Is the GDP out dated?

            The GDP (gross domestic product) was put in place to measure a country's economic health and was adopted in 1944. The GDP is calculated by these factors GDP = Consumer spending + Government spending + Capital expenditures + (Exports – Imports). This equation is missing one significant variable, Natural Capital. Every product accounted for in this equation came from some form of natural resource, and the world is not made up of limitless natural resources. The idea that the natural world is considered a resource has been around for a long time in the Native American Culture. In fact, this passage of "The Rainbow Prophecy" may describe the current state of the world "One day… There will come a time when the Earth is being ravaged and polluted, the forest is being destroyed, the birds will fall from the air, the waters will be blackened, the fish being poisoned in the streams, and the trees will no longer be, mankind as we would know it would all but cease to exist." Businesses cannot operate any longer without accounting for all inputs and outputs. In addition to these accounting measures, a general reporting of these principles, the KPI (Key Performance Indicators) specific sustainable principles include a quantities measurement, comparability, and common descriptive language. They should measure the emissions to the air, the water, the land, and the number of resources used. Considering all of the above factors, it is an opportunity to spark innovation, creativity, and new avenues of prosperity. The new competitive edge in business will be found in Environmental Management Systems. A company can do this by finding the appropriate classification for their company, assessing direct KPIs associated with that company, setting indirect KPIs for that company to measure, and reporting on the KPIs. 

Mushrooms a Sustainability Tool

Studies have shown that humans are more closely related to fungi than any other kingdom. In fact, it is believed that mushrooms can get out of the oceans before other creatures and help to prepare the soil for plant growth by detoxification. There are many uses for mushrooms. For example, they are an alternative to Styrofoam packaging and an eco-friendly alternative to polystyrene. They are an excellent resource to naturally clean up petrochemical spills of toxic compounds and reduce them into harmless periodic elements through fungi breakdown. This has been shown from research by Paul Stamets. The Fungi Perfecti Company also offers mushrooms as a substitute for chemical fertilizers, so Mycogrow fertilizers help plants grow without hurting the environment. Mushrooms can be used as an eco-friendly way to clean up farm waste by filtering harmful bacteria out of water. They can also be used as fungal insecticides. Pesticides are based on fungi and can replace the chemicals used to kill ants and termites. Mushrooms can also be used in a garbage disposal; for example, oyster mushrooms that grow on dead trees that eat cellulose can be used in landfills to reduce waste like dirty diapers. Historically mushrooms have even been used with their hallucinogenic properties to help prepare people for death. Scientists at Johns Hopkins University say that the psychedelic drug in the mushrooms "reliably induced transcendental experiences in volunteers, which offered long-lasting psychological growth and helped people find peace in their lives, without the negative effects." Mushrooms have many function-able uses and are a building block to life on Earth; with the current climate changes that society faces, the use of mushrooms as part of climate solutions does not need to be overlooked to help keep Earth inhabitable.