4 comments about Toward Sustainable Communities: Resources for Citizens and Their Governments.

1. Mark really knows his stuff - so if you have been wondering how to turn your community, city or region into a more liveable, sustainable community, this is a great place to start. Pedestrian traffic calming ? Cycling routes ? Recycling facilities ? Greenways ? Local creek restoration ? Thriving neighbourhood centers ? This book would make a great gift for any new councillor, or any would-be community activist.



2. This book offers an overview of many areas that community members should consider and plan for when working toward sustainability. The guidelines that Roseland provides are applicable for citizens, leaders, governing authorities, and anyone interested in brining communities closer together.



3. When I scanned the first 5 pages when I bought it I was expecting a little more. The book is an excellent reference for sustainability intiatives on the community and citizen level. However, it is not great at providing a real argument for sustainability (although, nobody really needs to convince me). Each chapter basically begins with the area (e.g. transportation, waste mgmt., etc.) and gives real-world examples of them. It's unknown how Roseland decides which communities to review. Additionally, these summaries are simply a long list. They don't provide any underlying principles or ideas. So, my poor review is based on my expectation of this book to be more explanatory and interesting. But, as a reference guide for sustainability it is good. I do not quite understand what the purpose of a book like this is. A reference is meaningless when the topic is citizen action because it does not offer anything practical or useful for an individual citizen. For more of an argument and practical ideology I would look at Natural Capital by Hawken, Lovins and Lovins.



4. I used this book as a tool for a graduate-level course. It is outstanding in its ability to present a sometimes difficult topic in an easy-to-understand format. The book includes practical tips, ideas, and examples. Highly recommended!

3 comments about Valuing the Earth: Economics, Ecology, Ethics.

1. As a citizen who is concerned about the health of the environment, I was enlightened by the essays in the first section of this book. The authors leave little room for doubt that the Earth can sustain a finite population, and for a finite length of time. Without any of the hysterical rhetoric which so often characterizes the political debate on this topic, these scholars demonstrate the fact that our existence on this, the eastern shore of Eden, is ephemeral. As a student of economics, I was impressed by the lucid exploration of free-enterprise, steady-states, and market forces in the third section. This section is home to some of the best essays in the book: T. H. Tietenberg's exposition of free-market solutions to the pollution problem as well as Ken Townsend's expert discussion of the ecological problems facing the nations of the former communist world are as important as they are timely. But, the most important respect in which I was struck by this book was as a human being. It is in the second section that Daly and Townsend--with the help of such friends as C. S. Lewis and E. F. Schumacher--address the important issue of morality. Are humans obligated to preserve something off this planet for future generations? How much consumption should we engage in? Does our economic system promote an ungodly destruction of the world in which we live. The reader should not come to this volume without a willingness to challenge his own deeply held notions about the state of the environment or the economy's role in creating that state. Neither should a reader open this book if he is searching for easy solutions to our environmental problems. Those readers with the courage to think, however, will not be dissatisfied.



2. For the advanced student of the discipline of ecological economics this essay-collection provides a handfull of the most influential classics of the field, of which many has been hard to come by for years. The essays by Garrett Hardin, Herman Daly, Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen and Paul and Anne Ehrlich are among the most frequently cited essays of the field - and for good reasons.



3. Edit of 21 Dec 07 to add links to more recent books that build on this.
   
   This is one of three books that I bought for review with the intent of selecting one for broad pro-bono distribution. Although I chose "For the Common Good" and I recommend "Ecological Economics" as the one book to buy if you buy only one (see my reviews of those books at their own pages), this book is a treasure chest of original and current thinking that should certainly be in your hands if you can afford all three books. As another reviewer has noted, it finally re-publishes some of the hard to get original thinkers from the steady-state economics era of the 1970's. However, it does so with an ample leavening of 1990's authorship, and hence could reasonably be regarded as a first-class "readings" complement to the text book ("Ecological Economics").
   
