New Books, Fall 2007
The business guide to sustainability : practical strategies and tools for organizations
Author: Hitchcock, Darcy E.; Willard, Marsha L.
Imprint: Earthscan, 2006.
Abstract: Sustainability promises both reduced environmental impacts and real cash savings for any organization – be it a business, non-profit/NGO, or government department. This easy-to-use manual has been written by top business consultants specifically to help managers, business owners, organizational leaders and aspiring environmental managers and sustainability co-ordinators to lower their environmental impact and improve the bottom line.
The authors demystify ‘sustainability’, untangle the plethora of sustainability frameworks, tools and practices, and make it easy for the average person in any organization to move towards sustainability. Organized by sector (manufacturing, services, government) and function (senior management, facilities, human resources, purchasing, environmental affairs and compliance, marketing and PR, and finance and accounting), the authors show how organizations can incorporate sustainability in their everyday work through the application of useful tools and self-assessments.
Definitions, conversions, and calculations for occupational safety and health professionals
Author: Finucane, Edward W.
Imprint: CRC/Taylor & Francis, 2006.
Abstract: Definitions, Conversions, and Calculations for Occupational Safety and Health Professionals, Second Edition includes definitions and detailed descriptions of every formula and quantitative relationship that environmental and occupational health and safety professionals might encounter on the job. The book includes numerous example problems, drawn from real-life situations, with detailed, step-by-step solutions that don't just provide quick answers but also indicate how the solutions were obtained. Two useful appendices provide a complete list of conversion factors and a first-ever discussion of the effects atmospheric factors can have on measurements.
Diffusion of Innovations
Author: Rogers, Everett M.
Imprint: Free Press, 2003
Abstract: At the heart of DIFFUSION OF INNOVATIONS is Rogers' basic belief in the "innovation/adoption" cycle, detailing the time line in which products new to the market lag before wide adoption. While early adopters will always exist, Rogers contends, the broad success of a product is tied less to its innovation and more to other people's acceptance of it, making those early adopters a key target market segment for initial launches and marketing.
Energy efficiency manual : for everyone who uses energy, pays for utilities, controls energy usage, designs and builds, is interested in energy and environmental preservation
Author: Wulfinghoff, Donald.
Imprint: Energy Institute Press, 1999.
Abstract: The Energy Efficiency Manual shows how to save energy and conserve water in all types of buildings, industrial facilities, and homes – from the smallest to the largest.
400 energy conservation measures optimize energy usage in every part of your building or facility. Carefully organized groups of measures cover the building structure, heating and air conditioning, central heating and cooling plants, water systems, lighting, use of sunlight, and common industrial equipment. Each measure has a unique Rating and Selection Scorecard, quickly identifying the best efficiency improvements for your application. “Traps & Tricks” distill decades of practical experience to insure success.
The Reference section explains the important topics of energy conservation. Understand how equipment and materials work, including all types of lighting, insulation, heating and air conditioning equipment, high-efficiency motors and drives, pumps and fans. Learn successful design of daylighting and solar heating, and how to use energy measurement and calculation tools. Select refrigerants to minimize global warming. Compare the properties of energy sources from fossil fuels to wind and solar.
Green Clean: the environmentally sound guide to cleaning your home
Authors: Hunter, Linda Mason; Halpin, Mikki
Imprint: Melcher Media, 2005
Abstract: Green Clean is the definitive, step-by-step guide to cleaning better while using nontoxic, ecofriendly products. It breaks environmentally conscious cleaning into simple principles and easily mastered techniques that let readers set their own goals and develop their own cleaning plan. Also included are recipes for safe, simple and economical cleaning solutions and the lowdown on the best ecofriendly cleaning products on the market.
Implementing lead-free electronics
Author: Hwang, Jennie S.
Imprint: McGraw-Hill, 2005
Abstract: Implementing Lead-Free Electronics provides timely information on the choices and tradeoffs facing manufacturers seeking the most efficient and cost-effective ways to convert to lead-free manufacturing. The book is laid out as a quick guide, providing successful examples in conjunction with the basic principles of the implementation and production of lead-free electronics on a global basis.
An inconvenient truth : the planetary emergency of global warming and what we can do about it
Author: Gore, Albert
Imprint: Rodale Press, c2006.
