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The eBook Insider
by Random HouseThe eBook Insider is the ultimate readers' resource for choosing great books. The perfect first stop to make along the way as you fill your e-reader with the books that you'll want to have in your library and recommend to friends. It's the place to find out what some of your favorite authors are reading and recommending, including Dan Brown, Nora Ephron, Carl Hiaasen, Alexander McCall Smith, Chuck Palahniuk, and others. All in one place you can preview excerpts from the best books of the year, from winners of the National Book Award, the Man Booker Prize and the Pulitzer Prize to New York Times Notable Book selections. Whether you love fiction, history, biographies or are looking for a thriller to keep you up all night, a thought-provoking pick for your reading group, or the latest book to be adapted into a movie, you're bound to find just what you're looking for when you consult The eBook Insider. All of this from the editors and authors you'll want to turn to for the best recommendations in reading, both on the printed page and on your e-reading device.
The Ebro River Basin
by Damià Barceló Mira PetrovicThe Ebro is a typical Mediterranean river characterized by seasonal low flows and extreme flush effects, with important agricultural and industrial activity that has caused heavy contamination problems. This volume deals with soil-sediment-groundwater related issues in the Ebro river basin and summarizes the results generated within the European Union-funded project AquaTerra. The following topics are highlighted: Hydrology and sediment transport and their alterations due to climate change, aquatic and riparian biodiversity in the Ebro watershed, occurrence and distribution of a wide range of priority and emerging contaminants, effects of chemical pollution on biota and integration of climate change scenarios with several aspects of the Ebro's hydrology and potential impacts of climate change on pollution. The primary objective of the book is to lay the foundation for a better understanding of the behavior of environmental pollutants and their fluxes with respect to climate and land use changes.
Echinoderm Nutrition
by Michel Jangoux John M. LawrenceThe purpose of this book is to present the state of knowledge concerning nutrition and point out directions for future work for the Echinodermata, an ancient group which shows great diversity in form and function, and whose feeding activities can have great environmental impact.
Echinoderm Research and Diversity in Latin America
by Francisco Alonso Solis-Marin Juan José AlvaradoThis book compiles for the first time the development of echinoderm research in Latin America. The book contains 17 chapters, one introductory, 15 country chapters, and a final biogeographic analysis. It compiles all the investigations published in international and local journals, reports, theses and other gray literature. Each chapter is composed of 7 sections: introduction describes the marine environments, and main oceanographic characteristics, followed by a history of research account divided by specific subjects. The next section addresses patterns of distribution and diversity. A specific section would explain fishery or aquaculture activities. The next sections deal with environmental and anthropogenic threats that are affecting echinoderm, and any conservation or management action. Finally, a section with conclusions, needs and new lines of research. The book will include two appendixes with species lists of all echinoderms with bathimetric data, habitat and distribution.
Eco-activism and Social Work: New Directions in Leadership and Group Work (Indigenous and Environmental Social Work)
by Dyann Ross Martin Brueckner Marilyn Palmer Wallea EaglehawkSocial workers are called upon to shift from a human-centric bias to an ecological ethical sensibility by embracing love as integral to their justice mission and by extending the idea of social justice to include environmental and species justice. This book presents the love ethic model as a way to do eco-justice work using public campaigns, research, community arts practice and other nonviolent, direct action strategies. The model is premised on an active and ongoing commitment to the eco-values of love, eco-justice and nonviolence for the purpose of upholding the public interest. The love ethic model is informed by the stories of eco-activists who used nonviolent actions to address ecological issues such as: pollution; degradation of the environment; exploitation of farm animals; mining industry overriding First Nation Peoples’ land rights; and human health and social costs related to the natural resource industries, private land developments and government infrastructure projects. Informed by practice insights by activists from a range of eco-justice concerns, this innovative book provides new directions in social work and environmental studies involving transformational change leadership and dialogical group work between interest groups. It should be considered essential reading for social work students, researchers and practitioners as well as eco-activists more generally.
