy for reducing their environmental footprint. The authors do extremely well with their organized examination of Aspects, Upstream, Downstream, Issues, and Opportunities (AUDIO), and anyone looking at the book in a store can go directly to pages 62-63. This is an operational management handbook.
There is an excellent overview of the many new stake-holders (or significantly matured stake-holders including NGOs, religions, and local citizens. Business can no longer bribe government--government cannot "deliver" the way it used to (see my review of "Class War" for a sense of how corruption of other elites by our elites has accelerated all the ills of the world).
Regulations, according to these authors, should be seen as vital incentives and parameters for both reducing costs and gaining trust.
Forty global banks, and many insurance companies, now demand proper examination of ecological costs as a condition for funding or coverage.
The authors remind me of General Tony Zinni, whose books I have reviewed, in their emphasis on relationships developed over time. They urge a strong focus on relationships NOW, across the board, as a means of building a "trust bank" as well as a deeper understanding. Blocks that used to be labels "not our problem" or "not legally liable" are now labeled "IMPORTANT TO US."
In the middle of the book they explore the digital information advantages that can accrue to those who get out of their closed loops and increase innovation. In one instance, simply adding load to trucks reduced fuel consumption and emissions considerably.
The middle of the book contains 8 detailed "Green to Gold" plays, and I won't spoil it by listing them. A box in this section says "Truth Matters" and I applaud silently.
The authors stress that mind-set, not just a check-book, is required to get this right. Five basic rules are 1) See the forest; 2) Start at the top; 3) No is not an option; 4) Feelings are facts; and 5) Do the right thing, morality DOES pay.
Pages 168-169 are sheer brilliance, and illustrate why the value chain must be completely integrated into the environmental strategy of each element of that value chain and most especially the largest and most powerful of the elements, which must carefully consider and accept responsibility for demanding improvements by the smallest elements.
Eight lessons of partnering, 13 problems and their solutions, and a final chapter of very specific actions that managers can take, conclude the book.
My final note on this book: a pleasure to read, easy to read, so well done I got through it in half the time characteristic of denser or less well designed books. This is first rate stuff!
Customer Reviews:
Well Researched.......2003-01-04
The author of this book did his research well. This book is
not a get rich quick scheme concerning gold, but more like a modern history of gold. It explains where Au comes from, how it's sold, who buys/controls it, why, etc.,etc. Interesting.
The amazing world of gold.......2000-01-16
To someone who is not aware of how gold comes out to final consumers or the industry, this book will illustrate, in a very interesting and easy-to-read pages, all the non seen facets of the most searched metal on earth. When you get jewellery made out of gold ,you would never guess that recovery plants must move over one ton of rock and material to bring up just a few grams of the precious metal... I strongly recommend this book to people of the jewellery trade and to those who are interested to know more about the strategic world of gold.
MIGUEL GÓMEZ-MOLINA graduate gemologist (G.I.A.)U.S.A.-(I.G.E.)SPAIN-GERMAN GEMOLOGICAL INSTITUTE. Watch and Jewellery counsellor by C.F.H.Instute Laussanne (Switzerland) Member of the spanish board of the A.I.H.H.(Switzerland)
Book Description
While the state of California remains one of the most striking and varied landscapes in the world, it has experienced monumental changes since European settlers first set foot there. The past two centuries have witnessed an ongoing struggle between environment and economy, nature and humanity that has left an indelible mark on the region.
Green Versus Gold provides a compelling look at California's environmental history from its Native American past to conflicts and movements of recent decades. Acclaimed environmental historian Carolyn Merchant has brought together a vast storehouse of primary sources and interpretive essays to create a comprehensive picture of the history of ecological and human interactions in one of the nation's most diverse and resource-rich states.
For each chapter, Merchant has selected original documents that give readers an eyewitness account of specific environments and periods, along with essays from leading historians, geographers, scientists, and other experts that provide context and analysis for the documents. In addition, she presents a list of further readings of both primary and secondary sources. Among other topics, chapters examine.
California's natural environment and Native American lands
the Spanish and Russian frontiers
environmental impacts of the gold rush
the transformation of forests and rangelands
agriculture and irrigation
cities and urban issues
the rise of environmental science and contemporary environmental movement.
