Sustainability is the capacity to endure and the sustainability model is based on the idea of a never-ending cycle. For humans sustainability is the potential for long-term well-being which is tied directly to the planet’s health and the renewal of
Sustainability is the capacity to endure and the sustainability model is based on the idea of a never-ending cycle.
For humans sustainability is the potential for long-term well-being which is tied directly to the planet’s health and the renewal of natural resources as they are used. It is also linked to the planet’s biological systems remaining diverse and productive over time.
There is abundant evidence that humanity is now living unsustainably. Returning human use of natural resources to within sustainable limits and supporting the diversity and productivity of biological systems will require a major collective effort.
This week Book Buzz provides a list of resources available at your neighborhood library that discuss many facets of sustainability.
Happy reading.
Ecotourism and
Sustainable Development: Who Owns Paradise?
By Martha Honey
338.4791 Ho
In this overview of worldwide ecotourism the author shows how both the concept and the reality have evolved over more than twenty-five years. She revisits six nations she profiled in the first edition-the Galapagos Islands, Costa Rica, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Kenya, and South Africa-and adds a new chapter on the United States. The case studies highlight the economic and cultural impacts of expanding tourism on indigenous populations as well as on ecosystems. For more on sustainable development try Common Wealth: Economics for a Crowded Planet by Jeffrey D. Sachs.
Green Plans:
Blueprint for a
Sustainable Earth
By Huey D. Johnson
333.7 Jo
This is an environmental `how to’ book for officials at all levels of government to design a ‘greenprint’ for sustainability. It is a guide for implementation of the sustainability concept. It is also a well-written argument for a mutually beneficial plan for enabling sustainable development while protecting environmental quality. For another solution-based view try Al Gore’s new book Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis.
Green Metropolis: Why Living Smaller, Living Closer and Driving Less are Keys to Sustainability
By David Owen
304.20917 Ow
Owen has written an eco-urbanist manifesto, He suggests that New York City is a model of sustainability by virtue of its density and compactness which among other things, encourage a car-free lifestyle centered on walking and public transit. He paints the rural anti-urbanists as ecological disasters that encourage wasteful sprawl and greenwashed consumerism.
Hold on to your paradigm, this book could upend orthodox opinion and make you believe a non-catastrophic environmental resolution is conceivable.
Green Hawai‘i: A Guide to a Sustainable and Energy
Efficient Home
By Kevin J. Whitton
H 644.09969 Wh
This easy to use guide explores many of the ways anyone in Hawai‘i can make their home a more energy and water efficient place to live. It also suggests opportunities in smart community building through recycling and volunteering. Also look for Homeowner’s Guide to Energy Independence: Alternative Power Sources for the Average American by Christine Woodside or The Green House: New Directions in Sustainable Architecture by Alana Stang.
Hawai‘i 2050 Sustainability Plan: Charting a Course for Hawai‘i’s Sustainable Future
By Hawai‘i 2050 Sustainability Task Force
H 711.3
This plan seeks to identify what the people of Hawai‘i want for the future of our economy, society and environment in the 21st century. It goes on to clarify what steps we can take now to achieve that preferred future for our children and their children. Find a copy of the plan at Lihue Library or look at the plan online at www.hawaii2050.org. See also the Draft Kauai Energy Sustainability Plan online through the Kauai Planning and Action Alliance website: www.kauainetwork.org.
It’s Easy Being Green: A Handbook for Earth-Friendly Living
By Crissy Trask
333.72 Tr
This author seeks to answer the question of why there is a great divide between environmental sentiment (over 80 % of Americans agree with sustainability goals) and individual actions (mostly not that sustainable). This book seeks to solve the disparity by offering an easy day-to-day guide to practical environmentalism, no matter how busy or hectic your lifestyle. Along the same lines look for Wake Up and Smell the Planet: The Non-Pompous, Non-Preachy Grist Guide to Greening Your Day edited by Brangien Davis.
Making Sustainability Work: Best Practices in Managing and Measuring Corporate Social, Environmental and Economic
Impacts
By Mark J. Epstein
658.408 Ep
In recent years, corporations of all sizes have been striving to become better corporate citizens with significant financial and organizational commitments to social and environmental issues. This practical manual of best practices in corporate sustainability will help board members, CEOs, managers, academics and governing bodies implement corporate sustainability initiatives and measure both their social, environmental and financial impacts. Also look for Sustainability Accounting and Accountability edited by Jeffrey Unerman.
The Necessary
Revolution: How
Individuals and Organizations are Working Together to Create a Sustainable World
By Peter Senge
338.927 Ne
Reviewers found this book to be a seminal management book; the best single volume for any business or institutional leader to change from the old profit-before-people-or-planet paradigm to the new footprint-free zero-waste model with transparency of all costs (social, environmental, and financial). For another smart and useful model for creating an integral and workable sustainability plan for your organization try Strategy for Sustainability: A Business Manifesto by Adam Werbach.
Over a Barrel: The Costs of Foreign Oil Dependence
By John S. Duffield
338.27282 Du
Most in the U.S. would agree that American dependence on foreign oil, especially from countries hostile to the U.S. government, is an undesirable situation. This book documents the problems with this dependence and lays out the comprehensive costs of oil dependence. The author notes that so far, policy responses have increased rather than decreased oil dependence costs and suggests how to fix this. For another energy policy read, try Apollo’s Fire: Igniting America’s Clean Energy Economy by Jay Inslee.
Teaching Kids to Change the World: Lessons to Inspire
Social Responsibility for Grades 6-12
By Jennifer Griffin-Weisner
370.115 Gr
Through a series of modules, this resource offers educators and youth-group leaders a means of inspiring social consciousness and action among youth and teaches young people how to think, rather than what to think. Avoiding partisan politics and moral debates, this resource equips educators with philosophical discussion questions, concrete illustrations, and active examples.
The Future of Food
By Deborah Koons Garcia
Adult Non-Fiction DVDs
This film examines the complex web of market and political forces that are changing what we eat as huge multinational corporations seek to control the world’s food system. It also explores organic and sustainable agriculture as alternatives to large scale industrial agriculture.
• Carolyn Larson, head librarian at Lihu‘e Public Library, brings you the buzz on new, popular and good books available at your neighborhood library. Book annotations are culled from online publishers’ descriptions and published reviews.
