Green Daily

A few weeks ago I wrote about office supplies from Terracycle, the company that makes cool things out of garbage. TerraCycle tracked me down and offered an advance copy of their founder, Tom Szaky's, new book, Revolution in a Bottle.

I actually read the whole thing, which is rare for a business book. Usually you just read the first two chapters, skim the middle, then read the last chapter. But this is such a wacky ride -- and at 200 pages, doable in an evening -- that you will keep reading to see what happens next.

It's a fun read, mainly because it's the story of how Tom dropped out of Princeton to make and market worm poop and somehow created a successful, cutting-edge green company while sticking to his principles.

Tom turned down a million dollars in funding. He took orders for product he didn't have. He kicked down the door to big box stores like Walmart and Home Depot, despite the green conventional wisdom that you should market through coops and small local stores. And he refused to charge the "green premium" that is the hallmark of eco-friendly products, keeping TerraCycle products affordable and competitive.

Somehow, by doing everything "wrong", Tom invented a better -- more successful -- way to do business. In the process, he proved that doing what's right for the planet and right for people is also a good way to make a profit.

Pick up a copy of the book -- and then pass it along to a like-minded friend -- and get inspired by the creative, almost desperation-driven solutions Tom and the company find for every challenge. You may even decide to start your own company after reading it!

By the way, if you can't get enough of Tom, you can also check out his blog the Eco-Capitalist. This is the kind of thinking that will get us through these freaked out economic times. New ideas, creativity, fearless experimentation. And some worm poop.