some sites to help create greener workplaces
Planet Green
Serria Club's The Green Life
New American Dream
The Daily Green
JournalGazzette.net
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Monday, April 12, 2010
DVD
King Corn
Editorial Reviews on Amazon.com
Picking up where Super Size Me left off, King Corn examines America's health woes through the multifaceted lens of one humble grain. Director Aaron Woolf and co-writers Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis offer irrefutable proof that the US is virtually drowning in the stuff. Corn meal, corn starch, hydrologized corn protein, and high fructose corn syrup fuel a multitude of products, from soft drinks to hamburgers. The starchy vegetable grows with ease and government subsidies insure over-abundant production. Woolf documents the 11-month effort of college friends Cheney and Ellis, who trace their ancestry to the same small Iowa town, to raise their own crop. After finding a farmer willing to lend them an acre, they meet with agronomists, historians, and other experts before plowing, seeding, and spraying. Prior to harvesting, the easygoing Yale grads travel to Colorado to compare the grass-fed cattle of yore with today's corn-fed counterparts; then to New York to explore the links between corn syrup, obesity, and diabetes. With assistance from author Michael Pollan (The Omnivore's Dilemma), a whimsical score, and stop-motion animation--farm toys and corn kernels--Woolf and associates bring biochemistry to vivid life. On a micro level, this genial eye-opener celebrates friends and farmers; on a macro level, King Corn bemoans the subsidies and genetic modifications that have turned a formerly protein-filled product into the fatty "yellow dent no. 2." Bonus features include a music video, photo gallery, and "The Lost Basement Lectures," an amusingly fake instructional movie about the aims of agriculture. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Product Description
Engrossing and eye-opening, KING CORN is a fun and crusading journey into the digestive tract of our fast food nation where one ultra-industrial, pesticide-laden, heavily-subsidized commodity dominates the food pyramid from top to bottom - corn. Fueled by curiosity and a dash of naivet‚, college buddies Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis return to their ancestral home of Greene, Iowa to figure out how a modest kernel conquered America. With the help of some real farmers, oodles of fertilizer and government aid, and some genetically modified seeds, the friends manage to grow one acre of corn. Along the way, they unlock the hilarious absurdities and scary but hidden truths about America's modern food system.
visit KING CORN website
Editorial Reviews on Amazon.com
Picking up where Super Size Me left off, King Corn examines America's health woes through the multifaceted lens of one humble grain. Director Aaron Woolf and co-writers Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis offer irrefutable proof that the US is virtually drowning in the stuff. Corn meal, corn starch, hydrologized corn protein, and high fructose corn syrup fuel a multitude of products, from soft drinks to hamburgers. The starchy vegetable grows with ease and government subsidies insure over-abundant production. Woolf documents the 11-month effort of college friends Cheney and Ellis, who trace their ancestry to the same small Iowa town, to raise their own crop. After finding a farmer willing to lend them an acre, they meet with agronomists, historians, and other experts before plowing, seeding, and spraying. Prior to harvesting, the easygoing Yale grads travel to Colorado to compare the grass-fed cattle of yore with today's corn-fed counterparts; then to New York to explore the links between corn syrup, obesity, and diabetes. With assistance from author Michael Pollan (The Omnivore's Dilemma), a whimsical score, and stop-motion animation--farm toys and corn kernels--Woolf and associates bring biochemistry to vivid life. On a micro level, this genial eye-opener celebrates friends and farmers; on a macro level, King Corn bemoans the subsidies and genetic modifications that have turned a formerly protein-filled product into the fatty "yellow dent no. 2." Bonus features include a music video, photo gallery, and "The Lost Basement Lectures," an amusingly fake instructional movie about the aims of agriculture. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Product Description
Engrossing and eye-opening, KING CORN is a fun and crusading journey into the digestive tract of our fast food nation where one ultra-industrial, pesticide-laden, heavily-subsidized commodity dominates the food pyramid from top to bottom - corn. Fueled by curiosity and a dash of naivet‚, college buddies Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis return to their ancestral home of Greene, Iowa to figure out how a modest kernel conquered America. With the help of some real farmers, oodles of fertilizer and government aid, and some genetically modified seeds, the friends manage to grow one acre of corn. Along the way, they unlock the hilarious absurdities and scary but hidden truths about America's modern food system.
