Earthenterprise Tool Kit - International Institute for Sustainable ...

EarthEnterprise Tool Kit
ecosystems and to facilitate access to genetic materials for environmentally
sound uses. Industrial countries will financially assist developing countries to
implement the Convention. The pharmaceutical, agricultural, energy, and
forestry sectors will be the most affected. The Convention became law on
December 29, 1993, after being ratified by 30 countries.
Shaman Pharmaceuticals is one of several companies that is trying to protect
biological diversity and to develop commercial drugs from rain forest plants.
Using the knowledge of traditional medicine men in the tropics, the company
tries to identify the active ingredient that might form the basis of a new drug.
Shaman will devote a share of future revenues to protect the biological diversity
of tropical forests and the cultural diversity and knowledge of their residents.
Merck and Pharmacognetics have also promised to share revenues from
biologically derived drugs.
Principles on Managing, Conserving, and Sustainably Developing All Types of Forests
World-wide, forests are threatened by physical and chemical degradation and
conversion to other uses. There is an urgent need to maintain or restore the
world’s ecological balance by conserving and planting forests in both industrial
and developing countries. By June 1992, a series of principles for sustainable
forest use had been developed and may form the basis of further negotiations
leading to a binding agreement. Entrepreneurs may find opportunities arising
from new management and harvesting methods, and from modified machinery
that encourages more sustainable practices and more efficient use of forest
products.
Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement
The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement between Canada and the United
States involves the governments of states and provinces bordering the Great
Lakes. The Agreement’s focus on technologies and practices that minimize
emissions of toxic substances into the Great Lakes Basin is replicable in other
watersheds. Over the past 20 years, the agreement has resulted in enormous
investments in water pollution control and sewage treatment technologies and
their installation. The emphasis is now shifting to water pollution prevention
technologies.
International agreements are often difficult to understand and follow, especially
for companies with few resources.
While voluminous specialized information sources, government reports, and
tracking services exist, they are intended to serve negotiators, regulators and
lawyers, rather than the entrepreneur seeking a good idea. The first hurdle for
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES IN SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGY
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