Resources of the Earth: Origin, Use, and Environmental Impact (3rd Edition)

Book Description

Extensively illustrated, balanced, broad-based, and up-to-date, this book explores the nature and critical issues of all major types of earth resources--energy, metallic, nonmetallic, water, soil--and the impacts that resource usage has on the earth environment. It provides geologic background of resource formation and occurrence of most of the various types of resources; offers an international perspective; discusses resources not only from the scientific point of view, but also from the point of economic, political, historical considerations; and considers how the extraction and use of the resources creates impacts--local or global, immediate or delayed, visible or invisible, singular or cumulative. Minerals: The Foundations of Society. Plate Tectonics and The Origins of Mineral Resources. Earth's Resources Through History. Environmental Impacts of Resource Exploitation and Use. Energy from Fossil Fuels. Nuclear Power and Alternative Energy Sources. Abundant Metals. The Geochemically Scare Metals. Fertilizer and Chemical Minerals. Building Materials and Other Industrial Minerals. Water Resources. Soil as a Resource. Future Resources. For anyone interested in earth resources.

Customer Reviews:

Readable text- odd images.......2006-10-29

I enjoyed reading about natural resources in this textbook format, and have gone back to re-read chapters repeatedly. I found this text's approach much more enjoyable and enlightening than my prep school or college geology studies. However, the page layout of the images seemed amateurish:some photographs images were distored to fit the page.

Natural Resource Conservation: Management for a Sustainable Future (9th Edition)

Average customer rating:

Natural Resource Conservation: Management for a Sustainable Future (9th Edition)
Daniel D. Chiras , John P. Reganold , and Oliver S. Owen
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0131458329

Book Description

Written from a sustainable perspective, this readable, yet rigorous, book provides comprehensive coverage of a variety of local, regional, national, and global resource and environmental issues from population growth to wetlands to agriculture to global air pollution. It emphasizes practical, cost-effective, sustainable solutions to these problems that make sense from social, economic, and environmental perspectives. Overall increased emphasis on international and global issues (includes many examples from Canada). New information on Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing—integrated GIS Remote Sensing boxed information appears throughout, including 12 case studies. Expanded coverage of ecosystem management and watershed management, global climate change, ozone depletion, wetlands protection, and policy—including new international treaties, new federal laws, and more. The friendly, approachable writing style makes the book accessible to a wide range of readers—from those who want an introduction in natural resource conservation and natural resource management to professionals in this field.

Average customer rating:

Wetlands is a very useful resource
good wetland text
Applauded by this Environmental Engineer PE!
The Wetlands Textbook
An Excellent Resource on Wetland Sciences!

Wetlands
William J. Mitsch , and James G. Gosselink
Manufacturer: Wiley
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Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 047129232X

Book Description

Praise for Wetlands, Second Edition

"This book is the wetlands bible . . . the most wide-ranging [book] on the subject."—Carl Folke, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (Land Use Policy)

"The single best combination text and reference book on wetland ecology."—Joseph S. Larson, University of Massachusetts (Journal of Environmental Quality)

"First on my list of references to recommend to someone new to wetland policy management or science."—Jay A. Leitch, North Dakota State University (Water Resources Bulletin)

"The First Edition of Wetlands became the definitive work for educating wetland scientists and managers across the country. . . . The Second Edition . . . is a wonderful improvement . . . and provides a complete guide to wetland science, use, and utilization."—P. M. Gale, University of Florida (Journal of Environmental Quality)

The book every wetland professional needs, now completely revised and updated

In many respects, this Third Edition of Wetlands is an entirely new book. While the authoritative coverage of its earlier editions has been retained, an enormous body of new material has been added, and every chapter has been revised to keep pace with rapid growth in scientific knowledge and important innovations in wetland ecology and management. Now in a larger, easier-to-read format, this wetland "bible" offers expanded coverage of everything from the role of crabs in mangrove swamps to the role of wetlands in global climate change. Important features of this new edition include:

A greater emphasis (and a new chapter) on wetlands of the world
Expanded coverage of Canadian wetlands
A new chapter on wetland laws and protection
Improved, easy-to-read illustrations, many of them covering new material
New chapters on wetland creation and restoration, and treatment wetlands
New information and expanded coverage in every chapter
The latest information on gaseous emissions from wetlands
Updated theories and classifications of salt marshes, peatlands, forested swamps, and riparian ecosystems

