Product Description
Estimates of the economic values of environmental and resource services canbe a useful part of the information base supporting resource and environmental managementdecisions, a premise substantiated by current environmental and resource policy issues.

A. Myrick Freeman II examines in a clear and objective manner the relationship between benefitsand environmental decision-making and the problems involved in measuring the values ofenvironmental changes. In the manner of its distinguished predecessor the second edition ofThe Measurements of Environmental and Resource Values presents a comprehensive,rigorous treatment of benefit measurement, providing an introduction to the principal methodsand techniques of resource and environmental valuation to professional economists and graduatestudents who are not directly engaged in the field. Features of the new edition include areworking of the chapter on stated preference methods of valuation and new sections on thevaluation of ecosystem functions and services, benefits transfer, and combining stated preferenceand revealed preference data.

Practitioners in the field will welcome the work as an up-to-date reference on recentdevelopments in the theory and methods underlying the practice of resource valuation. Readersof every kind will understand more clearly and appreciate the important role that estimates of theeconomic values of environmental and resource services can play in supporting resource andenvironmental management decisions. ... Read more

Product Description
Unlike any other introductory environmental science text, Robert Kaufmann and Cutler Cleveland's Environmental Science takes a fresh approach to the subject by weaving themes of energy and materials, economic systems, and policy throughout the entire text. A story of real science is simply told through examples of cutting-edge content, real-world applications, and a distinctive conceptual illustration program. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A comprehensive environment textbook for the undergraduate student.
This book is excellent in presenting an integrated world view by examining relationships between physical and biological systems. It is not a biology, ecology, or geography book alone, but an interdisciplinary alternative. I really like the "your ecological footprint" exercises in each chapter.
... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent defense of politics and ethics vs. mainstream economics
It's been a while since I had the pleasure of writing so many check marks in the margins of a book. This one presents an acute critique of cost-benefit analysis (CBA) and a principled argument for the restoration of the precautionary principle (PP) to its rightful place in American environmental law. But it also makes a powerful, more general case for the importance of the political and ethical, in opposition to the pseudo-"objective" economistic trend that has been taking over government and American legal thinking generally in recent decades. And it achieves these by blending theory and concrete application, or, as the author (DK) puts it, "moving from the most abstract of continental theorizing to the most mundane of bureaucratic fish-counting" (@204).

The continental theorizing of most importance here is the ethical theory of the French philosopher & Talmud scholar, Emmanuel Levinas. He pointed out that the recognition of the "other" is the foundation of all ethics, starting from something so basic as "Thou shalt not kill." His version of ethics is thus "agent-relative," in which reasons are based on the identity of the agent, i.e. on who you are, and on a respect for the subjectivity of the person (or creature, as DK would have it) you're facing.

Champions of CBA such as Cass Sunstein, formerly a law professor at U. of Chicago and now on leave from Harvard to serve in the Obama Administration, instead promote a more "agent-neutral" position claimed by utilitarianism, where reasons are based on abstract ideas of rightness or goodness (e.g., utility maximization).They ridicule the PP as inconsistent and an obstacle to progress, preferring Sunstein's mantra that "everything will depend on what the facts show and on the costs and benefits of alternative policies." But DK shows how this in effect claims that the state "has no meaningful agency, intention or limit." (@63-64.) Moreover, a "just the facts" or maximizing approach isn't sufficient to explain why that approach is ethically the right one to take.

In contrast, the PP's openness is its strength. It "remind[s] the political community that it is a distinctive actor within history," the way that the Hippocratic Oath reminds a physician of his or her special role. Contrary to Sunstein & al.s' jibes, the PP isn't intended to serve literally as a program of action any more than is the Hippocratic principle "First, do no harm"(otherwise doctors would never stick needles into people or cut them open). Rather, both are "reminder[s] of a responsibility that cannot be shed, ethics that cannot be systematized." (@252-253.) Plus, by forcing a collective political confrontation with our own "fallibility and finitude," the PP also has an expressive force: while "trade-offs may in some sense be inevitable, as the economist reminds us," the PP reminds us that they "are *regrettably*" inevitable (@20.)

On a practical note, DK shows how the PP is *already* embodied in the great environmental statutes enacted by Congress, such as the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act -- it's not some aspirational, utopian proposal. CBA has made its inroads by undermining Congressional intention during the regulatory process (the very process over which Sunstein is now "czar," BTW). One interesting and sad lesson of the book is that Democratic advisers -- including Sunstein and William Nordhaus (who advised Jimmy Carter) -- can be just as awful for environmental regulation as the more obvious Dick Cheney & co.

