The recent downturn in the global economy and the focus on climate change has brought forth a plethora of books on sustainability, but Gil Friend's "The Truth About Green Business" deserves consideration for your attention. Friend provides a surplus of useful information in an easy to read format, and writes in style that informs without being condescending.

With 40-plus years in consulting (after training under Buckminster Fuller) Friend has the background and credentials to author a book that is thoughtful and pragmatic in its approach to helping businesses reverse years of inattention to become sustainable.

The book is laid out in short, pithy chapters that are labeled as "Truths." Each Truth is a specific piece of advice on how to make a business more sustainable. The author makes the case that being green also means making green, and how the old ideology that environmentalism is too expensive is a totally misguided fallacy. He states that one does not have to be a tree-hugger to be an environmentalist, and that being an environmentalist can be profitable. (I would argue there's nothing wrong with being a tree-hugger too.)

Friend presents a solid case for the 'why' as well as specifics steps for the how. Perhaps his most convincing evidence that action and regulation of climate change is inevitable was the anecdote that the insurance industry has already decided it cannot afford to take the risk that climate change is not real or anthropogenic in origin.

Although the book is full of practical information for making a business more sustainable, Friend either avoided or ignored some rather significant issues. He frequently uses Wal-Mart as an example of a company that is trying to do the right thing. However he ignores their abysmal record in the area of labor relations. If management expects employees to buy into a sustainability program shouldn't they be treated fairly at the bargaining table or in one-to-one negotiations?

The other issue that I felt Friend glossed over was peak oil. Although he does acknowledge peak oil will be a significant issue for business, he down-plays it to a certain extent, merely saying that oil prices will be 'volatile' in the future.

Investment banker Matt Simmons predicts oil prices will hit $300 per barrel in the next two to three years. If he's wrong it will probably only be $150 per barrel but that was enough to send the world in to a global recession. This gets back to the issue of Wal-Mart and other big box retailers. How is the 'warehouse on wheels' business model sustainable in an era of increasing energy prices? That's probably beyond the scope of this book, but an issue that will continue to play out as more and more 'ghostboxes' pop up around the country.

"The Truth About Green Business" is well written, timely and an extremely beneficial read for any business person looking to navigate the uncertainty of recession, coupled with the complexity of climate change. But as the author admits, don't let his book be the only source you rely on for sustainability information.

Curt Sommer is a renewable energy consultant, specializing in solar and geothermal power.