Customer Reviews:

Wetlands is a very useful resource.......2007-03-11

This book is very helpful in understanding the various aspects and dynamics relating to wetlands. It includes management, legal, and various other topics of importance to wetland biologists, wildlife students or researchers working in wetland delineation or consultation.

good wetland text.......2005-12-09

Overall, this is a very good text on wetlands (for students and professionals both). However, I personally feel that a entire chapter could be devoted to wetland soils and wish that this book gave a better presentation of wetland soils. Furthermore, a great deal of research has been performed in Boreal wetlands and Boreal Prairie wetlands of Canada yet the Canadian literature is somewhat lacking in this text. Its still the best option out there for professors.

Applauded by this Environmental Engineer PE!.......2004-12-19

There is no better book for learning about wetlands that I have found. Many students find hydrology difficult, but this book lays this critical process out clearly, with excellent illustrations and diagrams.

This book helps the biotic oriented student understand the abiotic processes in clear and simple language.

I will never part with my copy, and reference it often!

The Wetlands Textbook.......2002-10-03

I first picked this book up to consider a career as a wetland scientist (among other things) and instantly dove into the heaps of information provided. It is well written and easy to read with nicely labelled sections. I found that it had all sorts of information on the subject. It is highly useful.

To date, this is THE book to get in the field. If you get any book on the subject, this is it. I was only mildly surprised after reading through much of it to find that it's the only textbook in my graduate class on wetland ecology and management and there appears to be no competition as a textbook.

In short, it's very readable and immensely useful: A combination you can't go wrong with.

An Excellent Resource on Wetland Sciences!.......2000-12-06

This resource would be considered the "Bible" of wetland sciences. It is highly valuable for understanding the ecological systems involved in a wetland. A must for wetland regulators, scientists, and just interested people!

Average customer rating:

Excellent general reference
Lake and Pond Management Guidebook
The Lake Detective... He Can't Be Stumped! A great GLer

Lake and Pond Management Guidebook
Steve McComas
Manufacturer: CRC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1566706300

Book Description

The Lake and Pond Management Guidebook is the successor to the Bestselling Lake Smarts: The First Lake Maintenance Handbook, published by the Terrene Institute in 1993. This guidebook is the "bible" for small-scale lake and pond improvements. It contains over 300 ideas and projects that provide step-by-step practical, low-cost solutions to a wide range of problems that lake management professionals face on a regular basis. This updated and expanded second edition includes new material on protecting and restoring the shoreland area, practical algae control techniques, enhancing native aquatic plants, historical lake management efforts, and pond management including storm water pond improvements.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent general reference.......2006-12-18

Lake and Pond Management by Steve McComas is an excellent reference for cooperative extension advisors, soil and water conservation district staff, lake association representatives, and other watershed managers. Licensed commercial pesticide applicators who are considering broadening their credentials to the aquatic pest control category would also find this Guidebook a valuable addition to their reference libraries. As a retired university farm advisor and riverfront landowner, I found this book highly educational - and well worth the price.

Steve Sutter
Presque Isle, Maine

Lake and Pond Management Guidebook.......2005-08-31

Absolutely the last word in pond or small lake creation and maintenance. For both the amateur and professional landscaper. Well worth the steep price.

The Lake Detective... He Can't Be Stumped! A great GLer.......2004-02-16

This is that guy from AM1500 KSTP... Garage Logic, with Joe Soucheray. He goes by "The Lake Detective", and all he does is lakes, I guess. He's found a great niche in MN, land of 10,000 of 'em. Being a lakeshore owner, I've already used some of his techniques to keep my shore in great shape. The beauty of a lot of his approaches is that the solutions mostly seem pretty low-tech and inexpensive. But that's a good thing. I didn't have to rent expensive equipment to get my shore cleared, and the results have been great.

Color pictures would help, but the black-n-whites do the job, I guess. This $80 book saved me hundreds (maybe thousands) from what I was going to do to 'fix up' my shore... Money well spent!

