Alan Thein DurningResenhas

Well written and concise book on simple policy fixes to affordable housing in "Cascadia", the US pacific northwest and coastal BC. Alan Durning of the sightline institute does a great job of making zoning and land-use policy readable. It is interesting to me that Victoria and Vancouver are further ahead on a number of these policy initiatives than Seattle/Portland, but we have a long way to go to make housing affordable at all levels.

The Consumer Society and the Future of the Earth.

Brilliant. Oh hell, that's not a review. This brief natural history of several daily items, is probably not even outdated. A worthy read, over 20 years later. I'm sure, unfortunately, that the energy intensive life cycle of each consumer itme, has not changed much.

Describe la situación mundial desde 3 perspectivas: el gasto militar, la destrucción del medio ambiente y las necesidades humanas.

A basic guide to the materials that make up your everyday "stuff." It includes descriptions of the manufacturing and natural resource extraction required to get the finished product to you. A quick and easy read on the topic. Something like the "State of the World" reports from the WorldWatch Institute are good for those seeking more detail.½

Awesome little book! Easy read. Very informative! It goes over the resources used in making a specific product (e.g. a t-shirt, a hamburger, a newspaper, coffee, cars, etc), using it, and disposing of it. The information is presented in a fun, easy-to-read manner. I've assigned this as a textbook in a lot of my classes. Students really love it!

This book wasn't what I expected it to be, but it was still a worthwhile read. Although published in 1996, it still has a lot to offer. There are two "story-lines" that alternate throughout the book. The story of the author's and his family's personal experiences after moving to the Northwest Pacific, and the story and history of the Northwest Pacific itself. He looks at many different projects and ways that people were trying to move towards a more sustainable culture. The Northwest Pacific is still one of the environmental and sustainability leaders in the United States, and this book offers an explanation why.

Experiments in Reading