Since the rise of environmental consciousness, business and industry have always viewed environmentalism as a waste of time, only hindering profits and production . From a business perspective, environmentalists push for companies to be subject to regulations and restrictions that cost them more and often restrict some of their practices. What businesses and the economy don't know is that they can actually save money by being environmentally friendly, while protecting the resources they depend on. Environmental protection not only has intrinsic value, but also economic value. Business and industry can also benefit. These factors can lead to a newly developed economy that protects what it needs instead of destroying it. Despite the historical differences between business and environmental advocates, the fact is that both can and should leverage each other to ensure their future success. he. It is for this reason that a group of scientists from the Center for Social and Economic Research of the Global Environment developed an economic assessment of the environment. According to them, it is necessary to assign a value to environmental goods or services (Pearce et al, online). This value is necessary because the economy needs to understand that environmental protection can be profitable for business and industry. The purpose of the assessment is to show the real costs associated with the use of scarce environmental resources. This is a way for environmentalists and economists to quantify the services provided by the environment. That’s exactly what Robert Costanza, an ecological economist at the University of Maryland, did. The estimate of ecosystem services provided worldwide is $33 trillion per year, exceeding the gross national product of all countries on the planet combined by $8 trillion (Zimmer 105). The environment provides services not only commercially, like timber, but also in less visible ways. For example, forests protect against soil erosion, which is costly to correct. Given these facts, depleting ecosystems and resources proves costly, while protecting them can only save money. Businesses and the American economy have much to gain by changing their current practices. A great example of how protecting the environment can benefit a business is a program created by 3M called Pollution Prevention Pays..