Book Description

Can businesses collaborate with nonprofit organizations? Drawing lessons from 24 cases of cross-sector partnerships spanning the hemisphere, Social Partnering in Latin America analyzes how businesses and nonprofits are creating partnerships to move beyond traditional corporate philanthropy. An American supermarket and a Mexican food bank, an Argentine newspaper and a solidarity network, and a Chilean pharmacy chain and an elder care home are just a few examples of how businesses are partnering with community organizations in powerful ways throughout Latin America. The authors analyze why and how such social partnering occurs. The book provides a compelling framework for understanding cross-sector collaborations and identifying motivations for partnering and key levers that maximize value creation for participants and society. ... Read more

Book Description

After her record-breaking two year tree sit, Julia Butterfly Hill has ceaslessly continued her efforts to promote sustainability and ecologically-minded ways to save the old-growth redwoods she acted so valiantly to protect. Here she provides her many young fans with what they yearn for most -- her advice on how to promote change and improve the health of the planet, distilled into an essential handbook. This book will be accessible to school-aged children, while accomodating the audience of parents and teachers who look to Julia as an example of how one person can "change the world." Packed with a variety of charts, diagrams, and interesting factoids, the book will be broken down into a series of steps and easy-to-follow lessons. It will be written broadly so as to accommodate all kinds of activism, though its core focus will be on environmental issues.

Reviews (4)

The world could be a better place
Maybe if there were more people like Julia Butterfly Hill, the world would be a better place. Since her heroic act of sitting a tree called Luna to prevent it from being cut down (along with many other giant sequoia trees), she has been an inspiration to many. This book is filled with the inspiring tales of people who are like Julia Hill, who do care and who have made a difference in our world. It also is packed with information on all sorts of environmental issues from water conservation to the clear-cutting of trees to to the very positive effects of vegetarianism on the environment. It has lists of the things you can do in your everyday life to make a difference. It lets you know that even the smallest things do make a difference. This is a great book for budding activists, anyone seeking inspiration, as well as just for the curious.--Reviewed by Courtney Bronte

A nice try, but ultimately a disappointment
I must say I found this book to be quite a disappointment, especially after Hill's inspiring "Legacy of Luna". Part of the problem with "One Makes the Difference" is that it's not sure what it wants to be. Is it a handbook for applying environmentalism to everyday life? If it is, it fails. Many strategies (for instance, biodiesel) lack enough detail for the reader to translate them into action. It's also broken down into artificial sections, like "air" and "water" and "land"; in reality many strategies for environmental living benefit more than one of these. A better way to organize would've been into different categories of human action, like transportation, diet, and home-heating/cooling. Humans can compartmentalize; nature cannot.
Another source of frustration with this book was the "inspiring" tales of people who "made a difference". While it *can* be inspiring to read about people who succeeded, I was ultimately left wishing that the author had explained more about *why* these people were successful. Otherwise, the stories feel like nothing more than mere chance amidst the many attempts at environmental activism that fail.
I would suggest this book only to those who are relatively new to the environmental movement.

A practical guide and an inspiration
I consider myself environmentally conscious. I use fluorescent bulbs, print office stuff on both sides of each sheet, eat organic food, etc. Still, I haven't thought about a lot of things Julia Hill suggests. Now I use the same styrofoam cup for 2 weeks and I stopped using plastic cuttlery. I knew burghers were not the best food but I didn't know that, by eating one at a fast food restaurant, I destroy rain forest. It is amazing how much stuff we waste without thinking about it and how much we take for granted. As Julia pointed out, we can learn a lot from trips to "3rd world" countries. For example, there are people out there who save every drop of drinking water while we take a shower for an hour. We buy bigger and bigger gasoline-guzzling and air-poluting cars we don't need as status symbols. We act as if our resourses were unlimited.