visit KING CORN website
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
No Impact Man by Colin Beavan
No Impact Man
discussion, April 22, 2010 Central Library
DVD
Going green may be trendy in the new millennium, but writer Colin Beavan takes this lifestyle to an admirable extreme in NO IMPACT MAN. In this documentary, Beavan decides that he wants to effect the environment in the smallest way possible for an entire year. This means no electricity, no transportation that doesn’t require his own feet, and no food from outside his local area. If only his wife and young daughter were as excited about his project...
Book Reviews
Booklist Reviews 2009 June #1
When it comes to saving the planet, can one person really make a difference? Define difference. For Beavan, his wife, and their infant daughter, it meant trying to live for a year in New York City without producing any trash, consuming any nonlocal foodstuffs, or traveling by any method other than footpower. It meant not buying anything new, giving up coffee, going off the grid. From their first baby steps (no takeout) to their giant leap (no toilet paper), the Beavans' experiment in ecological responsibility was a daunting escapade in going green to the extreme. Along with the frustrating practicalities of schlepping a two-year-old, a dog, and a bike up and down nine flights of stairs came the exhilarating rush of success as each new challenge was met and conquered. Yet throughout, Beavan experienced overwhelming crises of faith in both himself and his mission. So fervent as to make Al Gore look like a profligate wastrel, Beavan's commitment to the cause is, nonetheless, infectiously inspiring and uproariously entertaining. Copyright 2009 Booklist Reviews.
LJ Reviews 2009 May #2
Website: http://www.libraryjournal.com
In case you missed the 2008 documentary, aired at Sundance, and Beavan's ongoing blog, Beavan decided to see whether he could find a way to live that would have no impact on the environment...no plastics, no air-conditioning.... Sure to be big. Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews 2009 July #2
Beavan (Operation Jedburgh: D-Day and America's First Shadow War, 2006, etc.) turns his life upside-down with sustainable living.In 2006, at the age of 42, the author was convinced he was no better than any finger-pointing liberal shucking his own guilt, overwhelmed and feeling helpless in his ability to stem consumerism and slow global warming. Consumption of "stuff," he writes, is inspired by ads that say, "You suck, but if you buy this, you won't, and then everyone will love you." Unfortunately, in the minds of American consumers, "We're too busy for love because we're working to get the stuff that the ads say will bring us love." In order to empower himself through action, Beavan decided to make a drastic change. Pitching his next book to his agent, he explained that he wanted to write about an experiment in which he came as close as possible to living a no-impact lifestyle—all with a wife, toddler and dog in New York City. The author stopped buying new products and started using the Yahoo! Freecycle Network and Craigslist to procure only secondhand goods. Also, television and air-conditioning were banned; disposable diapers were swapped out for cloth; water was conserved by the entire family sharing the same bathwater "on bath day"; baking soda was employed for deodorant and toothpaste. All the while, the author continued to ask himself tough questions about whether or not his new living habits were actually effecting positive change. With thorough research, Beavan updates his blog (noimpactman.com) with convincing statistical evidence, while discovering new ways to reduce consumption and his family's environmental footprint. "It is time for people to take up the reins of government and business and force the change we want and need," he concludes after his one-year experiment. "We cannot wait for leaders. We are the leaders."An inspiring, persuasive argument that individuals are not helpless in the battle against environmental degradation and global warming.Agent: Eric Simonoff/Janklow & Nesbit Copyright Kirkus 2009 Kirkus/BPI Communications.All rights reserved.
