A Penn State Harrisburg faculty member has not only co-authored a book tying sound environmental decisions to business profitability, he's also had a hand in creating new words to describe the effort and those who embrace it.

The newly coined words are "ecolution" and "ecolutionaries."

"The Green Baron: A Business Parable on Ecolution," by Richard R. Young and Steven C. Dunn, is a parable of how a business leader transforms his thinking about the natural environment, works to radically change the thinking of everyone in his organization, and increases profitability in the process.

Young is professor of supply chain management at Penn State Harrisburg and Dunn is associate professor of supply chain and operations at the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh.

"Supply chain theory is based on total cost," Young pointed out. "Most firms, because of their accounting systems, are too often remiss in collecting all of the pertinent costs required. These are the same problems that logistics and supply chain managers have faced for years," he added. "So to us, the environmental issue was being addressed from the same paradigm."

An expert in supply chain management and logistics, Young's interest in responsible environmental decisions and profitability stretches back to his doctoral dissertation, which "highlighted a lot of value in being green," he recalled. Stressing that neither he nor Dunn could be described as "tree-huggers," Young added that they both "see sustainable processes and environmentally responsible actions as a clear source of competitive advantage."

In the book published by Trafford, "Baron" is the chief executive officer of a manufacturing firm who never thought of himself as an environmentalist, but rather a captain of industry.

Several events that hit close to home are the catalysts that cause Baron to look at his own actions through a different lens. It is only then that his disappointment grows at why things are no longer the way he remembers. This is compounded by his chagrin over the pervasive belief of his management team that short-term gains trump long-term benefits.

He asks, "Why can't others see what I'm seeing?" The reader soon joins Baron on a journey through the organization, meeting key managers, hearing how they conduct their areas of business. The reader ultimately witnesses their paradigm shifts that occur as a result of the "green" journey.

"Baron, the CEO (aka The Green Baron), is a visionary in many ways, but perhaps most compelling is how his story will inspire readers to start their own 'ecolution,'" the publisher says. "It's not about shooting down armed opponents -- that was the Red Baron. Rather it is how managers need to be shooting down the way companies think about the environment and profitability. These managers are 'ecolutionaries.'"

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