Eco and Low-Carbon New Towns in China: Sustainability Transformation in the Making (Routledge Studies in Urbanism and the City)
by Yang Fu Xiaoling ZhangThis book examines the sustainability transition theory in the context of urbanization in China, tracing the development of eco and low-carbon cities. It examines how ideas on building eco-cities and low-carbon cities travel from nation to nation, how they are adopted in the Chinese administrative context and what role inter-scalar actors play in getting the ideas transferred, translated and operationalized on the ground. Offering an overarching theoretical framework that incorporates all urban sustainability experiments in China, the book conducts a comprehensive analysis of the master plans of these new towns and summarizes the normative transition targets of sustainable urban experiments. It explores how they differ from each other and how they influence transition dynamics in practice. By examining four eco and low-carbon new towns deemed representative of current major approaches to sustainability transition management in China, the book provides a detailed depiction of generic transition management and explains the different transitional trajectories for each type of sustainable urban experiment. It demonstrates how subnational-level and city-level transitions mediate the national transition. Through a thorough inquiry into inter-scalar dynamics, institutional arrangements and techno-social innovations in sustainable urban experiments, the book links generalized transition rules and specific contexts to present a full view of the challenges, failures and territorial problems of eco and low-carbon new towns. This book makes a novel contribution to the study of Chinese urbanization by revisiting issues and problems of contemporary urban China. The reflection on these urban issues will provide implications to policymakers, professionals and the common reader interested in the future sustainable urbanism in China.
Eco-Anxiety: Saving Our Sanity, Our Kids, and Our Future
by Heather WhiteThe climate crisis and its resulting eco-anxiety is the biggest challenge of our time. The anxiety that comes with worrying about how environmental harm will impact our--and our children's--lives can be overwhelming. Learn how to balance practicing daily sustainability actions while caring for your own eco-anxiety in this revolutionary book from noted environmentalist Heather White.In Eco-Anxiety, White shows you how to contribute to the climate movement through self-discovery and self-care. Utilizing the Service Superpower Profile Assessment included in the text, you&’ll discover how your personality, interests, and strengths can be of service to others and the planet. This book will serve as your guide to:Begin a 21-Day Kickstarter Plan that shares specific sustainable actions you can takeTrack your progress with journal prompts and exercises that'll help you measure mental health benefitsListen and talk with loved ones about their climate anxietyCommit to being an eco-aware individual and inspire your family, friends, and community to work toward a regenerative, sustainable worldSetting the intention each day to take a small step to care for the planet--can help ease your eco-anxiety, push the culture toward climate solutions, and create a sense of joy.One Green Thing>
Eco-Anxiety (and What to Do About It): Practical Tips to Allay Your Fears and Live a More Environmentally Friendly Life
by Harriet DyerBe kind to the planet, but most of all, be kind to yourselfWhen you feel the weight of the world on your shoulders, grab this book for a dose of calm and courage. Packed with reassuring tips and advice, from mindfulness exercises to practical steps you can take to make a difference, this guide will ease your eco-anxiety and help you to live a more environmentally friendly life.
Eco-Business: A Big-Brand Takeover of Sustainability (The\mit Press Ser.)
by Peter Dauvergne Jane ListerTwo experts explain the consequences for the planet when corporations use sustainability as a business tool.McDonald's promises to use only beef, coffee, fish, chicken, and cooking oil obtained from sustainable sources. Coca-Cola promises to achieve water neutrality. Unilever seeks to achieve 100 percent sustainable agricultural sourcing by 2020. Walmart has pledged to become carbon neutral. Big-brand companies seem to be making commitments that go beyond the usual “greenwashing” efforts undertaken largely for public-relations purposes. In Eco-Business, Peter Dauvergne and Jane Lister examine this new corporate embrace of sustainability, its actual accomplishments, and the consequences for the environment. For many leading-brand companies, these corporate sustainability efforts go deep, reorienting central operations and extending through global supply chains. Yet, as Dauvergne and Lister point out, these companies are doing this not for the good of the planet but for their own profits and market share in a volatile, globalized economy. They are using sustainability as a business tool. Dauvergne and Lister show that the eco-efficiencies achieved by big-brand companies limit the potential for finding deeper solutions to pressing environmental problems and reinforce runaway consumption. Eco-business promotes the sustainability of big business, not the sustainability of life on Earth.