Since a "look inside" isn't available, here's a brief summary of the contents: Part 1 of the book is a rather philosophical discussion contrasting agent-relative and agent-neutral approaches to normative ethics, and their analogues in political theory: roughly, communitarianism and libertarianism. Part 2 of the book offers a more practically-focused critique of inconsistencies in application of CBA, such as in connection with the construction of levees in New Orleans. DK also highlights some of the silly and appalling conclusions to which the logic of CBA can lead, e.g., how a policy advocated by Sunstein would lead to valuing the lives of members of certain racial minorities lower than lives of other people (@114f). And he includes a powerful condemnation of "Pareto optimality" (and, by extension, CBA) as justifying the social status quo, regardless of distributive inequality. Part 3 argues that environmental law can't ignore other nations, other generations or other forms of life (including those obtained by genetic engineering). It includes an excellent discussion of the intergenerational discounting used in economic analyses of climate change. Part 4 opens with a practical application of Levinasian ethics to Harvard economist Robert Stavins's 2002 attack on proposed EPA regulations for cooling water intake structures. It concludes with a discussion of the constitutional status of environmental protection, and a deliberately provocative proposal for an "Environmental Possibilities Act," included as an Appendix.

I especially appreciated DK's resort to European philosophy, something American social scientists rarely make -- least of all in the legal academy, which today is dominated by Chicago-style "law and economics". DK is also going against the academy's grain in his attack on the welfare economics mentality. This is isomorphic in many ways to an attack on the defects of neoclassical economics overall, though DK rarely makes such an explicitly broad attack. The gist of many of DK's arguments, especially about Pareto optimality and distributive issues, will therefore be familiar if you've done some reading in heterodox economics.

DK also makes a neat point when he mentions that Teddy Roosevelt used a utilitarian argument for preferring future generations to our own -- in contrast to the utilitarian discounting of future lives recommended by mainstream economics today. TR's point was that future people way outnumber us, so their interests should prevail. An analogous flip (though not mentioned in the book) could be made regarding CBA in the context of innovation. Per Sunstein, innovation should go forward unless its costs are shown to outweigh its potential benefits; but nothing inherent in CBA prevents the burden of proof from running in the opposite direction (proving benefits will outweigh potential costs).

While DK writes in a dense style intended for an academic readership, by academic standards he often does so with deep feeling. (There's a one-line paragraph "Voilà " @ 193, though, the point of which utterly escaped me.) As for the content, my points of difference were few. DK's criticism of the "environmental Kuznets curve" was a bit restrained for my taste; and his frequent references to "complex adaptive systems" rely unnecessarily on a very particular concept of complexity (namely, the point of view of the Santa Fe Institute). I was a little frustrated DK didn't mention Theodore Porter's "Trust in Numbers" (1996), which shows that CBA was invented during the 1930s *for the specific purpose* of replacing a more open political process with a behind-closed-doors one: seems to me as if it could have added firepower to DK's critique. My biggest disagreements were with DK's endorsing some ideas of Herman Daly, concerning faith in tradable permit schemes (@246), and in the possibility of achieving some sort of equilibrium in resource use (@241). The latter is impracticable because we lack sufficient a priori knowledge to know all the resources, including environmental "services", we're using when we use them (the "Big Yellow Taxi" problem). This is all small stuff.

I reserve somewhat more criticism for the publisher. The price is high enough for a hardcover book, though YUP seems not to have published a hardcover version. Yet YUP also was too stingy with pages to include a bibliography. The index is sometimes keyed to the footnotes, but inconsistently so (and DK's reference to Robert Solow, whose apparent absence had shocked me when I first opened the book, is indexed as "Snow, Robert"): another economy, perhaps? I wish YUP's own cost-benefit analysis had had a different outcome. Especially, I hope the high price doesn't make YUP's apparent expectation of a limited readership for this book a self-fulfilling prophecy, because the book deserves a wide one. ... Read more

Product Description
Taking Sides volumes present current controversial issues in a debate-style format designed to stimulate student interest and develop critical thinking skills. Each issue is thoughtfully framed with an issue summary, an issue introduction, and a postscript or challenge questions. Taking Sides readers feature an annotated listing of selected World Wide Web sites. An online Instructor’s Resource Guide with testing material is available for each volume. Using Taking Sides in the Classroom is also an excellent instructor resource. Visit www.mhhe.com/takingsides for more details. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Taking Sides: A good read
This is a great book that tackles many current issues about the environment.I like how each topic has an argument from two opposing sides.Some of the essays can be long and boring, but for the most part they are very informative and a great discussion starter.

on time
I had no problem receiving this book from this site. It was a reasonable proce and on time for my class. I would recommend this book to everyone and also recpmmendthis site to order book as long as it from the site itself and not someone on the site. ... Read more

Product Description
Spark children's imagination with over 90 environment-friendly activities. These instantaneous art and nature activities encourage the understanding and appreciation of the earth and other living things. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Very nice, not necessary
This is a wonderful, lovely book with some very nice ideas in the Waldorf-tradition style. It is not, however, necessary to own it, especially as there are some books that are still in print that contain much of the same ideas. The Children's Year, by Stephanie Cooper et al, is one such book. But this book does have very lovely ideas and descriptions to go along with much of the content, she discusses many of the activities and crafts (and the "why" of those) more than any other book I've seen. So I'm glad I have it, but if you're on a budget or looking for something with more ideas, then I suggest looking at something else.

Love it!
I have many books.Lots of them sit on the shelf and come out as needed.This is one that does not even go back on to the shelf.It sits at my computer with a couple of "must haves" and I refer to it several times a week.You will not be disappointed with this book!

