5 comments about Living in the Environment: Principles, Connections, and Solutions (with CD-ROM and InfoTrac).

1. I found this book to be fairly well written with only a little bias toward evolution, an unproven scientific theory.



2. Being a chemistry student, I've read this book as part of my classes. I've got to say, it's an excellent book, definitely worth reading by itself. It offers concrete, pragmatic solutions and an unbiased collection of scientificly supported descriptions of environmental problems and how to deal with them. It's also almost completely devoid of gloom and doom, as opposed to some of today's green movements. Very much recommended.



3. The state of Washington mails each registered voter a "Voter's Pamphlet" with statements for and against each initiative and candidate.
   
   This book has the same format as a page for initiative X complete with rebuttals, but no page against initiative X.
   
   This is completely one sided political rhetoric.
   
   Why are high school students being given 815 pages of brainwashing?
   
   I can understand some political extremest writing this book, but why would the Mercer Island school district buy this book?
   
   I know science.
   This ain't science.
   Maybe political science.



4. I have not read the whole book yet, and I have the 2004 edition (#13). I truly hope the newer editions are better. This is a review of Chapter 1 only.
   
   The chapter annoyed me. It even made me angry. It is milquetoast, unable to just say we, the human population, is depleting too many resources to be sustainable. Adding the statement "other analysts do not believe we are living unsustainably" to an Environmental Science textbook is like saying "some people believe the earth is flat," in a geography textbook, or, something that unfortunately seems to happen in some biology textbooks these days, "evolution is just one theory, there are other theories as well, some experts believe god created all life on earth as it is today." A similar statement was made in part 1-6, "Is our Present Course Sustainable?." "Are things getting better or worse? Experts disagree..." Experts paid by huge resource exploiting corporations? Experts who like to bury their heads in the sand?
   
   There were a number of interesting facts in the text that the general statements did not reflect. These inconsistencies really got to me. It seemed as if it were trying to write about what was outside the box but writing from inside the box. I particularly disliked the sentence that included: "... how much more we need to do to help make the earth more sustainable..." Wait a second, if you were writing from a viewpoint that "Nature does not exist just for us and we only think we are in charge. We need the earth, but the earth does not need us," how can you talk about "making the earth more sustainable?" The earth is what it is and is bountiful, it is our resource exploitation and pollution that are not sustainable for human survival.
   
   I found the first part of the side bar "Free-Access Resources and the Tragedy of the Commons" quite interesting, but the second part on solutions seemed to missing a lot. The first of the two listed solutions was: "Use free-access resources at rates well below their estimated sustainable yields or overload limits by reducing population, regulating access, or both." It then went on to say how this is rarely used since it means we would have to establish and enforce rules and regulations, and it is hard to figure out a sustained yield. But it doesn't mention that educating people about these resources that they take for granted could go along way. Also not mentioned is that regulating the devices that allow people to exploit these resources (such as clean air, the atmosphere, water and wildlife) so easily and unthinkingly would be much easier than regulating their actual use. A lot of the resources mentioned are being depleted by pollution not use in a strict sense. The other solution listed is: "Convert free-access resources to private ownership," since if someone owns something they will protect it, has so many problems which are not addressed. The books lists the problem with this solution as being that "it is not practical for global common resources (such as the atmosphere, the open ocean, most wildlife species, and migratory birds) that can not be divided up and converted to private property." What about the fact that people do exploit the resources that they do own, and the fact that it would no doubt cause even more problems with poverty, and sharing things in common is what brings people together as a community (e.g. they all go to the park and see each other), and so many other problems that I get overwhelmed just thinking about them.
   
   There was a lot of talk about overpopulation as a major problem, but not so much talk about overconsumption by certain parts of the population, even though there were sections on this. There was a section on ecological foot print and how the people in the USA have such a large one, but this didn't seem to get integrated into the text. There was also the statement: "Thus poor parents in a developing country would need 70 - 200 children to have the same lifetime resource consumption as 2 children in a typical U.S. family," but there was a lot of emphasis on population as a major problem and how in underdeveloped countries populations are growing as such a fast rate, when slight rises in US middle/upper class populations can make so much more difference. It felt to me like too much blame poor people in poor countries when it is people in the US and corporations based in the US enriching people in the US who are causing so much of the problems, even exporting our TV and advertisements to other countries which makes people want our unsustainable lifestyle.
   
