Synopses & Reviews
How serious are the threats to our environment? Here is one measure of the problem: if we continue to do exactly what we are doing, with no growth in the human population or the world economy, the world in the latter part of this century will be unfit to live in. Of course human activities are not holding at current levelsthey are accelerating, dramaticallyand so, too, is the pace of climate disruption, biotic impoverishment, and toxification. In this book Gus Speth, author of Red Sky at Morning and a widely respected environmentalist, begins with the observation that the environmental community has grown in strength and sophistication, but the environment has continued to decline, to the point that we are now at the edge of catastrophe.
Speth contends that this situation is a severe indictment of the economic and political system we call modern capitalism. Our vital task is now to change the operating instructions for todays destructive world economy before it is too late. The book is about how to do that.
Review
"The future of our country and our childrens world depends on getting society on a sustainable track with regard to both energy needs and environmental requirements. It is up to corporate leaders to meet this challenge, and
Green to Gold blazes a trail for businesses of all kinds to follow."Michael Morris, CEO, American Electric Power
-- Mary Arthur
Review
"Every business, big or small, in manufacturing or services, faces environmental risks and opportunities. Esty and Winston show how companies have benefited from taking these challenges as strategic opportunities, but they also detail why corporate environmental initiatives often fall flat. There are important lessons to be learned from both the successes and the failures."Bertrand Collomb, Chairman, Lafarge
-- Michael Morris
Review
"Environment and sustainability issues have become an important focus in business generally and in the financial world in particular.
Green to Gold is rich with both big-picture thinking and practical how-to suggestions that will help bankers, analysts, fund managers, and investors stay on top of the green wave."Larry Linden, Advisory Director, Goldman Sachs
-- Bertrand Collomb
Review
"Esty and Winston have produced a compelling blueprint for how companies can address critical environmental problems, from climate change to water, and improve their performance, gain competitive advantage, make more money, and win friends."William K. Reilly, Founding Partner, Aqua International Partners and former Administrator, US Environmental Protection Agency
-- Larry Linden
Review
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Green to Gold is a must-read for the twenty-first century CEO. Esty and Winston provide convincing examples of how companies out-compete their peers by tackling sustainability head on, engaging stakeholders, developing NGO partnerships, and folding environmental stewardship into their corporate culture."Tensie Whelan, Executive Director, Rainforest Alliance
-- William K. Reilly
Review
"No executive can afford to ignore the green wave sweeping the business world. Esty and Winston show how to make sustainability a core element of strategyand profit from it."Chad Holliday, CEO, DuPont
-- Tensie Whelan
Review
"
Green to Gold is a must read for anyone interested in investing in the vast emerging environmental markets."Mark McGough, President and CEO, Pentadyne Power Corporation
-- Chad Holliday
Review
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Green to Gold provides the definitive thinking on how business leaders can address environmental issues in the new economy, a world where companies win by integrating company strategies with social challenges, rather than treating economic and social as separate and different."Michael E. Porter, Professor, Harvard Business School
-- Mark McGough
Review
"Speth is a maestroconducting a mighty chorus of voices from a dozen disciplines all of which are calling for transformative change before it is too late. The result is the most compelling plea we have for changing our lives and our politics. And it is a compelling case indeed."Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
-- Karl W. Giberson - Quarterly Review of Biology
Review
'\"Honest, insightful, and courageous. Dean Speth draws on his formidable experience and wisdom to ask why we are failing to preserve a habitable Earth. His conclusions are cogent, revolutionary, and essential.\"David W. Orr, Paul Sears Distinguished Professor of Environmental Studies and Politics, Oberlin College. Author of
Design on the Edge and Earth in Mind -- Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'
Review
'“When a figure as eminent and mainstream as Gus Speth issues a warning this strong and profound, the world should take real notice. This is an eloquent, accurate, and no-holds-barred brief for change large enough to matter.”Bill McKibben, author,
Deep Economy and
The Bill McKibben Reader -- David W. Orr'
Review
'\"An extremely important book both for what it says and for who is saying it. The steady transformation of a solid, pragmatic, progressive negotiator into a radical and unrealistic oracle concerned with the fundamental nature of modern economies is an important event.\"Richard Norgaard, University of California, Berkeley
