Institute creates ecology project - 'sustainable' development

[Guest guest]

Institute creates ecology project

Two entrepreneurs set out to build a truly 'sustainable' development.

By KATHERINE KERLIN, Missourian staff

May 2, 1999

Environmentalists and businesses have battled each other for years. A few of

these unlikely allies now are joining to create a sustainable business

center 20 miles west of Columbia.

The planned Institute of Ecolonomics will be on a 135-acre tract at

sburg, a small town near Boonville. Ecolonomics is a concept that

merges ecology and economics.

Columbia entrepreneur LaVaute teamed up with actor and institute

founder Dennis Weaver, who is betting part of his personal fortune on the

enterprise's success.

" The operation in Columbia will be the first physical presence that takes

ecolonomics out of the area of theory and makes it a living showcase, " said

Weaver, who has been setting up ecolonomics programs in various schools

across the country.

The planned institute will serve as an incubator for businesses covering

ecoforestry, ecobuilding and renewable energy. It also might house farm

technologies, food production and recycling systems. There will be a

demonstration site for innovative sustainable technologies and a training

ground.

" We know we've got to get business involved because it's the strongest

institution we have on the planet, " Weaver said. " Business must become the

solution, not the problem. "

LaVaute saw the potential for ecologically sensitive businesses in Columbia.

They could have a large impact on improving the environment, he said.

" But if you don't create a successful business, it has no impact, " said

LaVaute, who bought the sburg land and plans to start constructing the

institute soon.

The Institute of Ecolonomics aims to be a model for traditional industries

such as lumber, energy and fuel. LaVaute emphasizes, though, that the

institute is not meant to be anti-industry. He advocates non-confrontational

methods of cooperation. Such methods are meant to help existing industries

adapt to a changing economy of sustainability.

LaVaute's building consultant company in Columbia, His Ecosense Solutions,

is an example of the type of businesses the institute might attract. The

company is developing a kit that would simplify straw bale house

construction.

LaVaute said sustainable businesses need help because they face unfair

competition through the government's industry subsidies. In addition, a

product's cost does not include the damage inflicted on the environment and

human health.

The institute will try to even the playing field through resources and

training, he said. It also will assist business owners and help them realize

that producing sustainable goods and services doesn't have to break the

bank.

Popularizing sustainable building should be prioritized, said Mike Roddy,

president of Green Framing Construction in California.

" I think the majority of Americans have identified themselves as

environmentalists, " Roddy said. " There's no more direct way to address these

issues than in the kind of dwelling they choose. "

LaVaute and Roddy agreed that green businesses such as these would pay more

than lip service to the environment.

" Everybody claims to be a sustainable developer " Roddy said. " Standard Oil

and Georgia-Pacific claim to be environmentally sustainable. We need to be

more disciplined by defining what we mean by sustainable development. "