5 comments about The Lean Pocket Guide.

1. This little book is full of great ideas and concepts and can help you out on the job, but also if you are a person looking to become familar with these concepts, this is a great book to read.



2. Nice little guide to refer to. Granted it's not a full book and it lacks some deeper points, but it covers the basics for new comers.



3. This is a nice little pocket book. For the price you can't beat it. Quite informative.



4. We gave all our employees The Lean Pocket Guide. Each Lean tool is explained very well, and the step-by-step implementation for each tool is a great reference. It allows our manufacturing group to focus on the simple approach to Lean. For our company we did not want to clutter our employee's mind with Six Sigma (as so many books are now doing), so with this book's only Lean approach, it provided us exactly what we needed.



5. The best price-to-value-to-content book in the market. The explanations are simply stated. Great book for all shop floor employees to get an understanding of Lean and its various tools.

5 comments about Poisoned Profits: The Toxic Assault on Our Children.

1. Poisoned Profits: The Toxic Assault on Our Children, by Philip and Alice Shabecoff, examines the correlation between the rise of childhood illnesses and industrial and environmental pollution over the past half century.
   
   The authors use their expertise--he as a reporter for The New York Times and she as a freelance journalist--to present solid evidence that industry is harming our environment and children. The amount of research that went into this book is staggering, but the book doesn't overwhelm; it is quite readable.
   
   Companies like GE, Monsanto, Dow and DuPont are cited as perpetrators in the poisoning of the environment. The role of the government, including the EPA, in allowing corporations to pollute, is presented.
   
   The reader will understandably want to reduce their child's risks of getting sick, and in Appendix A, there are a number of ways to reduce toxicity in the home. For those who want more information on how to make ones home eco-friendly to reduce the chances of illness, BETTER BASICS FOR THE HOME: Simple Solutions for Less Toxic Living]] offers non-toxic cleaning products and HARMONIOUS ENVIRONMENT:BEAUTIFY, DETOXIFY & ENERGIZE YOUR LIFE, YOUR HOME & YOUR PLANET provides information for making the entire home toxic free.
   
   This isn't an easy book to digest, but like SILENT SPRING, it is a must-read for the survival of future generations and the planet.



2. Like family values? Planning to have children? Want your grandchildren to live long and prosper? Then buy and read this book. The Shabecoff's have produced a well researched and documented work that lifts the curtain on toxic waste and the effects on children. They show the political gamesmanship behind decisions that affect the health of children; the failure of corporations (with few exceptions) to act except in their own interests; and offer tangible alternatives in the appendices. The science is documented, the sources and listed, indexed, and readily accessible to the reader. The corporate ethics that value profit above life are clearly delineated. One could only wish that political platforms were so well crafted and acted upon. Please, read this book.



3. From your Mama's breasts to the water you drank today your system is being bombarded by chemicals and toxins. Forget about the 10 most wanted notorious hitler toxins like DDT or asbestos. Instead now the assaults are slow and innocuous. Dinnertime! Well give me some Orange Roughy and asparagus and a glass of cold milk. Sounds healthy? NOT! Dioxin in milk / Mercury in fish / pesticides in your veggies. . . . You're immersed in the workplace and home. Formaldehyde in dishwashing soap, hydrocarbs in all that plastic you touch constantly (like the computer right there in your face). 80,000 chemicals listed on the inventory of Toxic Substance Control Act.
   And who is watching over all this STUFF? The companies that make all this STUFF! A self written self regulated commerce. All with the primary interest of their bottom line $$$$ in mind.
   You know someone with cancer. Everyone knows someone with cancer. 73 million children in America suffer from cancer, asthma, birth defects, ADHD, autism, developmental delays.
   This book extensively documents the evidence and conspirators. Then goes onto empower the reader with self awareness. Social responsibility falls into your hands (fists). Stand up and fight the commerce which is poisoning your children.



4. I found this to be an absolutely excellent book explaining the chemicals in our everyday items, what testing (if any) was likely done on these chemicals, and how the government is being bought to allow these items to continue to be sold in the US. Makes me totally appalled. The back of the book has tons and tons of fabulous resources to follow up with your own investigation as well. I learned about the Superfund site in my neighborhood and now pray that they don't develop that area like they are talking about doing.
   
   This book has really opened my eyes, and as a mother I want to do everything I can to protect my kids. Why use chemicals that could cause my girls cancer 20 yrs from now, when baking soda and vinegar work just as good? I see these commercials for all these products how dirt is bad and you need to spray these chemicals to get rid of the dirt. Ridiculous. I'm so glad I found this book because it really opened my eyes and makes me think about what I bring into the house.



5. This book is just a sensationalist jumble of flawed science. It is one sided and unbalanced, and lacks convincing epidemiologic data to prove its points.
   
   For conspiracy theorists who would like more reasons to hate big, evil corporations, and for hypochondriacs who are convinced that everything around them is making them and their children sick, this lack of evidence is not a problem.
   
   For those who would rather try to find a more scientifically rigorous and fairer treatment of environmental toxins and health, I suggest that you look elsewhere.

5 comments about Rising Powers, Shrinking Planet: The New Geopolitics of Energy.

1. This is the latest offering from one of the most insightful analysts of national and global security issues. In this book, Klare is essentially warning of the impending energy crisis, both related to climate change and to the increasing scarcity of petroleum, and of how both will likely escalate into political and/or military crises. He tells the sordid tale of the unholy alliances the United States has historically entered into to secure access to petroleum, and reveals the dynamics of the current global energy market--who has it, who needs it, the deals being cut to access it, and what the consequences of this arrangement may be. Klare also makes a compelling case for US/Chinese cooperation on things like carbon sequestration for coal-powered power plants to mitigate global warming, since both nations will continue to rely heavily on this dirtiest of fuels. He also makes a strong pitch for a rapid and massive move toward renewable energy sources as a key part of not only securing energy, but securing peace as well.
   