-- Bill McKibben'
Review
'\"One can scarcely choose a more important or timely subject than this one. Speth writes about it with passion and conviction, and a touch of humor.\"J. R. McNeill, Georgetown University
-- Richard Norgaard'
Review
'“A powerful and ambitious attempt to characterize the changed strategies environmental organizations need to adopt to become more effective. This book challenges many things that would seem to have political immunity of a sortamong others, corporate capitalism, the environmental movement itself, and the forces of economic globalization.”Donald Kennedy, editor-in-chief,
Science Magazine -- J. R. McNeill'
Review
'\"In this magisterial and hopeful book, Speth charts three compelling journeyshis own path from reformer to deep systems analyst, environmentalisms trajectory from inside player to social movement, and the nations emerging great transition from a way of life rooted in economic scarcity to the discovery of natures abundance. This is a profound book which deserves our deepest attention.”Juliet Schor, Professor of Sociology, Boston College, and author of The Overspent American: Why We Want What We Dont Need -- Donald Kennedy'
Review
'\"Gus Speth leads us to the formidable bridge we must cross -- an epic transformation in how we live, consume and produce -- to halt capitalisms destructive forces and to improve the human condition. A calm and persuasive guide, Speth is infused with the human optimism always needed for great historic shifts.\"William Greider, author,
The Soul of Capitalism: Opening Paths to a Moral Economy -- Juliet Schor'
Review
'\"What a delight to read Gus Speths new book, which no one else could write but all will admire, stunned by his remarkable talents. The book opens vast new opportunities for thought and discussion in science and public affairs and will undoubtedly long stand as the classic that it is.\"George M. Woodwell, Founder, Director Emeritus, and Senior Scientist, Woods Hole Research Center
-- William Greider'
Review
'“Gus Speths critique of unbridled capitalism is riveting and haunting, and his solutions are poetic and inspiring.”Devra Davis, author of
The Secret History of the War on Cancer and
When Smoke Ran Like Water -- George M. Woodwell'
Review
'“In
The Bridge at the Edge of the World, James Gustave Speth gives us new lenses with which to see what we have done to our environment and, more important, to see what we can do to restore it. He challenges us all to act not for ourselves, but for our children and grandchildren. In particular, he takes on the most powerful guardians of the status quoour mindsets. The bridge he hopes to construct has its bridgehead firmly based in today, because Speth asks us to think about it and then to use our creativity, imagination, and the power of common purpose to act to restore the environment and create a healthier world.”Honourable Gordon Campbell, Premier, Province of British Columbia
-- Devra Davis'
Review
'\"Gus Speth is one of the leaders in trying to steer humanity on a course to sustainability, and this is his most important book to date. Read it, and then take some action.\"Paul R. Ehrlich, author with Anne Ehrlich of
The Dominant Animal: Human Evolution and the Environment -- Honourable Gordon Campbell'
Review
'“The Bridge at the Edge of the World may be the most concise analysis of the current state of the natural world and what might be done about it.\"Brooke Williams, Planet News -- Paul R. Ehrlich'
Review
'\"Acclaimed environmentalist Speth asserts that our capitalist economy, with its emphasis on continuous robust growth, is at loggerheads with the environment. He minces no words as he writes that to destroy life as we know it, all we have to do is keep doing exactly what we are doing today.\"Booklist -- Peter H. Raven'
Review
'\"What is needed, Speth argues, is a radical change in the economic sysytem that takes into account the environmental costs of doing buisiness and refocuses society on building more sustainable ways of living.\"David Funkhouser, Hartford Courant -- Booklist'
Review
'\"Contemporary capitalism and a habitable planet cannot coexist. . . . This book is an extremely probing and thoughtful diagnosis of the root causes of planetary distress.\"Ross Gelbspan,
Washington Post Book World -- David Funkhouser - Hartford Courant'
Review
'\"With candor, cadence and clarity, Speth presents a compelling case for prompt action, making this book a must-read. . . . Like an evangelist, Speth draws not just on facts, but anecdotes, quotes, even poetry to make his point.\"Le-Min Lim, Chicago Tribune -- Ross Gelbspan - Washington Post Book World'
Review
'\"The Bridge at the End of the World was an epiphany for me. . . . I see it as a guide for moving toward cultural, social, and environmental equity that could in turn lead to balanced sustainability in the planets future.\"John D. Peine, Sustainability: Science, Practice & Policy -- Le-Min Lim - Chicago Tribune'
Review
'“With candor, cadence and clarity, Speth presents a compelling case for prompt action, making this book a must-read on the subject.”
