BOOK INFORMATION (ADULT)
21st Century Project: Design Showcase – The Home
James A. Baumann
“The goal of the 21st Century Project is to assist in the development of exceptional residential experiences at colleges, universities, and other post-secondary institutions around the world. To assist in that effort, we provide a suite of publications and presentations recounting the designs and concepts of the 21sts Century Project...” (from 21stcenturyproject.com)
50 Ways to Save Water & Energy
Sian Berry
Sian Berry, a UK Green Party politician, describes fifty easy things we can each do to conserve water and energy. Be sure to check out the list of sustainability-related websites and resources at the conclusion of the fifty tips! Readers will find information about green living, saving energy in the home and at work, and while shopping!
Becoming Vegan: The Complete Guide to Adopting a Healthy Plant-Based Diet
Brenda Davis
“The authors of Becoming Vegetarian explore the benefits of a vegan diet (eating without meat, eggs or dairy products). More and more people are being motivated to become vegans because of the impact of their nutritional choices on their health, the environment, animal rights, and human hunger. As registered dietitians, Davis and Melina are well-qualified to provide the latest information on how a vegan diet can protect against cancer, heart disease, and other chronic illnesses getting all the protein you need without meat meeting your needs for calcium without dairy products what vegans need to know about B12 why good fats are vital to healthy and how to get them balanced diets for infants, children, and seniors pregnancy and breast-feeding tips for vegan moms considerations for overweight, underweight, and eating disorders achieving peak performance as a vegan athlete how to deal gracefully with a non vegan world.” (from amazon.com)
Better World Handbook, The: Small Changes That Make A Big Difference
Ellis Jones
“Specifically designed to reach people who normally would not consider themselves activists, The Better World Handbook is directed toward those who care about creating a more just, sustainable, and socially responsible world but don’t know where to begin. Substantially updated, this revised bestseller now contains more recent information on global problems, more effective actions, and many new resources.” (from amazon.com)
Bountiful Container: Create Container Gardens of Vegetables, Herbs, Fruits, and Edible Flowers (McGee’s and Stuckey’s)
Rose Marie Nichols McGee and Maggie Stuckey
“McGee (Basic Herb Cookery) and veteran gardening writer Stuckey (Gardening from the Ground Up) share their expertise and experience in the art of container gardening. Armed with this manual, frustrated apartment dwellers can indulge their passion for growing edible things. If there is an available balcony, porch, front or back steps, according to the authors, growing produce in containers can be easy and rewarding. With some limitations, it is even possible to grow foods in a window box or on an indoor windowsill. This compendium of practical advice includes detailed information on the types of containers to use, equipment needed, the right soil, when to plant which seeds and how best to deal with problems such as too much or too little sunlight. They also explain more sophisticated techniques like succession planting, whereby ongoing seasonal planting takes place in the same container. This can yield a harvest of peas in early summer, tomatoes in late summer to early fall and kale that will grow into winter. Included are mouth-watering recipes for harvested container crops. Written for the beginner as well as for those with a background in gardening, McGee and Stuckey's directions are comprehensive, clearly written and frequently inspiring.” (from Publishers Weekly)
Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature
Janine M. Benyus
“Forget the notion that technology improves upon nature. Benyus introduces us to pioneering engineers making technological breakthroughs by uncovering and copying nature's hidden marvels. These engineers are devising solar fuel cells as efficient as plants, fibers as tough as abalone shell, and computers as sophisticated as the brain. For Benyus, though, a technology that mirrors nature does more than enlarge human powers and gratify human ambitions. Such a technology teaches us how to live in harmony with nature, rather than how to dominate it. Unless we learn this urgent lesson, Benyus warns, our highly unnatural and exploitative technologies will soon render the earth unfit for life. Sobering yet hopeful, this book will bring help bridge the dangerous chasm between technophiles and environmentalists.” (from Bryce Christensen in Booklist)
Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed
Jared Diamond
“Jared Diamond's Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed is the glass-half-empty follow-up to his Pulitzer Prize-winning Guns, Germs, and Steel. While Guns, Germs, and Steel explained the geographic and environmental reasons why some human populations have flourished, Collapse uses the same factors to examine why ancient societies, including the Anasazi of the American Southwest and the Viking colonies of Greenland, as well as modern ones such as Rwanda, have fallen apart. Not every collapse has an environmental origin, but an eco-meltdown is often the main catalyst, he argues, particularly when combined with society's response to (or disregard for) the coming disaster...” (from amazon.com)
Common Wealth: Economics for a Crowded Planet
Jeffrey D. Sachs