Great book: Seems like a compilation of lots of timeless ideas
I love that this book teaches how to do things yourself, from drying apples and churning butter to making your own simple toy ribbon wands and leaf crowns. Rather than having to rely on a store for something new, this book encourages teachers to instruct children on how to do it themselves. Many of the activities use natural materials that could be acquired during a short nature walk.

NB: Check this out at the library, but do not pay the exorbitant price ($100) for a used copy, especially since the author has a similar, reasonably price book in print called Earthwise.Earthwise: Environmental Crafts and Activities with Young Children

Excellent book to add to your home library!
I have had this book for years and love it. The book is divided into four sections, one for each season. Each activity is marked for a particular age and above, such as 3+ or 4+.

I just opened the book to gather more summer activity ideas. We have made the butterfly crowns in years past and my girls had so much fun with this one. I learned how to make dandelion chains here which we do every year now. My girls made the bark boats about a month ago and had a lot of fun with it. Next on our list is, Parachute People!

Wonderful Activities
I checked out this book from my library and we had such a wonderful time with it that we promptly bought it.

Particularly fun things, such as making your own butter, really capture the attention of the young and older alike.

Fun resource for anyone with young children. ... Read more

Product Description
The best preparation for discipline-specific FE exams60 practice problems, with full solutionsA complete, simulated 4-hour discipline-specific examCovers all the topics for that particular disciplineProvides the in-depth review you need ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Not Impressed
This book was not relevant or useful for the Environmental portion of the FE.I passed, but no thanks to this book (unfortunately).

Helpful resource
This book was a helpful resource for preparing for the FE exam.Without it I would not have known what to expect on the environmental section of the exam.

Environmental EIT guide
This book did not help at all.They basically just explained the formulas in then Environmental Engineering section of the reference manual (which you probably have in textbooks anyway) and had some practice problems relating to those formulas.However, the actual test pulled mostly from Civil Engineering and the problems were nothing like the ones in this book. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (3)

A Collection of Case Studies Not a Profound Analysis
The Quest for Environmental Justice is an interesting collection of essays that highlight several case studies of activism with a predominant USA angle to them. Edited under the supervision of Dr. Bullard the book falls short of offering a strong underpinning to the environmental justice thinking and challenges, to instead concentrate on examples of abuses, and community actions.

Additional debate and analysis around the challenges facing environmental justice, and social equity, and the different currents of policy affecting it would have made a more interesting collection. The book feels like an addendum to other volumes by Bullard that are far more focused. Here after a generic if solvent highlight of where environmental justice is at as a movement, he jumps to stress the importance of it for color communities, which while an essential part of the issue, feels somewhat unestructure as if one were working on the assumption that the preceding work of Bullard is know by the reader, and leaving a hint of excluding flavor when one takes a global perspective.

It is true that the work around environmental justice and African American communities in the USA is probably the most important contributions of Bullard, but here it feels like a drag for a volume that would have seem to aspire embracing other communities and a broader outlook. Fortunately some of the contributions explore case studies affecting other communities and a couple venture to narrate struggles outside the USA. A few of those essays do offer a very insightful analysis of environmental justice challenges and there resides the strenght of the volume. However, for a broader, more comprehensive an incisive work on environmental justice, instead of a collection of case studies one would need to go elsewhere.

Good Intentions
Bullard, et al. have good intentions in that they want to correct environmental injustice and racism.However, sometimes they are too quick to call racism or get bogged down in statistics.My favorite chapter was the one on the Vieques people of Puerto Rico.If anything, I learned a lot about world politics.

Empowering
"The Quest for Environmental Justice" by Robert D. Bullard (editor) is an excellent primer about the environmental justice ('E.J.') movement. Blending U.S. environmental and social justice activists together in the late 1970s, the E.J. movement has grown to become a significant multinational political force. The numerous authors who have contributed to this volume explore the movement's rich history and chronicle many of the noteworthy struggles that have improved the lives of many people and can provide inspiration and hope to us all.

The introductory chapters include a Foreword by Congresswoman Maxine Waters, who played an important role in a campaign that successfully relocated the largely African-American community of Norco, LA away from a highly polluting oil refinery; a Preface by Peggy Morrow Shepard, who believes that the E.J. movement is key to reinvigorating the mainstream environmental organizations; and an Introduction by Mr. Bullard, who recounts how some of the core principles of the E.J. movement were institutionalized at the EPA during the Clinton adminsitration.

The book is divided into four sections.

The first section, "A Legacy of Injustice" discusses the history of the E.J. movement. "Environmental Justice in ther Twenty-first Century" by Mr. Bullard compares and contrasts the Summit I and Summit II meetings to discuss both the growth of the movement and how its organizational tactics and principles have developed over time. "Neighborhoods 'Zoned' for Garbage" by Mr. Bullard drills into the author's personal experiences fighting zoning decisions in Houston, TX that first brought the fledgling E.J. movement to prominence. "Women Warriers of Color on the Front Line" by Mr. Bullard and Damu Smith offers a series of vignettes written by seven exceptional women who have led community-based campaigns to victory, often against formidable and well-financed corporate opponents.