   "Oil will cease to be primarily a traded commodity, but instead the preeminent strategic resource on the planet -- with power struggles over energy being the defining characteristic of the new century."



2. This book should not be read at night when alone. This book if read sober will scare the s*$# out of you. The truth has a tendency to do that to people. Every US citizen should read this book no matter your job, education, or whatever. Michael Klare hit a home run with this book.
   
   As America sits in front of their TV stuck in a deep trance about American Idol or the latest screw up by some movie or pop star the world has been changing. Everyone still thinks things are like the way they were in the 50s, America sits on top of the world. I only wish things were like that. The recent spike in gas prices at the pump shows us all how things are NOT like the 50s.
   
   This book shows the reader just how the world has changed. He chronicles the change in both the world and the world oil market. Rising powers, thus the name of the book like China and India have drastically increased their thirst for oil. This increase demand on oil from those two countries and others have changed the world oil market. At the same time the safe fields in places like Texas have dried up. This has forced the oil providers to go deeper into the world's sewage ponds to get that oil.Those ponds are increasing more and more violent and less and less stable. These two things are creating a unique market paradox. Prices have jumped as we all have seen.
   
   The rising demand various countries are experiencing is pushing countries to work harder to secure that oil. Klare does a great job documenting how China is aggressively doing whatever it takes to secure that oil. Oil is no longer just a good. It is a strategic asset for almost every country. Every country defines not only growth but survival in terms of oil availability.
   
   As a result of this new view of oil nations are posturing like crazy all over the country to ensure that their interests are taken care of. That is where the scary part of the book enters into things. The modern day suburban opinion is that man has evolved out of war. That is behind us. Of course the people that believe that are the ones who don't go to war. People forget two of man's bloodiest wars started by accident, over night. Klare puts it best:
   
   "As the desire for ever scarcer energy supplies builds, the potential to slide across this threshold into armed conflict and possibly great power confrontation poses one of the greatest dangers facing the planet today"
   
   After reading the book you will see what he is talking about. It pans out in the news almost everyday. Those readers who are Christian believers will really be shocked. The story of competition for oil reads a great deal like the prophesy of the end times spoken about in numerous books of the bible. It also reads like the old Hal Lindsey book in the 70s about the "Late Great Planet Earth".
   
   Klare ends with a call for diplomacy to work things out. He is right about calling for that. However I doubt it will work. When you are cold from no oil or hungry or have your national pride wounded because of oil related problems nations might not be in the mood for diplomacy.