Book Description

Newly revised and edited, this comprehensive handbook is the definitive stand-alone energy manager's desk reference, used by thousands of professionals throughout the industry. The sixth edition includes new chapters on ground-source heat pumps, sustainability, and high performance green buildings, plus an in-depth revision of sections on control systems. In this book, you will find detailed coverage of every component of effective energy management, including energy auditing, economic analysis, boilers, steam systems, cogeneration, waste-heat recovery, building envelope, HVAC systems, electric energy management, control systems, lighting, energy systems maintenance, industrial insulation, alternative energy, indoor air quality, utility rates, thermal energy storage, codes standards, natural gas purchasing, energy security, utility deregulation, financing, commissioning, as well as measurement and verification of energy savings. Detailed illustrations, tables, graphs, and many other helpful working aids are provided throughout.

Customer Reviews:

Outdated.......2007-05-25

I was expecting the new edition to have updated a few things, for example LEDs are still neglected in the lighting sections.
All in all it's still a good reference manual. The visual presentation of the material is disturbing; it's full of copy/pasted excel tables in low resolution.

Energy Efficiency Manual: for everyone who uses energy, pays for utilities, designs and builds, is interested in energy conservation and the environment (Energy Efficiency Manual)

Average customer rating:

Useful and interesting - STRONGLY RECOMMENDED
Superlative! A must have!
A secret weapon for the energy auditor
Everything you always wanted to know, in plain English
Provides practical advice for avoiding pitfalls

Energy Efficiency Manual: for everyone who uses energy, pays for utilities, designs and builds, is interested in energy conservation and the environment (Energy Efficiency Manual)
Donald R. Wulfinghoff
Manufacturer: Energy Institute Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0965792676

Book Description

This is the primary reference, how-to guide, and sourcebook for energy conservation. It lets you improve efficiency and save money in all types of buildings and plants, ranging from individual houses to commercial buildings to large institutions and industrial plants. It is organized around 400 logically grouped energy conservation actions, presented in language that everyone understands.

It's for everyone who uses energy, pays for utilities, manages property, operates energy systems, designs, builds, and values conservation and the environment. It's loaded with features that help you quickly find the right information for each application. "Ratings" and "Selection Scorecards" identify your best conservation opportunities. "Traps & Tricks" ensure success. "Economics" estimate savings and costs. It has been acclaimed by professional and non-technical users. Publishers Weekly says it "answers just about any question [from] homeowner, plant manager, energy policy guru ... as practically useful as it is informative." 830 photographs and drawings illustrate the methods. Hundreds of examples give you a feel for real applications. A complete index makes it easy to find every topic and term.

Customer Reviews:

Useful and interesting - STRONGLY RECOMMENDED.......2005-02-08

Despite the intimidating name and size of this tome, I found it fascinating to read. It covers everything from light bulb selection to rooftop chiller maintenance. The depth and breath of coverage is amazing.

This is not a hippie guide to backwoods eco-conservation. It is a practical manual, firmly grounded in science and economics that explains different strategies for maximizing comfort while minimizing energy use. In every case, the author examines both the pros and cons of the measure, and calculates the expected payback term. It is so helpful to have a book that is realistic in its treatment of energy conservation. Lots of books outline promising energy saving techniques, none I've read before talk so frankly about the problems you will encounter when you implement them.

Quite technical in many places, the text excels at explaining important concepts that are often ignored in other texts. I have a background in physics, but not until reading this book did I have a good grasp of the operation of absorption coolers or how the spectrum of a light bulb affects the visual comfort of the scene it illuminates. The concise overview of heat transfer mechanisms is more thorough than any thermodynamics textbook I've ever read.

Most important of all is the practical advice that is clearly based on a huge body of real experience. As the book so frequently points out, energy saving measures are useless if they break or are defeated by building occupants. Hundreds of (non-obvious) examples of these failures are given, with pictures.

This book would be great for anyone with responsibility for designing or maintaining buildings of any size. If you are hesitant to pay the high price, find it at a local library. I don't write many Amazon reviews, but after reading this book I felt compelled to strongly recommend it.

Superlative! A must have!.......2003-12-08

Superlative! The ENERGY EFFICIENCY MANUAL by Donald Wulfinghoff is a "must have" for professionals, libraries, facility managers, policy makers, homeowners, and anyone else who is serious about saving energy and cashing in on lower energy bills. It is the ultimate energy saving resource for businesses, industry, and government. PLUS, it will save money and reduce pollution, satisfying corporate bottom lines, policy makers, and environmentalists all at the same time. This book is unique. Highly informative, illustration-rich, and user-friendly, it is treasure trove of everything you need to know about energy efficiency from A to Z. Don't bother looking elsewhere -- the ENERGY EFFICIENCY MANUAL simply has it all. This book will pay for itself almost as fast as you can spot a hot air leak or install an energy-efficient light bulb!

