Business
 "Green to Gold" - Daniel C. Esty and Andrew S. Winston
How Smart Companies USe Environmental Strategy to Innovate, Create Value, and Build Competitive Advantage
Published by Yale University Press. US $21.17
Green to Gold is a very organized, well written book. We learned a great deal about how companies can gain competitive advantage from a sustainability platform. The authors make a strong business case for adopting a green business model, without being too one-sided. They provide practical tips and tricks and pros and cons in a clear, concrete way. We recommend this book for any business leader and marketer who wants to move beyond idealism to action. - GreenUS
Civilization
 "The Meaning of the 21st Century" – James Martin
A Vital Blueprint for Ensuring Our Future
Published by Penguin Group (USA): US $16.00
We have recently had a plethora of books surveying humankind's niche on Earth, Many have examined our prospects for the future, but James Martin's book is by far the most ambitious. The forces of the near future are so large that they must inevitably change civilization. As Martin puts it, the present century is “crunch time”. - Nature. 2006.
Consumption
 "The Better World Shopping Guide" - Ellis Jones
Every Dollar Makes a Difference
Published by New Society Publishers. US $9.95
This little book makes it very easy to be informed about the principles behind the companies that make the products we all buy. It's an eye opener and empowering to be able to make a difference by using our dollars to support only those companies/corporations who are really trying to be environmentally conscious and socially responsible. It's an easy, fun and educational read. Great stocking stuffer. Spread the word!! - GreenUS
Home
 "Home Safe Home" – Debra Lynn Dadd
Protecting Yourself and Your Family from Everyday Toxics and Harmful Household Products
Published by Penguin Group USA. US $17.95
Responding to the increasing interest in the effects of chemicals in the myriad products used every day, nontoxic-living advocate Dadd offers a combined revised and expanded edition of two of her titles, published in the mid-1980s as Nontoxic, Natural & Earthwise, and The Nontoxic Home & Office respectively. This listing of toxic materials and how to avoid them uses the manufacturers' warnings and mostly resists sensationalism. Dadd's suggestions are reasonable and not too difficult to accomplish. An excellent choice.
- Library Journal
Lifestyle
 "Green Living" - The E Magazine Handbook for Living Light on On the Earth
Published by Penguin Group (USA). US $17.00
This a great reference book. It offers practical solutions for the individual to make a difference, rather than simply focusing on all the hazards of modern living. At the end of each chapter are websites and "eco" resources relating to the chapter's topic, which further empowers the reader to continue learning ways in which to live a healthier, more informed lifestyle. One does not need to read the book straight through, as it’s great for finding information on a particular topic -- and covers everything from household products and health care to healthy kids and socially responsible investing. It is a very thorough reference guide for anyone who cares about making a difference in this lifetime. - GreenUS
Natural Resources
 "Thirst" – Alan Snitow and Deborah Kaufman with Michael Fox
Fighting the corporate theft of our water
Published by Wiley, John & Sons, Incorporated. US $27.95
"Who really owns your water? It may not be who you think. Read this provocative and insightful book and find out about the politics and economics of growing attempts to privatize our most vital public resource—the stuff that comes out of your tap." - Pacific Institute for Development, Environment and Security
Youth
 "Eco-Fun" – David Suzuiki and Kathy Vanderlinden
Great Projects, Experiments and Games for a Greener Earth
Published by Greystone. US $10.05
These 48 activities are designed to stimulate understanding, knowledge, and appreciation of our ecosystem. They are organized into five chapters: "A Breath of Fresh Air," "Waterworks," "Earthborn," "All Fired Up," and "Our Fine Feathered (and Leafy) Friends." A two-page explanatory overview precedes each section. Activities include making a solar water heater, paper, a composter can, and natural cleansers. Each project has a list of supplies needed, step-by-step instructions, an explanation of what's going on, and "More ideas-" that offers additional things to do. Safety tips are included and the more dangerous procedures recommend adult assistance. Illustrations enhance the lively text, which can be used in the classroom or at home. – School Library Journal
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Highlighted Eco-Publisher:
Kudos to New Society Publishers
– Walking the Talk Big Time!
NEW SOCIETY PUBLISHERS is committed to publishing all of its forthcoming books on acid-free paper that is 100% post-consumer recycled, processed chlorine free, and printed with vegetable based, low VOC inks (in 2001).
Book Publishing Industry facts to consider:
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Number of book publishers in the U.S.: more than 80,000 |
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Number of U.S. book publishers who signed on to a treatise to improve their ecological footprint: about 140. |
This means that only 0.18% of all U.S. publishers are committed at the moment to the goals defined in the treatise!: increasing the use of recycled paper to a 30% average by 2011, stopping the usage of fiber originating from endangered forests, using more fiber coming from certified forests, etc.
The biggest publisher to go green:
RANDOM HOUSE, a leading U.S. publisher announced in 2006 that it will raise the proportion of recycled paper it uses to at least 30% by 2010 from under 3% at the time of the announcement.
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The number of trees that are cut down annually to produce the books sold in the U.S.: about 20 million (according to data from the past 3 years) |
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Percentage of recycled paper currently used by U.S. book publishers in the production of books: about 5% |
Source: www.ecolibris.org
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