Fascinating Information
I bought this book to use in the classroom for a lesson I
was doing in my 12th grade American Government class. It was
great for the students! They could really relate to information.
I was amazed at how eager my students were to make efforts to
help our environment. I admire Ms. Hill and all the efforts she
has made in raising awareness!!! ... Read more

Book Description

This book presents a straightforward, systematic analysis of how more sustainable cities and towns can be brought about, considering each scale of planning: international, national, regional, municipal, neighborhood, site, and building. ... Read more

Book Description

"Environmental Economics" provides a comprehensive introduction to the dynamic relationship between economics and environmental policy. The authors offer a broad overview of important issues, including the changing role of economics during a time of increasing environmental concern, the impact of markets and governmental policy, environmental protection through economic mechanisms, and a practical look at how environmental economics are played out in commercial and scientific arenas. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Propably the best introducory textbook on the market
Of the four textbooks on the subject I've been through, this one scores the best credit. Within ecological economics there are two schools of thought. One is basically environmentalist in the sense that views the causes of environmental degradation, as being the economic system AS SUCH. Herman Daly is propably the most wellknown representant of this school. The other school deals with environmental problems as being a 'problem of getting the prices right'. This book is mostly concerned with the latter approach. Several aspects of this book ranks it above average. These are: 1) Although the book primarily deals with the market-approach, it actually covers all aspects of environmentalism, ranging from standard economics to deep ecology, treating each of the in a sober manner, 2) the book is very goos at pinpointing the problematic aspects of different theories, 3) The conclusions are supported by empirical evidence, presented in a readable and realevant manner 4) it really covers the breadth of the field, leaving you with a great overview of the topics you can specialize in, 5) it avoids some of the most common misunderstandings of the field, e.g. by specificly stating the difference between non-property resources and common property resources. All In all: It is a very recommendable book for those who are about to be introduced to the field of ecological economics. ... Read more

Book Description

In this book Robert Brulle draws on a broad range of empirical and theoretical research to investigate the effectiveness of U.S. environmental groups. Brulle shows how Critical Theory--in particular the work of Jürgen Habermas--can expand our understanding of the social causes of environmental degradation and the political actions necessary to deal with it. He then develops both a pragmatic and a moral argument for broad-based democratization of society as a prerequisite to the achievement of ecological sustainability.

From the perspectives of frame analysis, resource mobilization, and historical sociology, using data on more than one hundred environmental groups, Brulle examines the core beliefs, structures, funding, and political practices of a wide variety of environmental organizations. He identifies the social processes that foster the development of a democratic environmental movement and those that hinder it. He concludes with suggestions for how environmental groups can make their organizational practices more democratic and politically effective. ... Read more

Book Description

Ecosystems are the productive engines of the planet, providing us with everything from the water we drink to the food we eat and the fiber we use for clothing, paper, and lumber. Yet nearly every measure used to assess the health of ecosystems indicates that we are drawing on them more than ever, while degrading them at an accelerating rate.

How then can we best manage our vital ecosystems-and reduce our own impacts-so that they remain healthy and productive in the face of increasing human demands? Governments and businesses will first have to rethink some basic assumptions about how we measure and plan economic growth, taking into account the natural limits that sustain our ecosystems. This volume brings together the critical information about the condition and long-term prospects of our ecosystems that will be needed to make responsible decisions about their future.

Focusing on five critical systems (croplands, forests, coastal zones, freshwater systems, and grasslands) the book analyzes the value of goods and services currently provided by our ecosystems and their capacity to continue production. It goes on to recommend sweeping changes for managing these biological underpinnings of the global economy and human well-being, including: respecting the natural boundaries of ecosystems and managing them as one complete system, rather that as separate entities; regularly assessing the condition of our ecosystems and studying the processes that underlie their capacity to sustain life; assembling information that allows a careful weighing of tradeoffs between ecosystem goods and services and environmental, political, social, and economic goals; and including the public-particularly local communities-in the management of ecosystems.