-- Amy Vickers

A secret weapon for the energy auditor.......2003-07-01

As an energy auditor I'd almost call the Energy Efficiency Manual a secret weapon, except it has so many good ideas that I can't help but show it to many of the customers and prospective customers I meet. The diagrams are very useful, as is the self contained but well cross-referenced way in which each improvement measure has been written. For example, talking to the maintenance manager of a hospital, we looked at the diagrams of hot/cold deck multi-zone systems while discussing the pros and cons of upgrading a constant volume air conditioning system to a variable volume system. It is by far the most useful book on energy management that I have ever read (well, in the case of the Energy Efficiency Manual, that I have partially read - its an enormously large book!), and the ratings of each of the measures are particularly useful, along with the practical, no-nonsense approach. The book is extremely well cross referenced and Wulfinghoff has covered an enormous body of knowledge in writing the book. As someone fairly new to the field I'm grateful that he went to the effort of documenting and making available his knowledge and 30 odd years experience in the Energy Efficiency Manual.

Everything you always wanted to know, in plain English.......2001-04-25

I nodded my head in agreement while reading Wulfinghoff's philosophy about energy savings in commercial and light industrial facilities. He distills 20+ years of experience in this field with practical, no-nonsense how-tos to gain energy and dollar savings in a wide variety of facilities and end-uses: lighting, water use, steam systems, space heating, water heating, air conditioning, scheduling, pumps, energy management controls: its all here in a well-written, well-illustrated book.

Perhaps best of all, the author goes beyond theoretical considerations of high-tech efficiency products, with precautions of what works and what might fall short. He also reminds facility managers to be mindful of the human factors that can foil our best efforts. He offers suggestions on how to plan and manage efficiency upgrades complete with information for building operators and occupants, so that the savings persist.

Highly recommended for anyone managing energy use in facilities, ranging from individual buildings to college campuses to government facilities. [I am a local government energy manager myself.]

Provides practical advice for avoiding pitfalls.......2001-02-04

Donald Wulfinghoff's Energy Efficiency Manual is a massive, 1,536-page reference work that is organized to guide the reader quickly to the right information for their particular energy project, problem, or inquiry. The first part of this "user friend" manual has 400 logically grouped activities for improving energy efficiency. each activity begins with Ratings and a Selection Scorecard to help the reader judge the merits and difficulties of that particular activity. "Economics" sidebars estimates the savings, cost, and payback period. The "Traps & Tricks" sidebars provides practical advice for avoiding pitfalls plaguing energy conservation efforts. Energy Efficiency Manual will earn back its cover price over and over again and is an essential, core reference for personal, professional, and community library energy conservation and energy efficiency reference book collections.

Plan B 2.0: Rescuing a Planet Under Stress and a Civilization in Trouble

Average customer rating:

Best Yet
Essential reading for every human on this planet
Plan B 2.0: Rescuing a Planet Under Stress and a Civilization in Trouble
Best Single Book for Both General Public and Broadly Read Specialists
Wake Up America

Plan B 2.0: Rescuing a Planet Under Stress and a Civilization in Trouble
Lester R. Brown
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0393328317

Book Description

In this new edition, Lester Brown outlines a survival strategy for our early twenty-first civilization.

The world faces numerous environmental trends of disruption and decline such as rising temperatures, falling water tables, shrinking forests, melting glaciers, collapsing fisheries, and rising sea levels. In Plan B, Lester R. Brown notes that in ignoring nature's deadlines for dealing with these environmental issues we risk the disruption of economic progress.

In addition to these environmental trends, the world faces the peaking of oil, the addition of 70 million people per year, a widening global economic divide, and the spread of international terrorism. The global scale and growing complexity of issues facing our fast-forward world have no precedent.
Customer Reviews:

Best Yet.......2007-09-20

Plan B. 2.0 is the most comprehensive book I've found yet on the converging crises that we are facing in the world today. In Part I of the book, Lester R. Brown lays out each crisis, explaining the causes, and then goes on in Parts II and III, lays out a rational, well-thought-out,practical solution to the problems at hand. I gave my husband a copy of it to use for part of the Critical Issues for Law Enforcement class he's teaching at our local university. As far as I'm concerned, every American ought to have a copy and read it often and thoroughly. We need to be aware of what we're doing to ourselves and others. The frosting on this cake is that he gives us the tools we need to remedy the situation...if we act now.

