Green Books Reviews showcases the latest and greatest Green Books in an extensive and constantly updated database. Browse through environmental publications and authors, as well as view the entire archive of published reviews from Alternatives Journal, Canada's leading environmental magazine.
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Archive for June, 2010
Planet U: Sustaining the World, Reinventing the University Michael M’Gonigle and Justine Starke Gabriola Island: New Society Publishers 2006. The university is one of the oldest and most invariable institutions in the Western world. In Planet U, authors Michael M’Gonigle and Justine Starke make an impassioned case for its full-scale reinvention in the post-modern age. [...]
The serious territory is, of course, ecological sustainability, and the philosophical tone is set in the opening and closing chapters. The first essay, by David Lavigne, the book’s editor, provides a concise overview of conservation biology, sustainability and the often difficult relationship between humans and their use of natural resources.
For McKibben, there are three fundamental challenges to Western society’s fixation on growth, which taken together deal an absolute knockout blow to Adam Smith’s claim to fame. First, there is the political argument concerning the glaring economic inequalities that are inherent in capitalism’s dark side.
The book’s message is that carcinogens in our air, water, fruits, meats, vegetables and over-processed food, and toxic substances that assault our immune systems are fueling the cancer epidemic. We must act to stop this “toxic trespass.”