A joint publication of the United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Environment Programme, World Bank, and World Resources Institute ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Information and Data Supporting Environmental Issues
This is the Millennium Edition (9th) in a series, which is a biennial (every-other year), comprehensive review of the critical issues and challenges facing the world's environmental leaders. The work is compiled by the researchers and staff of the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Environment Programme, the World Bank, and the World Resources Institute. World Resources provides surveys of current conditions and historical trends in major areas of concern and resource areas. The 2000-2001 edition of World Resources addresses the issues and concerns confronting the Earth's ecosytems. Individual chapters address the study of specific ecosystem types (e.g., agricultural coastal, forest, freshwater, grasslands)and analyzes the problems inherent in each. These analyses are described in the context of the ecosystem approach from identification of concerns to their resolution. Supporting trends data are provided for a variety of critical issues: Biodiversity and Protected Areas; Forests and Grasslands; Coastal, Marine, and Inland Waters; Agriculture and Food; Freshwater; Atmosphere and Climate; Energy and Resource Use; Population and Human Development; Basic Economic Indicators; and Small Nations and Islands. This work is an essential resource for understanding the scientific and technical basis of the major environmental and natural resources issues with which we deal at local, regional, national, and global levels. Sections are clearly written for an understanding by non-scientists and scholars reading this outside of their discipline of expertise. Extensive footnotes, maps, charts, and data tables are provided. Data also available in CD-ROM formats. This is an essential environmental reference work. Because of its thoroughness, ease of use, comprehensive coverage, and cost, this book should be on the shelf of ALL acacdemic, public, school (grade 6 and above), government agency, corporate, and other special libraries. Researchers (engineering, life, physical, policy, and social sciences), decision makers, educators, and students will find this a truly impressive ready-reference source for their own bookshelves as well. ... Read more

Book Description

This is a story of resistance against all odds, of Cuba's remarkable recovery from a food crisis brought on by the collapse of trade relations with the former socialist bloc and the tightening of the U.S. embargo. Unable to import either food or the farm chemicals and machines needed to grow it via conventional agriculture, Cuba turned inward toward self-reliance. Sustainable agriculture, organic farming, urban gardens, smaller farms, animal traction and biological pest control are part of the successful paradigm shift underway in the Cuban countryside. In this book Cuban authors offer details-for the first time in English-of these remarkable achievements, which may serve as guideposts toward healthier, more environmentally friendly and self-reliant farming in countries both North and South. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

An amazing story that inpsires hope for the world
As a practitioner of sustainable agriculture and organic farming (I am a farmer, teacher and researcher) I found this story of how Cuba used organic farming to beat all odds and overcome a food crisis to be awe inspiring. Every professor, teacher, researcher, analyst, student, thinking farmer and advocate of sustainable agriculture MUST read this book. It will restore your hope. So should everyone interested in Cuba, Latin America, and Third World development. I loved to read it in the cuban's own, well-translated words.

You can skip this one
Cuba has done an amazing job of switching over to organic, local food production. They did so to survive the assinine embargo of thier island, but in doing so they have shown the way for all of us to move to a sane mode of food production. You would want this book to be a delightful description of that process. You would be wrong. It is a leaden, tedious exercise in socialist writing with all the wit and charm of a phone book. Skip the book and just go to Cuba and see the results for yourself. Then come home and plant a garden. ... Read more

Book Description

The Environmentalism of the Poor has the explicit intention of helping to establish two emerging fields of study - political ecology and ecological economics - and also investigating the relations between them.

The author analyzes several manifestations of the growing ‘environmental justice movement’, and also of ‘popular environmentalism’ and the ‘environmentalism of the poor’, which will be seen in the coming decades as driving forces in the process to achieve an ecologically sustainable society. He studies, in detail, many ecological distribution conflicts in history and at present, in urban and rural settings, showing how poor people often favor resource conservation. The environment is thus not so much a luxury of the rich as a necessity of the poor. The book concludes with the fundamental questions: who has the right to impose a language of valuation and who has the power to simplify complexity?