Bloomberg News
-- John D. Peine - Sustainability: Science, Practice and Policy'
Review
'
“Are these solutions hopelessly idealistic and impossible to achieve? Speths passionate argument is convincingit can be done, but it will require a great deal of effort.”The Futurist
-- Bloomberg News'
Review
'“His call for a radical departure for the [environmental] movements current strategy comes from the ultimate environmental insider”
The Nation
-- The Futurist'
Review
'“Speths indictment of the present state of our politics is precise and perceptive. . . . He urges a bold and broad agenda for systemic changes.”
Bioscience -- The Nation'
Review
'\"James Gustav Speth...leads us to a bridge at the edge of the world--an epic transformation of the way we live, produce, and consume. This is a fantastic, highly topical and potentially important book. It should widely be read, and translated into other languages.\"--Udo E. Simonis, Environmental Information + Environmental Policy -- Bioscience'
Review
“Ehrenfeld presents a unique perspective on the subject of sustainability that needs to be taken seriously by anyone who claims to talk about the subject.”H. Thomas Johnson, Portland State University
-- The Guardian
Review
"The authors argument is astute and insightful, eloquent and convincing."David Orr, Oberlin College
-- H. Thomas Johnson
Review
“In Sustainability by Design, John Ehrenfeld eloquently challenges us to confront the scale of change required to achieve a sustainable world and efficient society.”Jonathan Lash, President, World Resources Institute -- David Orr
Review
'“John Ehrenfeld has written a thought-provoking and fundamentally optimistic book about the interaction of culture, economics and technology in producing our current environmental degeneration. Unlike other writers who lay out only scenarios of doom he lays out a plan for incremental social and technological change which could put us back on a path to a sustainable future. The book is vast in scope, ranging across many disciplines, but the reader who arrives at the closing chapters will find the journey deeply rewarding.”Jill Ker Conway, President Emerita, Smith College -- Jonathan Lash'
Review
'“Drawing from the works of other giants, and adding his own deep insights, John Ehrenfeld has lit the path that can lead humankind away from the yawning abyss that lies so close before us, toward a wholly appealing goal: an ethical human relationship with Nature and technology.”Ray Anderson, Founder and Chairman, Interface, Inc.
-- Jill Ker Conway'
Review
"Ehrenfeld takes a systems look at a systemic issue. He looks at mindset . . . and thats what is so attractive."Matthew May, On Sustainability, Part 3 -- Ray Anderson
Review
"
Sustainability by Design, authored by John Ehrenfeld, may be and certainly should be one of the most important books of the 21st century."Janice Pryor, Host of WUMBs,
The Commonwealth Journal -- Matthew May - On Sustainability, Part 3
Review
'\"Suggests new, holistic approaches to sustainable design that wont act, as others have in the past, as Band-Aids. Instead, Ehrenfeld focuses on the routes we should take to ensure success.\"CEO-READ -- Janice Pryor'
Review
'\"John Ehrenfelds Sustainability by Design is the most intellectually rigorous treatment of sustainability that I have ever come across. . . .this work provides a context and springboard for the next generation of sustainable solutions.\"Gareth Kane, terrainfirma -- 800-CEO-READ'
Review
'\"Challenges conventional understandings of solving environmental problems and offers a radically different set of strategies to attain sustainability.\"Long Range Planning -- Gareth Kane - terrainfirma'
Review
'\"[Ehrenfeld] looks at mindset . . . and thats what is so attractive. . . . Johns been thinking about this for a long time, and it shows in how he approaches the challenge of sustainability. . . . \" Matthew May, On Sustainability, Part 3 -- Long Range Planning'
Review
'\"A daring, well-researched, and convincing case that the sustainability agenda cannot focus on the material part of the equation alone but must encompass the wider questions about what is the purpose of life.\"--Arnold Tukker, Journal of Industrial Ecology -- Matthew May - On Sustainability, Part 3'
Review
'\"Ehrenfelds intellectually rigorous examination of sustainability engages an approach that is interdisciplinary and holistic.\"--Carol L. Anderson, Journal of Family & Consumer Sciences -- Arnold Tukker - Journal of Industrial Ecology'
Review
'\'“If we are to pull away from the edge of catastrophe, in which everything that we value is at risk, the advice presented so clearly and masterfully in this book will help show us the way. It should be carefully studied by everyone interested in the world beyond our immediate future and daily preoccupations.”Peter H. Raven, President, Missouri Botanical Garden -- Brooke Williams - Planet News\''
Review
'\'\\\"In his severe indictment of our stewardship of the planet, Speth says all we need to do to destroy the Earth is to continue what were doing now: overproduce and overconsume. He presents a scary compendium of all the damage we have inflicted. . . . But hes smart enough to know that if the market economy is a big part of the problem, it has to be a big part of the solution. . . . The book is a wide-ranging synthesis of many ideas in the realms of economics, politics, and ecology, and calls for some profound changes in the way the economy and political institutions are governed.\\\"Peter Hadekel,
Montreal Gazette
-- Bookli - st\''
Review
"This book provides a welcome linkage between environmental behavior and poverty alleviation. Alis call for harnessing the earths resources efficiently and equitably deserves to be heeded by all sectors of society and used as a means of spurring innovations towards sustainable development."Muhammad Yunus; Founder, Grameen Bank; Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, 2006
