Striving for Sustainability


Book Description

This book takes stock of Kerala's environmental decline as well as people's response towards possible alternatives that meet the basic criteria for sustainability.




An Introduction to Corporate Environmental Management


Book Description

This book is designed to meet the urgent need for a comprehensive and definitive introduction and teaching text on corporate environmental management. It aims to become the standard textbook for courses examining how business can take the environment into account while also providing an accessible and thorough overview of this increasingly multidisciplinary subject for practitioners. Written by the internationally acknowledged experts Stefan Schaltegger and Roger Burritt (authors of the highly influential Contemporary Environmental Accounting) along with Holger Petersen, the book invites the reader to join in an exploration of the ways in which companies can engage in environmental management and why such engagement can be profitable for business. The reader is invited to: examine whether the contents reflect their own experience, takes their experience further, or opposes their own views; note which of the ideas presented are especially important, add to those ideas, or encourage a reaction (positive or negative); answer questions creatively (based on their own perspective of the issues); encourage themselves to be inspired by questions, which can be investigated further through other written sources of information, such as books you will be guided to through the bibliography, the Internet or the general media; and think about and plan the ways in which the knowledge provided can be implemented in your own situation. The book is organised into four main sections. First, the fundamental ideas and linkages behind business management, the environment and sustainable development are briefly but clearly sketched. The second part of the book outlines the criteria against which environmentally oriented business management can be assessed and the fields of action in which success can be achieved. The third part presents a discussion and examples of strategies for environmental management, which are linked, in the fourth part, to the essential tools of environmental management, especially green marketing, environmental accounting and eco-control. The book is full of case studies and examples related to the main contents of each chapter and each chapter provides a number of questions for the student or reader to address. An Introduction to Corporate Environmental Management is both a textbook and a sourcebook. The reader can either work through the material in a structured way or dip into the content and follow up on specific areas of interest. The materials are designed to be used for understanding and reference, rather than to be learned by heart. The primary aim is for the reader to obtain a practical understanding of the relationship between management and environmental issues which can be applied in day-to-day situations-whether as part of a student's wider view of management or within the practitioner's real-world situation. It will be essential reading for many years to come.




Faith, Hope, and Sustainability


Book Description

Faith, Hope, and Sustainability explores the experiences of fifteen faith communities striving to care for the earth and live more sustainably. A church in Maine partners with fishermen to create the first community-supported fishery so they can make a living without overfishing. A Jewish congregation in Illinois raises extra funds to construct a green synagogue that expresses their religious mission to heal the world. Benedictine sisters in Wisconsin adopt caring for the earth as part of their mission and begin restoring one hundred acres of prairie, reviving their community in the process. Presbyterians in Virginia, dismayed by air pollution in Shenandoah National Park, take courage from their conviction that "God does not call us to do little things" and advocate for improved national air pollution policies. Stories such as these highlight the variety of environmental actions that people of faith are enacting through congregational venues. Beyond simply narrating inspiring stories, however, this book compares these case studies to explore in detail the processes through which the communities took action. In addition to examining why faith communities engage in earth care, Cybelle T. Shattuck explores how they put intention into action and how the congregational context affects what they do. She introduces an analytical framework focusing on four domains of activity—champions, faith leaders, congregations, and organizations—to explicate the full range of factors that influence how initiatives develop and whether sustainability becomes embedded in these religious organizations. Both the framework and the information on process presented in this book will be highly useful to scholars and to people of faith interested in implementing an earth-care ethic through sustainability programs.




Striving for Environmental Sustainability in a Complex World


Book Description

In the face of growing anxiety about the environmental sustainability of the world, George Francis, a leading authority in the field of sustainability studies, examines initiatives undertaken in Canada over the past twenty-five years to protect some of our unique environments. With rich and varied insight, spirited prose, and a deep and personal engagement with the material, the author documents the challenges faced by those who manage complex sustainability projects. Focusing mainly on collaborative studies of sixteen landscape regions designated as “Biosphere Reserves” by UNESCO and fifteen regions designated as “Model Forests” by the Canadian Forest Service, the book also summarizes a number of smaller sustainability initiatives in regions across the country. The author concludes on a hopeful note, looking forward to a future of solutions – those considered, proposed, promoted, and in some cases already implemented by groups striving to create sustainable societies in an increasingly complex world.




Pursuing Sustainability


Book Description

An essential guide to sustainable development for students and practitioners Sustainability is a global imperative and a scientific challenge like no other. This concise guide provides students and practitioners with a strategic framework for linking knowledge with action in the pursuit of sustainable development, and serves as an invaluable companion to more narrowly focused courses dealing with sustainability in particular sectors such as energy, food, water, and housing, or in particular regions of the world. Written by leading experts, Pursuing Sustainability shows how more inclusive and interdisciplinary approaches and systems perspectives can help you achieve your sustainability objectives. It stresses the need for understanding how capital assets are linked to sustainability goals through the complex adaptive dynamics of social-environmental systems, how committed people can use governance processes to alter those dynamics, and how successful interventions can be shaped through collaborations among researchers and practitioners on the ground. The ideal textbook for undergraduate and graduate students and an invaluable resource for anyone working in this fast-growing field, Pursuing Sustainability also features case studies, a glossary, and suggestions for further reading. Provides a strategic framework for linking knowledge with action Draws on the latest cutting-edge science and practices Serves as the ideal companion text to more narrowly focused courses Utilizes interdisciplinary approaches and systems perspectives Illustrates concepts with a core set of case studies used throughout the book Written by world authorities on sustainability An online illustration package is available to professors




