30 Visions Of Sustainability

This book offers a unique insight into the corporate health of energy companies in an evolving landscape of deregulation. Cutting across both historical and present-day situations, it demonstrates important elements vital to the success of energy companies coming out of a safe regulated structure and dealing with a new competitive environment. Targeted at corporate executives, energy professionals, the financial and investment communities, strategic planners and regulators, readers will find this resource helpful to understand how energy companies can meet the challenges of a competitive environment, what it will take to evolve into healthy energy companies, the impacts of deregulation and assessment of successful and unsuccessful strategies for energy companies, the role of technology in business/product reinvention and a successful business model, and the differences and similarities of electricity to other commodities-the challenges to generation, power delivery, environmental science and end-use sectors of the business.

This title was first published in 2000: Sustainable development has grown to compass cultural, socio-economic, political and environmental issues, and the use of Sustainability indicators (SIs) is seen by many as central to its implementation. After all, how can one ’do’ sustainable development unless one knows when it has been attained? The adoption of SIs in such a context is logical, but does present a number of practical difficulties. So far much of the published material consists of theoretical SI frameworks, with little practical experience on their use in development scenarios. In contrast, this volume is based on the results of a six year project designed to develop and evaluate the use of SLs in a Nigerian village. For the first time this takes into consideration the views and perspectives of the local population, and in doing so addresses key issues that are vital for anyone attempting to put sustainable development into practice.

As industry and technology proliferate in modern society, sustainability has jumped to the forefront of contemporary political and environmental discussions. The balance between progress and the earth's ability to provide for its inhabitants grows increasingly precarious as we attempt to achieve sustainable development. In The Agrarian Vision: Sustainability and Environmental Ethics, Paul B. Thompson articulates a new agrarian philosophy, emphasizing the vital role of agrarianism in modern agricultural practices. Thompson, a highly regarded voice in environmental philosophy, unites concepts of agrarian philosophy, political theory, and environmental ethics to illustrate the importance of creating and maintaining environmentally conscious communities. Thompson describes the evolution of agrarian values in America, following the path blazed by Thomas Jefferson, John Steinbeck, and Wendell Berry. Providing a pragmatic approach to ecological responsibility and commitment, The Agrarian Vision is a significant, compelling argument for the practice of a reconfigured and expanded agrarianism in our efforts to support modern industrialized culture while also preserving the natural world.

Hiroshi Komiyama's "Vision 2050" is a plan for paving a road to global sustainability. It lays out a path to a sustainable future for humanity that could realistically be achieved by 2050 through the application of science and technology. A prominent Japanese academic and leader in global sustainability, Komiyama draws upon realistic assumptions and solid scientific concepts to create a vision that makes the living standards enjoyed by developed countries today possible for all people by 2050. "Vision 2050" is built upon three fundamental principles – increased energy efficiency, recycling, and development of renewable energy sources – and the book argues for the technological potential of all three. Specifically, Komiyama envisions a three-fold increase in overall energy efficiency and a doubling of renewable energy resources by 2050. "Vision 2050: Roadmap for a Sustainable Earth" is written to address the concerned citizen as well as to inspire an exchange of ideas among experts, policy makers, industrial leaders, and the general public.

Presenting a framework to direct research needed to achieve and maintain sustainability, this book will be of considerable help to local authorities and political and government bodies establishing guidelines for planning and monitoring sustainable urban development.

Nowadays sustainability is a hot topic. It is therefore all the more surprising that so few people know what sustainability really means and how it can be implemented. The transformation towards a truly sustainable economic system is the only way to tackle and successfully solve today's global challenges. This book explains clearly and to the point what is meant by sustainable development, how disruptive technologies enable the necessary transformation, how all of us can doubly contribute to sustainability through personal development & professional impact.

Environmental activists and academics alike are realizing that a sustainable society must be a just one. Environmental degradation is almost always linked to questions of human equality and quality of life. Throughout the world, those segments of the population that have the least political power and are the most marginalized are selectively victimized by environmental crises. This book argues that social and environmental justice within and between nations should be an integral part of the policies and agreements that promote sustainable development. The book addresses the links between environmental quality and human equality and between sustainability and environmental justice.

No one can argue against wanting a better quality of life—and Principles of Sustainable Living: A New Vision for Health, Happiness, and Prosperity provides keen insight into how to achieve that so that individuals, communities, and the environment all come out winners. This transdisciplinary text presents principles of sustainability, develops environmental literacy, and expands awareness of sustainable practices that will steer readers toward a lifestyle that they, as well as the entire planet, will benefit from. Author Richard Jurin, an expert in sustainable living, has written numerous publications on sustainable development, business leadership for sustainability, and related issues. He takes students beyond sustainability’s traditional “triple bottom line” of people, profit, and planet to a quadruple paradigm that includes economic, sociocultural, psychological, and ecological aspects of sustainability. This text is supported by its own website, which includes an instructor guide, test package, study guide, and presentation package. The book’s 36 illustrations and tables are all included in the presentation package. The text offers • principles of sustainability that support a range of university courses in multiple disciplines; • a systems approach to sustainability that reflects worldwide views and values; • case studies, personal reflections, and applications that help students understand their status and the challenges of the future; and • guidelines for developing sustainable living through daily choices. The book explores the mind-sets that have created the modern, consumer-based world we live in, exposing environmental and societal global problems as it does; lays out new ways of thinking, championing sustainable thinking as a prerequisite for living a healthy, happy, vibrant life that benefits the planet; and details positive options for living a sustainable lifestyle. Readers will be able to understand sustainability from a broad perspective—how it can improve their lives, resolve environmental problems, and improve the condition of the planet for all life. Principles of Sustainable Living points out the problems and challenges we face individually and as caretakers of our planet and offers lifestyle approaches that can sustain quality of life long into the future.