Essential reading for every human on this planet.......2007-09-19

If you care about this planet and our journey upon it, this book is essential reading for the millennium ahead. I just wanted to add my five stars. Please read the other reviews for the overview of "Plan B: 2.0"

Plan B 2.0: Rescuing a Planet Under Stress and a Civilization in Trouble.......2007-02-06

We do have prophets for our time. Lester Brown is one of the most important among them. In his well founded search for truth and solutions for our demographic, ecological and economic problems of global dimensions, he powerfully opposes the four faces of destructive stupidity of our times: ignorance, refusal to discuss matters, denial, and faithful dysfunctionality. I made this book the present day Bible that must be read and discussed in my course on Bioethics: Perspectives on Human Life, at Le Moyne College, Syracuse NY.
Dr. Andrew Szebenyi S.J.

Best Single Book for Both General Public and Broadly Read Specialists.......2007-01-26

It's a real shame that the publisher did not take the trouble to load the table of contents into the product information section provided by Amazon, because that alone should persuade anyone that gets to this page that the book is a MUST BUY MUST READ MUST SHARE.

Each of the following section titles has six sub-titles that I will not repeat here:
1. Entering a New World
2. Beyond the Oil Peak
3. Emerging Water Shortages
4. Rising Temperatures & Rising Seas
5. Natural Systems Under Stress
6. Early Signs of Decline
7. Eradicating Poverty, Stabilizing Populations
8. Restoring the Earth
9. Feeding Seven Billion Well
10. Stabilizing Climate
11. Designing Sustainable Cities
12. Building a New Economy
13. Plan B: Building a New Future.

Although an updated version of the first edition published in 2003, this version can be said to be both completely new, and finally ready for public consumption now that Al Gore has put Global Warming on the public mind.

I still prefer J. F. Rischard's HIGH NOON: 20 Global Problems, 20 Years to Solve Them for the general reader, and I still think E. O. Wilson's "The Future of Life" is one of the top three in this area, but this book by Lester Brown has the merit of consolidating and structuring detail in a manner I have not seen elsewhere.

I recommend the book be ready in conjunction with books by Herman Daly and Paul Hawken, in part because everyone is now starting to realize that green sustainability is in fact the non-negotiable first step for any business to survive into the next decade--natural capitalism.

Most intriguing to me, and the heart of the book on page 257, is the consolidated Plan B budget totallying $161 billion a year needed to meet all of the goals the author postulates.
BASIC SOCIAL GOALS
12B Universal primary education
04B Adult literacy
06B School lunch in 44 poorest countries
04B Assistant to pregnant women and preschool childen in 44 poorest
07B Reproductive health and family planning
33B Universal health care
02B Closing the condom gap (Bill & Melinda Gates can have this one)

EARTH RESTORATION GOALS
06B Reforesting the earth
24B Protecting topsoil on cropland
09B Restoring rangelands
10B Stabilizing water tables
13B Restoring fisheries
31B Protecting biological diversity

As the author points out on the next page, world military expenditures total $975B a year, with the US alone responsible for $492B (this was published before we all knew of the half trillion dollar cost of the Iraq invasion and occupation). Hence, the $161B a year total is a fraction of the total spent on out-dated military systems, and could be funded by the US alone if we had the right leadership and public consensus.

Personally, and based on other readings, I believe that the author is under-estimating the costs, and avoiding a focus on many other factors including the urgent need to eradicate transnational crime and end inter-state and civil war. This is, however, a superb start and ideally suited as a primer for any level of learning.

Readers interested in seeing a broader perspective that places the ten high-level threats (poverty, infectuous disease, environmental degradation, inter-state conflict, civil war, genocide, other atrocities, proliferation, terrorism and transnational crime) in the context of the twelve policies that must be managed as a whole by all nations (agriculture, debt, diplomacy, economy, education, energy, family, immigration, justice, security, society, and water), and that in turn oriented toward the urgency of keeping the eight challengers (Brazil, China, Indonesia, India, Iran, Russia, Venezuela, Wild Cards) from repeating our mistakes, can check in at Earth Intelligence Network.