Merchant's informed and well-chosen selections present a unique view of decades of environmental change and controversy. Historians, educators, environmentalists, writers, students, scientists, policy makers, and others will find the book an enlightening and important contribution to the debate over our nation's environmental history.
Customer Reviews:
Some among them are killers park referrence for Yosemite.......2007-01-10
Interesting definition of the park Some among them are killers park. I am a descendent of the original Indians of Yosemite and there is a problem with that meaning. The defintion "Some of them are killers" for Yosemite was fabricated in 1978 and is not the original meaning of Yosemite. The real meaning was "The Killers" or "The Grizzlies" because the Miwoks were afraid of the Ahwahnees. It was Chief Bautista and Russio, who were helping the Mariposa Battalion, who coined that term "Yosemite" for the Indians in Yosemite Valley which they were afraid to enter. It is because the Miwoks were once enemies of Chief Tenaya and the Ahwahnees. 30 years Yosemite National Park Service hired a person named Craig Bates who was married to a Miwok woman and had a 1/2 Miwok son who created that new defintion. So it is increble that ONE person changed the meaning and defintion of one of the most important and well known parks in the whold world...and no one noticed. The Miwoks were actually the scouts and guides for James Savage and the Mariposa Battalion, but you would not know it because the information was controlled by the "Indian expert" at Yosemite, which causes wrong information to be written...like the actual defintion of Yosemite.
An excellent survey of the environmental history of California.......1998-12-01
Versus Gold presents a broad, sweeping record of the environmental history of the California region over the past 250 years. Its vast scope and rich material make it an excellent book for anyone interested in the evolution of the human-environment interaction in California, from the pre-European communities, who flourished successfully in the region for millennia, to today's nature-isolated society. The painstakingly gathered primary source material and bibliography and the relevance of the essays make it an invaluable resource for any formal study in the environmental history of California or the U.S. (People familiar with the editor's related book, _Major Problems in American Environmental History_ (Lexington, MA: D.C. Heath, 1993), may be interested to know that only seven of the 105 entries in this book are taken from that one.) The editor uses the cumulative effect of a selection of primary texts and related essays to describe and analyze the history of the human-environment relationship in California. The primary sources are extremely diverse and include origin stories and compelling firsthand accounts of Native American groups and excerpts of various documents such as old diaries, legal notices, historic academic writings, novels, contemporary journal articles, maps, antique photographs, etc. The essays represent a wide range of writings by historians, environmentalists, ethnographers, ecologists, activists, philosophers, etc.--from Mark Twain, Mary Austin and John Steinbeck to Judi Bari and Gary Snyder. The essays generally do not directly refer to the primary sources, but rather discuss the general topics of the chapters and provide context and analysis on the subject of the sources. A few of the topics covered are "Native Californian Cultivators", "Dredging for Gold", "Sea Otters Encounter Russians", "Aboriginal Fishers", "Hydraulic Society Triumphant", "Chaos and California", "The Battle for Bodega Bay", and Deep Ecology. One negative effect of all of this variety of material is that it sometimes diffuses the book's focus. Indeed, a cover-to-cover reading can be challenging because of the kaleidoscopic effect of its topics. On the other hand, this does not detract from its usefulness as an occasional reader, a complement to other books in a course, or as a resource for additional research in the field, as its subtitle suggests. Also, considering its variety, the coherence afforded by its organization is remarkable. The documents and essays together cover topics spanning the days of prehistory in the California region to the present day. Descriptions of pre-European inhabitants of the region are followed by discussion of European settlement and use of the area and interaction with the land, with attention paid to the relationship between immigration and the natural wealth of the region--particularly gold, the concept of which drew a frenzied influx 150 years ago. The book follows the early transformation of the idea of nature into commodity and the exploitation and large-scale transformation of ecosystems by the European settlers; some contemporary philosophical thought on that exploitation and its dramatic results is also included. Throughout, the work illustrates human perceptions of and reactions to environmental destruction, such as that wrought by hydraulic mining, the flooding of large valleys and the transformation of grasslands by over-grazing, including the preservation efforts of the twentieth century by such people as John Muir, Huey Johnson, etc.; various preservation rationale are discussed. Particularly interesting is the surprising amount of concern by Europeans in previous era for the human impact on the environment, such as the despair expressed by a mid-nineteenth-century author about the already-extreme non-local ownership of California land; this lends new perspective to our current environmental concerns. The theme of the human response to environmental destruction intensifies in later chapters (reflecting actual chronology), culminating in chapters on the evolution of environmental science, environmental movements and the editor's own vision for a rejoined green (nature) and gold (economy) in California. The sources presented in _Green Versus Gold_ are extensive and impressively varied (this is typical of Merchant's work, such as the foundational _The Death of Nature_); it would be hard to imagine a more diverse and comprehensive collection of material about the environmental history of California in a single volume. The breadth of the material gives the reader unique insight into the state of environment and the human-environment relationship across a variety of landscapes and social structures, from the intense management of ecosystems by Indian groups in pre-European times to the high degree of alienation from the land in modern Los Angeles. Through these selections, the central theme of the book--the developing tension between the green of nature and the gold representing the human use of nature in California--is brought to light. The discussion of human efforts for nature and the editor's ideas about a partnership ethic in the closing chapters provide relief from the overwhelming evidence of the human domination and destruction of nature.Kenneth WorthyNovember, 1998
