For those of you who believe there is a better way to make things than the wasteful practices in place now, this book offers a vision of the future that is very much within reach.
A great read, full of insights and ideas that are practical, profitable, and environmentally friendly.
A manifesto for a radically different philosophy and practice of manufacture and environmentalism.
"Reduce, reuse, recycle" urge environmentalists; in other words, do more with less in order to minimize damage.
As William McDonough and Michael Braungart argue in their provocative, visionary book, however, this approach perpetuates a one-way, "cradle to grave" manufacturing model that dates to the Industrial Revolution and casts off as much as 90 percent of the materials it uses as waste, much of it toxic.
Why not challenge the notion that human industry must inevitably damage the natural world, they ask.
In fact, why not take nature itself as our model?
A tree produces thousands of blossoms in order to create another tree, yet we do not consider its abundance wasteful but safe, beautiful, and highly effective; hence, "waste equals food" is the first principle the book sets forth.
Products might be designed so that, after their useful life, they provide nourishment for something new-either as "biological nutrients" that safely re-enter the environment or as "technical nutrients" that circulate within closed-loop industrial cycles, without being "downcycled" into low-grade uses (as most "recyclables" now are).
Elaborating their principles from experience (re)designing everything from carpeting to corporate campuses, the authors make an exciting and viable case for change.
A truly unique aspect of this book is its' construction.
Made from resins and inorganic fillers, this material is waterproof, durable, and recyclable.
Like so many of the ideas in their book, the authors have created a physical product that can be broken down and reused over and over again with minimal impact on planet Earth.
"Environmentalists too rarely apply the ecological wisdom of life to our problems. Asking how a cherry tree would design an energy efficient building is only one of the creative 'practices' that McDonough and Braungart spread, like a field of wild flowers, before their readers. This book will give you renewed hope that, indeed, 'it is darkest before the dawn'."—Carl Pope, Executive Director of the Sierra Club
"Achieving the great economic transition to more equitable, ecologically sustainable societies requires nothing less than a design revolution—beyond today's fossilized industrialism. This enlightened and enlightening book shows us how—and indeed, that 'God is in the details.' A must for every library and every concerned citizen."—Hazel Henderson, author of Building a Win-Win World and Beyond Globalization: Shaping a Sustainable Global Economy
"[McDonough and Braungart's] ideas are bold, imaginative, and deserving of serious attention."
--Ben Ehrenreich, Mother Jones magazine
"[A] clear, accessible manifesto... the authors' original concepts are an inspiring reminder that humans are capable to much more elegant environmental solutions than the ones we've settled for in the last half-century."
--Publishers Weekly
"A readable provocative treatise that 'gets outside the box' in a huge way. Timely and inspiring."
--Kirkus Reviews
"Our planet is alive and the wondrous web of biodiversity provides us with all we need -- clean air, water, soil, and energy, as well as food, medicine, resources. Whatever we do, that's what should be the highest priority for protection and we have to adapt everything else to that end. With this book, McDonough and Braungart open our eyes to the way to genuine sustainability by the study of nature and mimicking her ways. This is a groundbreaking book that should be the Bible for the Second Industrial Revolution."
--Dr. David Suzuki, Professor Emeritus, University of British Columbia.
William McDonough is an architect and the founding principal of William McDonough + Partners, Architecture and Community Design, based in Charlottesville, Virginia. From 1994 to 1999 he served as dean of the school of architecture at the University of Virginia. In 1999 Time magazine recognized him as a "Hero for the Planet," stating that "his utopianism is grounded in a unified philosophy that—in demonstrable and practical ways—is changing the design of the world." In 1996, he received the Presidential Award for Sustainable Development, the highest environmental honor given by United States.
Michael Braungart is a chemist and the founder of the Environmental Protection Encouragement Agency (EPEA) in Hamburg, Germany. Prior to starting EPEA, he was the director of the chemistry section for Greenpeace. Since 1984 he has been lecturing at universities, businesses, and institutions around the world on critical new concepts for ecological chemistry and materials flow management. Dr. Braungart is the recipient of numerous honors, awards, and fellowships from the Heinz Endowment, the W. Alton Jones Foundation, and other organizations.
In 1995 the authors created McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry, a product and systems development firm assisting client companies in implementing their unique sustaining design protocol. Their clients include Ford Motor Company, Nike, Herman Miller, BASF, DesignTex, Pendleton, Volvo, and the city of Chicago. The company's Web site can be found at www.mbdc.com.
This new way of looking at the world is only $18.99.
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Recreational boating is a pastime enjoyed by millions.
Yet the waters and marine environment that boaters so love are in serious jeopardy from pollution, from resource mismanagement, and from misunderstanding.
Boaters can help to change that.