Rescuing are planet and our civilization is going to be a great deal harder than the author suggests, and is going to need a massive awakening by the public as to the "true cost" of all that we are doing wrong. I expect that we will succeed, in part from top down efforts by Al Gore and this author among others, and in part by bottom up efforts where individuals can get from the Internet the "true cost" of any good or service in terms of water content, fuel content, sweatshop labor content, and tax avoidance status. Noami Klein's book, "No Logo" is recommended in this regard.

Over-all an absolutely superb piece of work that caps the author's decades of advocacy on behalf of the planet. There is no other person that has been focused on this topic with due diligence year after year.

Wake Up America.......2007-01-14

Lester Brown has been monitoring the state of the world for many years and is probably one of the most knowledgeable and authoritative people on this topic. The first half of the book, filled with many little known but interesting and important facts lets us know how a declining resource base at a time of rapidly increasing human population is taking us toward a very unstable and potentially dangerous world. In the second half of the book he spells out what needs to be done worldwide and how it can be accomplished with about 1/3rd of our annual US Defense Dept. expenditures if we wake up to the facts and act immediately.
The book was so factual and encouraging that I bought a dozen to share with my congregation in the hope of spreading the facts, stimulating concern, and seeing some personal action.

PowerDown: Options And Actions For A Post-Carbon World

Average customer rating:

Weak; Verbose on non-thesis topics; Disappointing
My eyes will never be the same.
Visionary
PowerDown is a powerful book
must read if you live in the industrial world.

PowerDown: Options And Actions For A Post-Carbon World
Richard Heinberg
Manufacturer: New Society Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0865715106

Book Description

If the US continues with current policies, the next decades will be marked by war, economic collapse, and environmental catastrophe. Resource depletion and population pressures are about to catch up with us, and no one is prepared. The political élites, especially in the US, are incapable of dealing with the situation, and have in mind a punishing game of "Last One Standing."

The alternative is "Powerdown," a strategy that will require tremendous effort and economic sacrifice in order to reduce per-capita resource usage in wealthy countries, develop alternative energy sources, distribute resources more equitably, and reduce the human population humanely but systematically over time. While civil society organizations push for a mild version of this, the vast majority of the world's people are in the dark, not understanding the challenges ahead, nor the options realistically available.

Powerdown speaks frankly to these dilemmas. Avoiding cynicism and despair, it begins with an overview of the likely impacts of oil and natural gas depletion and then outlines four options for industrial societies during the next decades:

Last One Standing: the path of competition for remaining resources;
Powerdown: the path of cooperation, conservation, and sharing;
Waiting for a Magic Elixir: wishful thinking, false hopes, and denial;
Building Lifeboats: the path of community solidarity and preservation.

Finally, the book explores how three important groups within global society - the power élites, the opposition to the élites (the antiwar and anti-globalization movements, et al: the "Other Superpower"), and ordinary people - are likely to respond to these four options. Timely, accessible and eloquent, Powerdown is crucial reading for our times.

Listen to an interview with Richard Heinberg from WRPI.

Customer Reviews:

Weak; Verbose on non-thesis topics; Disappointing.......2007-07-15

The first 85 pages (of a 186 page book) are dedicated to verbosely enumerating the arguments from his previous book (without effectively arguing his reasoning). He also spends quite a bit of space to describing his opinions of the current U.S. administration. While I might agree with his political opinions, I believe that he undermines the thesis of this book in the minds of a lot more people. It is this reason why I would categorize this book is really nothing more than a "preaching to the choir" book.

The heart of the book is a 28 page chapter named "Powerdown" which provides some suggestions, but is mostly fluff. Probably the most important page in the chapter is the list of books that actually do discuss the powerdown scenario.

The third chapter is about how technology is unlikely to save us from dwindling energy.

The fourth chapter is about how people would react to the coming situation. He spends quite a while rehashing Gibbon's arguments on Rome and Diamond's arguments about ecological collapse. If you've read those two books you'll quickly notice that Heinberg and these two authors are on completely different planes of scholarship.

I was excited that he discussed, however briefly, how we might save information from the coming Dark Ages. Though, it was for only two pages.

Overall I thought that the author's arguments were weak and there really wasn't much that I got out of this book. I hope that other (and future) books in this genre will describe and defend the thesis better, and they should give more suggestions of what to do.

My eyes will never be the same........2007-04-29

From the article titled "Document Says Oil Chiefs Met With Cheney Task Force", in the Washington Post, "The White House went to great lengths to keep these meetings secret, and now oil executives may be lying to Congress about their role in the Cheney task force," Lautenberg said.