Abstract: Our climate crisis may at times appear to be happening slowly, but in fact it is happening very quickly-and has become a true planetary emergency. The Chinese expression for crisis consists of two characters. The first is a symbol for danger; the second is a symbol for opportunity. In order to face down the danger that is stalking us and move through it, we first have to recognize that we are facing a crisis. So why is it that our leaders seem not to hear such clarion warnings? Are they resisting the truth because they know that the moment they acknowledge it, they will face a moral imperative to act? Is it simply more convenient to ignore the warnings? Perhaps, but inconvenient truths do not go away just because they are not seen. Indeed, when they are responded to, their significance doesn't diminish; it grows.
Ishmael
Author: Quinn, Daniel
Imprint: Bantam, c1992
Abstract: Ishmael, by Daniel Quinn, is the story of a desperate young man in search of a teacher. The teacher he finds is a lowland gorilla, who, being a member of a species entirely different from ours, has an entirely different vision of our history and our role in the universe. The book won the Turner Tomorrow Fellowship in 1991 for a work of fiction offering positive solutions to global problems.
Leading change towards sustainability : a change-management guide for business, government and civil society
Author: Doppelt, Bob.
Imprint: Greenleaf, 2003
Abstract: Although an increasing number of organisations have embraced the idea of sustainability in the last decade, why do so many initiatives fail, leading to wasted resources, frustration and cynicism? Why have so few organisations successfully adopted more sustainable policies or practices? And when they do get launched, why do so many efforts plateau after a short time and fail to ascend to the next level of excellence? What process is required to create change within organisations to move them towards sustainability? Doppelt found that, when an organisation has an effective governance system and effective, forward-looking leadership, it is much more likely to be able to marshal the tremendous forces required to transform its culture and successfully adopt sustainability-based thinking, values and behaviours. When an organisation lacks an effective governance system or sufficient leadership, its culture will remain static and the adoption of a more sustainable path will be stymied, no matter what type of new technologies are adopted, quality-control tools are used, or consultants are hired.
Crammed with case examples, interviews and checklists on how to move corporate and governmental cultures toward sustainability, the book argues that the key factors that facilitate change consistently appear in the ongoing and successful (but incomplete) efforts Doppelt examined at companies such as Nike, Starbucks, IKEA, Chiquita, Interface, Swisscom and Norm Thompson and in governmental efforts such as those in the Netherlands and Santa Monica in California. For these and other cutting-edge organisations, leading change is a philosophy for success.
Made to break : technology and obsolescence in America
Author: Slade, Giles.
Imprint: Harvard University Press, c2006.
Abstract: If you've replaced a computer lately--or a cell phone, a camera, a television--chances are, the old one still worked. And chances are even greater that the latest model won't last as long as the one it replaced. Welcome to the world of planned obsolescence--a business model, a way of life, and a uniquely American invention that this eye-opening book explores from its beginnings to its perilous implications for the very near future.
Made to Break is a history of twentieth-century technology as seen through the prism of obsolescence. America invented everything that is now disposable, Giles Slade tells us, and he explains how disposability was in fact a necessary condition for America's rejection of tradition and our acceptance of change and impermanence. His book shows us the ideas behind obsolescence at work in such American milestones as the inventions of branding, packaging, and advertising; the contest for market dominance between GM and Ford; the struggle for a national communications network, the development of electronic technologies--and with it the avalanche of electronic consumer waste that will overwhelm America's landfills and poison its water within the coming decade.
Nanoparticles : from theory to application
Author: Schmid, Gunter
Imprint: Wiley-VCH, c2004.
Abstract: An introduction to the science of nanoparticles, from fundamental principles to their use in novel applications.
As a basis for understanding nanoparticle behavior, the book first outlines the principles of quantum size behavior, nanoparticles architecture, formation of semiconductor and metal nanoparticles. It then goes on to describe the chemical syntheses of nanoparticles with defined characteristics, their structural, electrical and magnetic properties, as well as current methods to monitor these properties.