   There was also no mention of empowering women as a major tool to deal with high birthrates. There is overwhelming evidence that when you empower women to choses when they want to get pregnant and give them education and job skills birthrates do down. The paragraph on why poor people have so many children basically says the reason is to have their labor, with no mention of lack of birth control or power of women to make choices. It also seemed racist and disrespectful.
   
   While we are on the subject of racist and disrespectful, what is with the developed and developing labels? The societies in all countries are developed, it is just industrial manufacturing and certain kinds of resource exploitation that are not as developed.
   
   One last perhaps picky complaint. Figure 1-13 mentions "Traditional decision making" and "traditional societies" but it really does not mean traditional, it means modern industrialized hierarchical societies. This may seem picky but I feel it really does matter, we need to keep remembering that these societies we are living in are new, not traditional. True traditional societies did merge social, economic and environmental issues when making decisions, in fact, they did so in all aspects of living their lives. What we need to do is get back to them.



5. the book arrived in a better condition than i expected, and there was no trouble with delivery. however, i use this book for my ap environmental science class and find it lacking in details. in my opinion, it offers only a cursory overview of the concepts. to its credit, it is very easy to understand, but if you want something with more information, this may not be the best book to choose.

5 comments about Small is Possible: Life in a Local Economy.

1. It is easy to be overwhelmed with the doom and gloom consequences of American's thoroughly unsustainable lifestyle: climate change, pollution of air, water, and soil, declining ecosystems, and the very real risk that in 60 years, nobody will be living what we today consider to be a first-world lifestyle. What to do?
   
   For starters, read Lyle Estill's Small Is Possible, a wonderful collection of writings that chronicles Lyle's own shift from get-setting deal-maker to homesteading community-builder.
   
   Lyle's writing style is excellent: concrete, humorous, and often self-deprecating, Lyle's stories spring to life from the pages, and then linger in details which keeps the community and its members, not Lyle himself, in the foreground.
   
   This book variously strikes me as: non-fiction Huckleberry Finn, a North Carolinian Omnivore's Dilemma, a contemporary Guns, Germs, and Steel, and The Tipping Point as played by actors in Chatham County.
   
   Let me say again: the book is very well written, the material is extremely compelling and relevant to the 21st century, and, in the great tradition of open source software (which Lyle himself acknowledges), it is designed to be a resource for others who believe that small is possible.



2. I need to first point out my conflict of interest in this review. lyle is my brother.
   
   He calls this a non-fiction book and I am sure it is but it is unlike the other non-fiction books that I read. I would call it more of a storybook and Lyle is a great story teller.
   
   It is a story about Lyle's life in a small town and the characters in that town.
   
   In the book he did mention me:
   
   "He (that would be me) is an insatiable entrepreneur who insists he be measured not by the vast pile of bad ideas, heaped at the bottom of the wall - but rather by those ideas that stuck. As a risk-taker he has figured out a way to stay in the possible, and not dwell on those ventures that stung him."
   
   At one point he talked about his blogging and how he was finding it difficult to come up with topics and someone suggested that he needs to entertain people. I found his book very entertaining and this is something that I should probably consider more in my blogging.
   
   I love the book and found it easy and quick to read. Lyle is a great writer (and always has been).
   
   I don't agree with everything in the book. I think supporting small just for the sake of supporting small has some flaws. His book lays out many reasons why small can be better value. And if it is better value - then clearly I support it.
   
   Although small is possible, I am going to strive for big. I wonder if Lyle will still like me?