Joan Martinez-Alier combines the study of ecological conflicts and the study of environmental valuation in a totally original approach that will appeal to a wide cross-section of academics, ecologists and environmentalists. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Thirty years after Frances Lappe's Diet for a Small Planet changed eating habits around the world, she and her daughter Anna bring us a new round of iconoclastic recommendations that break overwhelming issues down to a simple matter of personal choice. Hope's Edge presents many of the same issues of the original title, but it also provides a wealth of new discoveries and possibilities in this era of genetically engineered foods, worldwide famine, and growing rates of obesity-related health issues.

Beyond discussing a wide range of reasons to become a vegetarian (and that means no fish or chicken either, folks), the authors introduce you to a number of individual reasons for hope--Bob, the Wisconsin cheese maker; Jean-Yves, the farmer from Brittany who created the Sustainable Agriculture Network; and Muhammad Yunas, who has changed the lives of countless living in poverty with his remarkable microcredit programs. Along with these stories and the theories they're based on, you'll also find luscious recipes calling for grains, fruits, vegetables, and a handful of dairy products that will delight your taste buds and your conscience.

The Lappes firmly believe that the choices of low-level consumers have the potential to make positive changes, both in the world economy and in our physical health. By eating a vegetarian diet, shopping with care, and cooking with love, we might all brighten our future tremendously. --Jill Lightner ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Wonderful book!
This is one of the most creative, courageous books I've read in a long time, drawing lessons from something as essential as food to renew our hope in an era of anxiety, cynicism, and learned helplessness. Hope's Edge offers a welcome alternative to a world increasingly dominated by global capitalism, where more is often spent on processing, packaging, and promotion than on the nutritional value of the food itself and where American citizens are becoming unwary guinea pigs for GMO foods.
From their grassroots research spanning five continents, Frances and Anna Lappe bring heartening evidence that democracy is still alive, that our personal choices can add up to make a tremendous difference, and that, as Margaret Mead once said, "a small group of highly committed people can change the world." I recommend this book highly for its compelling vision of creativity, community, and positive social change.

A book that changes the way you think
I wanted to give you some feedback about an extraordinary book that you sell. Just out a few months ago, written by Frances Moore Lappe (author of Diet for a Small Planet), Ms. Lappe and her daughter Anna traveled 5 continents to write the stories of people in communities that are"doing the right thing" - benefiting their communities in sustainable ways as well as themselves and serving as inspiration for those of us who work to create more healthy and sustainable communities. Hope's Edge is even better than Diet for a Small Planet, and serves as a remarkable guide in a world that has become much harder to live in.

Two books that have really changed the way I think about the world are Malcolm Gladwell's The Tipping Point and Hope's Edge, by Frances Moore Lappe and Anna Lappe. Thank you for carrying books that introduce constructive avenues toward social change and move people to positive action.

Honest Hope
Hope's Edge is a Must Read for Everyone! The book puts it all together in an easy-to-understand, personal and honest fashion: the connection between consumerism, 'brainwashing', oppression, global economy, poverty, exploitation etc. etc. The concepts presented in this book are sophisticated and have depth. I liked the personal tone of the book, the story telling. The book is very honest, the stories told utterly inspiring. Frances and Anna never 'whitewash' the porlbmes the projects they are describing are facing. This truth-telling makes the stories even more impressive, more credible. The very existence of these projects defy the global systems as we know them. The way they do 'business' defies the global system of exploitation and competition. This book makes us take an honest look at ourselves, our values, the daily choices we make, what we consume, how we live. This is not just 'about food' or poverty or world hunger, this is truly food for thought and inspiration of how to create a better world."

