Favourite ‘Green Books’
Leo Hickman’s full article can be found at theguardian.co.uk
The University of Cambridge’s programme for sustainability leadership has compiled a list of the top 50 green books. It asked its alumni – “around 2,000 senior leaders from around the world who have participated in its sustainability programmes over the past decade or more” – to list some of their favourite “sustainability” books.
The result is a pretty comprehensive rundown of the most influential and thought-provoking books of all time. There are many classics – Silent Spring, Fast Food Nation, The Limits to Growth, The Population Bomb, Small is Beautiful, A Sand County Almanac – but there are also a few omissions, too. Where’s Henry David Thoreau’s Walden? Where’s Thomas Friedman’s Hot, Flat and Crowded? Where’s Bill McKibben’s The End of Nature?
And should fiction be allowed onto the list, too? How about Cormac McCarthy’s The Road? Or Edward Abbey’s The Monkey Wrench Gang?
Of course, there’s always that debate about what you mean by the term “sustainability”, but let us for the sake of argument say that in this instance it refers to books that make you think long and hard about how best to exist within a fragile biosphere blessed with finite resources.
The full list (in alphabetical order)
Banker to the Poor: Micro-Lending and the battle Against World Poverty, by Muhammad Yunus1999
Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature, by Janine Benyus, 2003
Blueprint for a Green Economy: by David Pearce, Anil Markandya and Edward B. Barbier, 1989
Business as Unusual: My Entrepreneurial Journey, Profits and Principles, by Anita Roddick, 2005
Cannibals with Forks: The Triple Bottom Line of 21st Century Business, by John Elkington, 1999
Capitalism as if the World Matters, by Jonathon Porritt, 2005
Capitalism at the Crossroads: Aligning Business, Earth, and Humanity, by Stuart Hart, 2005
Changing Course: A Global Business Perspective on Development and the Environment, by Stephan Schmidheiny and WBCSD, 1992
The Chaos Point: The World at the Crossroads, by Ervin Laszlo, 2006
The Civil Corporation: The New Economy of Corporate Citizenship, by Simon Zadek, 2001
Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Survive, by Jared Diamond, 2005
The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power, by Joel Bakan, 2005
Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things by William McDonough and Michael Braungart, 2002
The Dream of Earth, by Thomas Berry, 1990
Development as Freedom, by Amartya Sen, 2000
The Ecology of Commerce: A Declaration of Sustainability, by Paul Hawken, 1994
The Economics of Climate Change: The Stern Review, by Nicholas Stern, 2007
The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time, by Jeffrey Sachs, 2005.
Factor Four: Doubling Wealth, Halving Resources Use-A Report to the Club of Rome, by Ernst Von Weizsäcker, 1998
False Dawn: The Delusions of Global Capitalism, by John Gray, 2002
Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side on the All-American Meal, by Eric Schlosser, 2005
A Fate Worse than Debt: The World Financial Crisis and the Poor, by Susan George, 1990
For The Common Good: Redirecting the Economy toward Community, the Environment and a Sustainable Future, by Herman Daly and John Cobb, 1989
Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid: Eradicating Poverty through Profits, by C.K. Prahalad, 2004
Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth, by James Lovelock, 2000
Globalization and its Discontents, by Joseph Stiglitz, 2002
Heat: How to Stop the Planet from Burning, by George Monbiot, 2006
Human-Scale Development: Conception, Application and Further Reflections, by Manfred Max-Neef, 1991
The Hungry Spirit: Beyond Capitalism: The Quest for Purpose in the Modern World, by Charles Handy, 1999
An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It, by Al Gore, 2006
The Limits to Growth, by Donella H. Meadows, Dennis L. Meadows and Jorgen Randers, 1972
Maverick: The Success Story Behind the World’s Most Unusual Workplace, by Ricardo Semler, 1993
The Mystery of Capital: Why Capitalism Triumphs in the West and Fails Everywhere Else, by Hernando De Soto, 2000
Natural Capitalism: Creating the Next Industrial Revolution, by Paul Hawken, Amory Lovins and L. Hunter Lovins, 2000
No Logo: No Space, No Choice, No Jobs, by Naomi Klein, 2002
Open Society: Reforming Global Capitalism, by George Soros, 2000
Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth, by Buckminster Fuller, 1969
Our Common Future, by The World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987
The Population Bomb, by Paul Ehrlich, 1969
Presence: An Explanation of Profound Change in People, Organizations and Society, by Peter Senge, C. Otto Scharmer, Joseph Jaworski and Betty Sue Flowers, 2005
The River Runs Black: The Environmental Challenge to China’s Future, by Elizabeth C. Economy, 2004
Sand County Almanac, by Aldo Leopold, 1949
Silent Spring, by Rachel Carson, 1962
The Skeptical Environmentalist, by Bjorn Lomborg, 2001
Small is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered, by E.F. Schumacher, 1973
Staying Alive: Women, Ecology and Development, by Vandana Shiva, 1989
The Turning Point: Science Society and the Rising Culture, by Fritjof Capra, 1984
Unsafe At Any Speed: The Designed-in Dangers of the American Automobile, by Ralph Nader, 1965
When Corporations Rule the World, by David Korten, 2001
When the Rivers Run Dry: What Happens When Our Water Runs Out? by Fred Pearce, 2006
February 3, 2010
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Did the Copenhagen Summit Fail?