In this sobering but optimistic manifesto, development economist Sachs (The End of Poverty) argues that the crises facing humanity are daunting—but solutions to them are readily at hand. Sachs focuses on four challenges for the coming decades: heading off global warming and environmental destruction; stabilizing the world's population; ending extreme poverty; and breaking the political logjams that hinder global cooperation on these issues. The author analyses economic data, demographic trends and climate science to create a lucid, accessible and suitably grim exposition of looming problems, but his forte is elaborating concrete, pragmatic, low-cost remedies complete with benchmarks and budgets. Sachs's entire agenda would cost less than 3% of the world's annual income, and he notes that a mere two days' worth of Pentagon spending would fund a comprehensive antimalaria program for Africa, saving countless lives. Forthright government action is the key to avoiding catastrophe, the author contends, not the unilateral, militarized approach to international problems that he claims is pursued by the Bush administration. Combining trenchant analysis with a resounding call to arms, Sachs's book is an important contribution to the debate over the world's future.” (from amazon.com)
Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things
William McDonough and Michael Braungart
“Environmentalists are normally the last people to be called shortsighted, yet that's essentially what architect McDonough and chemist Braungart contend in this clarion call for a new kind of ecological consciousness. The authors are partners in an industrial design firm that devises environmentally sound buildings, equipment and products. They argue that conventional, expensive eco-efficiency measures things like recycling or emissions reduction are inadequate for protecting the long-term health of the planet. Our industrial products are simply not designed with environmental safety in mind; there's no way to reclaim the natural resources they use or fully prevent ecosystem damage, and mitigating the damage is at best a stop-gap measure. What the authors propose in this clear, accessible manifesto is a new approach they've dubbed "eco-effectiveness": designing from the ground up for both eco-safety and cost efficiency. They cite examples from their own work, like rooftops covered with soil and plants that serve as natural insulation; nontoxic dyes and fabrics; their current overhaul of Ford's legendary River Rouge factory; and the book itself, which will be printed on a synthetic "paper" that doesn't use trees. Because profitability is a requirement of the designs, the thinking goes, they appeal to business owners and obviate the need for regulatory apparatus...” (from amazon.com)
Desert Gardener’s Companion, A
Kim Nelson
“For old hands or inexperienced newcomers, A Desert Gardener's Companion is the essential reference for creating and maintaining a bountiful and environmentally sensitive Southwestern gardens. Master Gardener Kim Nelson provides a wealth of information in an easy-to-use seasonal format, covering what to do week-by-week in the desert climates of Southern California, Arizona, southern Nevada, southern New Mexico, and West Texas. Nelson covers everything from planting agave americana to mulching melons to adding zinc chelates to desert soils: one hundred sixty specific topics in all. Delightful drawings by noted nature artist Paul Mirocha demonstrate proper planting and pruning techniques, suggest complimentary landscape groupings, and illustrate specific low water-use plants. No other single volume provides as much useful advice about selecting, planting, and caring for such a wide variety of plants and gardens as Nelson packs into A Desert Gardener's Companion. Her informative and entertaining prose reflects her years of successful, hands-on gardening experience in both Southern California and Arizona and her wealth of knowledge gained as chair of the Plant Clinic at the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension in Tucson.” (from amazon.com)
Designing the Sustainable School
Alan Ford
“This book presents a survey of K-12 schools from around the world that combine the best in aesthetics, sustainability, and high-performance design. K-12 school construction currently represents one of the largest sectors of new construction of any building type. Considering rising energy costs and concerns for the environment, there has never been more attention focused on the need to design schools responsibly. It highlights the work that the best architects are doing to respond to those needs while still creating beautiful schools for enhanced learning. Author Alan Ford has designed more than 75 K-12 schools projects, and with a longstanding commitment to sustainability and a passion for architecture, he is perfectly positioned to present this illuminating collection of sustainable school projects from around the world. This colorful book is a compendium of ideas illustrating how some very talented architects and committed facility planners are meeting the challenge of creating better schools.” (from amazon.com)
Eco-Economy: Building an Economy for the Earth
Lester R. Brown
“Eco-economic theory calls for harmony between our economy and natural resources. Our current, untenable, profit-focused economic model, says Brown (Building a Sustainable Society), depletes forests, oil, farmland, topsoil, water, atmosphere and species beyond a sustainable level. Brown, founding director of the Earth Policy Institute, uses the Sumerians as an antimodel: as the land was overworked, water sources eventually disappeared. And he uses forestry as a counterexample: forests secure land and store water, acting as natural dams. Logging delivers paychecks, but doesn't consider flood damage from tree loss. Eco-economists would say that the logger and the town, while temporarily profiting, pay more in the end in rising insurance costs, flood damage to homes and infrastructure, increased taxes and disaster relief funds…In light of the current administration's poor reputation for eco-concern and its withdrawal from the Kyoto Protocol, Brown's book will do well among students, activists and the growing environmental movement.” (from Publishers Weekly)