You might find the answer for why we are in Iraq, if you were to read "Powerdown: Options and Actions for a Post-Carbon World". This book is not a fiction based peak oil theory written by some fanatic. If the CIA were to have read this book, I think their internal book review would be a shocking confirmation. With the connection in the recent news of Cheney's secret energy meeting with oil execs, the CIA to Cheney, Cheney to the oil industry, the unprecedented preemptive war in Iraq, the facts in this book about how horrible the prospect, limited the options are and awful I feel to contemplate it all, all point to the fact that we, the American people don't want to know the truth, but read it or not, we will know that truth soon as we are forced to deal with it. How bad is the situation? On a scale from 0 to 10, it is off the scale.

Nostalgia for the good ol' days will seem sad and silly, for these days are the last of the good ol' days. you will not have any problem believing it unless you do not finish it or choose to live in denial. All good things must end and concidering the way the world has squandered a non-renewable resource like oil, it is a soon to be obvious and logical eventuality.

How much can you afford to pay for a gallon of gas in today's economy? How much will gas cost in a collapsed economy where your money isn't worth 10 cents on a dollar?

Who could ever have imagined 9/11? Or even what possible reasons there could be for a 9/11 conspiracy? Or presidential election fraud 2 elections in a row? A democratic government that does not have to tell you anything except that, "that information is secret" or "that information would jeopardize the security of" what or who? I can't really say I want to know either.

What I see now when I go about my days are people of all ages enjoying a good life that they do not know is about to come to an end, objects I use like monofilament fishing line, my toothbrush, anything plastic or that comes in plastic or in part is plastic, clothes, shoes, carpet and more all made from oil. Things I do and once enjoyed without a thought, drive to the store, watch a movie, listen to music, to the radio, and the variety of food available to me, may all be unaffordable even if available in my lifetime, what is left of it anyway. Do I want to feel this way? No. Do I want you to? No.

In the sci-fi movie "They Live" an economic crisis brings unemployed Nada (Roddy Piper) to L.A. in search of work. What he finds instead is that the ruling elite of the world are aliens in disguise, their aim being to keep humans in a state of mindless consumerism. His discovery comes when he dons a pair of special sunglasses made by a resistance group and sees for the first time reality unadorned. Billboards, store signs, magazine covers--all bear subliminal messages to OBEY, to CONSUME, to have NO INDEPENDENT THOUGHT. Money itself says THIS IS YOUR GOD. But worst of all, with these glasses you see which of us are really hideous, bug-eyed aliens.

Reading "Powerdown" is like putting on a pair of special sunglasses but you can only wish you could take them off. My eyes will never be the same.

Visionary.......2007-03-09

A must read for anyone concerned about the future. Heinberg understands the factors that will shape our world in the years to come as well as anyone.

PowerDown is a powerful book.......2007-01-11

Although the concept of Peak Oil and the implications it brings is growing in awareness amongst the general public, most people still don't understand what we will be facing in our lifetimes. This is an excellent primer for those who want to learn about peak oil, it's ramifications and what you can do to cope with this very real eventuality. Share it with those you love.

must read if you live in the industrial world........2007-01-05

Terrific education on the fossil fuel dependency problem. It's worse than you think, and affects you life in ways you haven't yet understood. This book led me to read "The Long Emergency" which truly exposes the crisis we have created. If you have children, you owe it to them to read these two books, Powerdown first, and The Long Emergency 2nd. Your life will never be the same. As an athiest, I can tell you that there is no cavalry on the way. The only hope is an as yet unknown technology that will provide the energy that keep this civilization afloat. Plastics, pharmaceuticals, fertilizers, pesticides, jet fuel, the electrical grid and all computer based technology anr standing on the shoulders of fossil fuels, and more than half - the easy to get half - is now used up. With no energy to save us, the climate catastrophe (whether it turns out to be a global furnace or a sudden ice age) that's in the pipeline will be here before my grandchildren are my age, 58. Humans are digging our own grave . . .

Thomson Advantage Books: Sustaining the Earth: An Integrated Approach (with ThomsonNOW, InfoTrac® 1-Semester Printed Access Card) (Advantage Series:)

Average customer rating:

Well written and thoughtful
Has some accuracies...