3. I just finished the book and found it very interesting and well written. As a reporter for a small weekly newspaper that covers Pittsboro, NC, I was fascinated to learn more about the many personalities, businesses and organizations that make up this small town. I certainly see Pittsboro as a more dynamic and exciting place through Lyle Estill's eyes. I initially had low expectations of the book since I thought it would just be a compilation of essays, blog entries and newspaper columns, but it contained about 98 percent original writing. I have been telling many people around town about the book as a great way to learn more about Pittsboro. I think the book will be popular on a national scale since it talks about many ways that communities, and individuals, can be more self sustaining and this is an important issue nationally. On another level, it is interesting as the story of an entrepreneur who had the courage to renounce a very high-paying conventional job to pursue his dream.



4. Globalization is becoming more and more the name of the game in recent years, but is it really needed? "Small is Possible: Life in a Local Economy" is a look why smaller economies are still viable in the modern world. Focusing on self-sufficient towns and cities that produce almost everything they need on their own, and how such locations improve their own economies while importing very little from the outside, "Small Is Possible" is an interesting read which offers something new from an oft-overlooked source - the past.



5. I had originally grabbed this book from the local library "new books" shelving thinking that anything with small in the title might be worth my time... and some relevance to www.small-house-building.com. Lyle Estill does talk about housing, and his attempt to foster a real estate development that focused more on offering a chance for people to build their own affordable housing. They named their development "Abeyance" and had a vision of attracting young families with children that would play in the woods and migrate from household to household in their play time. They even offered a covenant with NO minimum square footage. For awhile it worked, but over the years it devolved into the usual neighborly squabbles as families grew up and ownerships changed. It would be interesting to see it today.
   
   "Small is Possible" is an example of all the local economic and social interaction in Mr. Estill's Chatham County, NC. You could almost look at it as a biography of a community that has succeeded in building that elusive sense of community, but displays all the warts along the way. Surely not a smooth process, but one with great rewards. As Lyle says "forget homeland security... we need homeTOWN security". Keep your dollars, time, and energy in your local economy... what better way to build local security?
   
   Also check out Lyle Estill's Energy Blog at Piedmont Biofuels for his latest essays. A good read!

3 comments about The Natural Step for Communities: How Cities and Towns can Change to Sustainable Practices.

1. In the 1980s, Lahti's hometown of Overtornea, Sweden was dying. The worldwide recession left the village in an inhospitable climate with no major industry and a declining population. Lahti organized community residents and developed a plan to revitalize Overtornea using principles of environmental, economic, and social sustainability. Thus was born the sustainability revolution in Sweden that is taking hold in Europe and spreading to other parts of the world. This is not a story, but a how-to manual. The king of Sweden has endorsed Lahti's methods and seen a resurgence of vital business throughout the country while reducing waste and fossil fuel consumption.



2. My participation in a local "sustainable cities" study circle included reading and studying this book. The book is a study of the renewal that has taken place in Sweden. Faced with a collapsing economy, cities, with collective cooperation from businesses, the government and their citizens brought prosperity back to Sweden. What we mean by "sustainable cities" is a community that is self-supportive--an equilibrium. And this brings about a cleaner, more efficient way of life.
   
   Sweden can be an example for us to follow, especially their developments and the sense of community. The U.S. is not Sweden, nor do we want it to be. Sweden is a socialistic country. That means the government controls more than it should. That's why it needs to start at the bottom, with each individual--a new mindset or outlook. There are things cities can do to bring themselves closer to sustainability without damaging their economy. In fact, with incentives, there may be new growth never before seen.
   
   The book has many positives and negatives. Planning starts with the local municipalities, not the federal or state government. We need to be careful when we try and solve one environmental problem only to create a whole new problem. The book is rife with socialistic thinking. The authors would have been better off leaving "global warming" and politics out.
   
   America is prosperous, it took Sweden a meltdown to come to grips with its future as a nation. In a democracy, with God as its foundation, we will stay strong. There are amazing things that Sweden has done, we should take a look at them.
   