Eco-Business
by Peter Dauvergne Jane ListerMcDonald's promises to use only beef, coffee, fish, chicken, and cooking oil obtained from sustainable sources. Coca-Cola promises to achieve water neutrality. Unilever has set a deadline of 2020 to reach 100 percent sustainable agricultural sourcing. Walmart has pledged to become carbon neutral. Today, big-brand companies seem to be making commitments that go beyond the usual "greenwashing" efforts undertaken largely for public relations purposes. In Eco-Business, Peter Dauvergne and Jane Lister examine this new corporate embrace of sustainability, its actual accomplishments, and the consequences for the environment. For many leading-brand companies, these corporate sustainability efforts go deep, reorienting central operations and extending through global supply chains. Yet, as Dauvergne and Lister point out, these companies are doing this not for the good of the planet but for their own profits and market share in a volatile, globalized economy. They are using sustainability as a business tool. Advocacy groups and governments are partnering with these companies, eager to reap the governance potential of eco-business efforts. But Dauvergne and Lister show that the acclaimed eco-efficiencies achieved by big-brand companies limit the potential for finding deeper solutions to pressing environmental problems and reinforce runaway consumption. Eco-business promotes the sustainability of big business, not the sustainability of life on Earth.
Eco-Capitalism: Carbon Money, Climate Finance, and Sustainable Development
by Robert GuttmannOur planet faces a systemic threat from climate change, which the world community of nations is ill-prepared to address, and this book argues that a new form of ecologically conscious capitalism is needed in order to tackle this serious and rising threat. While the Paris Climate Agreement of 2015 has finally implemented a global climate policy regime, its modest means belie its ambitious goals. Our institutional financial organizations are not equipped to deal with the problems that any credible commitment to a low-carbon economy will have to confront. We will have to go beyond cap-and-trade schemes and limited carbon taxes to cut greenhouse gas emissions substantially in due time. This book offers a way forward toward that goal, with a conceptual framework that brings environmental preservation back into our macro-economic growth and forecasting models. This framework obliges firms to consider other goals beyond shareholder value maximization, outlining the principal tenets of a climate-friendly finance and introducing a new type of money linked to climate mitigation and adaptation efforts.
Eco Chic: The savvy shopper's guide to ethical fashion
by Matilda LeeThe hottest trend on the catwalk is ethical clothing. Top fashion designers and spokesmodels including Katharine Hamnett, Stella McCartney and Bono's wife Ali Hewson are all voicing the benefits of eco chic. But what is this new fad, and what difference can it make to the world? "Eco Chic" gives you the full story on this fashion phenomenon, from which fabrics are harmful to the environment, to how you can create your own eco-friendly fashions through recycling and savvy shopping. You will discover how to spot and avoid garments produced in sweatshops and why supermarket 'fast clothes' make both you and the planet sick. This book will allow you to look great but also feel good about your impact on other people and the planet as a whole.
Eco-cities: Scenarios for Innovation and Sustainability (Green Energy and Technology)
by Ioan M. CiumasuThis book explores the question of how urban sustainability can be achieved despite a lack of knowledge integration between different fields. This book starts from the premise that the battle for sustainability will be won or lost in cities and proposes a critical, up-to-date review of transdisciplinary knowledge management tools – notably, scenario methods for informed decision-making. Drawing from literature and pioneering experience in innovation clusters (university-industry-government) during the last decade, it provides a review of recent eco-city concepts and knowledge management tools for effective decision-making in the transition to urban sustainability. Using method outlines, case studies, and graphical representations, it is intended to serve as a toolbox for those interested in urban transformation towards sustainability.The challenge of sustainability is unprecedented in the history of humanity. The world population is already predominantly urban, andthe biosphere is profoundly transformed in ways which we can only partially understand, let alone manage. For example, the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change has produced very impressive sets of global climate scenarios, but the consequences for real-world management remain marginal.This book is intended for city managers concerned with urban transformation towards sustainability, policymakers, researchers-innovators, and technology developers, industry and business professionals, as well as students and the general public.