An excellent collection on the history of the California environment.......1998-11-13
Carolyn Merchant, ed. _Green Versus Gold: Sources in California's Environmental History_. Washington, D.C.: Island Press, 1998. Green Versus Gold presents a broad, sweeping record of the environmental history of the California region over the past 250 years. Its vast scope and rich material make it an excellent book for anyone interested in the evolution of the human-environment interaction in California, from the pre-European communities, who flourished successfully in the region for millennia, to today's nature-isolated society. The painstakingly gathered primary source material and bibliography and the relevance of the essays make it an invaluable resource for any formal study in the environmental history of California or the U.S. The editor uses the cumulative effect of a selection of primary texts and related essays to describe and analyze the history of the human-environment relationship in California. The primary sources are extremely diverse and include origin stories and compelling firsthand accounts of Native American groups and excerpts of various documents such as old diaries, legal notices, historic academic writings, novels, contemporary journal articles, maps, antique photographs, etc. The essays represent a wide range of writings by historians, environmentalists, ethnographers, ecologists, activists, philosophers, etc.--from Mark Twain, Mary Austin and John Steinbeck to Judi Bari and Gary Snyder. The essays generally do not directly refer to the primary sources, but rather discuss the general topics of the chapters and provide context and analysis on the subject of the sources. A few of the topics covered are "Native Californian Cultivators", "Dredging for Gold", "Sea Otters Encounter Russians", "Aboriginal Fishers", "Hydraulic Society Triumphant", "Chaos and California", "The Battle for Bodega Bay" Deep Ecology. The documents and essays together cover topics and issues spanning the days of prehistory in the California region to the present day. Descriptions of pre-European inhabitants of the region are followed by discussion of European settlement and use of the area and interaction with the land, with attention paid to the relationship between immigration and the natural wealth of the region--particularly gold, the idea of which drew a frenzied influx 150 years ago. The book follows the early transformation of the idea of nature into commodity and the exploitation and large-scale transformation of ecosystems by the European settlers; some contemporary philosophical thought on that exploitation and its dramatic results is also included. Throughout, the book illustrates human perceptions of and reactions to environmental destruction, such as that wrought by hydraulic mining, the flooding of large valleys and the transformation of grasslands by over-grazing, including the preservation efforts of the twentieth century by such people as John Muir, Huey Johnson, etc.; various preservation rationale are discussed. Particularly interesting is the surprising amount of concern by Europeans in previous era for the human impact on the environment, such as the despair expressed by a mid-nineteenth-century author about the already-extreme non-local ownership of California land; this lends new perspective to our current environmental concerns. The theme of the human response to environmental destruction intensifies in later chapters (reflecting actual chronology), culminating in chapters on the evolution of environmental science, environmental movements and the editor's own vision for a rejoined green (nature) and gold (economy) in California. The sources presented in _Green Versus Gold_ are extensive and impressively varied (this is typical of Merchant's work, such as the foundational _The Death of Nature_); it would be hard to imagine a more diverse and comprehensive collection of material about the environmental history of California in a single volume. The breadth of the material gives the reader unique insight into the state of environment and the human-environment relationship across a variety of landscapes and social structures, from the intense management of ecosystems by Indian groups in pre-European times to the high degree of alienation from the land in modern Los Angeles. Through these selections, the developing tension between the green of nature and the gold representing the human use of nature is brought to light. The discussion of human efforts for nature and the editor's ideas about a partnership ethic in the closing chapters provide relief from the overwhelming evidence of the human domination and destruction of nature.Kenneth WorthyOctober, 1998
Book Description
About the Book Ambition, greed and romance fuel the actions of Green Gold's characters, who become caught in a web of deceit. Forces beyond Jamaica's pristine shores of crystal, blue waters and sandy, white beaches conspire to draw an American businessman, his beautiful wife and the island's rising political leader into a triangle of danger. Perils lie camouflaged beneath Jamaica's lush, green tropical surface. International crime, corporate intrigue, politics, money, and the naïveté through which flawed characters fall - this story has it all. With fast, shifting action between Kingston, New York and Washington, this page turner, based on a true story, leaves the reader with a satisfying end and asking for a sequel.