   Wish you well
   Scott



3. Currently, my city is undergoing a move from an average municipality to becoming an eco-municipality. This change would have never been possible without this inspirational book. Our city is working at creating a system approach to change rather than doing one little thing at a time just like The Natural Step advises.
   
   It has helped other cities in Wisconsin to become more sustainable and it truly has a lot of ideas in it. It uses a lot of referesnces to Sweden, but still leaves room to discuss how North America is pushing for change as well. This is a MUST read for anybody who works in municipal government or is an active community leader.

5 comments about Encounters with the Archdruid.

1. This book is not very interesting. It is very jumpy and hard to understand. There are many enviormental issues that are barely if at all touched on by the author. Characters are over developed and there is to much background information on unimportant characters. Brower is just on big whinner. Overall it is not that good of a book.



2. David Brower is a major conservationist who leads many environmental groups. In Encounters with the Archdruid, Brower travels to a mountain, an island, and a river, and has battles with various developers in each of the aareas. In the mountains, he encounters Charles Park, a geologist who is pick-happy. ON the island, he meets Charles Fraser, a developer who wants to build a resort on the island. He also goes fafting with Floyd Dominy, who is bent on building a dam to make a lake out of the end of the river. Brower winds some, and loses some, but for the sake of the enfironment, he never gives up.



3. I read this book for the first time 36 years after it was written, yet it seems like it was written today. The battles now have different names but the perspectives are still the same. My conclusion after reading it is that as a species human's have the capacity to view the same scenery and information and come to radically different conclusions; lets build on it or lets preserve it. The fundamental difference seems to be how an individual views the world around us; our surroundings exist to serve us or we an integral part of the world. This dichotomy in thinking may explain why some of us become engineers and real estate developers and others become artists and conservationists.
   
   McPhee's genius in this book was to get the archetypes of those two positions to spend time together in a proposed open pit copper mine in the Cascades, a potential resort in Cumberland Island off the coast of Georgia, and in and around dams along the Colorado River; recording the dialog while describing the landscape. This book is a paean to conservation and one of McPhee's best.



4. Interesting stories that force you to consider both sides of several important environmental issues. Solid writing. Even more interesting because the stories are true.



5. I have an environmental background but never bought into the religion. I am not a fan of Brower but I wanted to learn more about him. I gained far more from this book than I had bargained for: McPhee is an amazing journalist, Brower is an interesting guy, and Brower's opponents were just as convicted to their causes.
   
   This is my first McPhee book. In the first few pages, I watched him reveal one of the characters as if he knew him intimately, or designed him in eloquent detail for a novel. It seemed like McPhee really knew these people, and had the ability to let the reader really know these people as well.
   
   The main theme of this book is the difference between conservation and preservation. Do you leave the wilderness alone or do you mine the copper that society depends on? Do you protect the island of the rich and famous, or do you build resorts so kids can visit it? Do you let the river run free for the few who can make it and the rest who are happy to know it's there, or do you dam it for the water and the electricity and the accessability?
   
   What was so beautiful about this book was that each of these people, Brower and his three opponents, all loved the places they were arguing about. They just saw something different. They were all out there to do something good. And often, they would pause, and enjoy the scenery, the moment, the beauty together. It was the connections that gave the contrasts such meaning. It portrayed the struggles many of us have; conserve or preserve?

5 comments about The Option of Urbanism: Investing in a New American Dream.

1. People outside the planning profession would find this book helpful in understanding new directions that are possible. Developers who are looking for a competitive advantage tool would do well to avail themselves to Leinberger's perspective on urbanism. It is an easy read, not technical, requires no specific background other than a healthy curiosity and drive to do better. City commissioners would also benefit from purusing these pages.
   
   The author is a major mover and shaker in Albuquerque and a key proponent of their downtown revival. Leinberger writes from first-hand experience. I recommend reading books like this because it is a chance to get inside the head of a visionary. A person could easily read one book like this each week; how else could you immerse yourself in 52 change agents per year?? When a consultant of Leinberger's stature shares 5 hours of his insights for less than $20 it is a pretty good value.



