Reaction to Chap. 1&2 of Common Wealth

The book "Common Wealth" by Jeffrey Sachs is interesting in that it addresses the many problems of the world and offers logical solutions to possible solve it. As a society we tend to bring the good along with the bad. For example, (as addressed in the book) with the age of technological advances, we now have more access to knowledge and research that were attainable about one-hundred years ago. But, with the advances we also became the age of 'quick fixes' in which we, especially Americans, are always looking for the quick and easy solutions that will ultimately have a negative effect on the future generations. The idea of economic problems drastically lessening by the year 2050 seems highly unlikely to me. But, not impossible. It will take a lot of cooperation from everyone to achieve that type of goal.
Another case I found interesting was that of the "poverty trap." I never thought of poverty in that way before. It is sad that the poor remain poor is mainly because of the lack of opportunities that we take for granted everyday. Such as education, availability for jobs, and various types of financial support. Sachs believes in involving various types of large corporations in order to help solve the problem of poverty. But my question is why should they care? Corporations are usually looking at the financial outcome. If they get involved there may be more loss than gain. I think that it would be much more efficient to raise awareness, get volunteers, and raise funds for the areas that need it most. Eventually, companies would need to get involved to supply more opportunities for these places, but ultimately we need to start small and work our way up.