Environmental Problems and Human Behavior
Gerald T. Gardner and Paul C. Stern
“Designed for courses in environmental psychology, applied psychology, environmental sociology, and social ecology. Also appropriate as a supplemental text for environmental studies, environmental sciences, and environmental policy. Examines the behavioral dimensions of global and regional environmental problems such as the greenhouse effect, ozone depletion, deforestation, air pollution, and water pollution.” (from amazon.com)
Extreme Gardening: How to Grow Organic in the Hostile Deserts
Dave Owens
“Extreme Gardening is the quintessential gardening guide to organic gardening against all odds. Written by the well-known gardening guru, the ‘Garden Guy,’ David Owens shows the experienced and novice gardener how to grow organic foods in hostile climates (all desert climates) and land. Simple to understand with user-friendly spine, the book covers all topics from watering, design, tools, schedules, fertilizing, companion planting, and soils. The book is easily divided into three main sections-vegetables, fruits and nuts, and controlling extreme pests organically. Each section is full of useful tips such as: each plants nickname; when they are available; how they should be supported; when to plant them; how to properly shade or unshade it; and how to fertilize it, etc. The controlling extreme pests section is broken down into sections by bug name and how to use organic, insect, and sensory-distracting controls.” (from amazon.com)
Field Guide to Environmental Literacy: Making Strategic Investments in Environmental Education
James L. Elder
“A real heightening of our nation's environmental literacy will require momentous educational reforms both inside schools and out. The purpose of this book is to highlight the need for, and potential benefit of, foundation seed funding to promote these reforms...” (from naee.net)
Food versus Fuel: An Informed Introduction to Biofuels
Frank Rosillo-Calle
“Food versus Fuelpresents a high-level introduction to the science and economics behind a well-worn debate, that will debunk myths and provide quality facts and figures for academics and practitioners in development studies, environment studies, and agricultural studies. Compiled by an internationally renowned scientist and authority, and including perspectives from "pro" and "anti" biofuels experts and activists, from the North and South, the aim of this book is to bring a balanced approach to the current debate on the major issues affecting the development of biofuels in a concise and clear manner. This is an informed, nuanced but accessible introduction, grounded in science and economics rather than conjecture and controversy.” (from amazon.com)
Food Revolution, The: How Your Diet Can Help Save Your Life and Our World
John Robbins
“What can we do to help stop global warming, feed the hungry, prevent cruelty to animals, avoid genetically modified foods, be healthier and live longer? Eat vegetarian, Robbins (Diet for a New America) argues. Noting the massive changes in the environment, food-production methods, and technology over the last two decades, he lambastes (in a manner less tough-mindedly restrained than Frances Moore Lapp's classic Diet for a Small Planet) contemporary factory-farming methods and demonstrates that individual dietary choices can be both empowering and have a broader impact. Robbins, heir to the Baskin-Robbins ice-cream empire (he rejected it to live according to his values), takes on fad diets, the meat industry, food irradiation, hormone and antibiotic use in animals, cruel animal husbandry practices, the economics of meat consumption, biotechnology and the prevalence of salmonella and E. Coli. Some details are downright revolting (euthanized dogs and cats often are made into cattle feed), horrific (some 90% of cows, pigs and poultry are still conscious when butchered) and mind-boggling (it takes 5,214 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef). Despite all this and more distressing information, Robbins ends on a hopeful note, detailing growth in organic farming, public awareness and consumer activism worldwide, as well as policy changes, especially in Europe…” (from Publishers Weekly
Fostering Sustainable Behavior
Doug McKenzie-Mohr
“Our consumption patterns are threatening to outstrip Earth's ability to support humanity and other species. A sustainable future will require sweeping changes in public behavior. While conventional marketing can help create public awareness, social marketing identifies and overcomes barriers to long-lasting behavior change. This ground-breaking book is the primary resource for the emerging new field of community-based social marketing, and an invaluable guide for anyone involved in designing public education programs with the goal of promoting sustainable behavior, from recycling and energy efficiency, to alternative transportation.” (from amazon.com)
Fresh Food in Small Spaces: The Square-Inch Gardener's Guide to Year-Round Growing, Fermenting, and Sprouting
R.J. Ruppenthal