2. Written from a perspective that most urban critiques fail to provide, this book grounds the reader in the real estate, demographic and policy realities that have shaped the American built environment into what we see today. Leinberger knows this stuff cold, both as a developer and through his more recent positions in Brookings and academia. He writes in an approachable style and provides the most thorough discussion to date of the entrenched system of subsidies and practices fueling types of residential and commercial construction that is increasingly at odds with the "true" market. Late in the book, I think he makes a rare--but very appropriate--connection between the implication of the continuation of these policies and our future energy needs. For those of us who like a good, constructive reality check now and again in the midst of all the usual suburban finger-wagging, it's a must-read book this year.



3. I met Chris Leinberger 13 years ago when we began in earnest to address how we were growing in Atlanta. He was knowledgeable, articulate and helpful then, and he continues to be so today. I have borrowed extensively from this new book of his in helping people to understand how growth and development issues relate to each other, why we must pursue walkable urban development, and what the multiple benefits are that derive from this approach to development and redevelopment. This book is well written, is appropriate for lay persons and "wonks" and can be read in just a few sittings. Thank you, Chris, for a terrific resource at such an important time in our nation's development history.



4. Great book. I lived the phases of walkable neighborhoods to driving-suburban. Now we have return to sustainable, walking neighborhoods especially with the gas cost.
   
   As I grew up, I felt supply and demand dictated growth. This book explained government and economic factors that influence development.
   
   good read



5. In _The Option of Urbanism_, Christopher Leinberger documents the history of both urban ("walkable urbanism") and suburban ("drivable sub-urbanism") settings. Before WW II, most people lived in cities and towns where most of their needs (shopping, etc.) could be met via a short walk, or perhaps, with public transportation.
   
   After the war, the big swing was to the suburbs, due to several factors. Government and financial-institution policies tended to favor the suburbs, freeways, single-family housing and shopping malls....and discouraged any meaningful pro-urban development--at least until very recently. Nowadays there is a considerable demand for more dense housing, with destinations within walking distance.
   
   Although Leinberger is very much in favor of urbanism, he does talk about some problems with it (affordability/gentrification is a big issue with some of the newer urban developments). Neither does he call for the suburbs to cease to exist, although he warns that some suburban developments may be hurt by the shift to the cities, rising gas prices, etc. (This book was written right before the current mortgage and gas price crises, and we're starting to see their effects on certain suburban areas as I write this)

5 comments about Gaviotas: A Village to Reinvent the World--10th Anniversary Edition.

1. The vision described in the book is inspiring and very hopeful. The idea is to use our ingenuity in ways directly adapted to our environment so that small towns can be self-sufficient. Along the way, very clever uses of wind and water are discovered and described. If the reader is looking for great general ideas or approaches, this book would be hard to beat. On the other hand, if you are a garage-tinkerer and would delight in building the clever devices described, this book is close but no cigar. The drawings offered in the book purposely omit the most important details required to fabricate the devices in a proper working form. If you are a tinkerer and want to build these "goodies," you have three options. In the U.S., you can e-mail with the "Sustainable Village" web site and get the plans (eventually---they are not quick in responding). You can contact the Gaviotas offices in Bogota, Colombia. You can, of course, also take the basic idea and think through the details for yourself. That could take longer and be a little more expensive---perhaps. If you primarily want the ideas and the inspiration, then buy the book, by all means. If you primarily want to tinker and build, go straight for the plans.



2. This book shows people solving ecological problems as a community. Weisman engages the reader by showing the people involved, not only the ones with training in certain disciplines, but also natives with practical solutions for living in a Columbian village. Even the children got involved in problem solving in Gaviotos.
   
   They have learned to live in a place where there are many dangers due to drug wars, yet their survival skills are exceptional.
   
   I highly recommend this eye-opening book
   
   Barbara Spring



3. This is an amazing story about an amazing REAL place... It is an obligated reading for all of those who care about sustainability and renewable energy and wonder whether there is an alternative for our society.
   Read this and you will be full of hope and energy for action.