PW Reviews 2009 May #4
Website: http://www.publishersweekly.com
Beavan (Fingerprint) chronicles his yearlong effort to leave as little impact on the environment as possible. Realizing that he had erred in "thinking that condemning other people's misdeeds somehow made [him] virtuous," he makes a stab at genuine (and radical) virtue: forgoing toilet paper and electricity, relinquishing motorized transportation, becoming a locavore and volunteering with environmental organizations. Beavan captures his own shortcomings with candor and wit and offers surprising revelations: "lower resource use won't fill the empty spaces in my life, but it is just possible that a world in which we already suffer so much loss could be made a little bit better if husbands were kinder to their wives." While few readers will be tempted to go to Beavan's extremes, most will mull over his thought-provoking reflections and hopefully reconsider their own lifestyles. (Sept.)
LJ Express Reviews
Website: http://www.libraryjournal.com
Beavan details the roller coaster that was his family's experiment of low/no-impact living. The plot touches on all the main themes of the genre: consumerism and waste, struggles between idealism and self-righteousness, the value of time and the issue of necessity. Beavan has clearly done his homework with regard to the major writers on personal environmental issues and includes an appendix. But the book's best attribute is its honest emotion, as well as the chapter on local food. Verdict It's not a fresh story, but it's certainly aided by the fluid and admirably reflective narration, which might inspire readers to unplug their TVs. As Beavan says, just try. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 5/15/09; No Impact Man: The Documentary is currently playing in theaters.-Ed.]-Jaime Hammond, Naugatuck Valley Community Coll., Waterbury, CT Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.
discussion, April 22, 2010 Central Library
Blog
DVD
Going green may be trendy in the new millennium, but writer Colin Beavan takes this lifestyle to an admirable extreme in NO IMPACT MAN. In this documentary, Beavan decides that he wants to effect the environment in the smallest way possible for an entire year. This means no electricity, no transportation that doesn’t require his own feet, and no food from outside his local area. If only his wife and young daughter were as excited about his project...
Book Reviews
Booklist Reviews 2009 June #1
When it comes to saving the planet, can one person really make a difference? Define difference. For Beavan, his wife, and their infant daughter, it meant trying to live for a year in New York City without producing any trash, consuming any nonlocal foodstuffs, or traveling by any method other than footpower. It meant not buying anything new, giving up coffee, going off the grid. From their first baby steps (no takeout) to their giant leap (no toilet paper), the Beavans' experiment in ecological responsibility was a daunting escapade in going green to the extreme. Along with the frustrating practicalities of schlepping a two-year-old, a dog, and a bike up and down nine flights of stairs came the exhilarating rush of success as each new challenge was met and conquered. Yet throughout, Beavan experienced overwhelming crises of faith in both himself and his mission. So fervent as to make Al Gore look like a profligate wastrel, Beavan's commitment to the cause is, nonetheless, infectiously inspiring and uproariously entertaining. Copyright 2009 Booklist Reviews.
LJ Reviews 2009 May #2
Website: http://www.libraryjournal.com
In case you missed the 2008 documentary, aired at Sundance, and Beavan's ongoing blog, Beavan decided to see whether he could find a way to live that would have no impact on the environment...no plastics, no air-conditioning.... Sure to be big. Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews 2009 July #2
Beavan (Operation Jedburgh: D-Day and America's First Shadow War, 2006, etc.) turns his life upside-down with sustainable living.In 2006, at the age of 42, the author was convinced he was no better than any finger-pointing liberal shucking his own guilt, overwhelmed and feeling helpless in his ability to stem consumerism and slow global warming. Consumption of "stuff," he writes, is inspired by ads that say, "You suck, but if you buy this, you won't, and then everyone will love you." Unfortunately, in the minds of American consumers, "We're too busy for love because we're working to get the stuff that the ads say will bring us love." In order to empower himself through action, Beavan decided to make a drastic change. Pitching his next book to his agent, he explained that he wanted to write about an experiment in which he came as close as possible to living a no-impact lifestyle—all with a wife, toddler and dog in New York City. The author stopped buying new products and started using the Yahoo! Freecycle Network and Craigslist to procure only secondhand goods. Also, television and air-conditioning were banned; disposable diapers were swapped out for cloth; water was conserved by the entire family sharing the same bathwater "on bath day"; baking soda was employed for deodorant and toothpaste. All the while, the author continued to ask himself tough questions about whether or not his new living habits were actually effecting positive change. With thorough research, Beavan updates his blog (noimpactman.com) with convincing statistical evidence, while discovering new ways to reduce consumption and his family's environmental footprint. "It is time for people to take up the reins of government and business and force the change we want and need," he concludes after his one-year experiment. "We cannot wait for leaders. We are the leaders."An inspiring, persuasive argument that individuals are not helpless in the battle against environmental degradation and global warming.Agent: Eric Simonoff/Janklow & Nesbit Copyright Kirkus 2009 Kirkus/BPI Communications.All rights reserved.