According to John Vidal, Allegra Stratton and Suzanne Goldenberg – ‘Copenhagen Ends in Failure’
(This article is a summary – read the full article at the guardian.co.uk)
The UN climate summit reached a weak outline of a global agreement in Copenhagen tonight, falling far short of what Britain and many poor countries were seeking and leaving months of tough negotiations to come.
After eight draft texts and all-day talks between 115 world leaders, it was left to Barack Obama and Wen Jiabao, the Chinese premier, to broker a political agreement. The so-called Copenhagen accord “recognises” the scientific case for keeping temperature rises to no more than 2C but does not contain commitments to emissions reductions to achieve that goal.
American officials spun the deal as a “meaningful agreement”, but even Obama said: “This progress is not enough.”
In a press conference held after the talks broke up, Brown said the agreement was a “vital first step” and accepted there was a lot more work to do to get assurances it would become a legally binding agreement. He declined to call it a “historic” conference:
The deal was brokered between China, South Africa, India, Brazil and the US, but late last night it was unclear whether it would be adopted by all 192 countries in the full plenary session. The deal aims to provide $30bn a year for poor countries to adapt to climate change from next year to 2012, and $100bn a year by 2020.
But it disappointed African and other vulnerable countries which had been holding out for deeper emission cuts to hold the global temperature rise to 1.5C this century. As widely expected, all references to 1.5C in past drafts were removed at the last minute, but more surprisingly, the earlier 2050 goal of reducing global CO2 emissions by 80% was also dropped.
Obama hinted that China was to blame for the lack of a substantial deal. In a press conference he condemned the insistence of some countries to look backwards to previous environmental agreements. He said developing countries should be “getting out of that mindset, and moving towards the position where everybody recognises that we all need to move together”.
Negotiators will now work on individual agreements such as forests, technology, and finance – but, without strong leadership, the chances are that it will take years to complete.
John Sauven, executive director of Greenpeace UK, said: “The city of Copenhagen is a crime scene tonight, with the guilty men and women fleeing to the airport. Ed Miliband [UK climate change secretary] is among the very few that come out of this summit with any credit.” It is now evident that beating global warming will require a radically different model of politics than the one on display here in Copenhagen.”
February 2, 2010
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Copenhagen Summit – Day 10 Summary
A compromise proposal to be presented by the Danish presidency Wednesday was held up as the negotiating process, according to UN climate chief Yvo de Boer, was subject to an “unexpected stop”.
De Boer: “Unexpected stop” in negotiations - The negotiating process at the UN climate conference in Copenhagen was subject to an “unexpected stop” on Wednesday, according to Yvo de Boer, the UN’s top climate official.
New compromise proposal said to be on its way - Danish PM takes over the COP15 presidency, he will present a compromise on Wednesday afternoon, a Danish newspaper reports.
Climate talks deadlocked as clashes erupt outside – Danish police fired pepper spray outside the UN climate conference on Wednesday, as disputes inside left major issues unresolved just two days before world leaders hope to sign a historic agreement to fight global warming.
Africa shows a willingness to negotiate - African Union climate negotiator Meles Zenawi has scaled back the demands for climate finance from rich countries, signaling thaw under way in the deadlocked UN negotiations.
