The Sustainability Scorecard

Chapter 1

Lies about Sustainability Courtesy of the Status Quo

The stone age didn’t end for lack of stones.

—Sheikh Zaki Yamani

In the late third century, the great Greek king Pyrrhus of Epirus, Italy (then part of Greece), defended a small town in southern Italy from an impending invasion by the Romans. Tarantum was small, but mighty, founded by the Spartans. During the period of Greek colonization, it flourished, becoming a cultural, economic, and military power. It was the birthplace of several important philosophers, statesmen, writers, and athletes of the time.

Meanwhile, Pyrrhus was known to be one of the most skilled generals of the time. Pyrrhus defended Tarantum well; however, the victory was accompanied by large military losses. It ...