The International Conference on Environment: Survival and Sustainability, held at the Near East University, Nicosia, Northern Cyprus 19-24 February 2007, dealt with environmental threats and proposed solutions at all scales. The 21 themes addressed by the conference fell into four broad categories; Threats to Survival and Sustainability; Technological Advances towards Survival and Sustainability; Activities and Tools for Social Change; Defining Goals for Sustainable Societies. Activities and tools that move the society towards greater sustainability were emphasized at the conference. These included environmental law and ethics, environmental knowledge, technology and information systems, media, environmental awareness, education and lifelong learning, the use of literature for environmental awareness, the green factor in politics, international relations and environmental organizations. The breadth of the issues addressed at the conference made clear the need for greatly increased interdisciplinary and international collaboration the survival and sustainability concept. The exchanges at the conference represent a step in this direction.
A novel, integrated approach to understanding long-term human history, viewing it as the long-term evolution of human information-processing. This title is also available as Open Access.
Design for Sustainability Survival Guide concerns all the details on applying sustainability requirements in design. It is a critical and concise overview of the important facts from all imaginable angles. The book is written and illustrated to inform, support and inspire future designers. The guide covers everything in sustainability: from personal reader experience to universal guiding principles, from energy use and the flow of materials to the role of time, consumption, use, circularity and reduction. It includes tips, principles and guidelines to nourish design projects from start to finish. New approaches beyond the conventional are introduced and current assumptions on economics, technology and design are pointed out throughout the book.
Corporate Survival: The Critical Importance of Sustainability Risk Management thoroughly examines the rising sustainability risks that affect thriving businesses, the environment, various societies, people in foreign lands, and our children. Author Dan Anderson, a professor of risk management and insurance, has been observing sustainability risk management issues for his entire career. In Corporate Survival he presents guidelines for various professionals in the risk management and insurance industries. In his view, corporations need to establish sound sustainability risk management systems in order to survive potentially major financial and professional damages. These damages can arise from liability suits, customer boycotts, shareholder actions, new regulations, and international pressures. Anderson provides well-timed direction for establishing risk management systems, as well as numerous examples of how companies successfully employ sustainability risk management strategies. He also demonstrates the advantages of following his advice for corporate survival, including reducing sustainability risk costs, improving competitive advantage, attracting both reliable customers and productive employees, augmenting the firm's reputation and community image, and increasing profits. Corporate Survival will help all corporations and those in the fields of risk management and insurance improve business systems while enhancing environmental quality and social justice conditions.
Planet Earth has been here for over 4.5 billion years but in just two human generations we have managed to place our only 'home' at great risk. Many lessons from history have not yet been learned and new lessons may prove equally, if not more, difficult to take on board as we head deeper into the twenty-first century. This book highlights two of our greatest social problems: changing the way we relate to the planet and to one another, and confronting how we use technology (dataism) for the benefit of both humankind and the planet. Covering a wide range of key topics, including environmental degradation, modern life, capitalism, robotics, financing of war (vs peace) and the pressing need to re-orient society towards a sustainable future, the book contends that lifelong learning for sustainability is key to our survival. The author argues that One Health - recognising the fundamental interconnections between people, animals, plants, the environment - needs to inform the UN-2030 Sustainable Development Goals and that working towards the adoption of a new mindset is essential. We need to replace our current view of limitless resources, exploitation, competition and conflict with one that respects the sanctity of life and strives towards well-being for all, shared prosperity and social stability. Clearly written, evidence based and transdisciplinary - and including contributions from the World Bank, InterAction Council, Chatham House, UNESCO, World Economic Forum, the Tripartite One Health collaboration (UN Food and Agriculture Organization, World Organisation for Animal Health and World Health Organization), One Health Commission and more - this book cuts across sociopolitical, economic and environmental lines. It will be of great interest to practitioners, academics, policy-makers, students, nongovernment agencies and the public at large in both developed and developing nations.
This book focuses on Yellowstone: the park, the larger ecosystem, and even more so, the “idea” of Yellowstone. In presenting a case for a new conservation paradigm for the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), including Yellowstone National Park, the book, at its heart, is about people and nature relationships. This new paradigm will be truly committed to a healthy, sustainable environment, rich in other life forms, and one that affords dignity for all: humans and nonhumans. The new story or paradigm must be about living such a commitment and future for GYE in real time. The book presents a well-developed theory for interdisciplinary problem solving that is grounded in practice.