Customer Reviews:
Impressive first novel!.......2007-03-16
A good friend recommend that I read GREEN GOLD IN JAMAICA,
a first novel by Theana Kastens . . . having done so, I'm now hopeful
that it won't be the last by this author.
GREEN GOLD, based on a true story, is a romantic thriller about
an American businessman, his beautiful wife and the island's rising
political leader . . . it stars off somewhat slowly, but after just a
few chapters, I became hooked and couldn't wait to see what
was going to happen next.
Only the ending left me a bit disappointed . . . or maybe that's a good
thing, in that I'll probably want a sequel--assuming that one is in the
works . . . even as I type this, I'm wondering what's next for
the main characters.
I liked how Kastens used short chapters to move the story
along . . . in addition, her writing style held my attention, such
as in this passage:
* "So tell me," Charles said, "What were you drawing?"
"The water, the birds overhead. I wasn't focusing too well, as my
mind was on you. You're on my mind when I wake up. You're with
me every time I shower. You're in the mirror when I brush my hair.
You're my last conscious thought before sleep. You're in my
dreams. And then, when I wake up the next morning, it starts all
over again. You occupy my days and nights. I'm afraid I am
becoming love-obsessed. I hurt when I'm away from you. When I'm
with you like this, I feel so completely alive. It's wonderful!"
She also caught the "feel" of various locales where the
book is set, including Manhattan:
* The chauffeured limousine crawled south through gridlock traffic
on FDR Drive along New York City's East River. The road was a
sea of dented and battered yellow cabs, all jockeying for position,
with horns blaring, and cabbie shouting out of their windows, as
their vehicles belched smog. Below, the choppy river flowed like
filthy dishwasher. Above, the buildings loomed in grungy grayness.
The steely sky, the smog-stained city with its drably clad people,
all melded together in monochromatic dullness. This was
Manhattan-commercial chaos in perpetual motion.
I hadn't heard about GREEN GOLD IN JAMAICA prior to the
aforementioned recommendation . . . do see if you can find a copy;
if you do--like me--you'll be pleasantly surprised.
Book Description
Few teams in sports can match the rich history and lore of the Green Bay Packers. From Vince Lombardi to Brett Favre to Lambeau Field, "The Pack" has inspired and awed football fans everywhere. Author Gary D'Amato provides ten stories of great Green Bay Packer moments, traditions, players, and personalities. The spirit of Packer-dom is alive and well in these finely crafted tales.
Book Description
A history of golf in the region north of Boston on courses both public and private. These include three of the top courses in America: Essex County Club, Myopia Hunt Club, and Salem Country Club. Also includes a list of the "North Shore Golden Hundred," those hundred North Shore men and women who have contributed the most to the game in the region and beyond. Also includes 250 photographs, many never before published.
Book Description
Their football legacy is second to none—12 NFL Championships, 25 Pro Football Hall of Fame members, and names like Lombardi, Lambeau, and Favre, synonymous with a winning tradition. In a time when big money and television markets dictate escalating player salaries and franchise relocations, the Green Bay Packers continue to succeed as a professional sports anomaly. While surviving certain bankruptcy, enduring numerous seasons of mediocrity, and playing in the smallest market of any major sports team in America, the Green Bay Packers have risen to the top to be recognized as one of the greatest franchises in sports history. Green Bay Packers: Legends in Green and Gold chronicles the teamÂ's phenomenal successes, heartbreaking letdowns, and legendary moments, beginning with an inauspicious inception in 1919 through the Super Bowl XXXI victory over the New England Patriots in 1997.