   There is a chart on page 20 of this book that is quite extraordinary. Titled "The ends-means spectrum", it brilliantly runs down from the top: Religion and Ethics as guidelines to ultimate and intermediate ends of humanity; to the middle Political Economy as a means of managing the factors of production to specific political ends; to the bottom: Technics and Physics as the "ultimate" foundation or "ground truth" of flow-entropy-matter-energy that must constrain political and religious ends.
   
   This book, in which Kenneth N. Townsend is the second contributing editor-author, blends practical, political, economic, and theological writings, over several decades, in a most pleasing manner. E. F. Schumacher's "Buddhist Economics" jumped out at me, reminding me that our predominantly Protestant corporate capitalist ethos is very far removed from the realities that guide and repress billions around the Earth, all of whom have fewer options than we do. With that thought in mind, I strongly recommend William Greider's "The Soul of Capitalism: Opening Paths to a Moral Economy" as a very current complement to any of the books that Dr. Daly has helped bring into the marketplace of ideas.
   
   See also, with reviews:
   The Battle for the Soul of Capitalism: How the Financial System Underminded Social Ideals, Damaged Trust in the Markets, Robbed Investors of Trillions - and What to Do About It
   Natural Capitalism: Creating the Next Industrial Revolution
   Green to Gold: How Smart Companies Use Environmental Strategy to Innovate, Create Value, and Build Competitive Advantage

2 comments about American Environmentalism: Readings In Conservation History.

1. This isn't the type of book someone could pick up and get a good view of the American Environmental movement. It does well in teaching about past movements but ignores modern movements like Environmental Justice and the controversy surrounding Market Based Incentives. It is a good book for teaching if coupled with extra material as it is very readable and interesting.



2. What a joy to see that this book is back in print! When our nature book discussion group chose it as a monthly selection several years ago, we had to scramble to find copies. I was one of the lucky ones who got one, read it all, and underlined a whole slew of passages for later reference.

   Here are some of my favorite quotes:

   "Man is everywhere a disturbing agent. Wherever he plants his foot, the harmonies of nature are turned to discords." (George Perkins Marsh, 1864)

   "Environment is to the would-be cultured man what air is to the animal -- it is the breath of life." (Benton MacKaye, 1928)

   "When you have reached the edge of an abyss ... the only progressive move you can make is to step backward." (David R. Brower, 1977)

   Then the compiler adds his answer to the question "Why do we love wilderness?" by giving seven reasons: scientific value, spiritual values, aesthetic value, heritage value, psychological value, cultural value, and intrinsic value. His explanations make this selection the one I most often pass on to other people. (Roderick Frazier Nash, 1988)

   My advice is to buy this book as a present for your favorite environmentalist friend. Sure, you could go instead with _The Quotable Nature Lover_, a Nature Conservancy book edited by John A. Murray. But _American Environmentalism_ puts those kinds of quotes back into context; the editor not only provides full text but also explains what was going on at the time of its writing. Selections are arranged chronologically and are short enough to hold anyone's interest. And we're not talking just Thoreau, Muir, Carson and Leopold here, as the excerpts above show. There are names you might not recognize at first glance. Amateur environmentalists can use this compilation as a starting point for further reading, as full citations are always provided. Though it's not entirely current (1989) this book is still useful.

   Give it to a graduating senior, or to anyone else who has the potential to save the planet. They'll be inspired.

5 comments about Walking the Talk: The Business Case for Sustainable Development.

1. First of all I should declare my interest and bias: I was involved in the production of the book. But this is also an advantage. I know first hand what the authors wanted to convey - a serious sense of the responsibility and opportunities for business to make globalization and markets work for all and our environment. This book engages in one of the broadest review of the issues of sustainable development as perceived by engaged business leaders. From the "technocratic" approaches to material efficiency and minimizing environmental impacts and risks to the "soft" and daunting issues of fighting poverty through enterprise and wealth creation. It also does not duck the questions of corporate accountability and market reforms.
   Plenty of books have covered the issues of globalization but most have an anti-business perspective. Here at last we have a powerful business view.
   