Thomson Advantage Books: Sustaining the Earth: An Integrated Approach (with ThomsonNOW, InfoTrac® 1-Semester Printed Access Card) (Advantage Series:)
G. Tyler Miller
Manufacturer: Brooks Cole
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0495015970

Book Description

G. Tyler Miller's worldwide bestsellers have evolved right along with the changing needs of your diverse student population. Focused specifically on energizing and engaging all your students, Miller and new contributor Scott Spoolman have been at work scrutinizing every line--enhancing, clarifying, and streamlining to reduce word density as well as updating with the very latest environmental news and research. The resulting texts are shorter, clearer, and so engaging that your students will actually want to read their assignments. About half the price of other environmental science texts, this 14-chapter, one-color core text offers an integrated approach that emphasizes how environmental and resource problems and solutions are related. New to this edition for instructors is PowerLecture, a one-stop shop for lecture prep that includes everything you need to create dynamic lectures all in one place.

Customer Reviews:

Well written and thoughtful.......2007-05-01

I am a college student taking an Enviromental Science class that uses this text book. All the things you will need or want to know about the Earth's sustainable enviroment and how it shapes our lives is not enough to learn in one semester or quarter, but the author G. Tyler Miller JR. does a great job of condensing a LOT of important information into this text.

One of the great things is that the author invites the students who read his text to send him comments or ask him questions. Miller openly admits in the text that he thinks enviromental science is the most important thing you will learn in your lifetime. It dictates your health; the kind of water you drink and how your food is grown and what is in the air you are breathing right this moment. From how hazardous waste, soil management all the way to the path of sustainability this book has pretty much everything you want to know about the enviromental sciences (albiet condensed). It's even printed on recycled paper.

Has some accuracies..........2007-03-21

Just another text book that promotes evolution as fact rather then (unproven) theory. I personally wouldn't mind a text book including evolution if it were presenting truly and accurately and allowed other theories to be considered rather than promote one theory which any expert would admit there is no hard core proof of at all. No more lies in schools!

Constructed Wetlands in the Sustainable Landscape

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Great All-around Guide for Constructed Wetlands

Constructed Wetlands in the Sustainable Landscape
Craig S. Campbell , and Michael Ogden
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Omni Swings n' Things 510 Rope Hammock Chair, Natural

ASIN: 0471107204

Book Description

LandscapeConstructed wetlands are gaining worldwide acceptance as effective, low-cost, and low-impact alternatives to unsightly, high-impact wastewater treatment facilities. The creative involvement of today's planners, landscape architects, developers, environmental engineers, and public officials is helping to maximize the potential of these wetland habitatsâfrom their aesthetics to their multiple uses as water treatment plants, wildlife refuges, and recreational or educational facilities. Yet, to date, the literature has paid no attention to these aspects, focusing instead on the technical side of wetlands construction and function.

Constructed Wetlands in the Sustainable Landscape is the first book to integrate aesthetic design and planning issues with the technical aspects of wetlands engineering. Renowned landscape architect Craig S. Campbell and engineer Michael H. Ogden clearly demonstrate how the successful development and management of multifunctional, sustainable wetland habitats depend on harnessing the knowledge and working principles of a number of disciplines. Richly illustrated with real-world case studies, the book:

Covers the concept of sustainable development and the nature of wetland processes.
Discusses designs for new and existing municipal and small community wastewater treatment facilities.
Contains examples of on-site planning for, and management of, stormwater renovation, single-family residential systems, and multiple-use systems.
Examines landscape engineering and planning for ponds, urban wildlife, and ecological art.
Clearly written and accessible to nonengineers and nonscientists, Constructed Wetlands in the Sustainable Landscape is a crucial guide for landscape architects, environmental engineers, planners, developers, and others responsible for the design and management of our built environment.
Customer Reviews:

Great All-around Guide for Constructed Wetlands.......2002-11-12
This book has become an invaluable reference around our office...for the engineers, landscape architect and directors. The book covers a range of useful topics, from design basics (including relevant modeling formulas), pricing estimates, integration information for planners, citizens and regulators, wetland ecology background notes, landscaping ideas and wonderful examples of systems that the authors themselves have designed and installed.
The book highlights the benefits of wetlands often overlooked or undervalued in other engineering-oriented texts - wildlife habitat creation, aesthetics, water recharge, etc.
Since the book was writen by a landscape architect and an engineer, two visionary pioneers in their fields, it covers a lot of useful ground.
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