Eco-Cities and the Transition to Low Carbon Economies
by Federico CaprottiEco-cities are increasingly being marketed as solutions to a range of pressing global concerns, such as environmental and climate change, hyper-urbanization, demographic shifts, energy security, and the Peak Oil scenario. In response to these issues, eco-cities are being conceptualized as 'experimental cities', new urban areas in which new technologies and ways of organizing urban and economic life can be trialled, and where transition pathways towards low-carbon economies can be tested. The author examines the two most advanced eco-city projects under construction at the time of writing - the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City in China, and Masdar City in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. These are the largest and most notable attempts at building new eco-cities to both face up to the 'crises' of the modern world and to use the city as an engine for transition to a low-carbon economy.
Eco-city Planning: Policies, Practice and Design
by Belinda Yuen Tai-Chee WongEco-city planning is a key element of urban land use planning in perspective and of ongoing debate of environmental urban sustainable development with a spatial and practical dimension. The conceptual basis of ecological planning is that we can no longer afford to be merely human-centred in approach. Instead, the interdependency of human and non-human species has forced us to appreciate the 'rights' and 'intrinsic values' of non-human species in our pursuit for a sustainable ecosystem. This volume has as approach an emphasis on environmental planning policies whereby, for example, energy saving, anti-pollution measures, use of non-car modes, construction of green buildings, safeguarding of nature and natural habitats in urban areas, and use of more renewable resources are promotional norms. Their aims and leading outcome serve to protect the Earth from adverse effects of global warming and different sources of pollution threatening the quality of life of human societies.
Eco-efficiency and Beyond: Towards the Sustainable Enterprise
by Jan-Dirk Seiler-Hausmann Christa Liedtke Ernst Ulrich Von WeizsäckerBusiness-as-usual, it is widely accepted, will exceed the Earth's carrying capacity in an alarmingly short space of time. In simple terms, we need to learn to use the world's rapidly depleting resources in a significantly more efficient manner. Practical and readily adopted solutions are needed now. Eco-efficiency-or "produce more with less" – is achieved when goods and services satisfy human needs, increase the quality of life at competitive prices and when environmental impacts and resource intensity are decreased to a degree that keeps them within the limits of Earth's expected carrying capacity. Eco-efficiency – a term first proposed by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development in 1992 – is a management approach that allows businesses to carry out environmental protection measures from a market-oriented point of view, with the aim of illustrating that ecology and the economy do not need to be a contradiction. Indeed, eco-efficiency has been portrayed as a win-win-for both business and the environment. This book, which developed out of two conferences on eco-efficiency held in Düsseldorf in 1998 and 2001, is edited by Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker and his team from the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy, one of the world's leading research programmes on resource productivity. The aim is not simply to explain the past and present of eco-efficiency but to look forward to and encourage a future where the comprehensive take-up of the concept by business, government and consumers could lead to innovation on a grand scale and the possibility of a giant leap beyond towards overall sustainability. There have been considerable achievements to date. The Dow Jones Sustainability Index, which aims to list the most sustainable corporations for investors, includes companies such as BASF, Climatex, Henkel and Matushita/Panasonic (all represented in this book), who are implementing eco-efficiency measures. A number of political initiatives have also been formed. In December 2001, the German government suggested a National Sustainability Strategy to measure Germany's sustainable development. While this not yet an accepted political target or even law, it shows that politics is moving toward binding targets for increasing efficiency. Eco-Efficiency and Beyond collects together the leading thinkers on the topic and aims to illustrate not only that the concept should be part of every business strategy but that it is a key trigger for innovation. Innovation cuts through paradoxes. It is the creation of solutions to conflicting demands. Flying in a vacuum gave us rockets and satellites; switching electrons through insulators gave us Silicon Valley and the digital age. Sustainable development presents a similar field of paradoxical innovation forces: i.e. provide affordable products and services for the growing unmet needs of the world population while reducing environmental impacts. This book is the definitive collection on eco-efficiency and will be required reading for business, government, NGOs and academicians.