Pushing the edge of hope a little further
Given the subject matter, one can be forgiven for expecting Hope's Edge to be a depressing read--after all we are pushing our planet to its absolute limit and hope sometimes seems a great folly. But rather than increase my sense of helplessness, the mother-daughter team of researchers and writers (Frances Moore-Lappe and Anna Lappe)have inspired me and indeed pushed the edge of hope a little further. With its documentation of individual lives and community-based solutions, the book reminds me about the importance of our individual decisions. It is easy to become complacent when I live in one of the wealthier parts of the world. It is just as easy to feel helpless and apathetic and to not see the impact I can make simply by supporting my local organic farmers and making other conscientious consumer decisions. Hope's Edge eloquently points to the power of imagination, of envisioning new ways of living and working in community. Thanks Anna and Frances for making the journey and sharing it with the world!

an inspiration to change your perceptions
I have felt deeply moved and inspired reading "Hope's Edge". Travelling with Fances and Anna Lappé around the world to learn about alternative ways of thinking and living has been a wonderful, exciting inspiration to look at life and my place in life with new and different eyes and to find out how and where I can change my perceptions.
The actors in this book try to overcome and change the pain and problems of destructive ways of living. The book made me feel that my life, and everyone's life, can make a true difference, and that it is worth trying.
For me, it was one of the most important books which I have encountered, and the ideas and thinking of Frances and Anna Lappé will accompany me for many years to come.
What an interesting, exciting, wonderful book! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Inspired my family to change and follow our dreams
Family Friendly Farming is about the recentering of your family on the important parts like your children. Every agrarian should read this book, kids or no kids. Do you want your hard work today to be carried on , or subdivided into housing?
This book was inspiring to my husband and I. After reading Pastured Poultry, we purchased all of them, as well as other small farm books and have completely changed our lives. We moved to a state with less restricitve, and more farmer friendly laws, and are working towards getting a small farm for ourselves and our kids. Joel offers alternatives to passing on the farm in Trusts, etc. Let yourself be inspired to dream!

Why your kids will want to farm, too!
Joel Salatin has achieved a great deal of prominence in developing his model of sustainable agriculture. His creativity in recognizing and integrating the holistic aspects of how nature prefers to work in raising poultry and cattle comes through in this work that applies the same principles to farm families. His analysis of the dehumanizing aspects of modern agribusiness and how it exploits both the farmer and his family manages to avoid the bitterness that so often accompanies helplessness. That's because rather than remain helpless, he advocates that the farmer change the nature of his business and the relationship he has with his clientele. Through the re-establishment of local agrarian cultures Salatin hopes we find models that renew the life that farming has often promised, but struggled to deliver.

For the Wendell Berry devotees, this is a practical way to live the agrarian life.

It is well written, only occasionally preachy, and well worth the money. This is not a "how to" book. Try his books "Salad Bar Beef", "Pastured Poultry Profits" and "You Can Farm" for the nuts and bolts of what he has accomplished. The guy is exceptional. ... Read more

Book Description

A sweeping analysis of California's agrarian history from 1850 to the present.

For over a century, California has been the world's most advanced agricultural zone, an agrarian juggernaut that not only outproduces every state in America, but also most countries. California's success, however, has come at significant costs. Never a family-farm region like the Midwest, California's landscape and Mediterranean climate have been manipulated and exploited to serve modern business interests. Home to gargantuan accomplishments such as the world's largest water storage and transfer network, California also relies on an army of Mexican farm laborers who live and work under dismal conditions.