The second section is about "The Assault on Fence-Line Communities". Beverly Wright's "Living and Dying in Louisiana's 'Cancer Alley'" connects the legacy of slavery and racism with environmental exploitation and relates the successes of historic African-American towns such as Convent, LA in achieving a small measure of justice for its citizens against a large Japanese multinational corporation. Manuel Pastor, Jr. et al's "Environmental Inequity in Metropolitan Los Angeles" documents the myriad ill health effects that are produced by the disproportionate siting of hazardous sites in minority neighborhoods. Olga Pomar's "Toxic Racism on a New Jersey Waterfront" discusses the legacy of industrial pollution in Camden, NJ and the importance of developing legal tools that communities might use to more effectively petition government to secure their rights.

The third section is on the topic of "Land Rights and Sustainable Development". "Anatomy of the Urban Parks Movement" by Robert Garcia and Erica Flores explores the unequal distribution of parkland in the Los Angeles metropolitan area and the Latino community's struggle to create an inner city park at an area known as the Cornfields. "Resource Wars Against Native Peoples" by Al Gedicks weaves together the experiences of native peoples in Columbia, Ecuador and the U.S. who are resisting the sacrifice of their lands in the name of unsustainable consumption. "Tierra y Vida" by Devon Pena documents the Chicano experience in the southwestern U.S. including struggles with powerful mining, agriculture, waste disposal, real estate and water interests that have long exploited labor and land for profit.

The fourth section is "Human Rights and Global Justice". Robin Morris Collin and Robert Collin's "Environmental Reparations" calls for mainstream environmental organizations to create a more inclusive environmental movement by acknowledging the interconnectedness of rural and urban ecosystems and to fight for E.J. reparations in minority communities. Deborah Berman Santana's "Vieques" is an inspiring account of resistance by the Puerto Rican people and their struggle to create a sustainable local economy. Oronoto Douglas et al's "Alienation and Militancy in the Niger Delta" details the abysmal situation that has been created in Nigeria by the confluence of oil money and government corruption but suggests ways that might prove helpful in ending the violence and nurturing a responsible form of democracy to take root.

David McDonald's "Environmental Racism and Neoliberal Disorder in South Africa" offers perhaps the book's most insightful analytical work by demonstrating how white overaccumulation and black deprivation in South Africa may explain why neoliberalism has supplanted the apartheid system as the primary means by which the privileged class has maintained its claim on scarce environmental resources. Mr. Bullard et al's "Addressing Global Poverty, Pollution and Human Rights" provides a succinct and impassioned case for addressing inequities based on race, sex and class in order to create a sustainable global community for all to share.

I highly recommend this cogently written and empowering book to everyone. ... Read more

Product Description
This text takes a unique approach to presenting environmental health to students. Rather than being organized around the traditional regulatory fields (air pollution, hazardous wastes, etc.), this book is structured around the things we do as individuals and societies that result in environmental health hazards. The author details the hazards of energy production, industry, food production, and the modern lifestyle, while exploring our place within the global community. The book is an excellent introduction to environmental health for students of public health and health science.Instructor's Resources:Test Bank (both a multiple-choice exam and short answer exam) - Now Available!Companion Website - coming soon! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Great overview of the field of Environmental Health
I used this textbook for the environmental health core class at my school of public health, and found it to be excellent--probably one of the best textbooks I've seen in 2.5 years of graduate school.I had the advantage of having the author as my instructor, but even without Dr. Maxwell teaching the course the book would have been just as useful.First, it's extremely well-written, which should be a given for any textbook but usually is not the case.The fact that she makes few, if any, grammatical errors and writes in a very clear manner makes reading material that is not intuitive a lot easier.Second, she incorporates figures, diagrams, and graphics nicely to add to the text.Some books seem to add graphics just because they think they should, but they don't really add anything content wise.Third, she has an extensive glossary of terms for virtually every major concept introduced in the book, which is incredibly helpful if you're trying to study this material.

I don't agree with the review that says she doesn't talk enough about regulation.This is meant to be an introductory level textbook, and the outline of regulatory bodies and what they oversee is sufficient for the purposes of an introduction.Environmental health policy is not necessarily straightforward, and an in-depth discussion should be saved for a more advanced or policy-specific course.

Finally, I think that the concepts presented in this book are essential for everyone to learn.Things like the environmental toxins in every day products we use, the food we eat, etc. should be a part of general curriculum so that people are aware and can make informed decisions as to how they want to live their lives.Also, the lack of sustainable modern day practices and the impact on future generations is important information for all of us, and this book gives a nice overview of both the problems and potential solution.I found myself feeling grateful that this was a required course for my graduate program, and that I had such a great textbook to facilitate learning the material.