“Books on container gardening have been wildly popular with urban and suburban readers, but until now, there has been no comprehensive ‘how-to’ guide for growing fresh food in the absence of open land. Fresh Food from Small Spaces fills the gap as a practical, comprehensive, and downright fun guide to growing food in small spaces. It provides readers with the knowledge and skills necessary to produce their own fresh vegetables, mushrooms, sprouts, and fermented foods as well as to raise bees and chickens—all without reliance on energy-intensive systems like indoor lighting and hydroponics. Readers will learn how to transform their balconies and windowsills into productive vegetable gardens, their countertops and storage lockers into commercial-quality sprout and mushroom farms, and their outside nooks and crannies into whatever they can imagine, including sustainable nurseries for honeybees and chickens. Free space for the city gardener might be no more than a cramped patio, balcony, rooftop, windowsill, hanging rafter, dark cabinet, garage, or storage area, but no space is too small or too dark to raise food…” (from amazon.com)
Gardening in the Desert
Mary F. Irish
“Drawing on her experience with public horticulture in the Phoenix metropolitan area, Irish explores the vexations and delights of desert gardening. She offers practical advice on plants and gardening practices for anyone who lives in the Southwest, from El Paso to Palm Springs, Tucson to Las Vegas. Irish encourages readers who may be new to the desert—or desert dwellers who may be new to gardening—to stop struggling against heat, aridity, and poor soils and instead learn to use and appreciate the wonderful and well-adapted plants native to the desert. She shares information and anecdotes about trees, shrubs, perennials, agaves, cacti, and other plants that make gardening in the Southwest a unique experience, and provides further information about plants from other desert regions that will easily adapt to the Southwest. In addition to descriptions of plants, Irish also offers tips on planting, watering, pruning, and propagation.” (from amazon.com)
Gardening in the Middle East
Eric Moore
“This book is for the amateur gardener as much as it is for the professional horticulturist wherever they may be in the Middle East -- from Egypt and Sudan on the edge of Africa to Jordan in the Levant and down to Saudi Arabia, Oman, UAE and the rest of the Gulf. Eric Moore is an American Horticulturalist with many years experience of landscaping and garden nursery operations in the Middle East.” (from amazon.com)
Go Green, Live Rich: 50 Simple Ways to Save the Earth and Get Rich Trying
David Bach
“Bach (The Automatic Millionaire; Start Late, Finish Rich) offers a multitude of suggestions for conserving the planet—and your money—in this attractive and accessible guide. A few of Bach's tips require making a serious commitment (growing your own vegetables, using recyclable energy, trading in your car for a fuel-efficient model); others such as unplugging unused appliances, switching to compact fluorescent bulbs and eating less meat are simple—if familiar—ways to go green. Bach also advocates making environmental consciousness a family value (spending more family time in nature, taking volunteer vacations), greening holidays by using recycled wrapping paper, sending e-cards and tree-cycling. Bach clarifies how the most conservative changes in lifestyle can yield radical results: If every U.S. computer and monitor were turned off at night, the nation could shut eight large power stations and avoid emitting 7 million tons of CO2 every year. In the Finish Rich section, Bach turns his attention from going green to getting green—investing the money you save in eco-friendly businesses. A winning and wise guide, this book—printed on recycled paper with proceeds going to a green advocacy group—will find a large audience.” (from Publishers Weekly)
Going to Green: A Standards-Based Environmental Education Curriculum for Schools, Colleges, and Communities
Harry Wiland and Dale Bell
“Based on the PBS Series ‘Edens Lost & Found,’ this unique learning resource combines an integrated, detailed academic curriculum with service-based learning activities to educate, inspire, and empower citizen learners to build greener and healthier communities. Tested in high schools, university extension classes, community colleges, and community organizations, this teacher-friendly curriculum is rated highly as a successful program for knowledge acquisition across disciplines. It meets NSTA and NCSS national standards for grades 9-12, and includes a wide variety of cross-curricular activities with focus on literature, math, and art…” (from amazon.com)
Green Building A to Z: Understanding the Language of Green Building
Jerry Yudelson
“Green building is the fastest-growing trend to hit since the Internet, bringing with it an enormous range of new products, systems, and technologies. Green Building A to Z is an informative, technically accurate, and highly visual guide to green building, for both decision-makers and interested citizens. It begins with an introduction to the importance of green buildings and a brief history of the green building movement, outlines the benefits and costs of green buildings, and shows how you can influence the spread of green buildings. The book touches on key issues, such as enhancing water conservation, reducing energy use, and creating a conservation economy…” (from amazon.com)
Green Building Revolution, The
Jerry Yudelson and S. Richard Fedrizzi
