Should “Nature” Own Stock?

The question of whether nature should own stock is ridiculous on its face. But that doesn't stop environmental radicals from furthering that cause. Indeed, at least one privately held company has put "nature" on its board of directors.

Now, a leading New Zealand law firm Parry Field — which represents nonprofit organizations — has published a paper urging that "nature" become an owner of companies. The author, one of the partners, named Steven Moe, goes wrong right off the bat. From "Nature as a Shareholder":

When speaking, I often hold up an apple and ask what the potential is — maybe an apple pie, sliced into a salad, or perhaps some apple cider? No — the true potential are the seeds inside which might become a tree that produces thousands of apples. We just need a paradigm shift of thinking to see in a new way.

Please. Is Moe saying we should not make good use of the apple for human benefit? It sure seems that way. I mean, the "thousands of trees" wouldn't do much good if we didn't harvest them and extract the goodness to be found in the fruit. Moreover, we can harvest the apple, extract the juice, and plant the seeds.