3. This book was a real eye opener about the rising importance of geopolitics in the oil markets.



4. 1. The International Energy Agency estimates a $5.1 trillion investment by 2030, for problematic fields in the Caspian Sea basin, the middle-east, and Siberia. Increased output will need to come from tough oil reserves.
   2. New US oil production by 2030 looks promising. Thunder Horse production started in June 2008, producing 250,000 barrels of oil per day. The US consumes over 25 million bbl/day and exports over 340 million barrels/year. The Bakken oil reserve in Montana, North Dakota, and Southeastern Saskatchewan has an estimate 271 billion to 503 billion barrels of oil. North Dakota oil production will grow significantly. Pemex expects Chicontepec oilfied in Veracrus and Puebla states to reach peak production of 470,000 barrels/day by 2014. Ultra deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico, Perdido will operate on the surface of 8,000 ft of water and produce as much as 130,000 barrels/day. It is very doubtful that peak oil has occurred.
   3. Suppose consumption reached 100 million barrels per day, the greatest difficulty will be that oil prices drop because of oversupply, as production is destined to increase due to profits and shortages. Oil price controls will be forced to lift and remove and competition use technology and science to increase recoverable oil and bring those supplies too the market. Deep Hot biosphere suggests the earth has abundant resource of petroleum. Oil profits will drop and the oil business will become a marginal low PE business.
   4. Cogeneration of nuclear energy electric generation pumping the hot steam into sand tar oil reserves, coal fire electric cool water and steam into oil shale extracting black liquid gold, and coal gasification ICGG will produce hydrogen, electricity, and gasoline; bringing cheap oil and gas back to the market. The financial and environmental costs of using synthetic fuels, tar sands, and shale oil are huge and the current price of oil makes these alternatives now possible. Tough oil will open a vast new supply and return the US into red exporter status.
   5. The Saudis will want to produce 10-15 million barrels/day by 2025.
   6. 50% of the current world oil production come from 116 giant fields producing more than a 100,000 barrels/day. Those in decline are Ghawar in Saudi Arabia, Cantarell in Mexico, and Burgan in Kuwait. Discover of new fields produces a self-defeating cycle. Why look for new discover of easy oil? Tough oil is the future.
   7. By 2030, oil, coal, and natural are projected to provide a 87 percent of the world energy requirements. Oil production will need to rise by 42 percent, natural gas by 65 percent, and coal by 74 percent.
   8. Japan has a large energy deficit. Japan has called on national firms to acquire overseas oil and gas reserves. In 2006, Tokyo adopted a New National Energy Strategy mandating that an ever-greater proportion of Japan's oil imports be supplied by Japanese energy firms. The oil volume in exploration and development by Japanese companies will be raised to around 40 percent by 2030. The move was designed to help Japanese firms compete with firms in China and India. This is a wasteful strategy. 2030, should be enough time for Japan to shift completely into a hydrogen society. Instead, of investing in new oil development, Japanese firms should invest into Black Light quantum power generation, hydrogen production, and millions of fuel cell migration devices. Nationalization continues to slow the conversion to a hydrogen society. Gas prices have reached a level where a transfer of technology is now justifiable.
   9. National Owed Corporations hold large reserves: Saudi Aramco (264 bbl), National Iranian Oil (137.5 bbl), Iraq National Oil (115 bbl), Kuwait Petroleum Corp ( 101.5 bbl), Abu Dhabi National Oil Co (92.2 bbl), Petroleos de Venezuela (80 bbl), National Oil Corp of Libya (41 bbl), Nigerian National Petroleum (36.2 bbl), Lukoil (16.1 bbl), Qatar Petroleum (15.2 bbl), Gazprom (13.8 bbl), Pemex (12.2 bbl) , China National Petroleum Corp (115. bbl), and Chevron (8 bbl). The large Middle Eastern, National Owned companies control the most large oil reserves. Exxon Mobil, Chevron, British Petroleum, Royal Dutch Shell, and TotalFinaElf are overshadowed by NOCs.
   10. In 2007, Abu Dhabi Investment authority invest $7.5 billion in Citigroup. Abu Dhabi has made significant investments in Advance Micro Devices (AMD).
   11. Coal fire plants and nuclear plants will provide electricity supply meeting 2030 requirements. Chinese leader show a strong preference for coal fire plants and nuclear. China coal consumption will raise 130 percent by 2030 and account for half of the world consumption.
   12. BP believes there exists 909 billion metric tons of coal in the world. US has 246 billion tons, Russia (157 billion), China (114 billion), India (92 billion), and Australia (78 billion) with important reserves in South Africa, Kazahstan, and Ukraine. China is the largest consumer of coal, 38 percent followed by the US at 18.4 percent.
   13. The IEA expect China to invest $1.5 trillion in transmission and distribution of power by 2030. China will spend, $2.74 trillion invested in power development , by 2030. Included are new hydro projects, quads of Solar energy generation, and gigawatt wind power generation.
   14. 2030, China's projected total power generation of 8472 Trillion watts hours will mean that China will equal the production of the US and European Union combined.
   15. China is driving a world commodity boom between 1995-2005: aluminum - 31.9 million tons; iron production - 1.5 billion tons, copper - 16.6 million tons. Deutsche Bank said, "The surge in world demand has contributed to one of the most durable and powerful rallies in industrial metal prices in history." In 2006, China Machine-building international Corp agreed to build three coal fire plants in Zimbabwe in return for Chromium and other minerals. In return for a $5 billion reconstruction and development loan to Congo, China will gain exclusive access to Congo copper, cobalt, and nickel. China will develop infrastructure in Aynak Afghanistan to extract copper.
   16. A war over resources control causes economic hyperinflation and impoverishment. Contention over limited resource leads to war. Unlimited energy dissolves the contention for resource and creates a proliferation of productivity. Klares conclusions that resources are limited and war is inevitable are not believable.



5. Oil and other energy resources are the flashpoints of modern world politics, and they will be at the center of future conflicts. Author Michael Klare analyzes energy politics from a global perspective, presenting his points methodically, from continents to nations to oil companies, eventually working his way down to the pipeline routes that deliver the oil and natural gas to consuming nations. Although, because of this structure, the book at times reads like an almanac, the minutiae do not diminish the importance of the story Klare tells. getAbstract recommends this book to oil industry executives and other serious students of petropolitics.

5 comments about The Sustainability Revolution: Portrait of a Paradigm Shift.

1. I bought this book along with a more reputable book "For the Common Good" for a sustainability class I am taking. This book is poorly written and repetitive of other environmental books. The author uses the same arguments, poorly I might add, as every other environmentalst wanting to publish a book. The bok is filled with facts easily found on the internet. His conclusions are repetitive from every conlusion concerning environmetalism. The author has no real concept of economics and uses the suggestion of intergenerational justice as if it were true. Not worth even the recycled paper it is printed on.



2. This book is perfect way to grasp what has happened and why in the sustainability movement. Andres Edwards introduces all of the right resources and contacts for anyone who is vested in our sustainability on this planet. He covers business, community and governmental approaches. In this book he simply introduces all the major themes a very broad field. It can be a little text book, but is also a very interesting read. I am the director for Sustainable Fairfax and Andres has also been a wonderful speaker for our volunteer trainings.



3. I good overview of the various different positions and definitions of what is sustainability. It's a little dry, but as a reference book this can't be beat.



4. The Sustainability Revolution provides a broad portrait of a paradigm shift, as the sub title claims. Although I checked this out of the library, this is a book to own and refer to especially if you are interested in furthering sustainable best practices or even wondering what they are. Sustainability can be a challenge to get understanding and organized around and this book neatly categorizes it in 7 chapters and concludes with a substantial resource section; it is well referenced throughout for additional follow-up.
   
   First we read about how sustainability's environmental roots were expanded to include consideration of the 3 E's, ecology, economy and equity; sustainability therefore looks at the interdependencies of the 3E's and engages a diversity of stakeholders when we broaden the undeniable scope of impact. Ecology is the environmental consideration in which we shift to a long term perspective, acknowledge and respond in turn to our dependence on our life support systems. Looking at economy we see a healthy environment and a healthy economy coexisting, not the opposition of these as is often still purported. The human well being requirement of the sustainability triangle is referred to herein as equity or equality as it acknowledges that the well being of the individual is dependant on the well being of the community and calls us toward a spirit of cooperation and ethics within the distribution of basic resources such as food, shelter and water and a greater emphasis on the value of education. The author then proceeds to describe sustainability principles in 5 basic categories, Community, Commerce, Natural Resources, Ecological Design, and the Biosphere with education as a key component of each as we weave our way into the sustainable path. Each of the respective principles are presented in a separate highlighted box within each chapter and then commented on by the author.
   
