Biography

L. Hunter Lovins is President of the Natural Capitalism, Inc. She holds a JD and several honorary doctorates. Co-founder of California Conservation Project (an innovative forestry group) she has extensive hands on experience with economic development, forestry, sustainable agriculture, renewable energy and construction of sustainable buildings.

She subsequently founded Rocky Mountain Institute, which she served for 20 years as CEO. She has taught at numerous universities including Dartmouth College and the Universities of California and Colorado, and has received several honorary doctorates. Currently a professor of business at Presidio World College, she has founded and grown several businesses, including ESource, which ultimately sold for $18 million. She has served on the governing boards of one government, several businesses, and a dozen non-profits.

She shared a 1982 Mitchell Prize, a 1983 Right Livelihood Award (often called the "alternative Nobel Prize"), the 1993 Nissan Prize, and the 1999 Lindbergh Award. In 2000 She was named Time Magazine Hero of the Planet. In 2001 she received the Shingo Prize for Manufacturing Research and the Leadership in Business Award.

She served on the State of the World Forum’s Commission on Globalization and was one of four people from North America named to serve as a delegate to the United Nations Prep conference for the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg.

She is working in Afghanistan on a variety of projects, including with the Afghan Cluster Competitiveness Project. Hunter’s areas of expertise include Natural Capitalism, sustainable development, eco-tourism, globalization, water, energy and resource policy, economic development, climate change, security policy, land management, fire rescue and emergency medicine. She has co-authored nine books, including the 1999 book, Natural Capitalism, and hundreds of papers, including briefings for Presidents Clinton and Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

She has consulted for industries and governments worldwide, as well as such multinational companies as Shell Oil, and the International Finance Corporation. She has also worked with many community groups, local economic development agencies and municipal governments. She has experience in developing countries working with local businesses and small NGOs. She created the Economic Renewal Project and helped write many of its manuals on sustainable community economic development.

Ms Lovins has lectured extensively in over 15 countries, including at the World Economic Forum at Davos, The International Symposium on Sustainable Development in Shanghai, the Annual General Meeting of UNIDO, the Global Economic Forum, and the World Summit on Sustainable Development.