In The Conquest of Bread, acclaimed historian Richard A. Walker offers a wide-angle overview of the agro-industrial system of production in California from farm to table. He lays bare the long evolution of each link in the food chain, showing how a persistent emphasis on productivity and growth allowed California to outpace agriculture elsewhere in the United States. Full of thunder and surprises, The Conquest of Bread allows the reader to weigh the claims of both boosters and critics in the debate over the most extraordinary agriculturalprofusion in the modern world. ... Read more

Book Description

There is no legal or socially responsible action by corporations without self-management of responsibility. This study presents an innovative and realistic proposal for effective corporate self-regulation. Based on extensive fieldwork in Europe, the U.S. and Australia, Christine Parker sets out practical strategies for managers, stakeholders and regulators to build successful self-regulation management systems. The book contributes to policy debates on regulation and deregulation, corporate social responsibility and deliberative democracy from a distinct angle. ... Read more

Book Description

Creating institutions to meet the challenge of sustainability is arguably the most important task confronting society; it is also dauntingly complex. Ecological, economic, and social elements all play a role, but despite ongoing efforts, researchers have yet to succeed in integrating the various disciplines in a way that gives adequate representation to the insights of each.

Panarchy, a term devised to describe evolving hierarchical systems with multiple interrelated elements, offers an important new framework for understanding and resolving this dilemma. Panarchy is the structure in which systems, including those of nature (e.g., forests) and of humans (e.g., capitalism), as well as combined human-natural systems (e.g., institutions that govern natural resource use such as the Forest Service), are interlinked in continual adaptive cycles of growth, accumulation, restructuring, and renewal. These transformational cycles take place at scales ranging from a drop of water to the biosphere, over periods from days to geologic epochs. By understanding these cycles and their scales, researchers can identify the points at which a system is capable of accepting positive change, and can use those leverage points to foster resilience and sustainability within the system.

This volume brings together leading thinkers on the subject-including Fikret Berkes, Buz Brock, Steve Carpenter, Carl Folke, Lance Gunderson, C.S. Holling, Don Ludwig, Karl-Göran Mäler, Charles Perrings, Marten Scheffer, Brian Walker, and Frances Westley-to develop and examine the concept of panarchy and to consider how it can be applied to human, natural, and human-natural systems. Throughout, contributors seek to identify adaptive approaches to management that recognize uncertainty and encourage innovation while fostering resilience.

The book is a fundamental new development in a widely acclaimed line of inquiry. It represents the first step in integrating disciplinary knowledge for the adaptive management of human-natural systems across widely divergent scales, and offers an important base of knowledge from which institutions for adaptive management can be developed. It will be an invaluable source of ideas and understanding for students, researchers, and professionals involved with ecology, conservation biology, ecological economics, environmental policy, or related fields. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Economics, Ecology, and Sociology Interactions
This is the only book I know of which provides theoretical framework for sustainable development using integrated management of economic, ecological, and social systems. The theoretical frame work is based on hierarchy and complexity theories.

You do not want to miss reading and owning it. It belongs in the library of all future oriented executives, economists, ecologists, sociologists, business planners, and policy makers. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

a book for all
From a multitude of perspectives (student, teacher, communicator, lover of the environment), this book speaks to the reader not only on a knowledge-based, fact-oriented level, but also (and possibly more importantly) to the most basic and essential needs of humanity.These needs include compassion, understanding, sustainability, and harmony and through the book, are translated into a sense of awakening, comprehension, hope, and tools to shape a universal ideal for a world in which we all hope to live. If there were ever to be a "required life text", I can only hope that this would be it.

A hidden gem
This book is an exceptional book covering not just ecology as a science but also the need for humans to awaken to earth's beauty, its Being, and our relationship to it.The book is not a radical environmental one where humans must go back to tribal living, but a very thought out and even carrying book.It belongs on the shelf of humanistic and transpersonal students as well as integral philosophers.The only bad thing about the book is that it is so unknown. ... Read more

Book Description

There are often no easy answers to environmental challenges. But asking the right questions leads to a clear and effective economic framework for understanding pressing environmental problems—from finding sites for landfills, to regulating chemical emissions from manufacturing plants, to preserving species diversity.
Organized around these four key questions, Eban Goodstein’s Fourth Edition offers in-depth analysis of important environmental policy debates, and equips readers with the tools necessary to understand these issues—as economists do. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Highly Recommended for Understanding Environmental Issues
How much pollution is too much? What role should government play in regulating the environment? Will "clean technology" lay the foundation for a sustainable future? These are the questions students of environment issues are posed with.