Average customer rating:
|
EMPOWER: Enabling Methods of Planning and Organizing Within Everyone's
ROBERT S. GOLD
Manufacturer: JONES & BARTLETT PUBLISHERS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Plastic Comb
 Breast Cancer
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ASIN: 0763704105 |
Book Description
EMPOWER is a computerized software program tailored to assist health educators teaching community health courses and practitioners in their efforts to plan and implement community health programs. Using a substantive knowledge base from recognized experts in health promotion planning and mammography screening, and the PRECEED-PROCEDE process of planning, EMPOWER illustrates how the models and interventions for health promotion or community health programs can be integrated systematically. It uses breast cancer prevention and control programming to demonstrate the steps. Students often seek the opportunity to work through one example for applying the PRECEDE-PROCEED Model. This program allows them to do so interactively.
Customer Reviews:
Prerequisite for understanding religion.......2006-04-11
This is an excellent work. Well researched, well documented. Anyone interested in the formation, foundations and practices of religion ought to read this book.
The role of cannabis in the formation of religious belief, thought and spirituality is well presented.
It presents a very broad view of the conflict between organized religion and cannabis users throughout history. The period of time of the Inquisition and the Roman Catholic Church's role in persecuting hemp using Christian believers is well done.
Anyone interested in going into religious work of whatever faith ought to read this book. It will give you a better understanding of the history of your beliefs, where they came from and how cannabis has played a major part in the formation of those belief systems.
It's also a good book for anyone interested in getting a better understanding of your own belief system.
This book ought to be reissued and printed again.
Almost half way done!.......2003-11-16
I am almost done, the book took a bit longer although it really opened my eyes. Showing me that my home state-CA not only accepts Medical use, but Spiritual ! Any California compassionate caregivers or patients please feel free to ask my advice on this book, prop 215, ect! PCC420@your-house.com
Very Interesting, Dense, A Great Reference.......2000-05-03
This book is more about ancient history and the origins of religion than marijuana. It even touches on the philosophy of conciousness and linguistics. It reads like an extensive research paper or thesis (with footnotes on every page and an impressive bibliography). It took me a whole year to get through it all! Green Gold The Tree of Life: Marijuana in Magic and Religion quotes respected historians such as Mircea Eliade and famous authors such as Terrance McKenna. It has inspired me to read more into the history of religion. It is a very valueable resource for anyone interested in the scholarly side of pychadelic history and the anthropological effects. This book convinces me that every religion has at one time been influenced by and intertwined with drug use. Today marijuana is an illegal drug used for medical and recreational purposes. In the past, it was also an important part of spiritual practices worldwide.
Average customer rating:
- A Must Read for everyone who wants to know the whole story about tea.
- A Must Read for all who want to know the whole story about tea industry
- Take your time reading this over a cuppa
|
Green Gold
Alan Macfarlane , and
Iris Macfarlane
Manufacturer: Ebury Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0091883091 |
Customer Reviews:
A Must Read for everyone who wants to know the whole story about tea........2006-01-25
At last a book on tea, which describes the whole story with all the fascination and romance of the tea plant, and the industry it developed and much more. "Tea is more than just a drink. Over the last two thousands years this humble camellia tree has grown into one of the most powerful social and economic forces known to man." Thus starts MacFarlan'e book "Green Gold, The Empire of Tea."
No one really knows where exactly the tea originated. Although China is thought to be the place or origin, modern studies show that the tea plant, Camellia Sinensis var Camellia Assamica actually originated in the foothills of eastern Himalayas, around Assam, some sixty to hundred thousand years ago. Probably taking their cue from the monkeys, the early tribesmen began chewing tea and found it to be relaxing to the body and mind. Over the years, tea became very popular among some tribes of North East India, Burma and the general population in China from where it spread to Japan at one time. In China and gradually, "a huge trade in bricks of tea grew along the Silk Road criss crossing from southwest China to Siberia and as far as the Islamic civilizations of the Middle East." By the twelfth century in fact tea bricks were being used as one popular currency in China in trade. By the fifteenth century tea drinking has influenced a greater part of the world.