Eco-Emancipation: An Earthly Politics of Freedom
by Sharon R. KrauseThe case for an eco-emancipatory politics to release the Earth from human domination and free us all from lives that are both exploitative and exploitedHuman domination of nature shapes every aspect of our lives today, even as it remains virtually invisible to us. Because human beings are a part of nature, the human domination of nature circles back to confine and exploit people as well—and not only the poor and marginalized but also the privileged and affluent, even in the world’s most prosperous societies. Although modern democracy establishes constraints intended to protect people from domination as the arbitrary exercise of power, it offers few such protections for nonhuman parts of nature. The result is that, wherever we fall in human hierarchies, we inevitably find ourselves both complicit in and entrapped by a system that makes sustainable living all but impossible. It confines and exploits not only nature but people too, albeit in different ways. In Eco-Emancipation, Sharon Krause argues that we can find our way to a better, freer life by constraining the use of human power in relation to nature and promoting nature’s well-being alongside our own, thereby releasing the Earth from human domination and freeing us from a way of life that is both exploitative and exploited, complicit and entrapped. Eco-emancipation calls for new, more-than-human political communities that incorporate nonhuman parts of nature through institutions of representation and regimes of rights, combining these new institutional arrangements with political activism, a public ethos of respect for nature, and a culture of eco-responsibility.
Eco-Engineered Bioreactors: Advanced Natural Wastewater Treatment
by James Higgins Al Mattes William Stiebel Brent WoottonThis book provides a comprehensive understanding of a highly innovative method of natural wastewater treatment using advanced in-groundbioreactors called Eco-Engineered Bioreactors (EEBs), and traces their evolution from the earliest aerated gravel bed versions once known as Engineered Wetlands (EWs) and now known as BREW Bioreactors (BBRs) all the way to today’s wide slate of aerobic and anaerobic varieties. Treatment using EEBs involves passing wastewaters through excavated basins in which they contact fixed films of microbial consortia on permeable substrate media. Written from the perspective of ecological engineers designing EEBs, this guide covers updated information on the state-of-the-art for EEBs, covering their morphologies, testing methods, designs, operations, and microbiology.
Eco-facts and Eco-fiction: Understanding the Environmental Debate
by William H. BaarschersOzone-friendly, recyclable, zero-waste, elimination of toxic chemicals - such environmental ideals are believed to offer solutions to the environmental crisis. Where do these ideals come from? Is the environmental debate communicating the right problems? Eco-Facts and Eco-Fiction examines serious errors in perceptions about human and environmental health. Drawing on a wealth of everyday examples of local and global concerns, the author explains basic concepts and observations relating to the environment. Removing fear of science and technology and eliminating wrong perceptions lead to a more informed understanding of the environment as a science, a philosophy, and a lifestyle. By revealing the flaws in today's environmental vocabulary, this book stresses the urgent need for a common language in the environmental debate. Such a common language encourages the effective communication between environmental science and environmental decision-making that is essential for finding solutions to environmental problems.