To help readers understand the far-reaching implications of environmental and resource economics, this text examines a broad range of topics in environmental economics. It presents "standard analysis," as well as in-depth treatment of important issues at the cutting edge of environmental policy debates.

The focus is on equipping readers with the tools necessary to analyze current environmental issues as an economist would.

In keeping with the philosophy of incorporating examples directly in the text, this book begins with a detailed case study of a "big issue" with which many students are familiar-global warming.

Other issues covered in a rigorous and comprehensive manner include the property-rights basis of environmental problems, benefit estimation techniques and benefit-cost analysis, incentive-based regulation, and sustainable resource use.

The Second Edition retains the three interrelated advantages of its predecessor-(1) broad content, (2) pedagogical clarity, and (3) timely, well-integrated examples-while incorporating major reorganizations, additions and updates aimed at enhancing learning and reflecting the most up-to-date information available.

Following the Introduction, this text centres around four focussed questions:

Part I: How Much Pollution is Enough? Part II: Is Government Up to the Job? Part III: How Can We Do Better? Part IV: Can We Resolve Global Issues?

Using these questions as guidelines, author Eban S. Goodstein develops the economic tools students need to explore solutions to environmental problems. In the process, the book covers a wealth of current examples, from global warming, to population growth, to urban air pollution and energy policy, to chemical regulation and landfill siting.

Part V covers four advanced topics: The Importance of Being Convex, Imperfect Regulation in an Uncertain World, Input-Output Models and Life-Cycle Analysis and Incentive-Compatible Regulation.

As this text addresses important questions raised in contemporary (and future) society and introduces readers to the economist's view of some solutions, it is highly recommended for students taking courses in environment management, environmental and resource economics, and environmental studies. Ideally, students would have undertaken a course in microeconomics or intermediate microeconomics as a prerequisite.

Reviewed by Azlan Adnan. Formerly a Research Officer with the Malaysian Timber Council's London office and Business Development Manager with KPMG's Kuala Lumpur office, Azlan holds a Master's degree in International Business and Management from the Westminster Business School.

### 411 words ###

Letters from Students
Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1999 15:55:19 -0500 From: C.N.Gomersall To: eban@lclark.edu Subject: student evaluations of your text Eban, I'm the fellow who asked you about the double dividend issue last spring, when I was using your text in my class on environmental economics. As we both gear up for next semester, Ithought I'd send you the results of my request, during that course lastspring, for (anonymous) evaluation of the text on the part of my students.(I survey most of my classes this way, though never with this kind ofresult; on the contrary, students are often rather cutting.)I'm includingevery word from every student. (1) I like this book. I think it hasgood chapter layouts and is great with examples. The examples also make thetext more interesting to read. (2) I like the text. I think it isvery straightforward and clear. It does a very good job of organizing whatis important and what is needed to understand some of the issues. (3)Goodstein's text, in my opinion, is valuable. It moves away from the strict"Friedman approach." It shows different sides of the argumentspresented and is fairly detailed. (4) Goodstein's book is excellent,one of the best textbooks I used in college. Its best attribute is the manyexamples given, they also help in the learning process. (5) Excellentbook. Well written and uses great examples. He ties in human with the welldescriptive topics. [This sentence was hard to read.]

