Within every company, there lies a sleeping giant. Companies have long been viewed as either the primary cause of environmental destruction, or as a deep-pocketed funding source for people trying to confront it. But with their access to innovation, new technology, and intellectual firepower, most companies are built to tackle the challenges our planet faces in a way smaller organizations and foundations can’t. What would happen if executives stopped looking at sustainability as a side project for the PR team and saw it instead as a way to benefit the planet and their profits? The giant would be awakened—and the world would never be the same. Jake Kheel wrote Waking the Sleeping Giant to help unlock your company’s hidden power to save the planet. He offers an action-driven, common sense approach to sustainability supported by real-life examples from his work in the Dominican Republic that demonstrate how companies can become a potent force for sustainability. This book offers up tangible ways everyone—from executives to employees—can make a difference and demonstrate the value of sustainability beyond the bottom line. "This is an engaging, edifying work shorn of any naïve idealism, as the author appreciates the challenges while also conceding the unceasing need for profits...A thoughtful and pragmatic consideration of an increasingly important topic." --Kirkus Reviews "Jake Kheel, in his life and this book, shows how fostering a culture of environmental conservation and community can bolster a business's prospects." -- Andrew Revkin , longtime New York Times journalist; Founding Director, Earth Institute Initiative on Communication and Sustainability, Columbia University "Sometimes the world is revealed in a grain of sand--that is the case in this incredibly well-written and thoughtful story of the sustainability trajectory of Punta Cana. This should be on the desk of every corporate leader. An amazing book." -- Thomas E. Lovejoy , University Professor of Environmental Science and Policy, George Mason University; Blue Planet Prize Laureate 2012; Senior Fellow, United Nations Foundation "Jake Kheel's book is imbued with the wonder of discovery, accidental environmentalism, and, most importantly, working on problems with a hands-on approach. Waking the Sleeping Giant makes a great story and provides wonderful reasons to stay in one place for a sustained period of time to make a difference, providing a great example of what sustainable tourism is all about." -- Megan Epler Wood , Managing Director, Sustainable Tourism Asset Management Program (STAMP), Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise, SC Johnson College of Business, Cornell University "Responsibility towards the natural environment is a key part of corporate strategy in the 21st century. Grupo Puntacana has taken many innovative steps towards environmental sustainability, leading the way for coastal marine enterprise in the Caribbean and beyond. Jake Kheel is the man behind the conservation strategy at GPC." -- Brian D. Farrell , Director, David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies; Monique and Philip Lehner Professor for the Study of Latin America; Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology; and Curator in Entomology, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University "For almost fifty years, Grupo Puntacana has demonstrated that sustainable development can result in successful business realities. In this book, Jake Kheel provides insight into understanding one of the major paradoxes of modern society--that conservation and development can coexist and create synergistic outcomes. Jake describes how partnerships between Grupo Puntacana's extensive business activities and prestigious academic institutions like Cornell and Harvard Universities provided opportunities for students and tourists to learn best by doing meaningful research and exploratory activities in the natural world." -- Donald Hawkins , Professor Emeritus of Management, Tourism Studies, and International Affairs, George Washington University "This insightful book combines the best elements of sustainable tourism--good business practices and a 'boots on the ground' approach. Kheel gets you thinking through his use of practical successes--and failures--about the value of an adaptive, triple bottom line approach to solve real-world problems. Waking the Sleeping Giant is a roadmap to corporate sustainability and a must-read for industry leaders who want to make a lasting difference for nature, business, and local communities." -- Gregory A. Miller , PhD, Executive Director, Center for Responsible Travel (CREST) JAKE KHEE L is an environmental innovator whose efforts in the Dominican Republic with the Grupo Puntacana Foundation have won numerous awards and made the country's tourism more competitive and environmentally sustainable. Jake directs the Center for Sustainability, a think tank partnering with renowned universities to conduct environme