About & Contact

History

ICValue’s business concept developed over a 10-year period at Miami University. Its origin began from a synergy between science and business faculty and students concerned with both with environmental protection and the obvious limits of command and control regulation. The work of these individuals as is evident in news and publications, has shown environmental science and business to be complementary in achieving both conservation and profitability.

Specific ideas for a new for-profit business developed over the past three years (see Loucks and others, 1999, Loucks, Erekson and Springer 2003, and Loucks and Gorman 2002, and 2004). Our early work used eight comprehensive evaluation criteria, but recent improvements in products and services have led to adoption of 50 metrics organized to yield ratings for 15 criteria. Our Board of Directors includes environmental science, finance, investment and business specialists. The ICValue staff draws on a similar broad range of scientific and business backgrounds.

The environmental science principles underlying ICValue’s analysis draw, equally, on our experience with the laws of conservation of energy and matter, and on long-term biological consequences from human exploitation of ecosystems.

The conservation of energy and matter includes sustainability of water use, risks from over-harvesting of resources, and reducing the discharge of damaging pollutants.
Among the long-term biological consequences are maintenance of biological productivity, carbon sequestering by living systems, conservation of biological diversity and maintenance of human health.

As of March, 2005, ICValue has completed eighteen months of implementing its initial work plan. Work is underway for completing evaluations of 140 companies in 11 business sectors, representing ten regions in the eastern and western U.S., by the end of second quarter 2005.