A less than successful text book
This book is not as comprehensive as Moeller's Environmental Health.The author has a tendency to make unsubstantiated assertions making the book less well integrated than one would hope for.An example, she does a very nice introduction to the hydrologic cycle but never really develops a line of thought about its important to the range of environmental issues to which it is linked.That would have required maybe 10-15 more pages. Another example where further development would improve the text is the author's presentation on the precautionary principle.She never discusses the Rio meeting and starts discussing precautionary principle in terms of the Wingspread Conference which occurred much later and was not a globally represented meeting.She also does not adequately relate the precautionary principle to risk assessment. At the same time the author does a relatively good job of reviewing high points of Environmental Health.Perhaps if the auther had expanded the text so that her assertions could have supporting documentation, and lines of thought were more fully developed, it would be a better text. Throughout the text the author very superficially introduces significant environmental laws associated with the topic under discussion.For people in public health it may be useful to present the background to the laws, and the regulations that are associated with them.

New, different, and valuable
A fascinating book, crammed with information. The innovative and intuitive organization makes the text very accessible for Masters in Public Health students and nonspecialists alike. (A table in the back maps out the locations in the text where traditional public health topics are discussed, to aid student and teacher.) Clearly structured tables and diagrams, photos, instructive sidebars and footnotes, a thorough glossary, and well-defined learning objectives and study questions--coupled with the lucid and engaging writing--raise this text well above the norm. Detailed and often scary, this book should form part of every curriculum, from medical to political science, that's concerned with human health.

A Textbook and More
The editorial review of "Understanding Environmental Health" regards the book as an important introduction for students to the field of environmental health. Beyond its breadth, this reader found the book so well written and organized that it did not read like the typical textbook.

Chapter 2 details the science and methods used for those studying and working in the public health field, which some - not in the intended demographic - may or may not find interesting. Following Chapter 2 the book will captivate the reader as each topic (e.g. Infectious Disease, Poisons in Nature, Producing Manufactured Goods and Food, to Living in the World We've made) develops from the historic to current environmental health problems. The chapter on environmental health and manufacturing of goods had my full attention. I read it straight through twice, in one sitting.

Share "Understanding Environmental Health" with a friend or colleague. (Give it as a gift.) Be certain to have your copy returned. This is a perfect book for a classroom, as well as, the home.

Five stars for a book that is important for those who are concerned about environmental health. It is an education for all of us.
... Read more

Product Description
This is the definitive text in a market consisting of senior and graduate environmental engineering students who are taking a chemistry course. The text is divided into a chemistry fundamentals section and a section on water and wastewater analysis. In this new edition, the authors have retained the thorough, yet concise, coverage of basic chemical principles from general, physical, equilibrium, organic, biochemistry, colloid, and nuclear chemistry. In addition, the authors have retained their classic two-fold approach of focusing on the aspects of chemistry that are particularly valuable for solving environmental problems, and laying the groundwork for understanding water and wastewater analysis-a fundamental basis of environmental engineering practice and research. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Title is deceiving
Despite the equal treatment in the Intro, which misleads the reader that there will be air and solid waste chemistry, there is practically no in-depth discourse on these areas, as if they are not part of the subject. The basic Ideal Gas and Henry's Laws are covered handbook style, but in the chapters on Nitrogen and Sulfates, there is not a single mention of SOx and NOx, nor any discussion on composting and two pages on biodegradation. The title is misleading..should be Environmental Chemistry for Water Treatment. And the section on Total Alkalinity is designed to confuse the student. Many of you know what I mean. There is a ton of texts in this general area, and the best intermediate (and appropriately titled) one is by Spiro and Stagliani.

Absolutely the worst chemistry text ever.Period.
As a chemist with a bachelor's and a doctorate, I've seen quite a few books on the subject.I can say with 100% certainty that this is the worst chemistry text ever.This book spews equations at the reader but does not connect any of the concepts.Key steps are left out of the explanations.The reader is left wondering how the authors got to the end of a multi-step problem in one step.Books like this one are what make students hate chemistry.Do yourself a favor and get any other chemistry book.

If you want to know it all....
If you want to know it all about chemistry, this is the book for you.Covers general, physical, equilibrium, organic, bio-, colloid and nuclear chemistry in addition to all the environmental and wastewater chemistry.Take the time to read the chapters slowly and carefully, as almost every sentence contains vital information that you have to know.Fairly easy to follow and the example problems give good explanations.Downsides are that there are very few pictures and there could be more example problems.

Overpriced piece of junk
What a terrible book. I am currently taking an environmental chemistry course, and I'm learning more from my freshman Chem 101 notes and wikipedia than I am from this book. The chapters are too brief to even teach a topic, the examples aren't explained well, you have no idea what is truly going on because facts are simply thrown at you, and overall, this book makes you hate environmental chemistry.

Additionally, the book is exorbitantly priced, as there are NO illustrations whatsoever and the inside looks like some cheap international edition - no color, maybe a scatter plot here and there. It is impossible to visualize any concepts that the book discusses. The authors are probably snoozing in their mansions right now as miserable students attempt to learn from this worthless piece of trash. DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK.