   As business people the authors take a lot of space to provide evidence, from their own organizations and like-minded peers, in the form of case studies. They also look under the top line of financial sustainability indices and provide exclusive statistics of business behavior from the 2002 survey that is at the basis of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index.
   Any downside to this book? Yes - It begs the question why the companies next door are not yet following the lead. If they were to "read the talk" would they also "walk the talk"?



2. This book will be of interest to anyone remotely curious about economics, finance, society and progress. It is a concrete and realistic account of how businesses can engage in a medium/long term win-win game, benefiting both sustainable development and companies. It shows the evolution in business practise, and the future trend it is likely to take because of the new dimension of competitively in such troubled times: sustainability.

   A clear and transparent account of how to achieve it (and what the past and current attempts are) is made through theoretical definitions of eco-efficiency, corporate social responsibility, the role of innovation, the attempt to control market failures, and make both frameworks and consumer choice allies in achieving more environmentally and socially viable economic growth. Those are illustrated by 66 case studies ranging from all sectors and countries. It dares to face many different scenarios so as to recognise possible costs or tradeoffs, but manages to prove the overwhelming victory of the business case for sustainable development.

   The importance of this book, setting the trend for the next 60 years or so, comes from the fact that it was written by credible businessman. Their vision on today's and tomorrow's business practise is sharp. As a student at the London School of Economics, concentrating on how markets can bring more efficient solutions to poverty, corruption and environmental crisis, this book comes in as one of my absolute favourites. It is easy to read, and very actual. Though there aren't any easy answers to the problems it tackles, the book provides an important insight of the role of businesses in achieving sustainable development, and the clear advantages that emanate from doing so.




3. In the next society', observes Peter Drucker, 'the biggest challenge for the large company - especially for the multinational-may be its social legitimacy: its values, its missions, its vision.' (quoted on P. 128 of Walking the Talk).
   The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) is an association of over 160 large companies who believe that the imperatives of making a profit are compatible with "... [running] their companies in the best interests of human society and the natural environment, now and in the future."
   The book seeks to explore the opportunities and problems in doing so, and to describe the progress made over the last ten years. It is overtly evangelical, seeking to recruit more successful businesses (and specifically their CEOs) to the cause of sustainability as the authors define it. The authors are writing within a mental model that believes in the benefits of free markets, globalization, continuing economic growth and in the contemporary model of business. Although they recognize that there are alternative mental models, their primary purpose is not to address these, but to persuade those who share their broad views (which would include the vast majority of business people) that a concern for environmental sustainability and social justice is good business - that pursuit of these wider goals is the best way of ensuring a healthy bottom line now and in the future.
   The book is well argued within its framework. More important, it carries the names of three of the world's most senior Chief Executives, which gives it immense clout in its avowed task of persuading other CEOs to joint the sustainability movement.
   A 'foundation' chapter, which describes the business case for sustainability, is followed by a brief overview of each of ten key elements in moving toward sustainability, with each chapter illustrated with detailed case studies (significantly, they are nearly all companies and utilities which supply to industrial markets).
   In building their case, they identify the dilemmas, and particularly the issue of how to balance concern for the future with prudence in the present. They also note that current market failures (failure to price for 'externalities', perverse subsidies, inappropriate tax regimes) make it more difficult to persuade many companies that pursuit of sustainability is in their best interest. In consequence, they call for partnership with government to correct these problems, and describe experience to date and needs for the future.
   The 'ten building blocks' therefore include chapters on The Right Framework - what conditions are needed for business success truly to reflect sustainable operation - and From Dialogue to Partnership - how to enter partnership with the full range of stakeholders.
   Too much of the literature on sustainability is taken up with immoderate attack on business and globalization - often with the inference that it is inherently evil - and equally immoderate defence of the (implied) perfection of the present state of globalization and behaviour of companies. It is therefore very refreshing to have an impeccable business source that acknowledges the move to sustainability as important business that is still in its early stages and is prepared to describe the successes, failings, dilemmas and rewards on the journey to sustainability.
   Given their objective, there are some important and difficult issues that the authors do not tackle. For example, Hamilton in Growth Fetish, points to:
   * the inadequacy of economic measures of progress,
   * the importance of a distinction between growth and development and
   * the evils of a framework that systematically promotes over-consumption.
   These issues need to be argued, and could have very serious implications for business, but they are not the subject of this book.
   Those who have a radically different view of the current business system and who disagree with the authors' views on globalization may well see the book as simply offering symptomatic solutions without tackling the real issues. They will none the less take comfort from the fact that community protests about unacceptable business activities (environmental degradation, comfort to repressive regimes, sweatshop labour) clearly send signals that influence the behaviour of corporate decision makers.