   Sustainability and Community describes tools created by task forces and working groups to tackle the challenges of bringing the 3E's into balance by implementing long term systematic approaches at all levels, local, regional, national and international communities. These include the Ontario Roundtable on Environment and Economy (local initiative,) the Minnesota Planning Environmental Quality Board Principles of Sustainable Development for Minnesota (regional,) The Netherlands National Environmental Policy (national,) and the Earth Charter's Commission and ICLEI (international.) All told these community based principles integrate a diversity of perspectives and interests toward defining and working toward a shared vision for a sustainable future.
   
   Sustainability and Commerce reveals how business practices and the long term health of our planet and all its life forms are advantaged when business mimics natural systems rather than destroys them. The precautionary principle is presented as an ethical standard wherein the company realizes that it must consider its investors and the community as a whole, igniting the conscience of business activity; if the best way for an individual to live is to do no harm, the same standard, already prevalent in other countries, must apply to the organization that has more power to do harm if precaution were not taken. The precautionary principle for example is about placing responsibility to avoid harm onto the manufacturer. It was implemented in 2003 in San Francisco at the municipal level. The Natural Step can be used by a company to assess its impact with respect to the laws of nature as it combines science and management best practices. The Houston principles links labor with environmental movements and offers the power of creative cooperation to bolster communities through jobs and healthy ecosystems. The CERES principles offer a voluntary approach to organizations that seek a conscience by providing a framework in which sustainability practices can be adopted in a supportive manner, and includes a risk reduction clause; in a sense the CERES principles leverage peer pressure and provide sharing of sustainable successes among its participants.
   
   Sustainability and Natural Resources describes the challenge for industries directly benefiting from resource extraction, the fuel from the former industrial revolution, and our shared need for survival such that even the American Petroleum Institute calls for conservation and investment in renewables but continues to ignore equity in resource usage. Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) wood is widely available and promotes sustainable forest usage while calling on each of us to consider where and how the products we consume are appropriated as does the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) that requires sustainable fishery. The Asilomar Declaration for Sustainable Agriculture practices speaks to the need to make our food systems sustainable; our broken system is witnessed in recent outbreaks of food contamination and the cost of food rising with the cost of energy as we grow our food large distances from the eating populations. Sustainable agriculture requires ethics for land usage and animal treatment and calls for a shift toward local food production, a recognition for the value of rural and farming lifestyles, heightened awareness regarding the true cost of unsustainable methods for growing food and the need to reduce government subsides that allow the mega corporate farm to continue in a manner that most would find unconscionable when its impacts are understood.
   
   Sustainability and Ecological Design shows that nature holds the key to how we can design the new way of producing, living and working in balance as it considers the interaction of architecture, people and nature. The Hannover Principles require that decisions are made within the context of Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Spirit; considering these essential elements reveals humans as being a part of and interdependent with nature and requires responsibility for the consequences of design. A waste free holistic life cycle approach to manufacturing is described in detail by the Hannover founders in "Cradle to Cradle Remaking The Way we Make Things." The Todds' Principles of Ecological Design place nature at the center of the design process and incorporate energy, architecture, food production and waste management with "bio-regional" approaches. The Sanborn Principles further include the needs of communities bringing beauty and practicality into our living environments in the form of parks, culture and healthy buildings. The USGBC promotes its LEED standards to create and assure healthy and energy effective buildings a rising major area of focus in building and renovation because of the magnitude of long term benefits with minimal increase in short term costs.
   
   Sustainability and the Biosphere calls each of us to reconsider our relationship with nature and each other, the crux of sustainability. Deep Ecology requires self realization to connect all human and non human life forms with the force that pulses through all life and cites diversity as a key value characteristic to remind us that we must act in line with the inherent value that promoting the well being of all life brings. The Charter for Rights and Responsibilities for the Environment extends Deep Ecology to all species further emphasizing interdependence with the natural world. The Biomimicy Principles as described in detail by Janine Benyus' book Biomimicry, reveal the lessons we can learn from nature such as the fact that nature recycles everything, nature runs on sunlight and nature uses only the energy it needs. I especially like the principle that nature taps the power of limits because it looks at nature's ability to leverage limits to its advantage such as seasonality instead of the 20th century human response to dare these limits into submission while breeding sickness. Permaculture Principles expands Biomimicry toward the integration of sustainability within economic, social and even political systems as these systems interact and can be designed to work with nature.
   
   The final chapter, Future Pathways charts and links all these principles herein that I took the time lay out in as sense to honor the importance of this body of work and the contributors to the sustainable revolution many included in the "advance praise" intro. These principles in total call for stewardship, an intergenerational perspective and offer nature as our teacher and require that we reach far beyond `green,' as we forge the sustainable path. Concluding with a robust Resource section further affirms that you can read this book to get started or to keep going. After reading this book you will be able to answer the question "If the industrial revolution is over what's next?" and be able to describe, explore and embrace the opportunities and challenges that "the sustainability revolution" offers.



5. I thought this was going to be an interesting read, but was disappointed. It reads like someone's dissertation that they reformatted into a book. Very dull and kept pushing to prove that we're in a revolution including what it takes to be technically called a revolution, etc. I only got a few chapters in and had to give it up and donate it to my local public library. Hopefully some kid doing research will be able to use it.

No comments about Harvard Business Review on Green Business Strategy (Harvard Business Review Paperback Series) (Harvard Business Review Paperback Series).