Must Have For All Environmental Engineers
This is one book which an engineer esp an environemtal engineer must haveas it starts from basics and takes you to complex situations making themunderstandable. ... Read more

Product Description
Teachers seeking new ways to integrate Earth science, chemistry, physical geography, and life science into a study of the environment should just step outside! So say the authors of Inside-Out: Environmental Science in the Classroom and the Field, Grades 3 8, who provide thought-provoking, interesting activities to help teachers and students leave the classroom and learn outside. Inside-Out covers topics such as using topographic maps to better understand landforms, exploring the physical landscape of a local area, how water sustains biological organisms, and the relationship between soil conditions and local flora using both field- and classroom-based lessons to convey important environmental science concepts. Each chapter includes an introduction to the material covered, followed by activities that allow students to use direct observation and inquiry to learn various concepts in environmental science. The authors also provide many web resources that will point teachers in the right direction for gaining even more information about these subjects. If you re looking for a way to bring environmental science lessons to life for your students, Inside-Out can help you do it! ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (8)

One sided text with numerous inaccuracies
I purchased the text as a guide for developing corporate sustainability guidelines.I found the author to be inaccurate in a number of places and his view of the business world is puerile.Obviously he is an academic with no real world experience beyond any benchmarking he has done in large companies.

For instance, page 107: "Given some of the characteristics of SMEs [small and medium enterprises] this approach to capital investment decisions is not surprising.Indeed, factors such as lack of financial expertise, short-term vision and shortage of capital partly explain their chosen approach."In fact many small companies are extremely well funded and run by CEOs and CFOs from large enterprises looking for a faster pace in a small enterprise.His assertions are equally absurd in many other parts of the book.The text makes assertions about accounting systems, with no apparent knowledge of GAAP, FASB, SOX or tax laws, tells the readers how GAAP "distorts" financial reporting.

With as many inaccuracies, lack of any real business knowledge, and the hostile or slanted view of business realities, I would not recommend this book to anybody who intends to us it as a serious guide to corporate sustainability.

An Outstanding Contribution
The challenges and opportunities facing companies today in the area of sustainability are more complex and have greater potential impact than ever before. Making Sustainability Work fulfills an unmet need for senior executives, board members, and managers seeking better ways to manage these challenges and opportunities. In this book, Epstein provides direction and guidance to help corporate leaders integrate sustainability into their daily decisions and to better understand and manage corporate social responsibilities and corporate performance. Making Sustainability Work is an outstanding contribution to the field. This book will be an invaluable resource for senior executives, boards, and managers searching for the best ways to integrate sustainability into their decision making.
--Mark L. Frigo, Ph.D., CMA, CPA, Director of the Center for Strategy, Execution, and Valuation, Kellstadt Grauate School of Business at DePaul University

Important to read for both the Manager and the Management Academic
Whereas others have argued for why corporations must attend to social issues, Epstein helps us understand how.Epstein provides in-depth, thoughtful analysis that integrates the relevant research in the field about how to more effectively manage corporate social responsibility. He grounds this analysis in extensive examples of companies actively grappling with these issues. In doing so, he provides a manual for both academics and practitioners to understand what we know today about how to manage corporate social responsibility , and provides a set of questions for the issues that we must grapple with tomorrow. This book is a must read for anyone who cares about the success of companies and who cares about the future of our communities and our planet.

A master plan for managing sustainably
If you want a single book on how to make your company sustainable, this is the book for you. Epstein distills the latest and greatest thinking into a sensible and comprehensive program for delivering environmental, social, and financial excellence. You don't need to look further for a guide to retool the machinery of your organization to create value for all stakeholders. Epstein is a renowned expert in the field of managing for sustainable performance. It's amazing how many insights and examples he fits into this easy-to-ready book. A great contribution to the field.

Very readable, lots of company examples
This book provides a detailed model that provides guidance on how managers can implement sustainability at their companies.However, it is excellent not only for managers, but also for consumers who want to know what companies are doing or what they should be doing to improve their social and environmental responsibility.It is easy to read and contains many detailed real world examples to help readers understand what corporate sustainability is and how it should work at global companies. ... Read more

Product Description
From water quality to social inequality, from raising crops to rising temperatures, how we use natural resources afftects our health and well-being. This highly-illustrated guide will help health promoters, educators, community leaders and ordinary people take charge of their communities' environmental health. In small villages and large cities, 'A Community Guide to Environmental Health' can provide tools, knowledge, and inspiration to begin transforming the global crisis in evironmental health. This book contains activities to stimulate critical thinking and environmental change, dozens of stories of communitites in action, and instructions for making simple technologies to purify water, clean without toxics, get rid of pests, and more. Like all Hesperian books, this title was developed in consultation with organizations from around the world, ensuring its appropriateness and usefulness for a variety of cultures and circumstances. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Interesting, if somewhat idealistic
Warning: I am not a health care professional -- I just like this sort of thing.

This book is interesting, informative, and provides plenty of examples and good ideas. Meant for small communities that lack many resources, I still found there was much for me, a US citizen, to learn. Although I have running water, a sewage system, and all the other amenities, reading about how to cope without them gave me some good ideas for making my home more environmentally friendly. The whole conflict resolution/work together/role play seems somewhat idealistic, but I've found that some of the ideas presented can be useful for me as a nanny. And if the professionals are dedicated enough, they can make the ideas work in actual communities.

A good read.

