Reading List

SustainAble: A Handbook of Materials and Applications for Graphic Designers and Their Clients, Aaris Sherin, Rockport Publishing, 2008

Graphic designers and their clients are increasingly demanding sustainable solutions. Designers want to address these needs when presenting their work for consideration. As businesses continue to adapt to and provide environmental solutions with their own products, they are demanding it from their creative partners, and designers need to be on the forefront of these initiatives by being well informed. SustainAble will provide the information they need to be ahead of the curve on sustainability issues, inform them on sustainable applications and to approach the issue of sustainability in the areas of paper, printing, formats, materials, inks, and executions. (Amazon editorial review.)

(Added to the “Reading List” July 17, 2008)

Green Plans: Blueprint for a Sustainable Earth (Our Sustainable Future), Huey D. Johnson, Bison Books, 2008

This book is quite informative. It would be useful for anyone seeking (detailed) knowledge about designing a “greenprint for sustainability.” The more technical emphasis, in combination with a case-study approach, makes it quite suitable for public officials, such as environmental planners/managers, and for beginning students of environmental policy. . . . This is a welcome addition to the literature relating to the operationalisation and implementation of the concept of sustainability. (Amazon editorial review.)

(Added to the “Reading List” June 18, 2008)

The Green Marketing Manifesto, John Grant, John Wiley & Sons, 2007

The Green Marketing Manifesto provides a road map on how to organize green marketing effectively and sustainably. It offers a fresh start for green marketing, one that provides a practical and ingenious approach. The book offers many examples from companies and brands who are making headway in this difficult arena, to give an indication of the potential of this route.

John Grant creates a “Green Matrix” as a tool for examining current practice and the practice that the future needs to embrace. This book is intended to assist marketers, by means of clear and practical guidance, through a complex transition towards meaningful green marketing. (Amazon publisher review)

Green Manufacturing: Case Studies in Lean and Sustainability, Association of Manufacturing Excellence, Productivity Press (2007)

No manufacturer can afford to ignore the pressing environmental issues of today. To do so puts both their profit line and their legacy at risk. As part of the Enterprise Excellence Series, this book brings together articles and case studies covering environmental, and energy issues that were previously published in the Association of Manufacturing Excellence’s Target Magazine. It covers both areas of moral responsibility, as well as legal and economic considerations. Chapters are organized in three areas: Protecting the Environment, Using Energy Wisely, and EPA Case Studies, making it easy to track down the information desired. (Amazon publisher review)

Patty Calkins, VP of Environment, Health, and Safety at Xerox, recommends:

Green to Gold, Daniel C. Esty and Andrew Winston, Yale University Press (2006)

“Green to Gold is a must-read for the twenty-first century CEO. Esty and Winston provide convincing examples of how companies out-compete their peers by tackling sustainability head on, engaging stakeholders, developing NGO partnerships, and folding environmental stewardship into their corporate culture.” Tensie Whelan, Executive Director, Rainforest Alliance
(Amazon reader review)

Capitalism at the Crossroads, Stuart L. Hart, Wharton School Publishing (2007)

“Is the business sector more then just a entity that creates products and jobs? The author of this book believes that the corporate sector can be the catalyst for a force of global development. The author argues that there is no conflict between making the world a better place and make a profit. He does believe that business leaders need to maintain a principled commitment to civic responsibility, for if nothing else then to keep your company out of the spot light of issues that could arise from actions that are less then ethical.” John Hillard (Amazon reader review)

Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things by William McDonough and Michael Brangart, North Point Press, 2002.

“The authors present a manifesto calling for a new industrial revolution, one that would render both traditional manufacturing and traditional environmentalism obsolete. Recycling, for instance, is actually “downcycling,” creating hybrids of biological and technical “nutrients” which are then unrecoverable and unusable. Why settle for the least harmful alternative when we could have something that is better–say, edible grocery bags!” (Amazon publisher review)

Making Sustainability Work: Best Practices in Managing and Measuring Corporate Social, Environmental and Economic Impacts, by Marc J. Epstein, Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2008.

“Drawing on the latest research and the best practices of 100 companies worldwide, Epstein provides an extraordinarily complete model for implementing sustainability initiatives. He covers the role of senior managers and corporate boards in leading and governing sustainability activities; organizational design issues that can improve sustainability; integration of social risk factors into capital investment, costing, and risk management systems; incentives and rewards to improve sustainability performance; identification and measurement corporate social, environmental, and economic impacts; and much more.” (Amazon publisher review)