Countries pledge billions to protect rainforests - The US, Australia, France, Japan, Norway and Britain will make 3.5 billion US dollars available for developing countries that produce ambitious plans to slow and eventually reverse deforestation.
Japan: 15 billion dollars in climate aid - Japanese pledge outbids the EU’s funding for short-term climate aid in developing countries.
Kerry: US to pass “major” climate legislation - A successful deal in Copenhagen will lead the way for climate legislation in the US Congress, says Senator John Kerry.
India: Kyoto in intensive care if not dead - Whether the expiring Kyoto Protocol, which sets targets for greenhouse gas emissions from rich countries only, should be continued, expanded or replaced with an alternative agreement still splits the parties.
British PM warns of failure but brings hope - According to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, the first sign of progress in the negotiations could be seen Wednesday with new proposals for climate change from African Union climate negotiator Meles Zenawi.
Hillary Clinton to attend COP15 - US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will travel to Copenhagen this week, it emerged yesterday.
>>>Full in depth article visit COP15 and Act on Copenhagen
>>> View other MoreEco News & Views Summit Summary’s
December 17, 2009
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Copenhagen Summit – Day 8 Summary
Informal talks between the COP presidency and developing countries ended a daylong boycott of negotiations Monday, which was triggered by controversy over the Kyoto Protocol.
Poor countries agree to resume climate talks – Poor countries ended a temporary boycott of the UN climate talks Monday after getting assurances that rich nations were not conspiring to reduce their commitments to cutting greenhouse gases, European officials said.
UN: Don’t leave tough climate issues to leaders – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is warning that if negotiators at the climate change conference in Copenhagen leave the tough issues to global leaders to resolve the world risks having a weak deal or no deal.
Russian call on big emitters – An agreement between the US, Brazil, India and China can form the basis of a global deal, says Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev.
Malaysia is ready to cut emissions – “Developed countries should do most, but Malaysia is ready to do its share,” says Prime Minister Najib Razak.
Miliband: Get your act together – Environment ministers must ”get their act together” to prepare a deal for world leaders to sign at the end of the week, UK Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband said Monday.
New model for climate funding – Norway and Mexico join forces and propose a model for climate funding at the negotiations in Copenhagen. The model establishes a Green Fund for financing of climate actions in developing countries.
Backwards step for forest deal – A proposal aimed at saving the world’s tropical forests suffered a setback Sunday, when negotiators at the UN climate talks ditched plans for faster action on the problem because of concerns that rich countries aren’t willing to finance it.
France promotes plan to fight deforestation – The presidents of France and Indonesia say representatives at the UN climate talks must provide adequate funding for a plan to reduce emissions from deforestation.
Rich countries behind green technology fund – The White House on Monday announced a new program drawing funds from international partners to spend 350 million US dollars over five years to supply developing nations with clean energy technology.
India sets Tuesday night deadline – When the first heads of state arrive at Copenhagen on Wednesday, they must have an agreed text to look at, says India’s Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh.
>>>Full in depth article visit COP15 and Act on Copenhagen
>>> View other MoreEco News & Views Summit Summary’s
December 15, 2009
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Top Ten Ways to Save on Energy
1. Turn it Off
Turn things off at the plug. Make sure that little red light on your TV is switched off at night time and don’t leave your computer endlessly on charge!
Energy saving products can be a fantastic way to upgrade your home and keep your carbon footprint down. Water-saving products are a particularly efficient way to keep your bills down and your home eco-friendly.
Make it your New Years Resolution to cut down your emissions by 10% in 2010
4. Clean your filters
Make sure all of your appliances are efficient by keeping them clean
Ironically, keeping your old appliances might mean your using more energy than you need! If it’s from before the 90s then it might be time to think about buying a new and more energy efficient replacement.
6. Tumble Dryers
Turn them off!!! Dry your clothes outside for a nicer smell, a better feeling and a much-reduced energy bill
7. Heating
Heating can be one of the biggest expenditures, especially around this time of year. Try to exclude any draughts and seal your windows and doors as best as possible. Have thick curtains instead of blinds to retain the heat and don’t keep your heating on all day! If you keep your windows and doors closed you shouldn’t need the heating on.
8. Use The Dimmer
Using your light dimmers is a great way to cut down on electricity. Try not to have your lights on full power and remember to turn them off whenever you don’t need them.
9. Run Full Loads
In your dishwasher and washing machine. This can dramatically save water-use and save you money and time!