Naturally clean : the Seventh Generation guide to safe & healthy, non-toxic cleaning
Author: Hollender, Jeffrey; Davis, Geoff
Imprint: New Society Publishers, c2005
Abstract: Compelling evidence links the chemicals in household products to cancer, asthma, allergies, multiple chemical sensitivity syndrome -- also known as environmental illness -- hormonal disruption, reproductive and developmental disorders, and other conditions. Yet cleaning products are exempt from the full ingredient disclosure on product labels as required for food and personal care products and enter the marketplace with little or no testing for potential health risks.
Naturally Clean explains the dangers of traditional cleaners and provides illuminating statistics that illustrate how the chemicals found in almost every home are known or likely to cause a host of serious health problems. The book's easy-to-understand introduction discusses basic household chemistry, concepts of toxicity and types of toxic exposure, and the difference between natural, organic, and synthetic chemicals.
Naturally Clean also features a comprehensive Product Selection Guide that analyses over 300 natural and traditional cleaners: everything from laundry products through oven cleaners, disinfectants, spot removers, carpet cleaners and bathroom cleaners. This handy, easy-to-use reference rates the household cleaning products found on the shelves of natural food and grocery stores providing Seventh Generation's pick of your healthiest and safest options. A resource guide tells readers where to find additional information, and an at-a-glance glossary helps understand key terms.
Not just a pretty face: the ugly side of the beauty industry
Author: Malkan, Stacy
Imprint: New Society Publishers, 2007
Abstract: Lead in lipstick? 1,4 dioxane in baby soap? Coal tar in shampoo? How is this possible?
Simple. The $35 billion cosmetics industry is so powerful that they've kept themselves unregulated for decades.
Not one cosmetic product has to be approved by the US Food and Drug Administration before hitting the market. Incredible? Consider this:
The European Union has banned more than 1,100 chemicals from cosmetics. The United States has banned just 10.
Only 11% of chemicals used in cosmetics in the US have been assessed for health and safety – leaving a staggering 89% with unknown or undisclosed effects.
More than 70% of all personal care products may contain phthalates, which are linked to birth defects and infertility.
Many baby soaps are contaminated with the cancer-causing chemical 1,4 dioxane.
It's not just women who are affected by this chemists' brew. Shampoo, deodorant, face lotion and other products used daily by men, women and children contain hazardous chemicals that the industry claims are "within acceptable limits." But there's nothing acceptable about daily multiple exposures to carcinogenic chemicals — from products that are supposed to make us feel healthy and beautiful.
Not Just a Pretty Face delves deeply into the dark side of the beauty industry, and looks to hopeful solutions for a healthier future. This scathing investigation peels away less-than-lovely layers to expose an industry in dire need of an extreme makeover.
Practical guide to energy management for facilities engineers and managers
Author: Mull, Thomas E.
Imprint: ASME Press, 2001.
Abstract: This volume examines practical applications and useful examples for conserving energy and reducing energy costs in commercial, institutional, and industrial plants and facilities.
The first part of the book provides an introduction, and the basic scientific principles and economics of energy management.
The second part is a clearly written, comprehensive handbook of the most commonly used energy-consuming equipment and system, including: Steam and Hydronic Boilers; Steam Systems; Hydronic and Pumping Systems;
Chillers and Chilled Water Systems; Cooling Towers and Fluid Coolers; Air Distribution and HVAC Systems; Electrical and Lighting Systems;
Compressed Air Systems; Refrigeration Systems; Cogeneration Systems; Heat Recovery Systems; Thermal Storage Systems; Control and Energy Management Systems.
The public relations handbook for nonprofits : a comprehensive and practical guide
Author: Feinglass, Art
Imprint: Jossey-Bass, c2005.
Abstract: Nonprofit organizations must employ effective, professional public relations techniques in order to get the recognition, support and dollars they need to fulfill their missions. The Public Relations Handbook for Nonprofits offers you the first comprehensive guide to all the practices organizations need to do well in their efforts to do good. This title examines all the elements, tools and processes involved in an effective nonprofit PR campaign.
Offering a combination of theory and practice, it shows you how to market to your key audiences, both inside and outside of your organization. In addition to helping you understand you target markets and shaping your message for your audience, Feinglass discusses all the key public relations vehicles. A final chapter walks you step by step through the process of developing your own comprehensive public relations campaign.