4. Wonderful book, highly recommended, inspiring. A real look at sustainable development in a highly unlikely place in the world. MUST READ!!



5. This is one of my favorite books. I recommend it to anyone who will listen. I just love it. I've read it twice and I'll probably read it again sometime. I want to live in Gaviotas!

3 comments about Sustainable Landscape Construction: A Guide to Green Building Outdoors, Second Edition.

1. an excelent overview of the sustainable approaches to landscape design, a good basis to start thinking and acting sustainably in the landscape



2. Time has changed. A few years ago, few people knew about sustainable design and construction, green buildings or LEED. Today, sustainable design and construction has gone mainstream. How do we know? We actually have clients asking us to design a LEED certified building or do a sustainable landscape design. Architecture and landscape architecture are knowledge-based, service-oriented professions. Architects and landscape architects have to catch up and become experts in sustainable design and construction, green buildings and LEED to be able to provide the necessary professional service to the clients.
   
   "Sustainable Landscape Construction: A Guide to Green Building Outdoors" is one of the best books on sustainable design and construction. It covers 10 principles of sustainable landscape construction: keep healthy sites healthy (preserve topsoils and existing trees, minimize construction damages, etc.), heal injured sites, favor living, flexible materials, respect the waters of life (understand, protect and restore wetlands, restore rivers and streams to full health, collect and conserve water, reuse gray water, etc.), pave less (reduce paving, reduce runoff from paving, use porous paving, etc.), consider origin and fate of materials (Use local, salvaged or recycled materials, avoid toxic and non-renewable materials, etc.), know the cost of energy over time, celebrate light, respect darkness (lighting efficiency and light pollution control), quietly defend silence (various ways of noise control), and maintain to sustain (alternate to mowing, bio-based maintenance products, etc.). Each principle is demonstrated with case studies and followed by resources for further studies.
   
   "Sustainable Landscape Construction: A Guide to Green Building Outdoors" has 416 pages and many line drawings and interior black-and-white photos. It is one of the most comprehensive books on sustainable landscape construction.
   
   Gang Chen, Author of "LEED AP Exam Guide" & "Planting Design Illustrated," LEED AP, AIA



3. This book is very lengthy and full of information, but unlike typical textbooks, it is not overly 'heady' nor boring... Each chapter is quite long (50 pages approx.) and the words are quite small, yet you can sit there for four hours straight and still be interested in what is on the next page!? The only thing that would make this book better would probably be color pictures (there are a good amount of informative pictures, yet they are all black and white). Great book for anyone in the construction industry...very interesting!

1 comments about Sustainability by Design: A Subversive Strategy for Transforming Our Consumer Culture.

1. Mr. Ehrenfeld offers a broadly appealing and immediately accessible definition of sustainability: "sustainability is the possibility that humans and other life will flourish on the Earth forever."
   
   Now isn't that what we really want? And to address this higher view of things, don't you necessarily need to think more deeply about the issue than simply neutralizing a negative situation--which is what virtually every other book in this genre attempts to do?
   
   That's what I like about this book, that Ehrenfeld takes a systems look at a systemic issue. He looks at mindset -- the subtitle is "A Subversive Strategy for transforming Our Consumer Culture" -- and that's what is so attractive.
   
   Ehrenfeld, formerly of MIT (a noted breeding ground for systems thinkers), is executive director of the International Society for Industrial Ecology and senior research scholar at Yale's School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, and you can tell he's been thinking about this for a long tim. It shows in how he approaches the challenge of sustainability. For example, he uses words and phrases that resonate will resonate with anyone who is interested in a more mindful approach to a complex issue. "Reflection" is the first threshold to cross, he says. And he talks about "structures," which appeals to my sense of the importance in properly framing problems. And he talks about "nurturing possibility."
   
   You see, we too often incorrectly ask the question "What are the alternatives" before we ask "What is possible?"
   