Although a relatively small part of the problem of marine environmental degradation, recreational boaters can be a huge part of the solution, writes Clyde W. Ford, an avid boater of over 20 years, whose encounters with polluted waters galvanized him to explore workable solutions.
Boat Green provides a host of environmentally sound boating practices, based on scientific research and practical boating experience.
In this book, boaters will learn ways to:
- Reduce vessel operation and maintenance costs
- Improve vessels performance
- Increase safety and health of vessel operators and crew
- Increase awareness of marine issues
- Enhance enjoyment of the marine environment
All of these steps will help to lessen the impact of recreational boating on the marine environment.
These are practical solutions that have been field-tested and refined on actual vessels cruising the Pacific Northwest waters.
Boat Green is an essential guide for recreational boaters, and for all those concerned about protecting the marine environment.
About the Author-
Clyde W. Ford is the Executive Director of Ecomarine Institute and author of nine books, including the award-winning The Long Mile and the Charlie Noble series of contemporary nautical suspense novels.
Clyde enjoys cruising the waters of the Inside Passage aboard his single engine biodiesel trawler.
Paperback - 224 pages
Width: 6 Inches x Height: 9 Inches
Our editions were signed personally by the author.
Available here for $11.99.
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If you are the least bit skeptical about whether the Ocean is in trouble you need to read this book.
Regardless of your political leanings or past preconceptions about the environment, this book by Carl Safina will open your eyes.
Dr Safina's book paints a very clear picture of how the Ocean and some of Its most impressive inhabitants got into the mess they are in while also examining the simple, common sense solutions we have at our disposal to make things better.
Part odyssey, part pilgrimage, this epic personal narrative follows the author's exploration of coasts, islands, reefs, and the sea's abyssal depths.
Scientist and fisherman Carl Safina takes readers on a global journey of discovery, probing for truth about the world's changing seas, deftly weaving adventure, science, and political analysis.
Quotes
"Safina's Song is the Silent Spring for our time. The book is a page turner. But unlike the phantasmagorical novels of Michael Crichton or Peter Benchley, where a little science is thrown in to give the plot an aura of verisimilitude, Safina's book is all true and wilder and more frightening. . . . I loved this book." --Richard Ellis, Los Angeles Times
"[Safina's] bright new voice joins that influential chorus, which includes Rachel Carson and Jacques Cousteau, of scientists turned eloquent ocean advocates." --Harry E. Demarest, San Francisco Chronicle
"Engrossing and illuminating . . . passionate and enthralling narrative . . . [A] landmark book." --Thurston Clarke, The New York Times Book Review
"You will never think about fish-or the ocean-the same way again." --Sylvia Earle, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association
"If you love the ocean, read this book." --Big Game Fishing Journal
Author Biography
Carl Safina is the founder and director of the Living Oceans Program at the National Audubon Society, an adjunct professor at Yale University, and a recipient of the Pew Charitable Trust's Scholar's Award in Conservation and the Environment.
Paperback edition measures 9 1/4" x 6 1/4" x 1 3/8"..
This classic eye opener is available for $12.25.
Without trying to sound all sappy, this book inspired the creation of greenboatstuff.com.
If it inspires you to do just one thing to help the Ocean you will be very glad you shelled out a few bucks and a few hours of your time.
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“One of the most delightful natural history studies in decades.” —The Boston Globe
Eye of the Albatross takes us soaring to locales where whales, sea turtles, penguins, and shearwaters flourish in their own quotidian rhythms.
Carl Safina’s guide and inspiration is an albatross he calls Amelia, whose life and far-flung flights he describes in fascinating detail.
Interwoven with recollections of whalers and famous explorers, Eye of the Albatross probes the unmistakable environmental impact of the encounters between man and marine life.
Safina’s perceptive and authoritative portrait results in a transforming ride to the ends of the Earth for the reader, as well as an eye-opening look at the health of our oceans.
Quotes
“Safina delivers a message full of wonder at the natural world and concern about the fragility of his subject . . . He cannot contain his delight in birds, fish, and the profusion of life on the islands he visits.” —The New York Times Book Review
“A beautiful, awe-inspiring tableau of our world as you’ve never seen it . . . a moving depiction of how interconnected life on this planet truly is.” —The Christian Science Monitor
“Thought-provoking, witty and beautifully written . . . This is an honest first-person account of field biology in action.” —American Scientist
Author Biography
Carl Safina is the vice president for Ocean Conservation at the National Audubon Society and founder of its Living Oceans Program. After publication of Song for the Blue Ocean (0-8050-6122-3), hailed by The New York Times as “a landmark book,” he was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship and the Lannan Literary Award. He is also a visiting fellow at Yale. He lives in Amagansett, New York.
Paperback edition measures 8 1/4" x 5 1/2" x 1 1/4".
Available for $12.25.
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