5 comments about Bottlemania: How Water Went on Sale and Why We Bought It.

1. I was pre-disposed to liking this book based upon its full title alone: "Bottlemania: How Water Went on Sale and Why We Bought It". Indeed, I look at people with their fancy, expensive bottled waters and chuckle. Tap water in most US cities is good enough for me. So I sat down with "Bottlemania", enitrely prepared to enjoy a roasting of the bottled water industry and (in my opinion) the foolish people who buy most of its wares.
   
   I quickly realized that "Bottlemania" was long on strident advocacy and short on provable facts. Ms. Royte apparently sees herself as something on an Ida Tarbell, the early 20th Century "muckraker" whose "exposes" of Standard Oil roused the nation's indignation. Like Tarbell, however, Royte plays fast and loose with what she sets forth as "facts". For example, on pasge 84, the naked claim that ". . . nearly 40% of the nation's rivers and streams are too polluted for fishing and swimming, to say nothing of drinking." Says who? Royte provides no specific reference, no support for this remarkable claim. I spent some time trying to find a credible source and could not.
   
   The Appendix supplied is " . . . a list of internet sources for more information on the topices covered in this book, as well as information on how to learn more about water quality in your area". Most of the sources provided are advocacy groups of one kind or another, not impartial purveyors of facts. Royte's bibliography consists mostly of newspaper and magazine articles.In short, Royte has approached her subject with an axe to grind and grind it she does.
   
   While Royte does trot out alleged facts here and there from credible objective sources, I would not trust her reporting because of the adversarial edge she displays toward bottled water purveyors specifically, big corporations in general and, overall, the free market system.
   
   The final chapter is a hodge-podge of practical suggestions for water conservation, a good idea no matter what your politics, and substantial government intervention to keep you from "wasting" water, including of course high taxes on water. We are to at less meat because "the water footprint of a four-ounce hamburger produced in California is 616 gallons". In keeping with Royte's style, no source is suggested for this alleged "fact". Thanks are given to Royte to "anti-globalization" groups.
   
   It is really sad, I think, that Royte could not be bothered with supporting her arguments with attributable facts, because her basic points are valid. The unrestricted exploitation of water resources for water to bottle and sell at enormous profit is bad on the face of it. One needn't resort to the unprovable to prove this point. Royte's conclusion in the closing pages that "bottled water is often no better than tap water, [but] its environmental and social price is high . . ." is indisputable.
   
   In sum, this could have been an excellent book and a substantial contribution to public discourse on an important subject. Instead is is a sensationalist tract filled with unprovable, agenda driven claims masquerding as "facts".
   
   This book is written for those who already and unreservably believe in the "environmentalist" religion. It is not for those secularists who prefer that all claims be supported by provable facts.
   
   Royte makes her beliefs clear in a single sentence: "[i]f someday I find myself wanting to buy bottled water, I will do it as an informed consumer, someone who knows tht the images on the label may not reflect an ecological reality, that part of its sticker price may be landing in the pockets of lawyers and PR flacks, that profits probably aren't benefiting those who live near the source, and that the bottle and its transportation have a significant carbon footprint".
   
   Guess what, Ms. Royte, parts of the sticker price of your book goes into the pockets of lawyers and PR flacks. And it is unlikely that the people who cut down the trees used to make the paper your words are printed on don't profit significantly from their efforts. Speaking of carbon footprints, how about the energy consumed in making the paper and ink used in your book, the printing and transportation of it, the air conditioning in the stores where it is sold and so on?
   
   Many of Royte's points are valid, but her sensationalist style strips her of credibility. In the final analysis, this just another anti-capitalist, anti-democratic screed. Too bad, because buried under all the left-wing rhetoric is a valid point: for the most part bottled water in the United States is wasteful silliness.
   
   Jerry



2. Bottlemania: how water went on sale and why we bought it
   By
   Elizabeth Royte
   (Published by Bloomsbury USA, New York - First edition 2008)
   
   What is our future if water, life's most vital necessity, becomes a commodity - to be sold for profit - rather than a shared commons? In this fast-moving, well-researched book, Elizabeth Royte describes the astonishing increase in sales of bottled water in the U.S.; this, despite the fact that tap water costs anywhere from 240 to 10,000 times less than bottled water, is more strictly regulated, and comes out evenly in blind tests against the top brand names.
   
   Royte raises two main questions: "One has concrete answers: what are the physical differences between tap water and bottled, and what is water bottling actually doing to the environment and the local communities? The other questions are more abstract: Even if bottled water makes sense, for health or other reasons, even if it is harmless, is it ethical to profit from its sale? If we believe water is a basic human right - such as freedom from persecution or equality before the law - then why would we let anyone slap a bar code on it?
   
   In addressing the first question, Royte describes the struggles of the residents of Fryeburg, Maine - population 3,000 - to stop Poland Springs, owned by Nestle, from continuing to extract water from their local, pristine watershed to supply their bottling plant in the nearby town of Hollis. The struggle has been ongoing for over four years and it is tearing the town apart. Some residents claim that their wells are running dry but find this hard to prove against Nestle's array of experts that claim they are not over-pumping. Other residents are concerned with the effects of water drawdown on those creatures that depend on the watershed streams and springs for their survival. Others question the right of a powerful multinational to override the wishes of a small community to maintain their lifestyle. And yet other town residents are amenable to what they perceive as improvements brought about by the bottling company. Sadly, the result is a small town divided into factions, with the outcome still unclear.
   