   If you're a fan of Peter Senge (who writes the Foreword) and The Fifth Discipline like I am, you'll enjoy the author's foray into single and double loop thinking. From there, he looks at root cause, that being an addiction to resources (a phrase I often use!) linked to the cultures of consumption in the modern, industrialized world. And then he offers his definition of sustainability, and the whole construct hangs together quite nicely.
   
   Woven throughout the book is a subtext of respect, of simply caring about others and the world we live in enough to wrap our designs around that thought in a very purposeful way. If only we could hold that core value tightly enough, hold on to the tension created between where we are and where we need to be, our designs -- our innovation processes and innovative outcomes -- would go far in moving the planet toward a sustainable vision of the future.
   
   And that future, the author says, does not have "a revolution waiting in the wings," because he does not believe "that such a revolution would necessarily be the best change mechanism."

5 comments about Ecological Economics: Principles And Applications.

1. Here at last is a book that sees ecological economics not as a branch of economics or a school of economics but as a broader and deeper system of ideas that includes the sound elements of conventional economics. Herman Daly, the Grand Old Man of the steady state economy, and Joshua Farley, his able younger follower, have produced a comprehensive and very readable synthesis. Traditional economists see natural resources as a subsystem of the world economy. This book presents the economy as a subsystem of the global ecosystem. The effect is like that of climbing a tall tower and seeing that a familiar city was all along part of an island whose fields and forests are in danger of disappearing under the advancing suburbs. The authors have not shied away from including controversial ideas, and there are some that I do not agree with, but that just adds to the stimulation. Not only have I adopted this as the textbook for a course in ecological economics, but I would like to see it read by all economists. This is not a specialist branch of economics; it is the only kind of economics appropriate to the new century.



2. Bring ecological economics to every day life will be the greatest defy of this century. The autor writes brillantly how we can, now, change our economic view and achieve sustainable development. Every student must read this book...



3. And I'm not just saying that because I like ecological economics. Before this I used to hate even the idea of textbooks...mostly the fault of high school I guess, but also many college courses. In fact that is the reason why I hesitated to buy this book, but I'm glad I did. This is the only textbook I have been able to read straight through (though slowly and critically) and maintain my focus, interest, and energy. It's very well written and organized, and it's honest and upfront, highlighting debates and differences in opinions, as well as their implications. It is even entertaining on a fairly regular basis.
   
   No prior knowledge of economics or natural sciences is necessary, though of course having some helps to make it an easier read. The 2nd edition should take care of some of the minor typos and other editing mistakes. I have seen no serious flaws in the book.
   
   If you
   1) Have an open mind
   2) Respect solid, provocative arguments that challenge the status-quo
   3) Are interested in the nature of the relationship between humans and our environment, economics, ecology, sustainability, social justice, or democracy
   4) Have tried a standard econ. course and was frustrated by the hordes of inane and offensive or otherwise false assumptions, contradictions and overall lack of scholarly rigor
   You will probably enjoy this book.
   
   I also suggest getting the companion workbook, especially if you are
   1) A student (of any age, shape or form)
   2) Interested particularly in the fields of environmental policy/management, economics, or ecological economics or
   3) Interested in the education system and education reform.
   
   It has valuable supplemental information as well as suggestions on how to advance your knowledge and possibly put you into a career path. The pedagogical philosophy espoused in the book is great from my perspective--a student frustrated with the hypocrisies and contradictions of academia and our current education system. Farley makes it clear that fundamental education reform is necessary in order to advance democracy and for us to continue to develop into our greatest human potentials.



4. Book recomendations, index, glossary, macroeconomics, microeconomics, a very didactic book made for anyone interested in the subject or people already familiar with economics. The first day I read 100 pages non-stop. Different from some other books on the theme, this is not a book to build anyones consciousness(and definitely not eco-economics for dummies)but a realistic transdisciplinary outlook on the subject.



