Sustainability


Book Description

A comprehensive resource to sustainability and its application to the environmental, industrial, agricultural and food security sectors Sustainability fills a gap in the literature in order to provide an important guide to the fundamental knowledge and practical applications of sustainability in a wide variety of areas. The authors – noted experts who represent a number of sustainability fields – bring together in one comprehensive volume the broad range of topics including basic concepts, impact assessment, environmental and the socio-economic aspects of sustainability. In addition, the book covers applications of sustainability in environmental, industrial, agricultural and food security, as well as carbon cycle and infrastructural aspects. Sustainability addresses the challenges the global community is facing due to population growth, depletion of non-renewable resources of energy, environmental degradation, poverty, excessive generation of wastes and more. Throughout the book the authors discuss the economics, ecological, social, technological and systems perspectives of sustainability. This important resource: Explores the fundamentals as well as the key concepts of sustainability; Covers basic concepts, impact assessment, environmental and socio-economic aspects, applications of sustainability in environmental, industrial, agricultural and food security, carbon cycle and infrastructural aspects; Argues the essentiality of sustainability in ensuring the propitious future of earth systems; and Authored by experts from a range of various fields related to sustainability. Written for researchers and scientists, students and academics, Sustainability: Fundamentals and Applications is a comprehensive book that covers the basic knowledge of the topic combined with practical applications.




Sustainability by Design


Book Description

The developed world, increasingly aware of “inconvenient truths” about global warming and sustainability, is turning its attention to possible remedies—eco-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 attributes—such as the unending consumption that characterizes modern life—and 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.




Get, Set, GO! Sustainability


Book Description

Get Set GO! Sustainability covers a wide range of sustainable options that Children's Centres and early years setting can pick up and start with. Ithis book is aimed at those who are new to sustainability and those who are looking to enhance their sustainable status with some new ideas. Set out in an accessible style, you can dip into the book at any page, as each page is set out in a range of helpful headings to get you going as soon as possible.




Building a Sustainable Business


Book Description

"Brings the business planning process alive to help today's agriculture entrepreneurs transform farm-grown inspiration into profitable enterprises. Sample worksheets illustrate how real farm families set goals, research processing alternatives, determine potential markets, and evaluate financing options. Blank worksheets offer readers the opportunity to develop their own detailed, lender-ready business plan and map out strategies" --back cover.




Just Sustainabilities


Book Description

Environmental activists and academics alike are realizing that a sustainable society must be a just one. Environmental degradation is almost always linked to questions of human equality and quality of life. Throughout the world, those segments of the population that have the least political power and are the most marginalized are selectively victimized by environmental crises. This book argues that social and environmental justice within and between nations should be an integral part of the policies and agreements that promote sustainable development. The book addresses the links between environmental quality and human equality and between sustainability and environmental justice.




Fractal Sustainability


Book Description

Even though the fractal approach to sustainability and organizational change management is not new, no authors so far seem to have truly attempted to use fractals as a mathematical means to map and measure organizational sustainability. Several sustainability maturity models and change management models and frameworks, concepts and computer generated systems came to the fore during the past two decades. They provided a set of useful tools for managers, academics and students to refer to, or on which to base their own actions and plans. However, one issue remains: most of those models and frameworks share a rather similar linear ‘skeleton’; the main difference between them is the quantitative variety of steps within each phase, stage, and parameter and how in depth each of these is presented. The authors' work addresses a clear gap in the literature and in applied research, as it emphasizes the relevance of using a complex mathematically-based but user-friendly fractal approach. Readers are able to better understand, implement, map and measure change management processes leading to a sustainability-focused mindset. Subsequent chapters guide you through the steps towards creating committed sustainability-based strategies, attitudes, actions and practices across all levels in the broad organizational context. This text is essential reading for students researching business and management and who are interested in the Fractal Sustainability concept.