-- Bill Marx - Arts Fuse
Review
"This book deals with equity and ethical dimensions of production and consumption across the planetissues that are likely to become a growing source of tension between different countries. Hence, knowledge about how treasures of the earth should be utilized equitably would help in framing appropriate policies for the future."R. K. Pachauri, Director General, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), and Chairman, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Along with former Vice President Al Gore, the IPCC under Dr. Pachauris Chairmanship was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for the year 2007 -- Muhammad Yunus
Review
"The history of human relationships with Earths resources is an important story and Ali tells it from an extraordinarily wide perspective. The interaction of our fascination with these materials and the implications of consumption behavior for the environment deserves the attention that Ali gives it in this quest to understand the psychology of treasure-seeking."-Thomas Graedel, Yale University -- R. K. Pachauri
Review
“This compelling narrative about the social, economic, and environmental effects of the quest for mineral wealth shows the human impulse of ‘acquisitiveness. Ali distinguishes between ‘needs and ‘wants to develop the links between consumption, environmental degradation, and human well-being.”John Gowdy, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute -- Thomas Graedel
Review
Finalist for the 2009 Book of the Year Award, presented by ForeWord magazine -- John Gowdy
Review
“Saleem H. Ali is pro-consumption and pro-environment.”--
Forbes Magazine
-- Book of the Year Award - ForeWord Magazine
Review
“[Ali] has faith in the idea that natural resources can unite rather than divide communities. . . . If Ali can get miners and environmentalists talking to one another, he can be viewed as a true alchemist.”--Elisabeth Eaves,
Forbes Magazine
-- Forbes Magazine
Review
“An excellent read for anyone who wants to have in hand a summary of what is going on today in the ecology of extractive industries. . . . The author has scoured the world for stories. . . and his efforts have been generously rewarded.”--Joel Gibbons,
Journal of Markets and Morality
-- Elisabeth Eaves - Forbes Magazine
Review
"[This book] acknowledges that our obsession for all that bling yields environmental destruction and social inequity but also fuels creativity, the desire for discovery, and needed economic development. Properly channeled, the treasure impulse might actually propel us toward a fairer and better world."--Naazish YarKhan, Quick Picks and Must Reads, Huffington Post
-- Joel Gibbons - Journal of Markets and Morality
Review
"[A] pioneering exploration of human wants and needs and the natural resources we consume."Bookseller -- John Gowdy
Review
Click here to visit the authors website. -- Bookseller
Review
A Recommended Book in the January 2010 issue of Scientific American. -- http://www.treasurebook.info
Review
Winner of the 2012 Green Book Festival in the Business category. Green Book Festival
Synopsis
A distinguished international economist here offers a powerful defense of the global market economy. Martin Wolf explains how globalization works, critiques the charges against it, argues that the biggest obstacle to global economic progress has been the failure not of the market but of governments, and offers a realistic scenario for economic internationalism in the post-9/11 age. For this paperback edition, Wolf provides a new introduction to update the debate.
Splendid. . . . The definitive treatment of the subject, and an absorbing read.”Economist
Accessible and clearly argued. . . . A wealth of material on every page.”Bruce Bartlett, Wall Street Journal
"[Written by] one of the worlds most respected economic journalists, . . .this elegant and passionate defense of trade liberalization is essential reading."Arvind Panagariya, Foreign Affairs
"A powerful book."Sebastian Mallaby, Washington Post
No one has summarised more coherently the recent, voluminous research. . . . Elegantly and persuasively, Wolf marshals the facts.”Niall Ferguson, Sunday Telegraph
A necessary and compelling read for all who want to understand the logic of unfolding events.”Robert Skidelsky, New Statesman
Synopsis
A powerful case for the global market economy
Synopsis
Martin Wolf is associate editor and chief economics commentator at the Financial Times in London. Formerly senior economist at the World Banks division for international trade, he has worked in Kenya, Zambia, and India. He has been visiting professor at Oxford, Nottingham, and Rotterdam Universities and fellow of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Synopsis
The essential guide for forward-thinking business leaders who see the Green Wave coming and want to profit from it
This book explores what every executive must know to manage the environmental challenges facing society and business. Based on the authors' years of experience and hundreds of interviews with corporate leaders around the world, Green to Gold shows how companies generate lasting value, cutting costs, reducing risk, increasing revenues, and creating strong brands, by building environmental thinking into their business strategies. Daniel C. Esty and Andrew S. Winston provide clear how-to advice and concrete examples from companies like BP, Toyota, IKEA, GE, and Nike that are achieving both environmental and business success. The authors show how these cutting-edge companies are establishing an eco-advantage” in the marketplace as traditional elements of competitive differentiation fade in importance. Esty and Winston not only highlight successful strategies but also make plain what does not work by describing why environmental initiatives sometimes fail despite the best intentions.