Low-tech solutions for community living: Review by author of When Technology Fails
Produced by the same people who publish Where There is No Doctor, this is an excellent, well illustrated guide for healthy, self-reliant living at a low-tech village level. It covers the gamut from dealing with toxic contamination from local mines or other industries, to village sewage sanitation for protecting the local water supply, to village health care, sustainable agriculture, pesticide and heavy metal issues, community renewable energy, community water systems, etc. A terrific resource guide for villages all over the world, especially those where corporate logging, mining, or manufacturing interests have had a negative impact on the health and welfare of the community. In addition to villages, this book is a valuable resource for anyone who wishes to live a relatively low-tech and low-impact lifestyle, whether on their own or as part of a self-reliant community. ... Read more

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Militarism's high cost
"The Green Zone: The Environmental Costs of Militarism" can be a tough read, if only because the book is a relentless criticism of the extreme environmental damage caused by the military-industrial complex. That's not to say that the book shouldn't be read because it should: the environmental side isn't something we consider very often when thinking about the military.

But the sheer numbers involving, say, putting a couple of helicopters into the air, are nothing short of staggering. By one estimate, Apache helicopters get a half mile to the gallon. Now picture them in the air for hours, flying and hovering over Iraq's cities. We occasionally read about the military's attempts to go green, using more efficient vehicles around bases. But that, not surprisingly, is just window dressing compared to the real damage brought about by the military machine and the thousands of people mobilized to support armed action.

The incontrovertible facts are just about overwhelming. Defoliation campaigns, fuel emissions, radioactive waste: they're all here. But if you're trying to bring about new policies and effect great change in our priorities, the best place to start is with the facts.

Linking militarism with environmental destruction
War is hell - on the planet as well as the people involved. "The Green Zone: The Environmental Costs of Militarism" is a criticism of the huge environmental costs of warfare, presenting the facts that the world's militaries, the United States' most powerful one in particular, are causing more environmental damage than countless other sources combined. Linking militarism with environmental destruction, "The Green Zone" presents many intriguing ideas and is highly recommended.

One of the most important books you'll ever read!!!
In this short, accessible book, Barry Sanders exposes the ecological consequences of US militarism and argues that all the individual things we do to preserve the environment like eating organic food, choosing low-energy light bulbs, and riding our bikes instead of driving will accomplish very little unless we eliminate the military industrial complex, the single-greatest contributor to the global ecological crisis. Illustrated with powerful artwork created by students from the Pacific Northwest College of Art and very well-researched, this is an extremely important manifesto for anti-war and environmental activists alike. Over the years, I've noticed very few environmental organizations participating in anti-war demonstrations, and while peace groups like the ANSWER coalition and UFPJ may claim to be concerned about the environment seldom do they really address environmental issues in their rallies, literature, and picket signs. Hopefully, this small book will encourage a stronger coalition between anti-war and environmental activists, for we obviously cannot have real justice and peace without a healthy, living planet, as we, likewise, cannot have a healthy, living planet without real justice and peace. Thank you AK Press for publishing yet again another timely and informative book! ... Read more

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May be the the best book on this subject
This is the book for those who already have some background in micro economics. So I will not recommend the book for the fresh student. However, if you know some mathematics and have studied micro economics: This is the book for you. In fact it is the best book I have seen on this subject. ... Read more

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While the importance of learning to develop as a society in sustainable ways has become a major political concern around the world, schools have been slow to express this priority in formal curricula. In this important book, Joy Palmer addresses the impediments to the development of rigorous programs in environmental education; the history of environmental activism and of its role in shaping the political climate; and the prospects and challenges that face environmental education as it seeks to shape the future of our relationship to the environment. Palmer draws on her own extensive experience and research in the field, as well as the testimony of 15 educators on the progress of environmental education in their countries, to provide an integrated model for the planning of environmental education programs for the future. Theory of Environmental Education promises to reposition environmental education at the core of educational development for the 21st century. ... Read more

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What are the links between environment and world view? Topophilia, the affective bond between people and place, is the primary theme of this book that examines environmental perceptions and values at different levels: the species, the group, and the individual.

Yi-Fu Tuan holds culture and environment and topophilia and environment as distinct in order to show how they mutually contribute to the formation of values.Topophilia examines the search for environment in the city, suburb, countryside, and wilderness from a dialectical perspective, distinguishes different types of environmental experience, and describes their character.

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Not so deep
This is considered one of the most important essays among geographers, and being a geographer myself, i actually thought of this book (before buying it) as the one everyone involved in this subject should read.
I have to say that while it is very well written, poetic and strong it doesn't really add anything specific to the community. I found it just a collection of many themes and ideas touched and developed by others in the past. Don't get me wrong, the book is beautiful and thanks to its fluidity it's a pleasure to read it, but it is more of a global vision of things.

The seeds of Tuan's "humanistic geography"
After reading Yi-Fu Tuan's "Space and Place: The Perspective of Experience," delving into "Topophilia" is a bit like stepping backward in the philosopher's evolution of thought. There are astounding passages of wisdom here, about the nature of human experience as it relates to the environment -- interspersed, sometimes jarringly, with related histories and descriptions. The seeds of Tuan's "humanistic geography" are here, but are not as philosophically compelling as the mature synthesis found in "Space and Place."

