What happens when a renowned river guide teams up with the CEO of one of the largest--and least Earth-friendly--corporations in the world? Nothing less than a green business revolution reveals Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and bestselling author Edward Humes in his arresting new book, FORCE OF NATURE: The Unlikely Story of Wal-Mart's Green Revolution.  Humes, author of ECO BARONS, tells the inside story of the little-known and unlikely partnership between former Wal-Mart CEO H. Lee Scott and white water expert-turned Blu Skye sustainability consultant Jib Ellison, and their struggle to redefine what it means to be green in the world of big business. Their efforts transformed a small project initially intended to insulate Wal-Mart from environmental criticism into a massive sustainability makeover, which now has snowballed beyond the retailer to influence whole industries, from apparel to dairy to banking. Now their fresh take on sustainability is empowering a virtual second industrial revolution based on a simple truth: that the clean, green, efficient, less-wasteful, less polluting way of doing business can also be the most profitable way of doing business. “The idea that ‘going green’ could actually be profitable . . . remains a source of skepticism in some quarters. If you still need convincing, pick up Edward Humes’s excellent new book. . . Mr. Humes does here what the very best business books do. He finds a good story to help illuminate an issue of surpassing importance. . . . Mr. Humes’s prose is almost flawless, lean and clear, egoless and spare. . . . This is first-rate work.” - New York Times “A meticulously researched and engrossing narrative . . . for those interested in the relationship between business and environment―once wary, now warming―Humes’ book is a compelling case study.” - Tiffany Hsu, Los Angeles Times “It’s the first book about the greening of Walmart, and a valuable one…Force of Nature gets the story right.” - Marc Gunther, GreenBiz “A fascinating read.” - Reuters “ Force of Nature reveals in both detail and insight the relentless pursuit of an unattainable goal. Humes was privy to this story no one has yet told and he tells that story masterfully.” - Jeffrey Hollender, co-Founder and former CEO, Seventh Generation “Walmart’s revolution in turning waste and harm into wealth and health is one of the most important stories of corporate leadership in modern history. Force of Nature clearly and powerfully assembles many of the strands of that fascinating story. Every executive, and every citizen seeking to influence business, should read it.” - Amory B. Lovins, cofounder, Chairman, and Chief Scientist, Rocky Mountain Institute “Must reading for any CEO who’s thinking about sustainability and how it can positively affect their bottom line. Humes has done an excellent of job of bringing to life the way Wal-Mart did it and prospered! Excellent, realistic case study.” - Bridgett Luther, President of the C2C Products Innovation Institute “Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Edward Humes . . . provides a fascinating story of the evolution of corporate responsibility for the environment.” - Kirkus Reviews “The book gives clear-cut examples and discusses changes needed in the organizational culture to embrace environmental corporate responsibility . . . This book will appeal to readers across income, age, and lifestyle brackets, because it discusses a topic that impacts the public. Recommended for all public and academic collections.” - Library Journal What happens when a renowned river guide teams up with the CEO of one of the largest and least Earth-friendly corporations in the world? When it's former Wal-Mart CEO H. Lee Scott and white-water expert turned sustainability consultant Jib Ellison, the result is nothing less than a green business revolution. Wal-Mart—long the target of local businesses, labor advocates, and environmentalists who deplore its outsourced, big-box methods—has embraced an unprecedented green makeover, which is now spreading worldwide. The retail giant that rose from Sam Walton's Ozarks dime store is leveraging the power of 200 million weekly customers to drive waste, toxics, and carbon emissions out of its stores and products. Neither an act of charity nor an empty greenwash, Wal-Mart's green move reflects its river guide's simple, compelling philosophy: that the most sustainable, clean, energy-efficient, and waste-free company will beat its competitors every time. Not just in some distant, utopian future but today. From energy conservation, recycling, and hybrid trucks to reduced packaging and partnerships with environmentalists it once met only in court, Wal-Mart has used sustainability to boost its bottom line even in a tough economy—belying the age-old claim that going green kills jobs and profits. Now the global apparel business, the American dairy industry, big agriculture, and even Wall Street are following Wal-Mart's lead, along with the 100,00