“The ‘green building revolution’ is happening right now. This book is its chronicle and its manifesto. Written by industry insider Jerry Yudelson, The Green Building Revolution introduces readers to the basics of green building and to the projects and people that are advancing this movement. With interviews and case studies, it does more than simply report on the revolution; it shows readers why and how to start thinking about designing, building, and operating high performance, environmentally aware (LEED-certified) buildings on conventional budgets…The Green Building Revolution describes the many “revolutions” that are taking place today: in commercial buildings, schools, universities, public buildings, health care institutions, housing, property management, and neighborhood design. In a clear, highly readable style, Yudelson outlines the broader ‘journey to sustainability’ influenced by the green building revolution and provides a solid business case for accelerating this trend.” (from amazon.com)
Green Deen: What Islam Teaches About Protecting the Planet
Ibrahim Abdul-Matin
"How we manage waste, watts, water, and food should reinforce the moral foundations of our communities...ensure economic and social justice and create the freedom to transform our pollution-based 'gray' economy to one that...is sustainable and 'green.' Environmental policy consultant and youth organizer Abdul-Matin shares his love of the Earth, which he describes as a mosque, in his first book, a guide to environmentalism that speaks to Muslims in their own terms. Defining a Deen as a path, the author clearly demonstrates how environmentalism fits into the goals and ethics of Islam. Abdul-Matin seamlessly intertwines personal experiences with religious doctrine and environmental information. The author focuses on several facets of human impact-waste, energy, water, and food-and includes discussions of green jobs, political systems, and greenwashing. Though topics will not be new to those who have read secular books about green or simple living, Muslims will appreciate Abdul-Matin's clarity in relating steps to Islam, often providing quotes from the Qur'an (though tips will apply equally to non-Muslims). Less a lecture than an invitation to introspection, Green Deen is a welcome hybrid, providing a glimpse into conservation through the lens of religion. (from Publishers Weekly)
Greening the Ivory Tower: Improving the Environmental Track Record of Universities, Colleges, and Other Institutions
Sarah Creighton
“Universities can teach and demonstrate environmental principles and stewardship by taking action to understand and reduce the environmental impacts of their own activities. Greening the Ivory Tower, a motivational and how-to guide for staff, faculty, and students, offers detailed "greening" strategies for those who may have little experience with institutional change or with the latest environmentally friendly technologies. The author was project manager of Tufts CLEAN!, a program whose mission was to reduce Tufts University's environmental impact. After analyzing the campus's overall environmental impact (each year the main campus serves 5 million meals; makes 14 million photocopies; uses 65 tons of paper towels, 110 million gallons of water, and 23 million kWh of electricity; and generates over 2,000 tons of solid waste), the team decided to focus on food waste, transportation, energy efficiency, and procurement practices. An essential discovery was that to change practices requires the personal commitment and direct involvement of those who have the responsibility for operating the institution on a daily basis. Although the Tufts experience forms the basis for many of the proposals in the book, the story goes well beyond Tufts; the author includes examples of successful practices from many other institutions.” (from amazon.com)
Green Your Work: Boost Your Bottom Line While Reducing Your Carbon Footprint
Kim Carlson
“Today, many companies are flourishing by delivering high-quality products while pursuing policies that leave the world a cleaner, better place. Those policies can help retain customers, energize employees, and serve as brand-building tools. This book shows managers practical steps to make their companies environmentally responsible while staying profitable and efficient. Environmentalist and businesswoman Kim Carlson shows managers how to green company operations by moving to a paperless office, recycling at work, setting up employee carpools, developing eco-friendly packaging, using green building products, and more. She explains in detail topics ranging from green marketing to setting up a carbon footprint assessment for the company. With this book at their side, managers can turn green into profits.” (from amazon.com)
Grow Great Grub: Organic Food from Small Spaces
Gayla Trail
“Your patio, balcony, rooftop, front stoop, boulevard, windowsill, planter box, or fire escape is a potential fresh food garden waiting to happen. In Grow Great Grub, Gayla Trail, the founder of the leading online gardening community (YouGrowGirl.com), shows you how to grow your own delicious, affordable, organic edibles virtually anywhere…Whether you’re looking to eat on a budget or simply experience the pleasure of picking tonight’s meal from right outside your door, this is the must-have book for small-space gardeners—no backyard required.” (from amazon.com)
Guide to LEED 2009: Estimating and Preconstruction Strategies
Thomas A. Taylor
“This guide walks the reader step by step through the LEED 2009 for New Construction process, offering advanced techniques for estimating the actual costs, in time and money, for building green. It serves as an essential primer to price-assessment strategies for high-performance commercial and institutional projects, which include office buildings, high-rise residential buildings, government buildings, recreational facilities, manufacturing plants, and laboratories. Written by an author with more than twenty years of green construction experience on more than 80 LEED registered or certified projects, the book provides real-world case studies used to demonstrate the techniques and concepts revealed in the book, covers project documentation, and provides strategies to help the reader understand the real costs and scheduling implications associated with sustainable building.” (from amazon.com)