PW Reviews 2009 May #4
Website: http://www.publishersweekly.com
Beavan (Fingerprint) chronicles his yearlong effort to leave as little impact on the environment as possible. Realizing that he had erred in "thinking that condemning other people's misdeeds somehow made [him] virtuous," he makes a stab at genuine (and radical) virtue: forgoing toilet paper and electricity, relinquishing motorized transportation, becoming a locavore and volunteering with environmental organizations. Beavan captures his own shortcomings with candor and wit and offers surprising revelations: "lower resource use won't fill the empty spaces in my life, but it is just possible that a world in which we already suffer so much loss could be made a little bit better if husbands were kinder to their wives." While few readers will be tempted to go to Beavan's extremes, most will mull over his thought-provoking reflections and hopefully reconsider their own lifestyles. (Sept.)
LJ Express Reviews
Website: http://www.libraryjournal.com
Beavan details the roller coaster that was his family's experiment of low/no-impact living. The plot touches on all the main themes of the genre: consumerism and waste, struggles between idealism and self-righteousness, the value of time and the issue of necessity. Beavan has clearly done his homework with regard to the major writers on personal environmental issues and includes an appendix. But the book's best attribute is its honest emotion, as well as the chapter on local food. Verdict It's not a fresh story, but it's certainly aided by the fluid and admirably reflective narration, which might inspire readers to unplug their TVs. As Beavan says, just try. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 5/15/09; No Impact Man: The Documentary is currently playing in theaters.-Ed.]-Jaime Hammond, Naugatuck Valley Community Coll., Waterbury, CT Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.
Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things by William McDonough
Choice Reviews 2002 October
Website: http://www.choicereviews.org
The play on words in the title is the key to understanding the environmentalist authors' point of view and inspiring approach toward intelligent design for products and processes, leaving the biosphere a little better than it was for our grandchildren. Their pitch is to be good, not less bad, in our designs. American architect McDonough and German chemist Braungart are partners in a company they founded that advises corporations and institutions on eco-effective practices requiring no postmanufacturing and postconsumer problem-solving because there will be no problems. This important and likely controversial book needs to be read and discussed, not only by movers and shakers, but by young people trying to understand the biosphere and anthropogenic impacts. However, this book is not unblemished, either in content or execution. The content is far too fuzzy and lacking in concrete ideas of wide applicability on sustainable growth, making it easy for critics to dismiss. The execution is maddening for its lack of suitable references, a substantive bibliography, and most frustratingly, a working index, all of which this reviewer suspects would add more value to the book than the too-cute-for-words curved corners and the "paper" it is printed on. Everyone should read this! All levels. Copyright 2002 American Library Association
Kirkus Reviews 2002 February #1
Noted eco-designers suggest a paradigm shift in human habits of manufacture and consumption.American architect/industrial engineer McDonough and German chemist Braungart collaborated at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit on a proposal for eliminating the concept of waste in industrial design. Here, they elaborate on their theory, explaining that even environment-friendly policies such as recycling and waste-reduction still fall short of achieving for humankind the kind of balance and harmony that other living entities have employed for millennia. The authors, who now run a design consulting firm, examine reigning industrial design practices and our basic misconceptions about waste, arguing against the idea that "less bad is good" and offering several points for future thought about putting their principles of "eco-effectiveness" to work. The emphasis here is on moving beyond traditional thinking about the relationship between nature and humanity to consider instead how to make humanity itself a better-functioning natural system. Despite the awakening of environmentalism over the past three decades, McDonough and Braungart assert, we are still largely stuck with the Industrial Revolution precept of "cradle to grave" consumer goods that become waste. They offer several examples of how industrial processes and thoughtful changes