   Royte explains the reasons for the skyrocketing sales of bottled water. Unbelievably, from only 1990 to 1997, U.S. sales of bottled water increased from $115 million to $4 billion. Clever, multimillion dollar marketing stressed the need to drink at least eight, eight fluid ounce bottles per day; the "chic appeal" of being seen taking sips from your individual bottle - a sign of a busy life style that precluded time out for relaxation; and the convenience of having a bottle in hand rather than having to seek out a water fountain or office cooler. The increase was also due to an often-overlooked invention - PET plastic that enabled the manufacture of stronger, lighter and potentially recyclable bottles.
   
   Unfortunately, this craze for bottled water is placing ever more stress on the environment. As explained by Peter Gleick of the Pacific Institue, the energy required for the manufacture, transport and disposal of each bottle is equivalent to filling one quarter of the bottle with oil. And only 15% of these bottles get recycled. Most are buried in landfills or are burned in incinerators.
   
   According to Royte, in 2006, 44% of bottled water sold in the U.S. came from municipal supplies. This is certainly less harmful than pumping from aquifers although the bottling companies deny any harm and claim that they pump at sustainable rates - after all, this is in their own interests. Even though the bottlers claim that they only remove .02% of the total annual groundwater withdrawal, we must remember that this water is permanently removed from the watershed, unlike the local utility that discharges used water into the same watershed.
   
   With public thirst for bottled water on the increase, the water multinationals are fanning out all over the U.S. in search of fresh sources. So far, the towns are reacting like deer caught in the headlights and seem unable to promulgate ordinances prohibiting outsiders from mining their water for gain. The one exception (there may be others since the book was published) is the tiny hamlet of Barnstead, N.H. which, in 2006, was the first municipality in the U.S. to ban extraction of their water for sale elsewhere.
   
   The discovery of the disinfection properties of chlorine, and the commencement of its widespread use in drinking water, in 1920, was the start of the successful public control of drinking water, and the setting of standards for maximum levels of various pollutants - standards and pollutants that are constantly being revised.
   
   One of the more ominous threats to drinking water quality is global warming. Heavier storms that are becoming the norm wash excesses of pollutants of all kinds into surface and ground waters, and overwhelm sewage treatment plants. Among these pollutants are atrazine, a widely-used herbicide that can cause birth defects and whose use is being enhanced by the ethanol boom; and 0157:H7, a virulent strain of E coli, originating in cattle and that does not respond to chlorine.
   
   Eliminating these dangerous contaminants, and others, and complying with strict federal standards is a monumental task for the purveyors of public drinking water. On the whole, throughout the U.S., municipal water is safe to drink. However, Royte does suggest the use of individual filters to protect the very young and the very old, or those with immune-deficient systems.
   
   Pepsi's Aquafina and Coke's Dasani are both drawn from municipal sources. However, bottled water, whether drawn from municipal sources or local aquifers does not have to comply with the stringent regulations imposed on municipal water. And despite its intensive marketing, blind tests generally fail to differentiate between bottled and tap water.
   
   In times of severe storms that are becoming more frequent, as already mentioned, bottled water could be the only alternative. But, in the absence of such disasters, Royte is a firm advocate of using public supplies. As she so eloquently states: "Switching to bottled water isn't something I'm willing to contemplate at this point: it's expensive, it's heavy to haul around, and the production and disposal of all those bottles can't be good for the planet... Opting out of public water in favor of private isn't going to help preserve - or improve - municipal water supplies, but preserve them we must: too many people can afford to drink nothing but."
   
   Review by Marian H. Rose, PhD
   Croton Watershed Clean Water Coalition



3. Although many reviewers have commented on the author as an environmentalist, she is really opposed to corporations developing and marketing something as basic to nature as water. She finds this essentially offensive, as if a large corporation might automate the raising of organic bean sprouts and deliver them to grocery stores. It takes the environmental revolutionary and the Vermont coop out of the equation. If everyone drinking sugar-laden sodas were to switch to bottled water, as many have, the health of these people would improve. Somehow, the back-to-nature mentality of the author does not allow for the fact that modern, corporate processing of water results in fine water. If a corporation markets and sells something, creating employment and wealth, environmentalist paranoia dictates that the corporation must be selling poison.



4. I found this book to be highly informative, putting a human face on a series of complex issues without simple answers. The book itself draws uncertain conclusions and leaves ultimate decisions in the hands of individual consumers and the masses, both localized and globalized. I found myself armed with new factual information with which to present my own arguments and with which to make my own personal decisions, including many surprising tidbits that were truly eye-openers. Despite a lengthy bibliography, an early factual error (on page 21, where the City of Boston was said to draw its water from the Connecticut River) led me to more closely question other factual information with which I may be less familiar. That minor annoyance aside, I would suggest Bottlemania as recommended reading for anybody who consumes water - and that is every one of us.



5. I read three reviews of this book, all of them good. Sadly a 500 word review is all that is necessary to convey all of the information in this book. Distilled (sorry) this book could have been 35 pages. The whole 'town versus Nestle' storyline is overblown and seemed to me actually comfusing and tough to follow. Plus, the story line of the Corporation as all-crushing monolith always strikes me as a crutch given what we know about how singularly inept virtually all corporations prove to be. Anyhoo, beyond that, there's really nothing I haven't read before and it reads like an overlong magazine piece.
   
   The act of publishing it did draw additional attention to the issue; for that, good for her. The state of water in the world is important and her efforts similarly so. That alone, I think, generates enough positive reviews to make this book appear much more substantial than it really is.

2 comments about Screw It, Let's Do It (Expanded Edition): 14 Lessons on Making It to the Top While Having Fun & Staying Green.

1. I would suggest to read "Losing my virginity" first so you get a better understanding of Branson's life. I did it the other way unfortunately. During his book he will tell various stories about his life that affected his way of thinking. It's a good motivation book for anyone considering his/her own business. The most important lesson (aside other great ones) that I took with me: Do it for fun - not for money! And he is damn right.
   