10. Insulate!
Insulation in your attic or home is the best way to retain heat on those chilly winter days
December 13, 2009
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Budget to include electric car tax break
Company drivers who choose electric cars are to be exempt from benefit in kind (BiK) tax for five years from April 2012. Electric cars currently attract a tax rate of 9 per cent. The exemption was announced the weel as part of the Pre-Budget report given by Alistair Darling.
The Chancellor is keen to increase the number of electric cars used by company drivers. At present, only 50 of the 1.1 million company cars in Britain are electric.Employers will also receive inducements to switch to electric vehicles. National Insurance contributions on company cars paid by employers will be reduced by £480 per car per year.
A motorist driving an electric car pays already pays no vehicle excise duty (road tax), no congestion charges and no fuel tax because no petrol is used.The tax rate exemption will coincide with the launch of the world’s first mass production car, the Nissan Leaf, as well as four models from Renault.
A spokesperson for the Environmental Transport Association (ETA) said: “Tax breaks are a useful means of promoting electric cars in their early days, but if the uptake is significant they will not be financially or environmentally sustainable.”
>>>Source; Environmental Transport Association (ETA)
>>>Earn £8 MoreEco cash back when you join ETA’s Ethical Breakdown Service. Join the drive for greener motoring.
December 11, 2009
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November 09 – Top 10 Eco News Stories
The MoreEco team has put together its favourite to top 10 eco news posts from last month. Hopefully this will keep you up to date with what’s going on with green news currently!
Algae is a “realistic” car fuel
The Road to Copenhagen: Less than 40 days to go
Play the Oxfam Climate Challenge with Heather Graham and Mackenzie Crook
Recycling is UK’s favourite activity!
Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree
Go Ahead Try Cutting 10% of Your Emissions in 2010
Cynicism over Copenhagen Treaty
We still have a chance to save polar bears
December 1, 2009
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Recycling is UK’s favourite activity!
70 per cent of households always separate their rubbish for recycling, but only 2 per cent buy their energy on a green tariff, according to the early findings of a major new annual household Survey, called Understanding Society, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).
Preliminary results from 1500 respondents show that those who own their own home are more likely to separate their rubbish (83 per cent) than those in rented accommodation (59 per cent), whilst less than one in a hundred households have solar water heating (0.5 per cent) or solar energy panels (0.5 per cent). Initial findings also show that switching off the lights in unused rooms (82 per cent) and not leaving the television on standby (67 per cent) are significantly more popular than taking fewer flights (16 per cent), car sharing (15 per cent) and not buying items because they have too much packaging (8 per cent).
Green behaviours costing the least money and effort are currently the most popular with the British public, despite the fact that 59 per cent of people think that if things continue on their current course we will soon experience a major environmental disaster.
A fuller picture of environmental and other behaviours and attitudes based on the first annual survey of 100,000 individuals from 40,000 households for Understanding Society will be published at a later date.
With Copenhagen Climate Change Conference just a couple of weeks away, the environment is likely to remain a hot topic amongst the British public, says Professor Nick Buck of the Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER) at the University of Essex, which is leading the new research: “One of the unique features of Understanding Society is that we speak to the same people each year, which means we can see how people’s behaviours and attitudes change over time. The information we collect about how ‘green’ people are will play a key role in informing the ongoing debate about environmental issues.”
The UK’s favourite green behaviours…
- Switching off lights in unused room – 82%
- Not leaving TV on standby - 67%
- Take own bag when shopping – 55%
- Don’t keep tap on when brushing teeth – 55%
- Putting more clothes on when cold – 45%
- Walk or cycle on short journeys – 40%
- Use public transport rather than car – 29%
- Buying recycled paper products – 28%
- Taking fewer flights where possible – 16%
- Car sharing – 15%
- Not buying items due to too much packaging – 8%
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
ESRC Press Office:
Zoë Stevens (Tel: 01793 413218, Email: zoe.stevens@esrc.ac.uk)
November 24, 2009
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Cynicism over Copenhagen Treaty
The UK government says it is highly unlikely that a new legally binding climate treaty can be agreed this year – and a full treaty may be a year away. Two years ago, the world’s governments vowed to finalise a new treaty at next month’s climate summit in Copenhagen. Climate Secretary Ed Miliband has until now said it could be done – but now he says only a political deal is likely, echoing some other senior figures.
