U.S. Small Business, Sustainable Finance, and the Environment

Abstract

According to Byron Kennard , Executive Director of the Center for Small Business and the Environment , the Industrial Age was concerned with large scale, highly centralized production which often damaged the environment (e.g., steel production). 1 On the other hand the Post-Industrial Age is concerned with decentralized technology and distributed production which are cleaner, more efficient, and safer. Here the focus is on flexibility, innovation, and the concept that “less is more”. For example, laptops are smaller and more portable than desktop computers, cell phones are smaller, more powerful, and more transportable than traditional phones, automobile manufacturing currently emphasizes more flexible design and production techniques, greater fuel efficiency and increased safety.