   I strongly recommend this book even if you do not open your own business.



2. A rambling account of mundane childhood memories which bore the reader, that even his family would find difficult to sit through. What's the point?

5 comments about The Skeptical Environmentalist: Measuring the Real State of the World.

1. I have always considered myself to be an environmentalist since I was a child and my parents taught me not to litter or be wasteful, to be kind to animals, and to respect and appreciate nature. These are values I've maintained and am trying to pass on to my children. So, like many others, I have become increasingly worried about the condition of our planet with the constant bombardment of sound-bites bearing line after line of ever more distressing news almost on a daily basis.
   
   But after reading through Mr. Lomborg's incredibly detailed book I find myself more worried than before, and not because we're *not doing* enough but because we're often not doing the *right* things. Mr. Lomborg, a former Green Peace activist, analyzes the data and statistics on many of the current environmental issues, such as soil erosion, landfill capacity, amount of forest cover, ozone levels, global warming, etc. He examines the data on glaciers that are melting and those that are growing. He looks into the data behind the claims of impending catastrophe, such as the famous "hockey stick" graph, and traces it back to the sources. His conclusions are often very surprising and highlight the need to NOT base public policy on shrill and panic-inducing headlines but on rational and coherent science. For example, through detailed analysis he concludes that even if all nations agreed to abide by the Kyoto Treaty it still wouldn't make a significant impact in global warming.
   
   But just because Al Gore is afraid to talk with him, don't assume Lomborg is dismissive of the warnings about climate change. He concludes that the earth is in fact getting warmer and that mankind's activities are most likely the primary reason. But he doesn't claim, as some do, that all results will be beneficial and therefore needn't worry us. Instead, he actually analyzes the various claims of both disaster and benefit, and concludes that the results (as near as can be determined based on currently available information) will be a mixed bag. Overall he advocates for more reasoned policies of action based on sound science rather than on simple knee-jerk reaction.
   
   This is an exhaustively researched and detailed book that covers many environmental topics and is not limited to global warming. But it is an approach that I appreciate, not merely calling for action, but calling for action in the most beneficial ways. Most may not want to attempt reading it front to back as I tried, but it is an excellent resource and is laid out in a manner that allows easy access to selective topics for lots of helpful information. An excellent voice of reason in a very emotional and important debate.



2. The Skeptical Environmentalist is a wonderful book. In today's environmental debates, this is a work without peer. Nowhere else can a person obtain a truly focused and non-biased view (at least as non-biased as a person can be) on the future of our planet and how to meet its problems.
   
   The author is a scientist who specializes not just in environmental matters but statistical research. His mathematical background shows at every step in the book. First of all, he is highly organized. There is never a doubt of where he is at or where the author is going with his thoughts. Nothing is confusing here. Next, the author is thorough in his research and his presentation. He considers every nuisance of the problem and approaches the matter with exactness.
   
   This is a true man of science trying to show the reader how science, true science, approaches problems and works out solutions. Even if one isn't interested in the environment, if there is an interest in science, this book will show how science must work, and how it must NOT work, if there is to be thoughtful progress in the world through science.
   
   If you are wondering what the environmental debate should sound like you must read this book. If you are wondering what the facts are behind the various environmental problems facing the world today you must read this book. If you are looking for reasonable solutions to many of the environmental problems facing humanity today you must read this book.
   
   In short, if you care about science or the environment - read this book!
   
   AD2



3. An environmental book written by a statistician! 90% of all statistics can be used to show either side of the argument 50% of the time! This author uses this skill liberally.
   
   The first chapter makes a very valid point: be aware of what you're reading and be skeptical! The rest of the book is slanted toward his OPINION and he disregards information that doesn't support his viewpoints.
   
   Many things may not be as bad as some portray but they aren't as rosy as this author portrays either. READ WITH SKEPTICISM!!



4. This is a comprehensive and technically precise investigation into many claims of human impact on the environment. The author heavily documents his sources, which allows them to be conveniently cross-referenced for more academically-minded readers. The massive number of citations also suggests how deeply researched this book really is!
   
   In terms of readability, this book is very accessible for those with a basic familiarity with data analysis; probably nothing more than an introductory statistics course for humanities students. This is largely required to appreciate the more precise statements in the books and the extensive number of supplementary charts and graphs.
   
   This book thoroughly investigates trends of life expectancy, food availability, energy availability, global warming, depletion of forests, depletion of natural water and the like. The general consensus is that although there is usually some truth to many of the more alarming claims out there, any Malthusian prediction of destruction is generally exaggerated. Moreover, the author refutes many commonly exaggerated perceptions about the dangers of nuclear power, DDT and alar.
   
   The global warming chapter is a little outdated, largely because the theory that global temperature is largely driven by solar activity was not popularized around the time of this writing. For more information on this particular topic, I recommend either Bjorn Lomborg's book Cool It, Climate Confusion by Roy Spencer or Unstoppable Global Warming: Every 1,500 Years by Fred Singer and Dennis Avery. The latter two books however, have much more of a derisive tone than Bjorn Lomborg's book does. In many respects, the honest and patient tone of Lomborg's volume makes it much more enjoyable to read.



5. I am finding I am not alone in my cynicism of the blind buy-in of "the sky is falling" mentality towards the environment and the now coined "green movement". The author presents a great deal of data to support his thesis but it is well written.

5 comments about Limits to Growth: The 30-Year Update.