Leading Change toward Sustainability


Book Description

As the world struggles to cope with the growing threat of a global carbon crisis, Doppelt has revised one of the best books ever written about change management, leadership and sustainability to focus on de-carbonisation. Doppelt's research, presented in this hugely readable book, demystify the sustainability-change process by providing a theoretical framework and a methodology that managers can use to successfully transform their organisations to embrace sustainable development. Filled with case examples, interviews and checklists on how to move corporate and governmental cultures toward sustainability, the book argues that the key factors that facilitate change appear in the successful efforts at companies such as AstraZeneca, Nike, Starbucks, IKEA, Chiquita, Interface, Swisscom and Norm Thompson and in governmental efforts such as those in the Netherlands and Santa Monica in California. For these and other cutting-edge organisations, leading change is a philosophy for success. Leading Change toward Sustainability has been used by change leaders around the world to guide their internal global warming and sustainability organisational change initiatives. This new edition is essential reading for leaders from all types of organisations.




How Green is the City?


Book Description

This book deals with practical ways to reach a more sustainable state in urban areas through such tools as strategic environmental assessment, sustainability assessment, direction analysis, baseline setting and progress measurement, sustainability targets, and ecological footprint analysis.




The Handbook of Sustainability Literacy


Book Description

A vital resource for sustainability educators, learners and decision-makers on how we can build a more sustainable future. In this ground-breaking book, leading sustainability educators are joined by permaculturists, literary critics, ecologists, artists, journalists, engineers, mathematicians and philosophers in a deep reflection on the skills that people need to survive and thrive in the challenging conditions of the 21st century. Responding to the threats of climate change, peak oil, resource depletion, economic uncertainty and energy insecurity demands the utmost in creativity, ingenuity and new ways of thinking to reinvent self and society. Among the many skills, attributes and values described in The Handbook of Sustainability Literacy are values reflection, coping with complexity, permaculture design, transition skills, advertising awareness, effortless action, and ecological intelligence, each accompanied by ideas for active learning exercises to help develop the skill. Far from being a rigid or definitive statement of the one right way however, the handbook is exploratory, aiming to open up new, unthought-of paths, possibilities and choices. With contributors including John Naish, Satish Kumar, Patrick Whitefield, John Blewitt, Stephan Harding and Stephen Sterling, this is intended for educators, learners and anyone else interested in the vital issue of the skills we need to survive and thrive in the 21st century and build a more sustainable future.




Mainstreaming Corporate Sustainability


Book Description

Mainstreaming Corporate Sustainability is a practical guide to the leading tools and resources used to successfully integrate sustainability into a company's corporate culture. Through the examples of companies from around the world, it provides an overview of the basics of any successful sustainability program, including the various international standards and performance frameworks that can be adapted to companies striving to improve their sustainability performance. These standards are summarized and explained in clear language and a conversational tone, allowing the reader to absorb what can be a complicated maze of resources. Used as the centerpiece for a popular corporate sustainability class taught on campus and online at Harvard University Extension School, as well as other universities around the U.S., this guide provides students and professionals alike with an overview of the most valuable management tools and resources available today. The second edition has been expanded with updated resources and a greater emphasis on climate change and reducing a firm's carbon footprint. Mainstreaming Corporate Sustainability provides an understanding of the pitfalls and challenges of this ever-changing field. It helps the reader become adept at asking the right questions and speaking the language of sustainability professionals, providing guidance to become a leader in this important business arena. Recommendations for additional reading are provided throughout, allowing the reader to delve more deeply into the subject at any stage. Key Features - Provides step-by-step processes for building a corporate sustainability program from the ground up - Emphasizes environmental and social responsibility while providing tools to promote successful financial measurement and economic success - Includes key ingredients to enrich any existing sustainability program and prioritizes the various choices for action - Helps to identify risk and opportunity to create economic success when environmental and social challenges arise - Includes advice on stakeholder engagement and meeting communication challenges in today's shifting business world - Describes how to develop strategies and systems management to promote successful transitions from inefficient operations - Provides key advice for supply chain management and meeting challenges of the value chain for multi-national corporations - Gives information about reporting and how to develop a clear and successful sustainability re-port - Supplies ideas for innovation, design, and marketing to promote responsible stewardship and successful customer relations - Offers a great balance between application of the tools/metrics/frameworks and the understanding of the philosophical underpinnings - Integrates the various elements of sustainability into a cohesive and systematic methodology that broadens how you will view corporate responsibility and the options available for addressing the pressing sustainability challenges facing our world - WAV offers teaching material for adopting professors--available from the Web Added Value Download Resource Center at the J. Ross Publishing website.




Business Ethics and Sustainability


Book Description

This book equips readers with the knowledge, insights and key capabilities to understand and practice business activities from ethical and sustainable vantage points. In our interconnected global business environment, the impacts of business activities are under increased ethical scrutiny from a wide range of stakeholders. Written from an international perspective, this book introduces the theory and practice of ethical and sustainable business, focusing in particular on eco-environmental sustainability, intergenerational responsibilities, current disruptive technologies, and intercultural values of the business community and consumers. Written by an expert author who also brings to the fore non-Western concepts and themes, this book: features positive case studies, as well as transferrable and applicable key insights from such cases; highlights the importance of taking cultural differences into account; takes a transdisciplinary approach which considers findings from research fields including conceptual and empirical business ethics, behavioral economics, ecological economics, environmental ethics, and the philosophy of culture; weaves in pedagogical features throughout, including up-to-date case studies, study questions, thought experiments, links to popular movies, and key takeaways. Written in an accessible and student-friendly manner, this book will be of great interest to students of business ethics, environmental ethics, applied ethics, and sustainable development, as well as business practitioners striving toward ethical, sustainable, and responsible business practice.