Developing countries reacted with frustration and disappointment.
“When we left (UN talks in) Bali two years ago, we all expected that would be agreeing on a legally binding outcome to respond to the urgency… that we were on the verge of catastrophic climate change, so we’re very disappointed,” said Selwin Hart from Barbados, speaking for the group of small island developing states.
“If we don’t take urgent and ambitious action, the reality is that some small island developing states will not be around within a couple of decades – certainly not by the end of the century.”
This is thought to be the first time that UK ministers have acknowledged the slim chances of achieving anything legally binding. In the middle of October, Mr Miliband said a new treaty looked “more do-able” following a meeting of the Major Economies Forum in London. His comments now echo warnings from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Denmark’s Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen and US chief climate negotiator Todd Stern that only a “politically binding” agreement can now be achieved.
Officials then warned it could take up to a full year to finalise the treaty.
View full article at bbc.co.uk
Image sourced from bbc.co.uk - Activists strung a banner from Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia church
November 19, 2009
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Organise a Perfect Green Christmas
Organise the perfect green Christmas this year and save money with top 10 tip guide; reduce your carbon footprint and have a more eco friendly and sustainable holiday season.
1. Serve local, healthy and seasonal December foods at your events and xmas parties. Choose vegetables that are in season and do not have to be flown in from abroad. Broccoli, cabbage and onions can all be grown without the aid of harsh chemicals so you can spend your organic pounds elsewhere.
2. Decorating your house can be one of the most enjoyable parts of Xmas. Go for ethically made and traded decorations. Natural Collection, Big Green Smile, Nigel’s Eco Store and Vita Etica all have a great range. Kids really enjoy making their own green decorations out of old scraps of material and leftovers. Try popcorn garlands – which are really fun and cheap to make and scour a woodland floor for fallen pinecones and twigs that are great for decorations!
3. E-mail party invites and Christmas cards rather than post them. There are loads of free Xmas themed party invite e-cards around or alternatively make your own out of scrap and recycled products. If you really want to send cards, choose charity ones or check out these really funky recycled ones. After the big day, make sure your Christmas cards don’t go to waste – take them to a Woodland Trust recycling point.
4. Christmas heating and lighting bills can be huge! Save cash and protect the environment by using energy saving devices such as standby busters and radiator boosters. Don’t forget to turn off the tree lights or better still try these solar powered ones.
5. Use recycled paper, gift bags or even colorful cloth to wrap the Christmas presents and instead of tape, use colorful ribbon to tie up the gifts.
6. Make a green statement this xmas! Send a message to the manufacturers of consumer goods by shopping for & buying only natural, non toxic, eco friendly, organic presents this year. Shop through www.moreeco.com for the largest selection of green retailers on one site and earn cashback and offset carbon at the same time.
7. Which makes a better tree? Artificial or a real one? Simply real ones are as they are great for the environment and can be replanted after use. If replanting isn’t an option, most local councils run Christmas tree recycling schemes. Contact yours or go to http://www.letsrecycle.com. If you need to use an artificial one avoid those made in China or Tawian which have transport costs associated with them. They also can be made with nasty chemicals, metals and plastics which can emit into our homes. Adorn with fair trade and ethical traded decorations or again make your own.
8. How do we give children what they desire but without poisoning our planet? Take electronic toys for instance. There are 900 million batteries used each year in the UK alone and many are in toys. But only 2% of batteries are currently recycled – the rest end up in landfill sites and are poisoning our planet! So what do you do? Choose an eco toy. Green and eco-friendly toys shouldn’t cost the earth so choose from a great selection here that don’t require batteries. Alternatively go for rechargeable batteries which will save you pounds throughout the year.
9. Recycle your unwanted presents. Unfortunately everyone receives at least one unwanted gift at Christmas. Many recycle their unwanted presents to charities. Local hospitals and hospices are often very pleased to receive unwanted smellies to give to patients. Or you could try Nigels Eco Store’s regifting forum or www.freecycle.org and swap them for other people’s unwanted gifts.
10. Don’t go overboard especially in the current climate and remember – reduce, reuse and recycle.
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Finally if you are stuck for eco gifts for him, her or your kids, then check out EcoTrendSpotter’s Eco Christmas Shopping Guide.
November 16, 2009
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