1. I read today yet another reassuring news article saying that supplies of crude oil and other vital resources are just fine, no reason to worry. "Limits to Growth" shows that's just not true. Supplies may be adequate for today's needs--but with human population growing all the time, pollution adding up, and soil fertility declining, that can change very fast. In fact, a serious economic collapse is very likely in the next twenty years unless humanity changes course.
   
   Environmental economics has been an interest of mine for years. I didn't bother to read this book when it came out, figuring that it would have little that I didn't already know. Reading it now, I found that "Limits to Growth" is a fantastic book explaining the economics of sustainability. I recommend it to everyone. Mainstream economists in particular--even if you disagree, you owe it to society to read this book. If you think the authors got it wrong, please explain what variables their computer model missed and why. I actually felt that for many of their variables, the authors' assumptions were, if anything, overly optimistic.
   
   Some of my favorite quotes from the book:
   
   "In most World3 runs . . . the world system does not totally run out of land or food or resources or pollution absorption capability. What it runs out of is the ability to cope. . . .[Problem-solving capabilities] can process and handle just so much. when problems arise exponentially and in multiples, problems that could theoretically be dealt with one by one can overwhelm the ability to cope."
   
   "To be materially and energetically sustainable, the economy's throughputs would have to meet Herman Daly's three conditions: Its rates of use of renewable resources do not exceed their rates of regeneration. Its rates of use of nonrenewable resources do not exceed the rate at which sustainable renewable substitues are developed. Its rates of pollution emission do not exceed the assimilative capacity of the environment."
   
   "Because of delays in the feedback from limits, the global economic system is likely to overshoot its sustainable levels. Indeed, for many sources and sinks important to the world economy, overshoot has already occurred. Technology and markets operate only on imperfect information and with delay. Thus, they can enhance the economy's tendency to overshoot."
   
   The book does have a few things I don't agree with. The authors describe nitrogen pollution from fertilizer drainage off agricultural land as too dispersed to be reduced by ordinary pollution controls. This is simply not the case. Fertilizer is as much a point source pollution as any. The point is simply the nozzle filling the fertilizer container at the factory. This is the point at which fertilizer releases must be controlled. Fertilizer releases should be considered under law as if they are released into the environment at the nozzle point, because in effect they are.



2. 30 years ago these same people predicted devastation and havoc by today. They got teachers and professors to buy the book in bulk, making the authors wildly successful. But the conclusions proved hilariously wrong.
   
   Now they want another generation of students to be forced to buy this joke of a book to make the authors even wealthier as they predict--yet again!--planetary doom.
   
   This is a disgrace and should give pause to all those well-meaning people who tend to believe 'climate change' alarmists. They lied 30 years ago. Why believe them now?



3. Maybe the last version. Not much different from the 20-year update, but interesting to see how reports and outlook has changed since 1970.



4. Main points are these:
   - People normally use only cause-effect associations (input - output models).
   
   - They need to understand that the effect can "send a message" to the input, and this can only be viewed using dynamic models.
   
   - They do not think that all exponential process are terminated by
   the activation of strong negative limiting feedback forces.
   
   
   - The first edition was wrong and this edition will be wrong concerning the timing of the events because:
   1) no one knows who will play the game (China phenomenon for example would be thought as an "impossible" event viewed from 1972 perspective)
   Notice however that venerated Yellow River has received a very large pollution charge in these "growth" years.
   
   2) It is very difficult (impossible) to set accurate parameters for the model.
   
   
   
   
   But the MAIN point is:
   The conclusions (although the timing is not precise) are true, or have a high probability of occur, so that, as the credit growth busted, the pollution growth and the end of natural resources can spoil the world.
   
   In this case, we will not be able to borrow pure water, pure air, and food etc... from GOD or from a Natural Resources Central Bank.
   
   ------------------------------------------
   
   PS: So that the only way to not spoil the world is to control several key
   parameters (population growth, natural resources usage, pollution etc...) and some are interdependent.



5. This is a book that tells us what lies ahead of us and what we need to do. It could save the world from a collapse, if our policy makers and ourselves could get a good understanding of what the authors tried to say, and make necessary changes accordingly. In my opinion this book should be everyine's text book if we don't want our children to suffer too much. Too many people focus on making more money to satisfy our greed, and ignore the great danger that is quickly approaching us.

2 comments about Confessions of an Eco-Sinner: Tracking Down the Sources of My Stuff.

1. Pearce is one of my favorite writers. He really helps you understand issues of importance to all of us - food, water, global warming - and the writing is captivating. It takes skill to create such fascinating reading from topics which seem completely mundane, such as where your green beans come from ... I intend to give this book to many friends.



2. This is one of those books you don't really appreciate until the end. It is basically a collection of fairly short annecdotes about the author traveling around the world to find out where the stuff he uses comes from and the stuff he discards goes to. At first they seem kind of sketchy and underdeveloped, but as you continue to read, you realize that it's an informative and intersting collection of stories that are both memorable and build into a bigger picture of the global chain of consumption. Of course some stories are dissappointing in that they suggest abusive or undesirable practices, but many others do show some hope. I think many first-world consumers probably don't have a very clear picture of where stuff comes from or where it goes after they get done using it. Among the positive things I took away from this book were the scale of recycling that goes on worldwide, the potential for smart businesses that really give people hope in poor countries, and the positive sides of China's boom. Among the negative things were poor and abusive working conditions in many places, the unsustainability of some types of consumption, and the waste that takes place in some industries. In any case, this is the kind of book that will fill your head with lots of interesting images and give you lots of little examples to quite when talking about issues like manufacturing, importing of goods or recycling. Pearce's previous work on things like water usage and climate change help inform this book, and the extensive traveling he apparently did for this book makes for many interesting examples.