Fair trade is a fast-growing alternative market intended to bring better prices and greater social justice to small farmers around the world. But what does a fair-trade label signify? This vivid study of coffee farmers in Mexico offers the first thorough investigation of the social, economic, and environmental benefits of fair trade. Based on extensive research in Zapotec indigenous communities in Oaxaca, Brewing Justice follows the members of the cooperative Michiza, whose organic coffee is sold on the international fair-trade market, and compares them to conventional farming families in the same region. The book carries readers into the lives of coffee-producer households and communities, offering a nuanced analysis of fair trade’s effects on everyday life and the limits of its impact. Brewing Justice paints a clear picture of the dynamics of the fair-trade market and its relationship to the global economy. Drawing on interviews with dozens of fair-trade leaders, the book also explores the movement’s fraught politics, especially the challenges posed by rapid growth and the increased role of transnational corporations. It concludes with recommendations to strengthen and protect the integrity of fair trade. This updated edition includes a substantial new chapter that assesses recent developments in both coffee-growing communities and movement politics, offering a guide to navigating the shifting landscape of fair-trade consumption.
Most people love nature and consider themselves environmentalists, but nature isn't just pretty and lovable, it is indispensable to our survival and economic activity. That is the most compelling reason for environmental protection. The conventional economic wisdom views land (natural capital) as a small part of the economy, along with capital, labor, technology and so on. The authors argue that this is backwards: that the economy nests within the environment (land) and not the other way around. The authors give a brief history of the origins of conventional economic wisdom and critique it from a the standpoint of ecological economics. They explain what natural capital -our life support system - is and does, and describe the severe strains that have been put on it. They conclude with some policy options, such as green taxes and suggestions for personal action that would conserve natural capital and thus make conserve resources for present and future generations. Natural Capital and Human Economic Survival is written for environmentalists, environmental studies majors and anyone concerned about the flaws of mainstream economics - how it has led us into unsustainable ways of living - and who would like to learn about alternatives that are more sustainable.
At a time of increasingly rapid environmental deterioration, sustainability is one of the most important issues facing the world. Can we create a sustainable society? What would that mean? How should we set about doing it? How can we bring about such a pr
BOOST LOYALTY, PROFITABILITY, AND GROWTH WITH A STRATEGY OF SUSTAINABILITY Organizational Survival provides a rational, research-based approach to creating a durable business strategy designed to meet the needs of today's customers and position an organization to outperform while positively impacting society, the environment, community, and the bottom line. Balestrero and Udo present an airtight argument for sustainability being essential to any business strategy going forward. Illustrating how successful companies around the globe are already deliberately changing--including Coca-Cola, BMW, BASF, and Walmart--the authors take you step-by-step through the processes of developing a new strategy, or altering an existing one, to integrate sustainability into core business goals. Organizational Survival provides the tools needed to apply risk management, scenario planning, and due diligence to sustainability initiatives via their innovative SEEE model framework--developed in conjunction with International Institute for Learning, Inc.--which encompasses the social, economic, environmental, and ethical factors of strategic change. Learn to build adaptive foresight and steer the future of your company based on: SOCIAL COMMITMENT: Integrate individual and community stakeholder interests into your strategy and align them with your company's values ECONOMIC COMMITMENT: Develop a business model that will generate profits through sustainability ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITMENT: Honestly assess the company's impact on the environment and take requisite action ETHICAL COMMITMENT: Build trust among all stakeholders through openness, transparency, and accountability Embrace the changes businesses are facing, and implement a strategy now that will meet market demand and ensure your Organizational Survival. PRAISE FOR ORGANIZATIONAL SURVIVAL: "Fine book! What I find most impressive is the authors' success at achieving balance: Neither simply optimistic nor pessimistic, they offer grounds for hope. The book balances the need for sustainability with opportunities for its achievement. Well researched, their stories and their data come from both the developed and the developing world. The book is both deeply principled and highly pragmatic." -- Jay Ogilvy, Dean and Chief Academic Officer, Presidio School of Management "There's no shortage of corporate sustainability books or leaders. The rarity is corporate sustainability books by leaders: people who truly understand the institutional dynamics that get in the way of change, and that can be harnessed to make change happen. Greg Balestrero and Nathalie Udo plug this gap admirably in Organizational Survival." -- Storm Cunningham, author of The Restoration Economy and reWealth "Organizational Survival is a comprehensive approach to supporting and leading change within an organization. The practical insights, in-depth research, and business cases the authors present provide a valuable perspective on the business need for sustainability, as well as the practical assessment model and framework needed to successfully implement sustainability/Corporate Social Responsibility within an organization." -- Lisa Shambro, Executive Director, Foundation for Strategic Sourcing "Far more than a compelling case for change, Organizational Survival is a step-by-step road map for how to transform your corporate destiny and build a sustainable future for all." -- Simon Mainwaring, author of the New York Times bestseller We First: How Brands and Consumers Use Social Media to Build a Better World
