They make up the traditional, stereotypical dichotomy in environmental disputes: the conservationists, chaining themselves to trees to prevent any type of development; and the capitalists, coldheartedly destroying the planet in pursuit of profit.

Tonight’s guests say that traditional bifurcation represents an old way of thinking. These days, many conservationists have realized that their cause usually loses out to those seeking to make an economic gain. In order for environmentalism to work, they have to figure out a way to be a capitalist, to make environmentalism profitable. At the same time, Wall Street is starting to see greener pastures and profits in conservation efforts.

This hour, we examine the new marriage between the pursuit of a green planet and the pursuit of greenbacks. Is it possible to make conservationism profitable?

Guests:

Katherine Ellison, co-author “The New Economy of Nature: The Quest to Make Conservation Profitable”, Pulitzer-prize winning investigative journalist and veteran foreign correspondent

Andrew Hoffman, Assistant Professor at the Boston University School of Management, author of “From Heresy to Dogma: An Institutional History of Corporate Environmentalism”