Also in the issue is a new feature called GOOD Business. The GOOD Business section was done in partnership with B-Corporation. (Of which Better World Books is a founding B-Corp). The most interesting article for me was “What Nau?” about what went wrong with the clothing start-up Nau. Here is an excerpt from the article:

“Nau had gambled naively without a backup plan. But the company had come close to turning a corner. The clothes, the webfronts, the giving program, the bylaws—they all worked. The fundraising and the timing hadn’t. The irony, of course, is that a company so committed to sustainability was ultimately unsustainable. But not because of its principles. Rather, the mundane problems that plague most startups—lack of money and poor execution—had undermined Nau. Still, the brand had an impact in its short life span, accelerating the greening of the apparel industry and creating a new genre of outdoor clothing.”

You know what else is really cool about GOOD? Their graphic design and sense of humor. Check out the graphic below with regards to Nau.

It is tough to see a company like Nau with such great intentions fail. Nau’s investor essentially pulled their funding rug out from them due to the investor’s holdings in sub-prime mortgage securities. As the probability of a recession sets in, what will be the future for other triple bottom line companies? Will they stick to their guns—living wages, environmental responsibility, and social impact—or will they cave? Will investment in innovation dry up or will a lack of natural capital lead to radical resource productivity? Only time will tell.

Along the same lines–after I finish State by State, I plan to pick up Thomas Friedman’s Hot Flat and Crowded.