in the design of habitat and work environment might create true self-nourishing systems. Environmental regulations, the authors believe, are needed stopgaps but ultimately exemplify a major design flaw in the way we think about making things. For instance, instead of a more fuel-efficient car, why not a mode of transportation that would not simply be less polluting but would actually nourish the atmosphere? Moving past both the planned obsolescence that is the cornerstone of much industry, as well as the control and command structure of environmental regulation, McDonough and Braungart encourage humanity to begin thinking of itself as a self-sustaining entity that does not necessarily need to take a toll on its surroundings.A readable, provocative treatise that "gets outside the box" in a huge way. Timely and inspiring. Copyright Kirkus 2002 Kirkus/BPI Communications.All rights reserved
PW Reviews 2002 February #2
Website: http://www.publishersweekly.com
Environmentalists are normally the last people to be called shortsighted, yet that's essentially what architect McDonough and chemist Braungart contend in this clarion call for a new kind of ecological consciousness. The authors are partners in an industrial design firm that devises environmentally sound buildings, equipment and products. They argue that conventional, expensive eco-efficiency measures things like recycling or emissions reduction are inadequate for protecting the long-term health of the planet. Our industrial products are simply not designed with environmental safety in mind; there's no way to reclaim the natural resources they use or fully prevent ecosystem damage, and mitigating the damage is at best a stop-gap measure. What the authors propose in this clear, accessible manifesto is a new approach they've dubbed "eco-effectiveness": designing from the ground up for both eco-safety and cost efficiency. They cite examples from their own work, like rooftops covered with soil and plants that serve as natural insulation; nontoxic dyes and fabrics; their current overhaul of Ford's legendary River Rouge factory; and the book itself, which will be printed on a synthetic "paper" that doesn't use trees. Because profitability is a requirement of the designs, the thinking goes, they appeal to business owners and obviate the need for regulatory apparatus. These shimmery visions can sound too good to be true, and the book is sometimes frustratingly short on specifics, particularly when it comes to questions of public policy and the political interests that might oppose widespread implementation of these designs. Still, the authors' original concepts are an inspiring reminder that humans are capable of much more elegant environmental solutions than the ones we've settled for in the last half-century. (Apr.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Website: http://www.choicereviews.org
The play on words in the title is the key to understanding the environmentalist authors' point of view and inspiring approach toward intelligent design for products and processes, leaving the biosphere a little better than it was for our grandchildren. Their pitch is to be good, not less bad, in our designs. American architect McDonough and German chemist Braungart are partners in a company they founded that advises corporations and institutions on eco-effective practices requiring no postmanufacturing and postconsumer problem-solving because there will be no problems. This important and likely controversial book needs to be read and discussed, not only by movers and shakers, but by young people trying to understand the biosphere and anthropogenic impacts. However, this book is not unblemished, either in content or execution. The content is far too fuzzy and lacking in concrete ideas of wide applicability on sustainable growth, making it easy for critics to dismiss. The execution is maddening for its lack of suitable references, a substantive bibliography, and most frustratingly, a working index, all of which this reviewer suspects would add more value to the book than the too-cute-for-words curved corners and the "paper" it is printed on. Everyone should read this! All levels. Copyright 2002 American Library Association
Kirkus Reviews 2002 February #1
