L. Hunter Lovins (née Sheldon, born February 26, 1950, in Middlebury, Vermont)[1] is an American entrepreneur, professor, author, regenerative rancher, and pioneer of sustainability and regenerative economics. Managing Partner of NOW Partners, Chief Impact Officer of Change Finance, she is President of the nonprofit organization [https://natcapsolutions.org Natural Capitalism Solutions. She rides for the Boulder County Sheriff’s Mounted Search and Rescue.
Lovins received an undergraduate degree in sociology and political science from Pitzer College in 1972, and a J.D. from Loyola Law School in 1975.[2][3]
An attorney (member of the State Bar of California), Lovins helped establish the urban forestry and environmental education group California Conservation Project (Tree People),[3] and served as their assistant director for about six years.[4] She served as policy adviser for Friends of the Earth under David Brower from 1987 to 1982.[5]
In 1982, Hunter Lovins co-founded Rocky Mountain Institute in Snowmass, Colorado.[6] She served as RMI's CEO for strategy until 2002.[7]
Lovins has taught at several universities including Dartmouth College, where she was a Henry R. Luce visiting professor, and the Bainbridge Graduate Institute's Pinchot University.[5][8]Named a Master of the DeTao Academy in Shanghai[9]))Retrieved July 26, 2023, Hunter was the 2014 Regents Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering at University of California Berkeley. In 2017 she served as Distinguished Lecturer at Lawrence Berkeley Labs. She is a distinguished Fellow of Fordham’s Center for Humanistic Management.
She helped found and still teaches Sustainable Management at the Bard College’s MBA in Sustainable Management.[11] She also lectures at Fordham University, and in the Open Society University Network Global Classroom. A founding Mentor at Unreasonable Group, a technology business accelerator for social entrepreneurs seeking to scale their ventures in international markets</ref>, Hunter served as a mentor for Unreasonable at Sea in 2013.
Lovins is a founding professor of the MBA in sustainability at Bard College, where she serves as a faculty member.[10]
Lovins has addressed major gatherings such as the World Economic Forum[citation needed], the United States Congress, and the World Summit on Sustainable Development.[11][12] She has also done consulting for citizens’ groups, governments, and corporations.
In 1983, she and Amory Lovins were awarded the Right Livelihood Award for "pioneering soft energy paths for global security".[13]
Lovins received a 1993 Nissan Award for an article on the Hypercar.[14] The Lindbergh Foundation recognized her with the 1999 Lindbergh Award for "outstanding achievements in energy and environmental practice and policy".[15] Lovins received a Leadership in Business Award at the Natural Business Conference in June 2001 for her work in the lifestyles of health and sustainability (LOHAS) industry.[16]
She received Loyola Law School’s Alumni Association Board of Governors Recognition Award in 2000.[17] The following year, Lovins and her Natural Capitalism co-authors were recognized with a Shingo Prize for manufacturing research.[18] In 2005, she received the Distinguished Alumni Award of Pitzer College.[19]
Time magazine featured Lovins in 2000 as one of their "Heroes for the Planet".[20]
In 1979, Hunter married Amory Lovins.[21] The couple separated in 1989 and divorced in 1999.[7]
Lovins co-authored the following books:
Lovins has also written articles for Unreasonable Group's online hub focused on social entrepreneurship.[22]