4. Business has always had as its prime responsibility making profits and this is what most stakeholders seek from their investment. It is only when business is convinced that it will make better profits over the long term by being socially and environmentally responsible that we will see the changes that are required to leave a better world to our children. It was therefore like a breath of fresh air to discover this book written by influential businessmen showing that corporate social and environmental practice will improve both the bottom line and the planet. More than 160 companies have joined the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and are trying to run their companies in the best interests of human society and the natural environment. Emerging from the vision of a small group of business leaders prior to the 1992 Earth Summit, the WBCSD published this book prior to the 2002 Johannesburg Summit. They found that the term 'sustainable development' is unknown to most of the world's inhabitants and that it is mildly annoying to almost all environment actors and thinkers but some corporations were drawn to it because it is not anti-growth and serious economic growth is required to meet the needs of the current population. Moreover, the issues of sustaining a planet are similar to those of sustaining a corporation - primarily managing a balancing act between the short-term and the long-term - and getting it wrong in either direction can mean extinction. Thinking in terms of sustainable development opens up new ways to grow and led to the more business friendly term of 'sustainable growth'.

   As the market is good at reflecting short-term economic realities but poor at reflecting long-term economic realities and environmental realities the WBCSD prepared a report for the 1992 Summit calling for full-cost pricing, taxes and tradable permits rather than regulation, phasing out of subsidies, and accounting changes to reflect environmental scarcity. However, adoption of these measures would result in higher prices and the other two pillars of society - civil society and government - needed to accept such a change. Each sector tends to wait on the other; politicians do not want to become unpopular by pushing for higher prices nor do consumers want to spend more. "There will not be real progress until business, government, and civil society team up in new and dynamic partnerships."

   Adoption of the phrase 'eco-efficiency' was a conceptual breakthrough that allowed moral and ethical practice to be linked to good business practice and set an agenda of producing more with less - a package that would make companies more competitive. Companies could be more profitable while keeping a human face and as few companies were prepared for consumer's ability to get their concerns into board rooms, managing a company's reputation became a central element in managing a corporation. This led to companies adding an environmental section to their annual financial report and reporting on the triple bottom line - financial, environmental and social. This has already brought about some radical changes. "Companies that once sold paint to car companies now sell the service of painting cars. So where once they improved their bottom line by maximizing cans of paint sold, they now improve the bottom line by minimizing the use of paint per car." DuPont decided that if it wanted its business to be sustainable it had to improve earnings by using fewer raw materials. This lead to the concept of shareholder value added (SVA) per pound of production and the goal of doubling the SVA of Kevlar fiber over the next five years. "Dupont Flooring Services has developed a system to offer certified installation, patented maintenance and end-of-life recycling to the already world-class carpet offering of DuPont Antron." At DuPont the question of whether sustainability improves the bottom line is not asked any more: "That is how we will get our bottom line, and that is how we will create value for our shareholders and for society."