Noted eco-designers suggest a paradigm shift in human habits of manufacture and consumption.American architect/industrial engineer McDonough and German chemist Braungart collaborated at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit on a proposal for eliminating the concept of waste in industrial design. Here, they elaborate on their theory, explaining that even environment-friendly policies such as recycling and waste-reduction still fall short of achieving for humankind the kind of balance and harmony that other living entities have employed for millennia. The authors, who now run a design consulting firm, examine reigning industrial design practices and our basic misconceptions about waste, arguing against the idea that "less bad is good" and offering several points for future thought about putting their principles of "eco-effectiveness" to work. The emphasis here is on moving beyond traditional thinking about the relationship between nature and humanity to consider instead how to make humanity itself a better-functioning natural system. Despite the awakening of environmentalism over the past three decades, McDonough and Braungart assert, we are still largely stuck with the Industrial Revolution precept of "cradle to grave" consumer goods that become waste. They offer several examples of how industrial processes and thoughtful changes in the design of habitat and work environment might create true self-nourishing systems. Environmental regulations, the authors believe, are needed stopgaps but ultimately exemplify a major design flaw in the way we think about making things. For instance, instead of a more fuel-efficient car, why not a mode of transportation that would not simply be less polluting but would actually nourish the atmosphere? Moving past both the planned obsolescence that is the cornerstone of much industry, as well as the control and command structure of environmental regulation, McDonough and Braungart encourage humanity to begin thinking of itself as a self-sustaining entity that does not necessarily need to take a toll on its surroundings.A readable, provocative treatise that "gets outside the box" in a huge way. Timely and inspiring. Copyright Kirkus 2002 Kirkus/BPI Communications.All rights reserved
PW Reviews 2002 February #2
Website: http://www.publishersweekly.com
Environmentalists are normally the last people to be called shortsighted, yet that's essentially what architect McDonough and chemist Braungart contend in this clarion call for a new kind of ecological consciousness. The authors are partners in an industrial design firm that devises environmentally sound buildings, equipment and products. They argue that conventional, expensive eco-efficiency measures things like recycling or emissions reduction are inadequate for protecting the long-term health of the planet. Our industrial products are simply not designed with environmental safety in mind; there's no way to reclaim the natural resources they use or fully prevent ecosystem damage, and mitigating the damage is at best a stop-gap measure. What the authors propose in this clear, accessible manifesto is a new approach they've dubbed "eco-effectiveness": designing from the ground up for both eco-safety and cost efficiency. They cite examples from their own work, like rooftops covered with soil and plants that serve as natural insulation; nontoxic dyes and fabrics; their current overhaul of Ford's legendary River Rouge factory; and the book itself, which will be printed on a synthetic "paper" that doesn't use trees. Because profitability is a requirement of the designs, the thinking goes, they appeal to business owners and obviate the need for regulatory apparatus. These shimmery visions can sound too good to be true, and the book is sometimes frustratingly short on specifics, particularly when it comes to questions of public policy and the political interests that might oppose widespread implementation of these designs. Still, the authors' original concepts are an inspiring reminder that humans are capable of much more elegant environmental solutions than the ones we've settled for in the last half-century. (Apr.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Getting Green Done by Auden Schendler
Booklist Reviews 2009 February #2
Kermit the Frog said it best: It s not easy being green. If it were, amends Schendler, we d already be doing it—as he has been, and in the most unlikely of places. As director of Community and Environmental Responsibility for the Aspen Skiing Company, Schendler was challenged with bringing green practices to a place where the clientele were more interested in the sustainability of their perfect tans than of the planet. The concept of renewable energy and the reality of climate change were anathema to a hospitality corporation that spared no expense when it came to guest comfort; even compact fluorescent bulbs were a hard sell. But if the paradigm can be shifted in Aspen, it can be changed in Altoona. Frankly chronicling how an internationally renowned resort found both innovative and pragmatic ways to make recycling, biofuels, and other earth-friendly applications profitable, Schendler frames his environmentally sound arguments in practical terms every business executive, home owner, and government official can relate to. Copyright 2009 Booklist Reviews.