It would be a mistake, however, to view Tuan's more mature work as superceding this volume. "Topophilia" is full of amazing sensitivity and insight, and key to gaining a deep and useful understanding of the author's philosophy. This book's emphasis on the conventional 'environment' is also significantly different from the broader notions 'space and place' explored in the later work of that name. Both works are seminal.

To the philosopher, artist, and psychologist, I would recommend reading "Space and Place" before this book. To the geographer and especially the environmentalist, however, Topophilia's particular focus may be a more enticing place to start. ... Read more

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The most student-oriented book available for environmental sociology courses, Twenty Lessons in Environmental Sociology introduces undergraduates to the subject in a groundbreaking new way. Instead of compiling articles from professional journals, this innovative reader presents twenty classroom-tested "lessons" from dedicated, experienced teachers. These diverse readings examine key topics in the field, from the social construction of nature to the growing influence of global media on our understanding of the environment.

Building this collection on the model of a successful undergraduate classroom experience, coeditors Kenneth A. Gould and Tammy L. Lewis asked the contributors to choose a topic, match it with their favorite class lecture, and construct a lesson to reflect the way they teach it in the classroom. The result is an engaging, innovative, and versatile volume that presents the core ideas of environmental sociology in concise, accessible chapters. Each brief lesson is designed as a stand-alone piece and can be easily adapted into an existing course syllabus.

Ideal for any course that looks at the environment from a sociological perspective, Twenty Lessons in Environmental Sociology offers an insightful introduction to this dynamic subject. ... Read more

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This text presents a balanced treatment of environmental engineering by combining engineering concepts with the importance of environmental ethics. This third edition highlights sustainable development and emphasizes the need for engineers to become even more environmentally responsible during this time of increasing awareness of environmental concerns. The authors challenge students with problems that require not only a technical solution but a thorough consideration of its ethical ramifications. The text also provides comprehensive exposure to all types of environmental problems, including ecosystem dynamics, wastewater treatment, and air pollution control. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Very Pleased
I received the book well before I was told I was going to, the book is in great condition and i couldn't be any happier about the whole process!

Different from other textbooks
The way the book is laid out is quite nice. The information is useful, interesting, and presented in a down to earth and logical fashion. The homework problems are definitely a departure from the norm, as they leave a lot of blanks for the reader to fill in, which also means that there is no right answer to many of the problems. Because of this, there are no answers in the back of the book to compare your work with. For example, there is a question that simply asks "how much beer is consumed in the US per day?", no other information or assumptions are provided so you have to come up with a creative and realistic way to answer the question. This is consistent with the nature of environmental engineering, being that there usually aren't any right or wrong answers, so long as you can defend your work/opinion. At first I did not like the book, but after using it for a semester I really like the freedom to be creative in my analysis. This book is printed in black an white, which is a GREAT. They don't have to coat the pages in that funky clay treatment that you have to do for color printing, so the book is about a third the weight of a comparable color textbook, and the size is very convenient. My one complaint is that I think that the price is unreasonable, and that's why it is a 4 star book. Great content, but too big a price tag.

Good
My husband buy this book for his study and he always buy in amazon and he recommended 100% ... Read more

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This second edition of An Environmental History of the World continues to present a concise history, from ancient to modern times, of the interactions between human societies and the natural environment, including the other forms of life that inhabit our planet. Throughout their evolutionary history, humans have affected the natural environment, sometimes with a promise of sustainable balance, but also in a destructive manner. This book investigates the ways in which environmental changes, often the result of human actions, have caused historical trends in human societies. This process has happened in every historical period and in every part of the inhabited earth.

The book is organized into ten chapters. The main chapters follow a chronological path through the history of mankind, in relationship to ecosystems around the world. The first explains what environmental history is, and argues for its importance in understanding the present state of the world's ecological problems. Chapters two through eight form the core of the historical analysis, each concentrating on a major period of human history (pre-civilized, early civilizations, classical, medieval, early modern, early and later twentieth century, and contemporary) that has been characterized by large-scale changes in the relationship between human societies and the biosphere, and each gives several case studies that illustrate significant patterns occurring at that time. The chapters covering contemporary times discuss the physical impacts of the huge growth in population and technology, and the human responses to these problems. Our moral obligations to nature and how we can achieve a sustainable balance between technology and the environment are also considered. This revised second edition takes account of new research and the course of history containing new sections on global warming, the response of New Orleans to the hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and the experience of the Dutch people in protecting their low-lying lands against the encroachments of rivers, lakes, and the North Sea. New material is also offered on the Pacific Islands, including the famous case of Easter Island.

This is an original work that reaches further than other environmental histories. Rather than looking at humans and the environment as separate entities, this book places humans within the community of life. The relationship between environmental thought and actions, and their evolution, is discussed throughout. Little environmental or historical knowledge is assumed from the reader in this introduction to environmental history. We cannot reach a useful understanding of modern environmental problems without the aid of perspective provided by environmental history, with its illustrations of the ways in which past decisions helped or hindered the interaction between nature and culture. This book will be influential and timely to all interested in or researching the world in which we live.