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Book Picks

Bringing the Planet Back from the Brink

Posted on June 14, 2012
World on the Edge: How to Prevent Environmental and Economic Collapse
Image of World on the Edge: How to Prevent Environmental and Economic Collapse
Author(s): Lester R. Brown
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (2011)
Binding: Paperback, 240 pages
List Price: $15.95

Many great civilizations collapsed due to exhaustion of their resource bases, and our civilization is on the brink of repeating history, warns Lester Brown, president of the Earth Policy Institute, in World on the Edge. He traces a plethora of present crises brought on by unchecked human activity: rising food prices, shortages of freshwater, instability in dozens of failing states, perva

Building a Better Future, One Molecule, Gene, or Quantum Bit at a Time

Posted on February 11, 2013
25 Things You Need to Know about the Future
Image of 25 Things You Need to Know about the Future
Author(s): Christopher Barnatt
Publisher: Constable (2012)
Binding: Paperback, 340 pages
List Price: $19.50

Running low on key natural resources won’t necessarily consign us to deprivation and hardship, argues Christopher Barnatt, Nottingham University professor of computing and futures studies. He describes an array of up-and-coming innovations in nanotechnology, synthetic biology, and other fields that could enable us to synthesize new resources in their place, boost our health, and undo the environmental damage that our old technologies caused. …

But Will the Planet Notice? How Smart Economics Can Save the World

Posted on October 12, 2011
Image of But Will the Planet Notice?: How Smart Economics Can Save the World
Author(s): Gernot Wagner
Publisher: Hill and Wang (2011)
Binding: Hardcover, 272 pages
List Price: $27.00

Many European nations rank far ahead of the United States in renewable energy, pollution control, and energy conservation, according to Environmental Defense Fund economist Gernot Wagner. He attributes this lead to one factor: market incentives. European governments instituted policies that made clean energy development more cost-effective to use than status-quo fossil-fuel energy.

Calculating Political Risk

Posted on November 23, 2009
Image of Calculating Political Risk (Earthscan Risk in Society)
Author(s): Catherine Althaus
Publisher: Routledge (2008)
Binding: Paperback, 304 pages
List Price: $49.95

Change by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation

Posted on September 16, 2010
Image of Change by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation
Author(s): Tim Brown
Publisher: HarperBusiness (2009)
Binding: Hardcover, 272 pages
List Price: $27.99

by Tim Brown. HarperCollins. 2009. 260 pages. Paperback. $27.99.

Design executive Tim Brown attributes many of the boldest innovations in business today to “design thinking,” a radical product-development strategy that “pulls design out of the studio” and channels the creativity of everyone in a company or organization, from the CEO down to the entry-level employee.

Change Design: Conversations about Architecture as the Ultimate Business Tool

Posted on September 16, 2010
Image of Change Design: Conversations About Architecture as the Ultimate Business Tool
Author(s): Nbbj
Publisher: Greenway Communications (2009)
Binding: Paperback, 250 pages
List Price: $59.95

by NBBJ and Bruce Mau. Greenway. 2009. 250 pages. $59.95.

A well-designed building encourages creativity and cooperation within, according to architectural firm NBBJ and design company Bruce Mau. Their jointly authored and richly illustrated book Change Design showcases new buildings that offer new ways of working. Change Design presents real-life stories of 14 organizations that enhanced productivity, employee satisfaction, energy efficiency, or all three by changing the layout of their office buildings.

Change the World, Change Your Life: Discover Your Life Purpose Through Service

Posted on September 15, 2010
Image of Change the World, Change Your Life: Discover Your Life Purpose Through Service
Author(s): Angela Perkey
Publisher: Conari Press (2010)
Binding: Paperback, 224 pages
List Price: $15.95

by Angela Perkey. Conari Press. 2010. 218 pages. Paperback. $15.95.

China's Ascent

Posted on January 11, 2011
Image of China's Ascent: Power, Security, and the Future of International Politics (Cornell Studies in Security Affairs)
Author(s):
Publisher: Cornell University Press (2008)
Binding: Paperback, 336 pages
List Price: $23.95

A great power transition likely to affect populations around the world is now under way as economic and political clout shifts from the United States to China, according to political-science professor Ross and international-studies professor Feng.

Climatopolis: How Our Cities Will thrive in the Hotter Future

Posted on December 6, 2010
Image of Climatopolis: How Our Cities Will Thrive in the Hotter Future
Author(s): Matthew E. Kahn
Publisher: Basic Books (2010)
Binding: Hardcover, 288 pages
List Price: $26.95

by Matthew Kahn. Basic. 2010. 260 pages. Paperback. $26.95.

Collective Visioning: How Groups Can Work Together for a Just and Sustainable Future

Posted on September 26, 2011
Image of Collective Visioning: How Groups Can Work Together for a Just and Sustainable Future (BK Currents (Paperback))
Author(s): Linda Stout
Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers (2011)
Binding: Paperback, 240 pages
List Price: $17.95

Collective Visioning: How Groups Can Work Together for a Just and Sustainable Future by Linda Stout. Berrett-Koehler. 2011. 198 pages. Paperback. $17.95.