   By devoting 2% of its annual capital investment to environmental performance, a Swiss-based company has a vision of being a 'zero-equivalent carbon dioxide emission company' through a 5% pa annual reduction of energy per unit, increased use of alternative and renewable energy and by planting 35,000 hectares of land with trees to compensate for the remaining emissions, with a projected saving of $1 billion between 1994 and 2010. "Thanks to these measures, the planet has been spared the burden of another 100-megawatt power plant; the water we have saved could quench the thirst of 50 million people a year. We are using 28% less electricity and 45% less water than in 1994 for the same output. This translates, with a large increase in volume today, into a saving of $50 million in 2000 alone."

   This book has 67 case studies that present current leading edge thinking. For a company that believes that it will remain competitive by neglecting environmental issues, this book will be an eye-opener. For others it is impossible to read this book without coming away with ideas for improving performance and the bottom line.




5. One of the authors of this book is Mr. Philip Watts, chairman of Shell until 2003. He left the company after it was revealed that under his mandate, Shell has inflated its oil reserves by 20%, with his knowledge and influence. Although the book seems consistent and based on real facts, his presence as an author make it a bit unreliable. I did not realize he is one of the authors. If I knew it, I would never buy it. Check "Chapter 2 - The Right Framework", particulalrly the item "Transparency and Accountability" and then check the reports on Mr Watts' activities and behaviour at Shell. How can one trust on what reads??

1 comments about The Principles of Sustainability.

1. This book is a must for anyone that is interested in Sustainability. It takes the reader through all the history and tries to give as much neccessary background information as possible to get the big picture on each historical event and milestone. Allthough the author sometimes becomes a bit too subjective, he doesn't impose a view and tries more to inform. Definitely a book worth having for references on Sustainability events.

1 comments about Accident Prevention Manual: Administration & Programs 12th Edition (Occupational Safety and Health Series (Chicago, Ill.).).

1. It arrived in great shape and the order was shipped quickly. I would once again order from this company

3 comments about Dancing with the Tiger: Learning Sustainability Step by Natural Step (Conscientious Commerce).

1. I'm more optimistic about the future, and inspired, after reading Dancing with the Tiger, which profiles sustainability measures introduced by - get ready for it - Nike, Starbucks, Whistler and CH2M Hill, a worldwide engineering company.

   Dancing follows on the heels of The Natural Step for Business (NSP, 1997) in which Nattrass and Altomare profiled The Natural Step, a Swedish-rooted initiative to improve corporate environmental and social practices. In that first book, I was titillated to learn about the efforts of companies like Ikea to improve working conditions and reduce the scale of their environmental footprint. Nonetheless, I remained deeply skeptical that other corps, and suits in general, were even remotely interested in grokking social and environmental problems and lining up on the solution side of the equation.

   Well, kudos to Nattrass and Altomare (and New Society) for titillating me again. In the first three chapters Dancing provides a current, comprehensive overview of environmental degradation while illuminating the beguiling, complex nature of so many environmental problems. One reason we are befuddled by sustainability problems, the authors say, is because the problems are generally systematic and characterized by uncertainty. In order to overcome problems, we must think systematically and evolve beyond conventional scientific thinking.

   Nattrass and Altomare assert that we must also develop a new vocabulary and story-culture linked to sustainability to supplant the warrior-take-all mentality that presently guides much of our thoughts, actions and business. This leads into the remainder of the book, with subsequent chapters profiling the corporate actions on behalf of sustainability taken by Nike, Starbucks, the municipality of Whistler and CH2M Hill Engineering.

   It is in this section where I found the biggest surprises. For example, I have longed linked Nike with all-too-common practices of environmental and social exploitation in service of corporate profits. Some of Nike's exploitative practices were revealed years ago, but clearly, the company has made efforts to evolve in more progressive directions. From cutting energy emissions to reducing pollution to helping improve educational opportunities for foreign workers, Nike is evolving, driven in large part because many of the suits, including CEO Phil Knight, instituted policies following the tenets of the Natural Step.

