Author Gilbert Van Kerckhove joins us the book presentation to give us a review of his thought provoking new book, "Toxic Capitalism the orgy of consumerism and waste: are we the last generation on Earth?"

The book centers on the world’s economic, environmental, governmental and social problems and what we need to do to fix them. Living in China Gilbert became alarmed by the dramatic pollution levels and the impact of Toxic Capitalism, an unwelcome strain of capitalism that thrives on over consumption and indiscriminate wastage, promoted by the West with the help of questionable companies, financial institutions and governments. China, as Factory of the World, is facing depletion of resources and roams the world to satisfy its voracious appetite for energy, raw materials, and food. How serious is the environmental destruction? Is capitalism fundamentally wrong? How did we come to this madness, and what can we do to preserve the future of our children?

We need to combat the idolatry of consumerism and fight for our goals: quality & durability, saving resources and energy. We simply consume too much and too quickly: too many gadgets, too many clothes, too many consumer products we either use little or even never at all. We waste too much, including food. Quality & durability is not limited to consumer products. We need it in governments, services, companies, and financial institutions. We have to change our lifestyle.

Gilbert Van Kerckhove, Gilbert is from Ghent (Belgium) where he graduated as master in electronic engineering. Since 1980 he has been working with China, where he spent far over 25 years, mostly in Beijing but also in Hong Kong and in Shanghai. He is the founder and president of Beijing Global Strategy Consulting Co., Ltd., a Wholly Owned Foreign Enterprise in management consulting that provides strategy guidance and lobbying to foreign and Chinese companies. Since early 2000 he has been assisting the Beijing Municipal authorities in the areas of economic studies and foreign investment promotion. From January 2002 to late 2008 he was deeply involved in the preparations for the 2008 Olympics, working with the Municipality in the fund-raising, the tendering process and economic planning to build the major venues such as the Bird’s Nest and Watercube. He has received the highest awards from the Chinese Government and has a Chinese Green Card.
Through his many years in China he has accumulated a deep understanding of the Chinese administration and its modus operandi, the “culture shock” between the Chinese and foreign business concepts and the methodology to build a constructive dialogue between the two sides. He is a frequent speaker on a large variety of topics related to the Chinese economy, business environment, Chinese society & mentality, the development of Beijing, the 2008 Olympics, and successful lobbying. In January 2013 he was appointed professor at Beijing Jiaotong University, School of Economy and Management. Previously he was with the (former) Group Alcatel Alstom, working in Beijing, Shanghai, Indochina-Burma, Brazil and Spain. His responsibilities were in the areas of telecommunications, power plants, rail, heavy industry and others.

For more information visit http://blog.strategy4china.com and www.toxiccapitalism.com

Please note a limited number of copies of the book will be available for sale at the event (Price: soft-cover 200 RMB.)

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