Green to Gold is written for executives at every level and for businesses of all kinds and sizes. Esty and Winston guide leaders through a complex new world of resource shortfalls, regulatory restrictions, and growing pressure from customers and other stakeholders to strive for sustainability. With a sharp focus on execution, Esty and Winston offer a thoughtful, pragmatic, and inspiring road map that companies can use to cope with environmental pressures and responsibilities while sparking innovation that will drive long-term growth. Green to Gold is the new template for global CEOs who want to be good stewards of the Earth while simultaneously building the bottom line.
Synopsis
'
The author of Red Sky at Morning would be the first to agree that we are in deep environmental trouble, but he offers hope that there is still time to avert global catastrophe. Gus Speth explores a wide variety of promising and even radical ideas for transforming modern capitalism so as to protect and restore the natural world.\n
'
Synopsis
The developed world, increasingly aware of inconvenient truths” about global warming and sustainability, is turning its attention to possible remedieseco-efficiency, sustainable development, and corporate social responsibility, among others. But such measures are mere Band-Aids, and they may actually do more harm than good, says John Ehrenfeld, a pioneer in the field of industrial ecology. In this deeply considered book, Ehrenfeld challenges conventional understandings of solving” environmental problems and offers a radically new set of strategies to attain sustainability.
The book is founded upon this new definition: sustainability is the possibility that humans and other life will flourish on Earth forever. There are obstacles to this hopeful vision, however, and overcoming them will require us to transform our behavior, both individually and collectively. Ehrenfeld identifies problematic cultural attributessuch as the unending consumption that characterizes modern lifeand outlines practical steps toward developing sustainability as a mindset. By focusing on the being” mode of human existence rather than on the unsustainable having” mode we cling to now, he asserts, a sustainable world is within our reach.
Synopsis
Would the world be a better place if human societies were somehow able to curb their desires for material goods? Saleem Ali's pioneering book links human wants and needs by providing a natural history of consumption and materialism with scientific detail and humanistic nuance. It argues that simply disavowing consumption of materials is not likely to help in planning for a resource-scarce future, given global inequality, development imperatives, and our goals for a democratic global society. Rather than suppress the creativity and desire to discover that is often embedded in the exploration and production of material goodswhich he calls the treasure impulse”Ali proposes a new environmental paradigm, one that accepts our need to consume treasure” for cultural and developmental reasons, but warns of our concomitant need to conserve. In evaluating the impact of treasure consumption on resource-rich countries, he argues that there is a way to consume responsibly and alleviate global poverty.
Synopsis
In this book Nicholas A. Ashford and Ralph P. Hall offer a unified, transdisciplinary approach for achieving sustainable development in industrialized nations. They present an insightful analysis of the ways in which industrial states are currently unsustainable and how economic and social welfare are related to the environment, to public health and safety, and to earning capacity and meaningful and rewarding employment. The authors argue for the design of multipurpose solutions to the sustainability challenge that integrate economics, employment, technology, environment, industrial development, national and international law, trade, finance, and public and worker health and safety. This book is essential reading for anyone with a policy or scholarly interest in sustainable development and the critical roles of the economy, employment, and the environment.
About the Author
Daniel C. Esty is Hillhouse Professor of Environmental Law and Policy at Yale University with appointments in the Environmental and Law Schools. He is also a former top official with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and has advised companies across the world on corporate environmental strategy. He lives in New Haven, CT.
Andrew S. Winston is director of the Corporate Environmental Strategy Project at Yales Environment School. He has advised companies on corporate strategy while at Boston Consulting Group and has held management positions in strategy and marketing at such leading media companies as Time Warner and Viacom. He lives in New York City.