   Ditto for Starbucks, CH2M Hill Engineering (with more than 9,500 staff worldwide) and the municipality of Whistler. That's right, Whistler. Evidently, if you can look beyond the SUV-choked parking lots, the groomed hotel ashtrays and some of the most garish displays of conspicuous consumption seen since the decline of the Roman Empire, something remarkable is going on at Whistler. In fact, Whistler now ranks as one of the most environmentally sustainable municipalities on earth.

   Naturally, embracing sustainability didn't happen by accident here but falls out of the Whistler Environmental Strategy, crafted several years ago. Like the other examples, the WES was inspired by The Natural Step, and now guides municipal legislation. Addressing pollution reduction, landscape design, water use, environmental conservation, bear management and other issues, Whistler municipal practices are increasingly recognized as among the most progressive worldwide.

   Common to the examples cited by Nattrass and Altomare were "ordinary people doing the extraordinary", visionary leaders and staff who persevered in service of sustainability and a core set of principles. The authors refer to them as "evolutionary pioneers, the forerunners who are exploring and drawing the maps of previously uncharted territory, making it easier for others to follow with more certainity." These people have the courage to look beyond the fear of disrupting corporate culture and strike out in a direction not commonly found in the world of business suits and bottom-line profits. This book makes a welcome and significant contribution to nudging the corporate world in the direction of a more sustainable world. I recommend buying a copy as a gift for the corporate executive or municipal planner of your choice.

   - Michael Maser; Gibsons BC Canada

   - END -




2. `Dancing with the Tiger' is a useful and well-written contribution to the growing body of literature that attempts to answer the question so many of us are asking today - what can I do about creating a sustainable world? A world in which we give back to life instead of just taking. This book is particularly helpful for those people within organizations who want to change consciousness from what Paul Hawken has called the 'take-make-waste' culture, to a self-regenerating and life-affirming way of being.

   The authors compare this process to 'dancing with a tiger', hence the title. The tiger takes many forms, for example the intensely competitive business environment many companies find themselves in. They give case studies of companies they have worked with as 'sustainability consultants', including Nike and Starbucks. It is encouraging to see the distance these multinational corporations have gone in their efforts...a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step, and steps are being taken on the long journey to real sustainability. They emphasize the complexity and interconnectedness of the challenge, and at the same time give credit to the many people within organizations who are passionately committed to creating a better world.

   Brian Nattrass and Mary Altomare's work is a helpful and informative counterbalance to the often critical reviews of corporate behavior. Their work is based on 'The Natural Step' framework, an enlightened and straightforward approach that any organization can use in their efforts to align their purpose and mission with sustainability.

   It is inspiring to read quotes from employees and executives who have participated in this process within their organizations. I highly recommend this book to thoughtful readers who want to discover how to take responsibility for healing the planet.




3. This successor to The Natural Step for Business is essentially a set of four extended case studies, preceded and followed by statements of principles derived from The Natural Step framework and case study experience.
   Your reaction to it will depend on your appetite for case studies - mine is not great. The wider exposition of principles is mainly a restatement - and sometimes an elaboration - of principles that can be found elsewhere, including on the Internet sites of The Natural Step.
   Those who are working directly with the framework as consultants or part of an internal team will pick up useful ideas and tips. The general reader would do better to start with the authors' first book or with Karl-Henrik Robèrt's The Natural Step Story: Seeding A Quiet Revolution.

3 comments about The Natural Step Story: Seeding a Quiet Revolution.

1. Anyone who has heard Karl-Henrik Robert speak in person will want to read this personal account of the evolution of TNS to date. He writes boldly and brightly - from his heart. I enjoyed it immensely and gained further insights into how to share The Natural Step story with others. Buy it!