"The records of the use of tea suggest that it first arrived in Amsterdam in 1610, in France in 1630s and England in 1657." In Britain tea has complimented beer as a national drink. Some actually argue that without tea, the British could not have fought the war. Tea industry has great affect not only on the East India Company but on the entire commerce of the British empire that question may be asked, "Was there a possible link between the rise of trading and tea drinking and the rapid spread of the British empire?"
The story of modern tea industry itself is very fascinating, and it practically started with the discovery of wild tea plant, Camellia Assamica, in the foothills of the eastern Himalayas, in the beautiful state of Assam, India in early nineteenth century. Since then the tea industry has contributed to the wealth and economy of many nations. But these growths in wealth and economy of nations were achieved at what cost? Tea Industry had its mixed affect on the native people of Assam who were exposed to the benefits of the western culture on one hand but on the other hand they lost their most valuable thing, their political independence because of it. In fact, the growth of the modern tea industry is intricately intertwined with the history and culture of the Assamese people during the British colonialism in the nineteenth century. That story is very sensitively captured in the book by the authors.
MacFarlanes reflect that history of annexation of Assam by the British: "On March 13, 1824 the British marched slowly up from Calcutta, guns mounted on elephants, to take Assam.... The newly appointed Commissioner David Scott was reassuring, "We are not forced into your country by the thirst of conquest, but are forced in our defense.."...And that was the beginning of how Assam lost its independence. The British were good administrators, and they took it upon themselves to replace the old style tax collection system of Assam by their own. "The relaxed Ahom methods of tax collection in service or produce was replaced by an army of revenue `farmers' tramping the country bearing demand papers totally incomprehensible to the illiterate peasantry...The Marwaries, the merchant moneylenders of Rajasthan saw their chance to fish in troubled waters....The situation was such that Maniram Dewan one of the few rich entrepreneur of Assam had to describe the situation as `living in the belly of a tiger'. He was one who first supported the British but later was so disillusioned when he found himself being excluded from generous land deals offered to the Europeans. "The British declared that nobody owned the forest which they declared wasteland, and which they were prepared to rent out at very low rates, but only in blocks of a hundred acres. No Assamese peasants could take up their generous offers. ... The puppet king, Purandar Singha never had a chance. When tea plant was discovered the British found that they had given him the wrong bit of the country, the region where tea grew." The rest is history. Shrewd administrator as they were, the British took the Upper Assam from king Purandar Singha because he defaulted in paying the annual tribute of Rs 50000 equivalent to US$ 1000. And that is how Assam lost its political independence forever. However that is not all.
MacFarlanes write, "The people of Assam were not consulted and it might seem strange that none of them objected to the selling of their country to foreigners, to seeing their forests disappear under thousands of acres of spiky green tea bushes, the profits of which went to Calcutta and London. .... They had to do that because as MacFarlane put it, "The strength of the Assamese was also their weakness when it came to putting up resistance to the newly arrived rulers. Unlike the rest of Indians, they had no strong caste allegiances: ...There were no outcastes, no women in purdah, there was no mechanism for corporate bargaining or setting up solid resistance to what was happening. Relatively crime free, caste free, self sufficient in basics of life, the Assamese saw themselves being pushed aside as Europeans, Bengalis, Marwaris, Sikhs poured in . There was little they could do, but for doing that little they were always described as spineless and lazy. From the administration point of view this was fine, from the tea planter's point of view this was irritating."
"In 1839 the way was clear to rent the whole of Assam to the highest bidder, and one came forward, calling itself "The Assam Company", a group of merchants formed in Great Winchester street in London. The people of Assam were not allowed to take part. The British learned a great bit about tea garden economy from wealthy Assamese entrepreneur like Maniram Dewan. However when his service was no longer required, he was isolated. Later he was hanged in a hastily conducted court on charge of treason during the Sepoy Mutiny on 1857." And that is how Assam lost its entrepreneurial spirit.