Website: http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Prius drivers and recyclers take note: according to debut author Schendler, your efforts to be environmentally correct are admirable, but are hardly the kind of urgent, unified action we need to really make an impact on global climate change. In fact, he says, by focusing on small individual actions, you may be actually harming the environmental movement. A pioneer in the sustainability movement, Schendler points out that "there is a hangover from the 1970s that continues to hamper the environmental movement today." Using examples from his own consulting work as the executive director of Community and Environmental Responsibility at Aspen Skiing Company, he asserts that real change can only come from tough decisions by big businesses and through legislation. Rather than sacrificing ROI to integrate green practices, Schendler says that companies must make profit-driven decisions that complement their business models in order to carry out meaningful and lasting environmental change. By challenging status quo thinking about sustainability and taking the point of view of the business executive and the worker in the field, Schendler offers a perspective that is refreshingly realistic and pragmatic. (Mar.)
Kermit the Frog said it best: It s not easy being green. If it were, amends Schendler, we d already be doing it—as he has been, and in the most unlikely of places. As director of Community and Environmental Responsibility for the Aspen Skiing Company, Schendler was challenged with bringing green practices to a place where the clientele were more interested in the sustainability of their perfect tans than of the planet. The concept of renewable energy and the reality of climate change were anathema to a hospitality corporation that spared no expense when it came to guest comfort; even compact fluorescent bulbs were a hard sell. But if the paradigm can be shifted in Aspen, it can be changed in Altoona. Frankly chronicling how an internationally renowned resort found both innovative and pragmatic ways to make recycling, biofuels, and other earth-friendly applications profitable, Schendler frames his environmentally sound arguments in practical terms every business executive, home owner, and government official can relate to. Copyright 2009 Booklist Reviews.
Website: http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Prius drivers and recyclers take note: according to debut author Schendler, your efforts to be environmentally correct are admirable, but are hardly the kind of urgent, unified action we need to really make an impact on global climate change. In fact, he says, by focusing on small individual actions, you may be actually harming the environmental movement. A pioneer in the sustainability movement, Schendler points out that "there is a hangover from the 1970s that continues to hamper the environmental movement today." Using examples from his own consulting work as the executive director of Community and Environmental Responsibility at Aspen Skiing Company, he asserts that real change can only come from tough decisions by big businesses and through legislation. Rather than sacrificing ROI to integrate green practices, Schendler says that companies must make profit-driven decisions that complement their business models in order to carry out meaningful and lasting environmental change. By challenging status quo thinking about sustainability and taking the point of view of the business executive and the worker in the field, Schendler offers a perspective that is refreshingly realistic and pragmatic. (Mar.)
Green Collar Economy by Van Jones
LJ Reviews 2008 October #2
Website: http://www.libraryjournal.com
With climate change, skyrocketing energy costs, and a bad economy on everyone's minds, these two books offer different takes on these circumstances and consequently quite different solutions. While in The Green Collar Economy , Jones (founder & president, Green for All) addresses ongoing issues of social inequality as well as the environment and arrives at large-scale solutions aimed at both, Makower (executive editor, GreenBiz.com) in Strategies for the Green Economy focuses more on improving the "greenness" of individual corporations. By examining case studies of companies' green initiatives and their effects on marketing and consumers, he demonstrates how going green can be a win-win for both the bottom line and the environment.
In looking at the bigger picture, Jones provides ideas for rebuilding infrastructure and creating alternative energy sources, which would have the double bonus of boosting the economy through increased employment and higher wages while decreasing our dependence on fossil fuels. With a blurb by Al Gore and a foreword by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., this is a much more forward-thinking and far-reaching work that considers concrete ways to improve our current situation, rather than offering only rhetoric. Action items and a resource list at the end of the book provide ways for individuals to get involved immediately.
