Pollution Books

What Matters: The World's Preeminent Photojournalists and Thinkers Depict Essential Issues of Our Time

David Elliot Cohen

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Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Photography -> Photo Essays
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Photography -> Photojournalism
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Politics -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

For more than a century, photography has revealed truths, exposed lies, advanced the public discourse, and inspired people to demand change. Socially conscious pioneers with cameras transformed the world—and that legacy lives on in this eye-opening, thought-provoking, and (we hope) action-inducing book. Like Jacob Riis’s How the Other Half Lives, Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, and Jonathan Schell’s The Fate of the Earth before it, we believe that What Matters will fundamentally alter the way we see and understand the human race and our planet.
What Matters asks: What are the essential issues of our time? What are the pictures that will spark public outrage and spur reform? The answer appears in 18 powerful, page-turning stories by the foremost photojournalists of our age, edited by The New York Times best-selling author/editor David Elliot Cohen (A Day in the Life and America 24/7 series), and featuring trenchant commentary from well-recognized experts and thinkers in appropriate fields. Photographer Gary Braasch and climate-change guru Bill McKibben provide “A Global Warming Travelogue” that takes us from ice caves in Antarctica to smoke-spewing coal plants in Beijing. Brent Stirton and Peter A. Glick examine a “Thirsty World,” chronicling the daily search for clean water in non-developed countries. James Nachtwey and bestselling poverty expert Jeffrey D. Sachs look at the causes of, and cures for, global poverty in “The Bottom Billion.” Stephanie Sinclair and Judith Bruce present the preteen brides of Afghanistan, Nepal, and Ethiopia.
Sometimes the juxtaposition of photographs can be startling: “Shop ‘til We Drop,” Lauren Greenfield’s images of upscale consumer culture, starkly contrast with Shehzad Noorani’s “Children of the Black Dust”—child laborers in Bangladesh, their faces blackened with carbon dust from recycled batteries.
The combination of compelling photographs and insightful writing make this a highly relevant, widely discussed book bound to appeal to anyone concerned about the crucial issues shaping our world. What Matters is, in effect, a 336-page illustrated letter to the next American president about the issues that count. It will inspire readers to do their part—however small—to make a difference: to help, the volume includes extensive “What You Can Do” sections with a menu of web links and effective actions readers can take now. This year give What Matters.

You Are Here: Exposing the Vital Link Between What We Do and What That Does to Our Planet

Thomas M. Kostigen

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Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Social Sciences -> Political Science -> Public Policy
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Urban Planning & Development -> Environmental Planning
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Urban Planning & Development -> General

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Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

In this groundbreaking book, the New York Times bestselling coauthor of The Green Book Thomas M. Kostigen reveals the vital missing link in today's environmental crisis: how we as individuals are connected to the most tenuous geography on the planet. Despite the recent prominence of "green" issues in the news, the direct relationship between our actions and the earth is too often ignored. But the seemingly insignificant things we do every day have the power to literally alter the landscape in the ongoing battle to resuscitate the planet.

There are living narratives of climate change that reveal the consequences of our everyday actions. You Are Here allows us to both comprehend and care about what's happening in these encampments of ruin. Kostigen shows us what may well be a glimpse of our future in Linfen City, China, one of the most polluted places on the planet. From a garbage patch twice the size of Texas in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, to the melting arctic ice shelf, to the flood zone that is Mumbai, India, to the dwindling rainforests of the Amazon, You Are Here describes the environmental crisis in a way we can feel, see, and touch. Kostigen presents us with opportunities for change and shows us how to take action on the spot, wherever we are. Combining groundbreaking research and page-turning frontline reporting, Kostigen pulls back the curtain on the most pressing and provocative issues of the day and in so doing we see the earth and our place on it in a brand new light.

The Geography of Nowhere: The Rise and Decline of America's Man-Made Landscape

James Howard Kunstler

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Total reviews: 52 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The Geography of Nowhere traces America's evolution from a nation of Main Streets and coherent communities to a land where every place is like no place in particular, where the cities are dead zones and the countryside is a wasteland of cartoon architecture and parking lots.

In elegant and often hilarious prose, Kunstler depicts our nation's evolution from the Pilgrim settlements to the modern auto suburb in all its ghastliness. The Geography of Nowhere tallies up the huge economic, social, and spiritual costs that America is paying for its car-crazed lifestyle. It is also a wake-up call for citizens to reinvent the places where we live and work, to build communities that are once again worthy of our affection. Kunstler proposes that by reviving civic art and civic life, we will rediscover public virtue and a new vision of the common good. "The future will require us to build better places," Kunstler says, "or the future will belong to other people in other societies."