Since those days of Sepoy Mutiny the tea industry and Assam itself have come a long way. The British colonialism was over when India won independence in 1947, and Assam joined India as one of its states. Today Assam produces about 20% of world tea. However its problems of cultural subjugation and economic deprivation are not over. "The gap between the high life and huge profits of the British and the squalor and the misery of the laborers was most obscene in the nineteenth century." However even after India's independence, things actually have not improved much in favor of Assam. So much so that "in April 1979, a few young Assamese youths met in the ruined palace of the Ahom kings to talk of a free Assam for the benefits of its people." And that was how United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) was born. After a prolonged struggle against the mighty Indian army, ULLFA today seem to be slowly melting away. However they still remain in the state as a strong insurgent group sometime running a parallel government in those unruly parts of the North East India.
This is how MacFarlanes conclude their essay, "Tea has been an enormous boon for many countries in the world. It should not be beyond the wit of richer nations and India herself, to ensure that a fairer amount of profits made from it, as well as from oil and gas, be returned to the people who work in Assam. Extreme actions and boycotting would put the jobs of hundreds of thousands of very people at risk. Yet fair trade, with profits with profits going to the producers, should be examined closely in relation to this plantation commodity. Just as it is being examined as a way of improving conditions in the production of cocoa, coffee, rubber, sugar and other tropical plantation crops, should be benefiting the tea laborers much more. It would only seem fair that some of the wealth generated by green gold, which has hitherto flowed elsewhere, should help the people of Assam."
This is a full-length book with more than 300 pages with many other interesting aspects and historical notes of the tea industry. It is gratifying and meaningful to note that MacFarlanes have donated the book :"To the people who will never read this book, the tea garden laborers of Assam."
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to know the whole story of modern tea industry and its affect in the land where it started, Assam.
A Must Read for all who want to know the whole story about tea industry.......2006-01-22
At last a book on tea, which describes the whole story with all the fascination and romance of the tea plant, and the industry it developed and much more. "Tea is more than just a drink. Over the last two thousands years this humble camellia tree has grown into one of the most powerful social and economic forces known to man." Thus starts MacFarlan'e book "Green Gold, The Empire of Tea."
No one really knows where exactly the tea originated. Although China is thought to be the place or origin, modern studies show that the tea plant, Camellia Sinensis var Camellia Assamica actually originated in the foothills of eastern Himalayas, around Assam, some sixty to hundred thousand years ago. Probably taking their cue from the monkeys, the early tribesmen began chewing tea and found it to be relaxing to the body and mind. Over the years, tea became very popular among some tribes of North East India, Burma and the general population in China from where it spread to Japan at one time. In China gradually, "a huge trade in bricks of tea grew along the Silk Road criss crossing from southwest China to Siberia and as far as the Islamic civilizations of the Middle East." By the twelfth century in fact tea bricks were being used as one popular currency in China in trade. By the fifteenth century tea drinking has influenced a greater part of the world.
"The records of the use of tea suggest that it first arrived in Amsterdam in 1610, in France in 1630s and England in 1657." In Britain tea has complimented beer as a national drink. Some actually argue that without tea, the British could not have fought the war. Tea industry has great affect not only on the East India Company but on the entire commerce of the British empire that question may be asked, "Was there a possible link between the rise of trading and tea drinking and the rapid spread of the British empire?"
The story of modern tea industry itself is very fascinating, and it practically started with the discovery of wild tea plant, Camellia Assamica, in the foothills of the eastern Himalayas, in the beautiful state of Assam, India in early nineteenth century. Since then the tea industry has contributed to the wealth and economy of many nations. But these growths in wealth and economy of nations were achieved at what cost? Tea Industry had its mixed affect on the native people of Assam who were exposed to the benefits of the western culture on one hand but on the other hand they lost their most valuable thing, their political independence because of it. In fact, the growth of the modern tea industry is intricately intertwined with the history and culture of the Assamese people during the British colonialism in the nineteenth century. That story is very sensitively captured in the book by the authors.