2. The recipient of the year 2000 Blue Planet Prize (aka the Ecology Nobel), Dr. Karl-Henrik Robert has offered the world a delightful peak at his decade-long adventure in making visible the possibility of a just and sustainable future for all. Beyond skillfully describing the beginnings of the idea of The Natural Step and its framework's scientific basis, he also shares some remarkable stories that express his deep social consciousness and longing for a world that works for everyone.

   He lets the reader know, among other things, that
   --his heroes are Greenpeace activisits
   --participants at the World Economic Forum at Davos (to which he was invited) for the most part seemed unaware of the plight of the world's poor
   --the apathy and helplessness that most people feel with regard to our global dilemma may be one of the most serious problems we face in resolving the dilemma
   --the economic paradigm must change
   --new business leaders may be key to shifting current mass media reluctance to cover issues of social and ecological sustainability
   --and so much more!

   The materials in the Appendixes are worth the price of the book itself. Invaluable in understanding the core values of The Natural Step, applying its framework, and learning how the agricultural sector (one of many, by the way, who have explored this approach to strategic planning) in Sweden arrived at consensus on developing a sustainable future, the back matter will fascinate as much as the growing pains and other stories in the main portion of this singular, thought-provoking publication.

   Essential reading for anyone concerned about our common future.




3. The founder of The Natural Step has written what is partly a history of its foundation and growth, partly an explanation of the principles by which it operates and partly a guide to the future of the move towards sustainable operation. It is also partly autobiographical and gives a fascinating insight into an extraordinary career.
   Of interest to those concerned with sustainability, to systems thinkers, business strategist and to the general reader who seeks to understand the underlying principles that are elsewhere so well concealed in complexity. Robèrt's genius is in two fields: the first is in revealing the easy to understand (but less easy to apply) principles that provide a guide to moving toward sustainability, and the second is in developing and applying a form of dialogue that invites people into the creative process.
   The Natural Step is an international movement which provides education and support for commercial and government organizations seeking to move to sustainability. It does this by providing a framework, a process and case and other materials for assessing sustainability and developing a strategy to move towards full sustainability while maintaining or enhancing commercial viability.
   It offers a proven methodology for moving toward sustainability, which is valid at every level from the global to the personal, and is applied in a way that recognizes the requirements that the business (or whatever) remain viable at every step. This book by its founder is a valuable addition to an important literature.
   While the whole book is useful, Chapter 2 (Systems Thinking and Consensus), the second half of Ch. 5 on Communication tools, Chapter 6 (The System Conditions for Sustainability), and Chapter 10 (The TNS Framework) are vital to understanding the principles and their application. The metaphor of the tree and branches in chapter 2 is absolutely fundamental to understanding the approach - get away from arguing specific detail (the 'leaves') and focus on the few driving principles ('the 'trunk and branches') that drive the complexity in the leaves.
   Each case study makes a particular point. If you choose only one, Ch. 11 the McDonald's case is the one to go for, but each is carefully constructed to illustrate a specific principle.

5 comments about The Natural Advantage of Nations: Business Opportunities, Innovation and Governance in the 21st Century.

1. All the contributors, projects and initiatives mentioned in the book are indeed worthy of applause.
   
   However, the book is simply a hodgepodge of references, difficult to read, and flows poorly.
   
   Finally, Amory Lovins is NOT the author! He contributes a brilliant forward to the publication, but is not the author.
   
   Basically, you're best served buying the books by Lovins and McDonough, then following progress on the topics they discuss via RMI website and the site mentioned by this book's authors.



2. This book is for everyone who is despondent about humanity's chances of living past the next hundred years. Crucially, this book is both for those who view saving the planet and ourselves as a moral imperative and for those who ask how, and when, and even can we afford it. Lovins' "Natural Capitalism" sketched out how businesses could enhance their profitability by changing their paradigm towards something that thinks beyond the next quarter.
   