The Measure of Our Success: A Letter to My Children and Yours

Marian Wright Edelman

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A message we need to pass along to the next generation 5 out of 5 stars.
12 of 12 people found this review helpful.

Drawing from inspirational experiences from her own childhood, Dr. Edelman talks to (not at) her own children, urging them, in whatever occupation they may choose, to serve the community at large. This is also a book for adults (parents, educators, and religious and community leaders) to read, to live a life of principles and a desire to somehow make the world a better place - in short, to serve as the strong, positive role model that so many of our children have had to do without.

The book is also an indictment on how American society and political leadership do a great job at paying lip service to the needs of children but fails miserably in their actions. Complaining, however, is not enough; if children are to grow up to be conscientious and caring citizens, adults must set a good example.

It's a small book with a big heart and a great message. I strongly recommend it to anyone who cares about children and social justice in general.

Editorial Review:

The #1 New York Times bestseller is a thinking person's Life's Little Instruction Book, with simple yet inspirational messages about living.

My House Is Killing Me!: The Home Guide for Families with Allergies and Asthma

Jeffrey C. May

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Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Disorders & Diseases -> Allergies
Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Disorders & Diseases -> Asthma
Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Disorders & Diseases -> Respiratory

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Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

It's a world we barely see, but it is teeming with life. In the dust of a typical house, carpet beetles, mites, silverfish, and other creatures live and die, producing new generations every few months. Mold, bacteria, and yeast lurk undetected in heating and cooling systems. Debris dispersed into the air from these organisms can cause runny noses, itchy eyes, coughing, headaches, and breathing difficulties. Some people, especially those made highly sensitive by allergies, suffer from devastating health problems and the worry that, as one such sufferer lamented, "My house is killing me!"

Scrutinizing house dust and air samples with a microscope, indoor air quality expert Jeffrey C. May has spent his career helping people identify what's causing their chronic health problems. In My House Is Killing Me! he draws on the dramatic personal stories of his clients' suffering and relief to help readers understand the links between environmental factors and problems like allergies and asthma. Explaining how air conditioning, finished basements, and other home features affect air quality, he offers a step-by-step approach to identifying, controlling, and often eliminating the sources of indoor pollutants and allergens. If we could see this contamination, May observes, the air would look as murky as stagnant water, and we would know not to breathe it.

Reading My House Is Killing Me! lets you see your house the way an expert would. Just as he looks at spaces and systems during an indoor air quality investigation, May focuses first on the areas of daily life (bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen), then looks into attics and basements (including heating and air conditioning), and finally moves outside to the garage and the exterior of a home. Along with offering a wealth of practical advice and proven solutions for various problems, he includes a glossary of terms and a list of valuable resources.

Smogtown: The Lung-Burning History of Pollution in Los Angeles

Chip Jacobs, William Kelly

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Subjects -> History -> Americas -> United States -> State & Local -> California
Subjects -> History -> Americas -> United States -> State & Local -> West
Subjects -> History -> Americas -> United States -> General

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Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The smog beast wafted into downtown Los Angeles on July 26, 1943. Nobody knew what it was. Secretaries rubbed their eyes. Traffic cops seemed to disappear in the mysterious haze. Were Japanese saboteurs responsible? A reckless factory? The truth was much worse--it came from within, from Southern California's burgeoning car-addicted, suburban lifestyle.

Smogtown is the story of pollution, progress, and how an optimistic people confronted the epic struggle against airborne poisons barraging their hometowns. With wit, verve, and a fresh look at history, California based journalists Chip Jacobs and William J. Kelly highlight the bold personalities involved, the corporate- tainted science, the terrifying health costs, the attempts at cleanup, and how the smog battle helped mold the modern-day culture of Los Angeles. There are scofflaws aplenty and dirty deals, plus murders, suicides, spiritual despair, and an ever-present paranoia about mass disaster.

Brimming with historic photographs, forgotten anecdotes, and new revelations about our environmentally precarious present, Smogtown is a journalistic classic for the modern age.

Renewable Energy

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Comprehensive book on all modern renewable energy sources 5 out of 5 stars.
10 of 10 people found this review helpful.

I used this book as a primary text for a course on "Energy & the Environment" where we dealt with all current and future methods of energy production and their effect on the environment.