A scientist's guide to talking with the media: practical advice from the Union of Concerned Scientists
Author: Hayes, Richard; Grossman, Daniel
Imprint: Rutgers University Press, 2006
Abstract: Research in most scientific disciplines calls for painstaking accuracy and a hesitation to generalize for fear of distorting the truth. Given this penchant for nuance, scientists often feel uneasy about a relationship with anyone in the media who is seeking an eye-catching lead, usually with limited space to express subtleties. Researchers who give interviews often feel that their findings are distorted or sensationalized, and shun future media contact. By avoiding potential misrepresentations, however, scientists also sacrifice opportunities to educate the public on important issues related to health, the environment, outer space, and much more.
In A Scientist’s Guide to Talking with the Media, Richard Hayes and Daniel Grossman draw on their expertise in public relations and journalism to empower researchers in a variety of fields to spread their message on their own terms. The authors provide tips on how to translate abstract concepts into concrete metaphors, craft sound bites, and prepare for interviews. For those looking for a higher profile, the authors explain how to become a reporter’s trusted source—the first card in the Rolodex—on controversial issues.
State of the world 2007 : our urban future : a Worldwatch Institute report on progress toward a sustainable society.
Imprint: W.W. Norton, 2007
Abstract: In 2008, half of the Earth’s population will live in urban areas, marking the first time in history that humans are an urban species. State of the World 2007: Our Urban Future examines changes in the ways cities are managed, built, and lived in that could tip the balance towards a healthier and more peaceful urban future.
Synchronizing science and technology with human behaviour
Author: Brand, Ralf.
Imprint: Earthscan, 2005.
Abstract: Sustainable development has tended to occur on two diverging paths: one technology-focused, the other favouring behavioural solutions. This new, practical text links these two paths in a ‘co-evolutionary’ framework, enabling more sustainable policies and projects to be developed.
Believing that technical and social realms are much more connected than most people concerned with sustainability tend to admit, the author has developed an innovative and integrated strategy that encourages people to ‘co-design’ technologies that make socially-desired behaviours more attractive. Having explained the nature of the problem, the author outlines key concepts and shared characteristics of co-evolutionary projects and anticipates possible criticisms.
Vital signs 2007-2008: the trends that are shaping our future
Author: Assadourian, Erik
Imprint: Worldwatch Institute, 2007
Abstract: Highlights the critical environmental and social trends of the past year.
Worldchanging : a user's guide for the 21st century
Author: Steffen, Alex.
Imprint: Abrams, 2006.
Abstract: Worldchanging: A Users Guide for the 21st Century is a groundbreaking compendium of the most innovative solutions, ideas and inventions emerging today for building a sustainable, livable, prosperous future. From consumer consciousness to a new vision for industry; non-toxic homes to refugee shelters; microfinance to effective philanthropy; socially responsible investing to starting a green business; citizen media to human rights; ecological economics to climate change, this is the most comprehensive, cutting-edge overview to date of what's possible in the near future -- if we decide to make it so.
Writing for publication : road to academic advancement
Author: Henson, Kenneth T.
Imprint: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon, c2005.
Abstract: This book doesn't just talk about writing and publishing, it tells exactly what to do to dramatically improve any writer's chances for getting published. Author Kenneth Henson should know—his writing has appeared in more than 300 national publications and has 30 books to his credit.
Henson's proven principles, strategies, and tactics can be applied to virtually any form of publishing—from specialized or general magazines and journals, to grant proposals, to nonfiction books of all types. Each chapter is a do-it-yourself module on one essential topic, to guide both novice and advanced writers in developing the critical skills and habits needed for writing success. Packed with anecdotes and examples of writing, this book covers it all—from finding topics, getting started, and organizing articles to contacting editors, writing and self-editing manuscripts, and keeping track of submissions and acceptances. The only book of its kind, it helps make writing projects easier, more enjoyable, and more successful.
Your green home : a guide to planning a healthy, environmentally friendly new home
Author: Wilson, Alex T.
Imprint: New Society Publishers, c2006.
Abstract: Your Green Home was written for those who are planning or thinking about a new home - as well as designers and builders seeking to meet this demand. It provides answers to many of the big-picture questions about building a green home.
This page updated Thursday January 31 2008