(6) Goodstein'stext has been very well written and easy to use. (7) Goodstein does agood job of writing this text. Sometimes it is a bit dry and the chapterstake a long time to read. Overall, though, this is a good text for thisclass and a good learning tool. (8) I think the Goodstein text does apretty good job of writing at a level that we can interpret. I also likehis summaries of the chapters, and pointing out of important topics in eachsection. (9) Good book. Interesting to read. (10)Goodstein isgood at getting his point across. It seems to me that much in his book isrepetitive, though. It is difficult though to talk about this subjectwithout being repetitive. Overall Goodstein does [a] good job, especiallywith examples. (11)Goodstein as such has been a good selection forthe text. He explains a lot of new material in a manner geared towards hisprimary audience, the students. I think he has done a good job. (12) The Goodstein book is excellent, in my opinion. It seems very unbiased,especially considering the possibilities of either being slanted toward theenvironment or the other way [sic]. It presents a lot of informationwithout being too technical and overwhelming those of us who haven't hadmuch economics with graphs and other "economic tools." And yes,I liked it too. (signed) Nick Gomersall

_________________________________________________________ C.N.Gomersallgomersni@luther.edu Associate Professor of EconomicsLuther College, Decorah, Iowa, U.S.A.

Highly Recommended for Students of Environmental Issues
How much pollution is too much? What role should government play in regulating the environment? Will "clean technology" lay the foundation for a sustainable future? To help students understand thefar-reaching implications of environmental and resource economics, thistext examines a broad range of topics in environmental economics. Itpresents "standard analysis," as well as in-depth treatment ofimportant issues at the cutting edge of environmental policy debates. Thefocus is on equipping students with the tools necessary to analyze currentenvironmental issues as an economist would.

In keeping with thephilosophy of incorporating examples directly in the text, this book beginswith a detailed case study of a "big issue" with which manystudents are familiar-global warming. Other issues covered in a rigorousand comprehensive manner include the property-rights basis of environmentalproblems, benefit estimation techniques and benefit-cost analysis,incentive-based regulation, and sustainable resource use.

The SecondEdition retains the three interrelated advantages of its predecessor-(1)broad content, (2) pedagogical clarity, and (3) timely, well-integratedexamples-while incorporating major reorganizations, additions and updatesaimed at enhancing learning and reflecting the most up-to-date informationavailable. Following the Introduction, this text centres around fourfocussed questions:

Part I: How Much Pollution is Enough? Part II: IsGovernment Up to the Job? Part III: How Can We Do Better? Part IV: Can WeResolve Global Issues?

Using these questions as guidelines, the authordevelops the economic tools students need to explore solutions toenvironmental problems. In the process, the book covers a wealth of currentexamples, from global warming, to population growth, to urban air pollutionand energy policy, to chemical regulation and landfill siting.

Part Vcovers four advanced topics: The Importance of Being Convex, ImperfectRegulation in an Uncertain World, Input-Output Models and Life-CycleAnalysis and Incentive-Compatible Regulation.

As this text addressesimportant questions raised in contemporary (and future) society andintroduces readers to the economist's view of some solutions, it is highlyrecommended for students taking courses in environment management,environmental and resource economics, and environmental studies. Ideally,students would have undertaken a course in microeconomics or intermediatemicroeconomics as a prerequisite.

Formerly a Research Officer with theMalaysian Timber Council's London office and Business Development Managerwith KPMG's Kuala Lumpur office, Azlan Adnan is currently Managing Partnerof Azlan & Koh Knowledge and Professional Management Group, aneducation and management consulting practice based in Kota Kinabalu. Heholds a Master's degree in International Business and Management from theWestminster Business School. ... Read more

Book Description

Something is wrong with our agricultural and food systems.Despite great progress in increasing productivity in the last century, hundreds of millions of people remain hungry and malnourished. Can nothing be done or is it time for the expansion of another sort of agriculture, founded on more ecological principles, and in harmony with people, their societies and cultures?

This book draws on many stories of successful transformation. A sustainable agriculture making the best of nature and people's knowledges and collective capacities has been showing increasingly good promise. Everyone is in favour of sustainability, yet few go seriously beyond the fine words. This book shows that there is no alternative to radical reform of national agricultural, rural and food policies and institutions - the time has come for the next agricultural revolution. ... Read more