Makower's is a more typical "business" book, looking at specific companies and their approaches to environmentalism. It focuses on corporate success and how to use the environment as a marketing tool rather than on strategies to save the country and the planet. While both books are highly readable and very timely, the big picture presented in The Green Collar Economy seems more optimistic and useful than the marketing techniques outlined in Strategies . The Green Collar Economy is recommended for all libraries, while Strategies is recommended more specifically for business collections.—Susan Hurst, Miami Univ. of Ohio Libs., Oxford
Website: http://www.publishersweekly.com
As the "ecological crisis nears the boiling point," human rights activist and environmental leader Jones (president of the national organization Green For All) lays out a visionary, meticulous and practical explanation of the two major challenges the U.S. currently faces-massive socioeconomic inequality and imminent ecological catastrophe-and how the current third wave of environmentalism, the "investment" wave, can solve both. If industry players want to take advantage of growing consumer demand for green solutions, they'll have to follow principles of inclusiveness as well as conservation and inventiveness to create "broad opportunity and shared prosperity" for citizens at all levels of society. Rife with statistics, facts and history lessons, Jones introduces a "Green New Deal," a re-imagining of FDR's original New Deal that makes the government "a partner" (as opposed to a "nanny" or "bully") of the people, and sets about defining the principles of a "smart, supportive, reliable" partnership. Jones examines success stories from around the world (included close looks at Chicago and Milwaukee), defines government priorities at national and local levels and offers concrete solutions; one major positive step for any "significant [U.S.] metropolis" is to "invest massively in constructing buses, light rail cars, and mass-transit projects," creating good jobs while cutting greenhouse gases. With both caution and hope, Jones concludes that "tens of thousands of heroes at every level of human society" will be needed to carry off this third, and perhaps ultimate, green initiative. (Oct.) Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.
Website: http://www.libraryjournal.com
With climate change, skyrocketing energy costs, and a bad economy on everyone's minds, these two books offer different takes on these circumstances and consequently quite different solutions. While in The Green Collar Economy , Jones (founder & president, Green for All) addresses ongoing issues of social inequality as well as the environment and arrives at large-scale solutions aimed at both, Makower (executive editor, GreenBiz.com) in Strategies for the Green Economy focuses more on improving the "greenness" of individual corporations. By examining case studies of companies' green initiatives and their effects on marketing and consumers, he demonstrates how going green can be a win-win for both the bottom line and the environment.
In looking at the bigger picture, Jones provides ideas for rebuilding infrastructure and creating alternative energy sources, which would have the double bonus of boosting the economy through increased employment and higher wages while decreasing our dependence on fossil fuels. With a blurb by Al Gore and a foreword by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., this is a much more forward-thinking and far-reaching work that considers concrete ways to improve our current situation, rather than offering only rhetoric. Action items and a resource list at the end of the book provide ways for individuals to get involved immediately.
Makower's is a more typical "business" book, looking at specific companies and their approaches to environmentalism. It focuses on corporate success and how to use the environment as a marketing tool rather than on strategies to save the country and the planet. While both books are highly readable and very timely, the big picture presented in The Green Collar Economy seems more optimistic and useful than the marketing techniques outlined in Strategies . The Green Collar Economy is recommended for all libraries, while Strategies is recommended more specifically for business collections.—Susan Hurst, Miami Univ. of Ohio Libs., Oxford
Website: http://www.publishersweekly.com
As the "ecological crisis nears the boiling point," human rights activist and environmental leader Jones (president of the national organization Green For All) lays out a visionary, meticulous and practical explanation of the two major challenges the U.S. currently faces-massive socioeconomic inequality and imminent ecological catastrophe-and how the current third wave of environmentalism, the "investment" wave, can solve both. If industry players want to take advantage of growing consumer demand for green solutions, they'll have to follow principles of inclusiveness as well as conservation and inventiveness to create "broad opportunity and shared prosperity" for citizens at all levels of society. Rife with statistics, facts and history lessons, Jones introduces a "Green New Deal," a re-imagining of FDR's original New Deal that makes the government "a partner" (as opposed to a "nanny" or "bully") of the people, and sets about defining the principles of a "smart, supportive, reliable" partnership. Jones examines success stories from around the world (included close looks at Chicago and Milwaukee), defines government priorities at national and local levels and offers concrete solutions; one major positive step for any "significant [U.S.] metropolis" is to "invest massively in constructing buses, light rail cars, and mass-transit projects," creating good jobs while cutting greenhouse gases. With both caution and hope, Jones concludes that "tens of thousands of heroes at every level of human society" will be needed to carry off this third, and perhaps ultimate, green initiative. (Oct.) Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.
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