Full-cost Accounting

For the environment

Normally the topic of accounting would be a total snooze-fest for me. I but I find the concept of “environmental full-cost accounting” very interesting, and hopefully you do to!

Since April is the month of tidbits, I won’t go into too much detail. Here is the basic concept:

If regular accounting is determining costs, environmental full-cost accounting is determining the cost of a product or an activity to the economy, environment, public health, and society at large.

For example, buying plastic cups for your party this weekend might make sense in the monetary accounting department, but when you look at the costs to the environment, public health, and society at large, the cost is far greater.

It reminds me of something I read in a Buddhist book once: “What are the non-tree elements of a tree?” Meaning, all the things you can’t see that made the tree, such as water, and sunlight.

It is an interesting way to look at things, and something to keep in mind every time you make a purchase!

Let’s build that bridge,

Rebecca