Prof Jones’ book explores the phenomenon of green entrepreneurship from the nineteenth century to the present day. His research spans various industries such as organic food, natural beauty, clean energy, sustainable finance and eco-tourism.

It explores the motivations of green entrepreneurs and how they built their businesses and asks if historical experience gives cause for optimism concerning whether the business can save the planet. This study throws light on how hard it has been to reconcile profits and sustainability, but it also demonstrates how through a willingness to be “crazy” and to think outside the box, green entrepreneurs opened up new ways of thinking about sustainability and how yesterday’s crazies can turn out to be the historical origins of the sustainable world of the future.

This event is being curated under the aegis of the Best of Harvard in South Asia Series (BHSA) convened by the HBS India Research Center.  This is a platform through which the IRC convenes lectures, roundtables, panel discussions and debate around substantive topics that are relevant from an India perspective and provide business leaders an opportunity to access some of the latest research taking place at Harvard Business School.

We are so grateful to Mehul Mohanka (AMP 2013) who have extended us his home in New Alipore, Kolkata to host this conversation.