5. The authors of this book demonstrate a deep understanding of the negative role and impact on econmic growth that results from speculation in national and international currencies,stocks,and other financial assets.This book is especially strong in chapters 13 and 14 where they discuss macroeconomics and the effects of worldwide speculative activity.The Nobel Prize winning chemist,Fredrick Soddy,whose 1930's book " Wealth,Virtual Wealth,and Debt ", demonstrated an excellent understanding of the dangers of speculative finance,is given his due along with Keynes(pp.256-257),who had always understood the severe negative impacts speculative finance can have on both economic growth and income distribution.
   
   The intellectual rigor of the authors suffers on pp.224-225 when they discuss Adam Smith's Invisible Hand .It is simply not the case that Smith took the view(micro economic decision making in the aggregate always leads to an optimal macro economic outcome )foisted on him.Smith himself was well aware of the great dangers of speculation(see Smith's extensive discussions on pp.290-340 of the Wealth of Nations[1776,Modern Library(Cannan)edition] and the need to prevent it from occurring in the first place ,as well as the negative consequences of the Invisible Hand process that could only be overcome by government action(see pp.734-741 on the necessity for the government to provide universal education supplied for free for those unable to pay).

5 comments about Megatrends 2010: The Rise of Conscious Capitalism: The Rise of Conscious Capitalism.

1. Patricia - the author - narrates this CD edition. And since she's not speaking to a crowd, but sounds like she's talking to a mike in a closet with sleeping neighbors next door, she gets so quiet at times, that she's hard to hear. Then if you turn the volume up, you're likely to have your ear drums rattled the next time. Reading the book was better.



2. Megatrends 2010 is one of the best books on the market today - especially if you are interested in new ways of approaching old problems. The case studies and best practices that Patricia reveals prove that values, integrity, spirituality in the workplace - all help build profits. It's an easy read - informative and full of facts!
   Thank you Patricia Aburdene for pulling together such a great body of work!
   Ann Ranson



3. I'm going to start making my point saying that i bought this book because Megatrends 2000 just helped me so much understand the economics back then, and when this one came out i rushed in and bought it, and big disappointed. First there is one lady that helped write the first one as the only author, the cover is reddish pink, and for a "mega" is not a large book. She talks about spiritualism, moral, and ecology, which i agree and accepted them as future megatrends, but she could have written that in two or three chapters, but that's the whole book, and that's where the disappointment is.
   I asked myself if i was reading a economics trend book, or a spiritual book. She never talked about the euro boom, or the global warming as a social mechanism to push the entire humanity to a future of new technology advances and possible breakthroughs, there are too many topics to talk about as megatrends, but she focused in spiritualism a little too much(just the hole book.)
   She made the mistake of not seeing the big picture, and i bet she didn't spend a month writing this book. And that's what bothers me, because the first book was very useful, full of information in different sciences and very accurate.
   I guess is the editorial's fault for being so brain less and putting a solo person doing a team work job. She didn't even try to do some research...
   If there's a time machine invented i go back on time, i would read the book, write this opinion and i would remember to save the purchase ticket to return it(lol).
   Shame on you Patricia Aburdene.



4. I had first written a review giving this book 5 stars, which I deleted. Let me correct it now down to 3 stars, still giving this book the hopeful benefit of the doubt.
   
   After my first review I emailed the author who promptly answered. After the Wall Street debacle, I emailed her again, copy:
   
   "Dear Ms. Aburdene: Please allow me to ask your opinion about the current financial crisis in relation to the main theme of your work "Megatrends 2010". Is Gordon Gekko still around and much alive under disguise? Apparently the tech bubble gave birth to a, probably worst, housing bubble, undoubtedly based on the same old greed, that awful hydra. This bubble is just another emanation of the same root. Greenspan does not seem to be very comfortable with it either. There seems to be many new Dennis Koslowskis and Tycos as well, all of a sudden. I will appreciate your comments..."
   
   No answer this time. Could it be that the premise of "Megatrends 2010" is flawed? For what is happening today with the financial crisis is a typical example of greed run amok, and it is worst than before. What is the future of the so-called conscious capitalism? Food for thought.



5. I am very pleased with my order. The book was in excellent condition and was swiftly delivered.
   
   Thanks!