In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto
Michael Pollan
“In his hugely influential treatise The Omnivore's Dilemma, Pollan traced a direct line between the industrialization of our food supply and the degradation of the environment. His new book takes up where the previous work left off. Examining the question of what to eat from the perspective of health, this powerfully argued, thoroughly researched and elegant manifesto cuts straight to the chase with a maxim that is deceptively simple: Eat food, not too much, mostly plants. But as Pollan explains, food in a country that is driven by a thirty-two billion-dollar marketing machine is both a loaded term and, in its purest sense, a holy grail. The first section of his three-part essay refutes the authority of the diet bullies, pointing up the confluence of interests among manufacturers of processed foods, marketers and nutritional scientists—a cabal whose nutritional advice has given rise to a notably unhealthy preoccupation with nutrition and diet and the idea of eating healthily. The second portion vivisects the Western diet, questioning, among other sacred cows, the idea that dietary fat leads to chronic illness. A writer of great subtlety, Pollan doesn't preach to the choir; in fact, rarely does he preach at all, preferring to lets the facts speak for themselves.” (from Publishers Weekly)
It’s Easy Being Green: A Handbook for Earth-Friendly Living
Crissy Trask
“Surveys find that over 80 percent of Americans agree with the goals of the environmental movement. Sadly, most Americans admit to doing little more than basic recycling when it comes to acting on that disposition. What is the reason for this great divide between environmental sentiment in this country and individual actions? Author and environmental consultant Crissy Trask seeks to answer this question-and solve the disparity-with a new book that makes it easy to be an environmentalist, no matter how busy or hectic your lifestyle…Get informative, comprehensive and practical information for adopting greener buying habits and identifying earth-friendly products; shopping for green products online; participating in online activism; and learning from tips for cultivating a sustainable environment. (from amazon.com)
Language of School Design, The
Prakash Nair, Randall Fielding, and Jeffery Lackney
“The Language of School design is a seminal work because it defines a new graphic vocabulary that synthesizes learning research with best practice in school planning and design. But it is more than a book about ideas. It is also a practical tool and a must-have resource for all school stakeholders involved in planning, designing and constructing new and renovated schools and evaluating the educational adequacy of existing school facilities.” (amazon.com)
Natural Alternatives for You and Your Home: 175 Recipes to Make Eco-Friendly Products
Casey Kellar
“From soaps, shampoos, and fragrances to household cleaners and bug repellants made with natural ingredients, you can learn to make a difference in the environment and your personal health using Natural Alternatives for You and Your Home. Choose from the 175 precise recipes, for both your home and yourself, featured in this book and use the easy-to-follow instructions and photos to create economical and eco-friendly products.” (from amazon.com)
Natural Capitalism: Creating the Next Industrial Revolution
Paul Hawken, Amory B. Lovins, and L. Hunter Lovins
“Hawken (The Ecology of Commerce) and Amory and Hunter Lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute, an environmental think tank, have put together an ambitious, visionary monster of a book advocating ‘natural capitalism.’ The short answer to the logical question (What is natural capitalism?) is that it is a way of thinking that seeks to apply market principles to all sources of material value, most importantly natural resources. The authors have two related goals: first, to show the vast array of ecologically smart options available to businesses; second, to argue that it is possible for society and industry to adopt them. Hawken and the Lovinses acknowledge such barriers as the high initial costs of some techniques, lack of knowledge of alternatives, entrenched ways of thinking and other cultural factors…(from Publishers Weekly)
Omnivore’s Dilemma, The
Michael Pollan
“In The Botany of Desire (2001), about how people and plants coevolve, Michael Pollan teased greater issues from speciously small phenomena. The Omnivore's Dilemma exhibits this same gift; a Chicken McNugget, for example, illustrates our consumption of corn and, in turn, agribusiness's oil dependency. In a journey that takes us from an "organic" California chicken farm to Vermont, Pollan asks basic questions about the moral and ecological consequences of our food. Critics agree it's a wake-up call and, written in clear, informative prose, also entertaining. Most found Pollan's quest for his foraged meal the highlight, though the Los Angeles Times faulted Pollan's hypocritical method of "living off the land." Many also voiced a desire for a more concrete vision for the future. But if the book doesn't outline a diet plan, it's nonetheless a loud, convincing call for change.” (from Bookmarks magazine, Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc.)
