Recommended Books
General Theory:
- Deep Economy, Bill Mckibben
- The Ecology of Commerce, Paul Hawken: More on business as usual and how this hampers our abilities to move as a society to truly effective and efficient ways to deliver goods and services. Many ideas on how to make changes in economic function to gain more effective ecological and social function.
- Natural Capitalism, Amory Lovins, Hunter Lovins, Paul Hawken: Energy and materials efficiencies can be improved for businesses and households. Examples, and thought-provoking ideas on how to make simple changes in process to gain huge reductions in impacts are the focus.
Agriculture:
- Going Local, Michael Shuman: Building economically vital local community, retaining capital. Important fact: 95% of every dollar spent on power (of all kinds) leaves the community within hours. Important outcome of local production and conservation: more money stays in the community.
- Hope's Edge, Francis Lappé, Anne Lappé: Food, local food, food quality, active democracy and rebuilding local communities. Also some great recipes for vegans; as a committed vegan, Lappé can't quite bring herself to believe that land can be managed well and at the same time raise livestock, but otherwise this book is quite informative.
- Holistic Management, Allan Savory: High intensity, short term grazing method, developed for dry range land is taught from an institute (Allan Savory Institute) that helps farmers and ranchers rethink how they manage both land and business, to meet their short term and long term goals with viable, healthy, profitable land. You will not look at fields and rangelands ever again in the same way after reading this book.
- Why Grass-fed is Best, Jo Robinson: One of several books on the health impacts of confined feeding over grass-based grazing. Grass-based grazing is spreading around the country, coupled with local direct sales this is an important way for farms and ranches to become profitable.
Investment:
- Confessions of An Economic Hit Man, John Perkins: How half a century of international economic aid has financially devastated the third world and maintained an economically, socially and ecologically destructive status quo for our planet.
- Investing with Your Values, Hal Brill, Jack Brill, Cliff Feigenbaum: A thoughtful look at the issues behind socially responsible investing, and the gains.
- Homemade Money, Richard Heede and staff of Rocky Mountain Institute: Some of the 1,001 decisions we make about how to maintain, upgrade and run our homes, and how to save money doing so. Aimed at homeowners, excellent introduction to the process of improving energy efficiency in a low tech, understandable way.
Process:
- Dancing with the Tiger, Brian Nattress, Mary Altomane Nattress: On process of sustainability and making systematic changes, with many good case examples from communities, businesses, US Army.
Other:
- The Autobiography of David Suzuki, David Suzuki : Reading about the life of David Suzuki is akin to a “how-to” guide on what it means to be sustainable. As a leading environmentalist and passionate thinker, Suzuki's voice cannot be ignored.