This book is by far the best and easiest to read, whilst still containing accurate and complete information and data (though most of the data is based on the UK). It contains relevant formulas and mathematical information but is not too technical as to leave the reader jumping through numbers.

I've given this book 5 stars, because I couldn't find any flaw in it. It's a MUST have for any one interested in renewable energy.

Editorial Review:

Stimulated by recent technological developments and increasing concern over the sustainability and environmental impact of conventional fuel usage, the prospect of producing clean, sustainable power in substantial quantities from renewable energy sources arouses interest world-wide. This book provides a comprehensive overview of the principal types of renewable energy-including solar, thermal photovoltaics, bioenergy, hydro, tidal, wind, wave, and geothermal. In addition, the text explains the underlying physical and technological principles of renewable energy and examines the environmental impact and future prospects of different energy sources. It includes over 350 detailed illustrations, more than fifty tables of data, and a wide range of case studies. Renewable Energy, 2/e is ideal for undergraduate courses in energy, sustainable development, and environmental science.

Toxic Sludge is Good For You: Lies, Damn Lies and the Public Relations Industry

John Stauber, Sheldon Rampton

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 44 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

This book is phenomenal.. 5 out of 5 stars.
11 of 11 people found this review helpful.

In addition to the fact that this book reads like a thriller, the content and specific examples that are used in this book are so eye opening that it might make you depressed or even nauseated.

Americans are flooded with a propaganda campaign so efficiant that it would make the NAZIs jealous. This book expalins in vivid detail the actual manipulation tactics that are used by the energy, pharmacuetical and tobbaco industries (among others) to blind us into submission and hypnotize us into believing their products are not only safe but are intimately tied to your youth and vitality.

An earlier post for this book made the comment that the authors shouldn't explain the actual manipulation strategies, but the dangerous PR firms allready know how to use them. The rest of us should know these strategies so we can recognize their tactics when we are confronted with them.
Highly recomended book.

Editorial Review:

Sure, many of us in this modern world are cynical. The most cynical may even suspect that the news is manipulated and massaged by sponsors, that corporations act in their best interests, that political campaigns are determined not by votes, but by bucks, and that we don't get "all the news that's fit to print" but instead, "all the news that gets the ink". But even the most media-savvy amongst you will be awed by the behind-the-scenes descriptions of the Public Relations industry in action so masterfully described in this book. If you want your eyes to be opened, open them upon the pages of this book. (But remember: there are some very important people counting on you, and they really would prefer that you didn't ever hear about this book, much less buy it.)

The American West at Risk: Science, Myths, and Politics of Land Abuse and Recovery

Howard G. Wilshire, Jane E. Nielson, Richard W. Hazlett

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Subjects -> Business & Investing -> Economics -> Natural Resources
Subjects -> Business & Investing -> Economics -> Sustainable Development
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Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The American West at Risk summarizes the dominant human-generated environmental challenges in the 11 contiguous arid western United States - America's legendary, even mythical, frontier. When discovered by European explorers and later settlers, the west boasted rich soils, bountiful fisheries, immense, dense forests, sparkling streams, untapped ore deposits, and oil bonanzas. It now faces depletion of many of these resources, and potentially serious threats to its few "renewable" resources.
The importance of this story is that preserving lands has a central role for protecting air and water quality, and water supplies--and all support a healthy living environment. The idea that all life on earth is connected in a great chain of being, and that all life is connected to the physical earth in many obvious and subtle ways, is not some new-age fad, it is scientifically demonstrable. An understanding of earth processes, and the significance of their biological connections, is critical in shaping societal values so that national land use policies will conserve the earth and avoid the worst impacts of natural processes. These connections inevitably lead science into the murkier realms of political controversy and bureaucratic stasis. Most of the chapters in The American West at Risk focus on a human land use or activity that depletes resources and degrades environmental integrity of this resource-rich, but tender and slow-to-heal, western U.S.
The activities include forest clearing for many purposes; farming and grazing; mining for aggregate, metals, and other materials; energy extraction and use; military training and weapons manufacturing and testing; road and utility transmission corridors; recreation; urbanization; and disposing of the wastes generated by everything that we do. We focus on how our land-degrading activities are connected to natural earth processes, which act to accelerate and spread the damages we inflict on the land.
One of the Top Ten Amazon Editor's Picks for the Best Books of 2008 on Amazon for the Outdoors and Nature category.

Caring for Yourself When Caring for Others

Margot Hover

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