Eco-friendly Agro-biological Techniques for Enhancing Crop Productivity
by Rakesh Singh Sengar Ashu SinghAs the world population is exploding and alongside fluctuations in climate is also prevalent, there is an increasing stress on the food requirements of the population. We have an urgent necessity to produce more food in the limited agricultural land. Further, to feed 7 billion people there is a requirement of high yielding crops, without harming environment and limiting the use of unnecessary pesticide and chemical fertilizers. Therefore it has become crucial to develop agri-bio-techniques which are environment friendly and also give high crop productivity. Many countries are evaluating the utility of biotechnology and its role in addressing problems of food security and poverty. Biotechnology is the application of scientific and engineering principles to the processing and production of materials by utilising biological agents. These agents are exploited to provide goods and services. Agricultural biotechnology encompasses a growing list of techniques that range from simple probes to determine a relevant gene from the complete genome to manipulating genes for a desired outcome. Many other popular methods used in the realm of agricultural technology are – gene integration, Marker-assisted breeding, Tissue culture, Gene profiling or association mapping, Metabolomics etc. The fundamental challenge facing the scientific community is how to devise innovative strategies that will bring all developed as well as developing countries into the “biological fold” and to do so in ways that will take full advantage of advances in the biological sciences to curb poverty, improve public health, and promote human development. This book contains information on eco-friendly techniques for high crop productivity and it is a myriad of different techniques and technology used to sustain productivity in crop plants. There are fewer books focusing on large-scale organic farming, molecular farming etc. Multidisciplinary research and literature is needed to deliver knowledge and products into the marketplace which fulfil these requirements. The present book is a collection of literature contributed by experts, scientists, professors, and researchers from around the world, it emphasizes work of concerned scientist and his choice of techniques used for enhancement of agricultural production. This book analyses the use of modern techniques to increase crop yields, production, and risk of hunger linked to socioeconomic scenarios.
Eco-hydraulic Modelling of Eutrophication for Reservoir Management
by Nahm-chung JungThis study presents an systematic approach to water quality assessment, hybrid modelling and decision support for eutrophication management in deep reservoirs. It is found that during the summer monsoon the catchment runoff into the Yongdam reservoir induces a transfer of pollutants from a middle stratified layer to the surface layer. Although the
Eco-Hydrology
by Andrew J. Baird Robert L. Wilby^iEco-Hydrology is the first book to offer an overview of the complex relationships between plants and water across a wide range of terrestrial and aquatic environments. Leading ecologists and hydrologists present reviews of the eco-hydrology of drylands, wetlands, temperate and tropical rain forests, streams, and rivers and lakes. Contents include:* background information on the water relations of plants, from individual cells to strands of plants* the role of mathematical models in eco-hydrology* explanations of how plants affect patterns and rates of water movement and storage in a range of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
Eco-industrial Strategies: Unleashing Synergy between Economic Development and the Environment
by Judy MusnikowEco-industrial development is born from the realisation that the places where we work waste too much and unnecessarily pollute the land, air and water. This book explores the key issues involved in developing eco-parks and identifies the stakeholders and their roles in such projects.
Eco-Innovation
by Javier Carrillo-HermosillaThis book considers the impact industry has on our environmental surroundings while exploring the need for more sustainable development. The concept of sustainable development and the general understanding of the interdependence of the environment and the economy are both examined in this thought-provoking new book.
Eco-Innovation and Sustainability Management (Routledge Studies in Innovation, Organizations and Technology)
by Bart BossinkSustainability is a phenomenon that must be pursued in a complex system of interrelated elements of business, society, and ecology. It is important to gain an understanding of these elements, the interplay between them, and the behavior of the system. This book explores the business-societal-and-ecological system in which sustainable innovation has to be envisioned, conceptualized, realized, and improved. Author Bart Bossink offers insight into the systematic coherence of drivers of eco-innovation and sustainability utilizing a three-part approach: (1) eco- and sustainable innovation in business is based on ideas and people who cooperatively develop these ideas; (2) groups of people, organized in commercial firms, must realize these ideas cooperatively and create the innovations that can conquer the market; and (3) that people from governmental, non-governmental, not-for-profit, research, and commercial organizations can build institutional arrangements that stimulate these sustainable innovations, changing both industry and society. Adopting a managerial perspective and discussing concepts and methods to manage eco-innovation in business, this book highlights the interrelated roles of the individual, the firm, partnerships, and business environments. Researchers and practitioners who want to combine a commercial and economical approach with an ethical and social ambition to create an ecologically sustainable firm stand to learn much from these pages.