Plan B: Mobilizing to Save Civilization
Lester R. Brown
“As fossil fuel prices rise, oil insecurity deepens, and concerns about climate change cast a shadow over the future of coal, a new energy economy is emerging. Wind, solar, and geothermal energy are replacing oil, coal, and natural gas, at a pace and on a scale we could not have imagined even a year ago. For the first time since the Industrial Revolution, we have begun investing in energy sources that can last forever. Plan B 4.0explores both the nature of this transition to a new energy economy and how it will affect our daily lives.” (from amazon.com)
Post Carbon Reader, The: Managing the 21st Century's Sustainability Crises
Richard Heinberg
“In the 20th century, cheap and abundant energy brought previously unimaginable advances in health, wealth, and technology, and fed an explosion in population and consumption. But this growth came at an incredible cost. Climate change, peak oil, freshwater depletion, species extinction, and a host of economic and social problems now challenge us as never before. The Post Carbon Reader features articles by some of the world's most provocative thinkers on the key drivers shaping this new century, from renewable energy and urban agriculture to social justice and systems resilience. This unprecedented collection takes a hard-nosed look at the interconnected threats of our global sustainability quandary--as well as the most promising responses. The Post Carbon Reader is a valuable resource for policymakers, college classrooms, and concerned citizens.” (from amazon.com)
Positioning Student Affairs for Sustainable Change
Linda Kuk, James H. Banning, and Marilyn J. Amey
“At a time of increasing student diversity, concern about security, demand for greater accountability, and of economic difficulty, what does the future hold for higher education, and how can student affairs organizations adapt to the increasing and changing demands? How can university leaders position existing resources to effectively address these and other emerging challenges with a sense of opportunity rather than dread? How can organizations be redesigned to sustain change while achieving excellence? As student affairs organizations have grown and become increasingly complex in order to meet new demands, they have often emphasized the expansion of their missions to the detriment of focusing on understanding their roles in relationship to other units, to reviewing their cultures and structures, and to considering how they can improve their effectiveness as organizations. This book provides the tools for organizational analysis and sustainability...” (from amazon.com)
Power from the Sun: A Practical Guide to Solar Electricity
Dan Chiras
“Power from the Sunprovides a basic understanding of electricity, solar energy and the sun, and solar site assessment. It discusses the types of photovoltaics (PVs) and PV systems, advances in PVs, charge controllers, inverters, batteries, and generators, as well as the installation and maintenance of a PV system. This book is written for the layperson and is designed to raise the solar electricity literacy of readers. It provides a great overview of the many options available and is designed to help homeowners make wise decisions during the design, purchase, and installation of solar electric systems—and save a lot of money. Providing readers with the knowledge necessary to communicate effectively with PV installers, Power From the Sun is a great guide for homeowners, business owners, installers, architects, building department officials, utility company employees, and just about anyone else who wants to lower their energy bills or achieve greater energy independence.”