MacFarlanes reflect that history of annexation of Assam by the British: "On March 13, 1824 the British marched slowly up from Calcutta, guns mounted on elephants, to take Assam.... The newly appointed Commissioner David Scott was reassuring, "We are not forced into your country by the thirst of conquest, but are forced in our defense.."...And that was the beginning of how Assam lost its independence. The British were good administrators, and they took it upon themselves to replace the old style tax collection system of Assam by their own. "The relaxed Ahom methods of tax collection in service or produce was replaced by an army of revenue `farmers' tramping the country bearing demand papers totally incomprehensible to the illiterate peasantry...The Marwaries, the merchant moneylenders of Rajasthan saw their chance to fish in troubled waters....The situation was such that Maniram Dewan one of the few rich entrepreneur of Assam had to describe the situation as `living in the belly of a tiger'. He was one who first supported the British but later was so disillusioned when he found himself being excluded from generous land deals offered to the Europeans. "The British declared that nobody owned the forest which they declared wasteland, and which they were prepared to rent out at very low rates, but only in blocks of a hundred acres. No Assamese peasants could take up their generous offers. ... The puppet king, Purandar Singha never had a chance. When tea plant was discovered the British found that they had given him the wrong bit of the country, the region where tea grew." The rest is history. Shrewd administrator as they were, the British took the Upper Assam from king Purandar Singha because he defaulted in paying the annual tribute of Rs 50000 equivalent to US$ 1000. And that is how Assam lost its political independence forever. However that is not all.
MacFarlanes write, "The people of Assam were not consulted and it might seem strange that none of them objected to the selling of their country to foreigners, to seeing their forests disappear under thousands of acres of spiky green tea bushes, the profits of which went to Calcutta and London. .... They had to do that because as MacFarlane put it, "The strength of the Assamese was also their weakness when it came to putting up resistance to the newly arrived rulers. Unlike the rest of Indians, they had no strong caste allegiances: ...There were no outcastes, no women in purdah, there was no mechanism for corporate bargaining or setting up solid resistance to what was happening. Relatively crime free, caste free, self sufficient in basics of life, the Assamese saw themselves being pushed aside as Europeans, Bengalis, Marwaris, Sikhs poured in . There was little they could do, but for doing that little they were always described as spineless and lazy. From the administration point of view this was fine, from the tea planter's point of view this was irritating."
"In 1839 the way was clear to rent the whole of Assam to the highest bidder, and one came forward, calling itself "The Assam Company", a group of merchants formed in Great Winchester street in London. The people of Assam were not allowed to take part. The British learned a great bit about tea garden economy from wealthy Assamese entrepreneur like Maniram Dewan. However when his service was no longer required, he was isolated. Later he was hanged in a hastily conducted court on charge of treason during the Sepoy Mutiny on 1857." And that is how Assam lost its entrepreneurial spirit.
Since those days of Sepoy Mutiny the tea industry and Assam itself have come a long way. The British colonialism was over when India won independence in 1947, and Assam joined India as one of its states. Today Assam produces about 20% of world tea. However its problems of cultural subjugation and economic deprivation are not over. "The gap between the high life and huge profits of the British and the squalor and the misery of the laborers was most obscene in the nineteenth century." However even after India's independence, things actually have not improved much in favor of Assam. So much so that "in April 1979, a few young Assamese youths met in the ruined palace of the Ahom kings to talk of a free Assam for the benefits of its people." And that was how United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) was born. After a prolonged struggle against the mighty Indian army, ULLFA today seem to be slowly melting away. However they still remain in the state as a strong insurgent group sometime running a parallel government in those unruly parts of the North East India.
This is how MacFarlanes conclude their essay, "Tea has been an enormous boon for many countries in the world. It should not be beyond the wit of richer nations and India herself, to ensure that a fairer amount of profits made from it, as well as from oil and gas, be returned to the people who work in Assam. Extreme actions and boycotting would put the jobs of hundreds of thousands of very people at risk. Yet fair trade, with profits going to the producers, should be examined closely in relation to this plantation commodity. Just as it is being examined as a way of improving conditions in the production of cocoa, coffee, rubber, sugar and other tropical plantation crops, should be benefiting the tea laborers much more. It would only seem fair that some of the wealth generated by green gold, which has hitherto flowed elsewhere, should help the people of Assam."
This is a full-length book with more than 300 pages with many other interesting aspects and historical notes of the tea industry. It is gratifying and meaningful to note that MacFarlanes have donated the book :"To the people who will never read this book, the tea garden laborers of Assam."
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to know the whole story of modern tea industry and its affect in the land where it started, Assam.
Take your time reading this over a cuppa.......2005-04-12
This book provides a comprehensive historical and anthropological view on tea, the world's second favorite beverage (after water). Especially fascinating was the first chapter with Iris's first-person account as an expat wife of a tea garden manager. For anyone looking for a thorough background on the production, politics and cultural changes brought about by the simple beverage, this is a must read.
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