New and Renewable Technologies for Sustainable Development


Book Description

Sustainable development encompasses economic, social, and ecological perspectives of conservation and change in natural resources. It is generally defined as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. This definition is based on the ethical imperative of equity within and between generations. Moreover, apart from meeting; "the basic needs of all"; sustainable development implies sustaining the natural life support systems on Earth, and extending to all the opportunity to satisfy their aspirations for a better life. Hence, sustainable development is more precisely defined as a process of change in which the exploitation of resources, the direction of investments, the orientation of technological development, and institutional change are all in harmony and enhance both current and future potential to meet human needs and aspiration. To date, various definitions and stationary-state criteria of sustainability have been proposed. Many authors have been concerned with only part of the problem, such as the technological assumptions, the ability to substitute natural resources in economic transformation processes, and the resilience and importance of ecological processes. But, the social dimension did not receive the same attention, and has not been adequately integrated into formal analysis. The engineering community has to play an important role in sustainable development with appropriate evaluation of the engineering systems. In this respect energy, water and environment systems require multi-criteria evaluation methods for the assessment of the economic, environmental and social aspect of the systems.




The Sustainability Handbook


Book Description

The Sustainability Handbook covers all the challenges, complexities and benefits of sustainability for businesses, governments and other organizations. It provides a blueprint for how organizations can reach or exceed economic, social and environmental excellence. It offers a host of practical approaches and tools including a model sustainability policy for organizations, summaries of sustainability codes and tips on selecting them, an extensive collection of metrics and a wealth of supplementary reference material. This is the essential reference for every organization in pursuit of sustainability.




Practical Sustainability Strategies


Book Description

Strategies that enable organizations to succeed as businesses and as responsible corporate citizens Based on the authors' many years of research and hands-on experience, this book provides tested and proven practical strategies that make it possible for organizations to develop, maintain, or extend their competitive advantage without causing harm to the environment and society. Moreover, it explains how to set goals and objectives and then monitor, measure, and report on progress towards achieving corporate social responsibility and environmental sustainability. Most importantly, readers will discover that this can all be accomplished while, at the same time, improving bottom-line profitability. Practical Sustainability Strategies: How to Gain a Competitive Advantage is divided into four parts: Part 1, Introduction to Sustainability, underscores the urgency for organizations to adopt and develop sustainable practices Part 2, Sustainable Strategies, details numerous strategies that have been proven to work, including environmental innovation through biomimicry, green buildings, and green chemistry Part 3, Tools and Metrics, offers practical information on implementing strategies and measuring sustainability and reporting, including global standards and guidelines for managing sustainability, life-cycle analysis, carbon and water footprints such as GRI, GHG Protocol, UN Global Compact Part 4, Conclusion, provides an expert forecast of the future of sustainability Case studies based on the authors' research and fieldwork illustrate how leading companies have implemented each of the sustainability strategies discussed in the book. There's also an appendix with additional case studies exploring various aspects of business practices and sustainability. Practical Sustainability Strategies is ideal as a graduate textbook as well as a reference for business managers. All readers will not only gain a greater appreciation for sustainable development, but also the skills needed to integrate sustainability into all aspects of their organization's business practices.




The Business Guide to Sustainability


Book Description

"The Business Guide to Sustainability is a practical introduction to implementing a comprehensive sustainability strategy in any organization. Written by top business consultants, this useful book can be applied in both large and small enterprises. This edition shifts away from a discussion of CSR to focus more squarely on sustainability. It explores strategies for implementing sustainability in each of the functional areas of the corporation (accounting, HR, operations, etc.), while providing examples from a range of sectors, including manufacturing, services, and government. The book also includes the authors' S-CORE assessment tool to help organizations determine whether they are on the right track, identify new opportunities, and assign accountability and responsibility. Brimming with interesting stories and examples, and covering new developments such as the emergence of BRICs and the effects of the Great Recession, this book will interest managers, business owners, and students for whom sustainability is a priority"--The publisher.