Silent Spring
Rachel Carson
“Silent Spring, released in 1962, offered the first shattering look at widespread ecological degradation and touched off an environmental awareness that still exists. Rachel Carson's book focused on the poisons from insecticides, weed killers, and other common products as well as the use of sprays in agriculture, a practice that led to dangerous chemicals to the food source. Carson argued that those chemicals were more dangerous than radiation and that for the first time in history, humans were exposed to chemicals that stayed in their systems from birth to death. Presented with thorough documentation, the book opened more than a few eyes about the dangers of the modern world and stands today as a landmark work.” (from amazon.com)
Sustainable Education: Revisioning Learning and Change
Stephen Sterling
“Whilst 'environmental education,' and more recently 'education for sustainable development' are important trends, they are not sufficient to reorient and transform education as a whole - and yet time is short to realize such change. The Briefing critiques the prevailing managerial and mechanistic paradigm in education, and argues that an ecological view of educational theory, practice and policy is necessary to assist the sustainability transition. The Briefing then shows how 'sustainable education' - a systemic change of educational culture towards the realization of human potential and the interdependence of social, economic and ecological wellbeing - can lead to transformative learning.” (from amazon.com)
Sustainable Learning Community, The: One University’s Journey to the Future
John Aber, Tom Kelly, and Bruce Mallory
“The Sustainable Learning Community describes the ten-year transformation of a university with ideas and aesthetics: using organic farming techniques to train and feed students; constructing a 12.7 mile pipeline to bring landfill gas to a new co-generation plant; and fostering lively engagement in public policy…” (from amazon.com)
Sustainability Revolution, The: Portrait of a Paradigm Shift
Andres R. Edwards
“Sustainability has become a buzzword in the last decade, but its full meaning is complex, emerging from a range of different sectors. In practice, it has become the springboard for millions of individuals throughout the world who are forging the fastest and most profound social transformation of our time—the sustainability revolution. The Sustainability Revolution paints a picture of this largely unrecognized phenomenon from the point of view of five major sectors of society:
community (government and international institutions; commerce (business); resource extraction (forestry, farming, fisheries etc.); ecological design (architecture, technology); and biosphere (conservation, biodiversity etc.) The book analyzes sustainability as defined by each of these sectors in terms of the principles, declarations and intentions that have emerged from conferences and publications, and which serve as guidelines for policy decisions and future activities…The Sustainability Revolution describes innovative sustainable projects and policies in Colombia, Brazil, India and the Netherlands and examines future trends. Complete with a useful resources list, this is the first book of its kind and will appeal to business and government policymakers, academics and all interested in sustainability. (from amazon.com)
Transition Handbook, The: From Oil Dependency to Local Resilience
Rob Hopkins
“We live in an oil-dependent world, arriving at this level of dependency in a very short space of time by treating petroleum as if it were in infinite supply. Most of us avoid thinking about what happens when oil runs out (or becomes prohibitively expensive), but The Transition Handbook shows how the inevitable and profound changes ahead can have a positive outcome. These changes can lead to the rebirth of local communities that will grow more of their own food, generate their own power, and build their own houses using local materials. They can also encourage the development of local currencies to keep money in the local area. There are now over 30 “transition towns” in the UK, Australia and New Zealand with more joining as the idea takes off. They provide valuable experience and lessons-learned for those of us on this side of the Atlantic. With little proactive thinking at the governmental level, communities are taking matters into their own hands and acting locally. If your town is not a transition town, this upbeat guide offers you the tools for starting the process.” (from amazon.com)
Water Consciousness
Tara Lohan
“Water Consciousnessis designed to change the way people think about water. It explores all aspects of the water crisis and what we can do about it. Compelling contributions by Bill McKibben, Maude Barlow, Vandana Shiva, Wenonah Hauter, Sandra Postel, Tony Clarke and other top environmental writers explain the problems and inspire readers to action. The book contains over 50 stunning photographs and a quiz to find out your own water footprint. Beautifully designed to be accessible to readers, it provides essays on privatization, bottled water, conservation, appropriate technology, lessons from indigenous cultures, and an argument for the need for new public policy on the right to water.” (from amazon.com)
Wind Energy Basics, Second Edition: A Guide to Home- and Community-Scale Wind-Energy Systems
Paul Gipe
“The availability of clean, renewable power is without question going to be the defining challenge and goal of the 21st century, and wind will lead the way. Internationally acclaimed wind energy expert Paul Gipe is as soberly critical of past energy mistakes as he is convincingly optimistic about the future. The overwhelming challenge of transforming our world from one of fossil carbon to one of clean power seems daunting at best--and paralyzingly impractical at worst. Wind Energy Basics offers a solution…Wind Energy Basics offers a how-to for home-based wind applications, with advice on which wind turbines to choose and which to avoid. He guides wind-energy installers through considerations such as renewable investment strategies and gives cautionary tales of wind applications gone wrong. And for the activist, he suggests methods of prodding federal, state, and provincial governments to promote energy independence.” (from amazon.com)
World Without Us, The
Alan Weisman
“In The World Without Us, Alan Weisman offers an utterly original approach to questions of humanity’s impact on the planet: he asks us to envision our Earth without us. In this far-reaching narrative, Weisman explains how our massive infrastructure would collapse and finally vanish without human presence; which everyday items may become immortalized as fossils; how copper pipes and wiring would be crushed into mere seams of reddish rock; why some of our earliest buildings might be the last architecture left; and how plastic, bronze sculpture, radio waves, and some man-made molecules may be our most lasting gifts to the universe…As he show which human devastations are indelible, and which examples of our highest art and culture would endure longest, Weisman’s narrative ultimately drives toward a radical but persuasive solution that needn’t depend on our demise.” (from the inside cover)
