ABSTRACT
This chapter presents Northern and Central America profile that includes sustainable enterprise in context; priority issues, trends, government policies and case studies. The concept of sustainable enterprise is at various stages of development in the region – while Canada and the USA have been among the world leaders in promoting the sustainable enterprise, most of the other countries have been more reactive. In most countries some fiscal incentives for sustainable enterprises are found, but these are often undermined by red tape and legislative requirements to open or run a small business. As a result, the creation of sustainable enterprise on a major scale has yet to happen in the region. There are several intergovernmental organizations and treaties dedicated to sustainability, but most of them are between the Canada, the USA and Mexico. These include the North American Development Bank, the Commission for Environmental Cooperation and the Border Environmental Cooperation Commission between the USA and Mexico.