   This book differs from Natural Capitalism, another brilliant read, in that it moves past the concepts to look at the nuts and bolts of a movement that encourages business to mesh the pursuit of profitability with environmental security through innovation. This book throws light on the structure behind the sketch of Natural Capitalism.
   
   Previous books such as Suzuki's `Good News for a Change', Benyus' `Biomimetics' and even Lovins' Natural Capitalism describe success stories without ever really detailing what you need to do to make one of these success stories yourself. You won't see much in the way of "this requires...", "they should..." or "they shouldn't.." in other texts; you will in this one. In short, this book is also a "how-to" manual written by people who have experience of `making a difference'.
   
   The section on how to use industry cluster development to reorient firms, communities and government towards long term profitability, or in many cases simple survival, is a case in point. The guidelines on processes and institutional frameworks mesh seamlessly with revolutionary work done by organizations such as ZERI (Zero Emissions Research and Initiatives) to provide a sustainable, fruitful, profitable and socially just future for all of us.
   
   My recommendation is that if you're one of those people who say "I'm concerned but what can I do?" then start by buying this book for your political representative, your boss and any concerned friends you might have.



3. The book (The Natural Advantage of Nations) shows a lot of good arguments to convince skeptics. To highlight those who have profited from sustainability is a good strategy. I hope the book will be an eye opener for at least a few of those, not yet occupied by sustainability.
   
   Frank Zimmermann, City of Heidelberg, Head Agenda 21-Office
   
   
   
   Emerging from Australia, this (The Natural Advantage of Nations) is a tightly textured textbook packed with detail and coming from a multidisciplined source of experienced voices, it is a treat to read, knowing that this is youth at its most powerful - focused, aware and fully integrated in their points of view. It is supported by the CSIRO, which in my small opinion is, with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), one of two Australian organizational Jewels - both now part of the public commons.
   
   ....I'm jumping out of my chair to tell you more detail from this book because there is so much excellent material in it for students of any subject.
   
   A reader, Web-of-UNME
   
   
   
   I recommend an Australian inspired book "The Natural Advantage of Nations" to anyone who is seriously interested in a sustainable form of capitalism to give all people the chance to enjoy the quality of life of the West.
   
   David Sealey, Reader
   7 March 2007
   
   
   [...]



4. Amory Lovins, et al., focus on solutions, not problems. Alternative "soft" pathways, from an international perspective provide the first of many blueprints for sustainability through effiiciency. This discusses, in detail, examples from other countries and shows how US arrogance is leaving us behind, costing more and limiting alternatives. We are lagging in every sector - industry, transportation, farming, construction, energy, housing and our global impact.
   
   At present the US has the highest greenhouse gas emissions. India and China are close behind and will soon surpass US emissions. It will take an international effort to mitigate global climate weirding. This provides constructive pathways that apply to individual and regional lives on a personal level.



5. I found NAON to be a encyclopaedia on Sustainability and ideal for manufacturers that can not afford a Sustainability Expert... the book is a great way to learn and/or review all the key concepts and programs that are moving the world of Sustainability. It is a guide on how to position your company to profit or at least not lose out in this new world of manufacturing.
   
   Marvin Klein
   President, PortionPac Chemical Corporation

1 comments about Fueling Our Future: An Introduction to Sustainable Energy.

1. This book hits all the high points of the issues present and future. It doesn't go into any one area in great detail, so it's a true overview. There are lots of charts and graphs so be prepared for these, but you don't need a college education to understand it. After you finish it, you'll understand the big picture just fine. It covers oil, gas, coal, nuclear, hydroelectric, wind and biomass (ethanol). I wish it were a big longer and went into more detail, especially on ethanol. It has a little coverage of global warming issues, but not enough to really teach you much if you're just aware of the issue.
   
   Be sure to get the paperback version, which costs about 1/4 of what the hardback edition goes for! It's a very good read and I enjoyed it.