Ecology & The Environment

ISBN: 9780340951033

DECEMBER 2008

OCTOBER 2008

ISBN: 9780810984066

WELCOME TO ACME The Eighties - what a decade. Yuppies got mobile phones, there were important changes to the Swedish Act of Succession and we discovered who shot J.R. (it was his scheming sister-in-law and mistress, Kristin). Oh, and for the first time in history, our environmental footprint exceeded the earth's biocapacity. What this meant was humanity was drawing an environmental debt, consuming resources faster then Mother Earth could replace them. And this debt is growing. Let's be 100% clear about this, because this is really important - we are living beyond our means. With the US as the benchmark for global consumption, we would require 25 Earths to satisfy our wants. As it is, we already need one and a half planets for one planet's consumption. We consume more than we can sustainably afford and pollute faster than it can be cleared up. It's time for a new way of thinking. It's time for Acme Climate Action. This kit is to get you thinking - and doing something - about the climate crisis. It's designed to be taken apart, poked, cut, stuck, stretched and, well, destroyed. Yes, well destroyed. There are posters, postcards, stickers, letters and notebooks.When correctly used, you should have nothing left.With Acme Climate Action you can save the world and get hand exercises at the same time.

ISBN: 9780007274758

SEPTEMBER 2008

Every year 17 billion carrier bags are given away free in the UK - that means an average of 300 carrier bags for every man, woman and child in Britain. Plastics do not biodegrade. Scientists now estimate that plastic lasts for at least 1000 years. Every carrier bag that has ever been produced is still on the planet, in landfill, hedgerows, or floating in the sea. Plastic bag litter is lethal, killing over 100,000 seabirds, dolphins, seals, whales and turtles every year. In May 2007, Modbury in South Devon became Britain's first plastic bag free town. This book takes the Modbury story and uses it as a call to action, entreating every village, town and city in the country to follow Modbury's example and Ban The Plastic Bag.

ISBN: 9781906136161

OCTOBER 2008

Everything old is new again with "Bark House Style: Sustainable Designs from Nature". Resurrected from a practice begun in North Carolina in the 1800s, designing with bark shingles is again the epitome of sustainable design. Bark requires no toxic chemical treatments, can be harvested locally, and can live again for a century or more in the form of a premium building material, with little added energy use. Rustic, refined, natural, organic, unique, sophisticated, timeless, long lasting-bark shingles are the material of choice for many architects, builders, and home-owners. They appear in a breathtaking range of projects and mix well with a range of other building materials, including stone, log, glass, wrought iron, and copper. And no matter what variety of rustic styling you prefer - Adirondack, Cowboy, Craftsman, Rustic Revival, Shingle, Modern Rustic-bark used in remodeling can act as a visually pleasing architectural tool to bridge the gaps between old and new.

ISBN: 9781423602149

OCTOBER 2008

We all know the Earth is in crisis. We should know that it is big enough to sustain us if we can only mobilise politicians and economists to change course now. This book explores environmental, economic and social ideas to save our planet. It helps us understand what is happening to the planet today, exposes the actions of corporations and the lack of action of governments, weighs up new technologies, and champions innovative and viable solutions. Tackling a huge range of subjects - it has the potential to become the seminal reference book on the state of the planet - the one and only environmental book you really need.

ISBN: 9781906136123

Slow down and green up. Every householder should have a copy of this easy reference guide to reducing household waste and stopping wasteful behaviour. The book is a top-down guided tour through the average family home, from bedroom and bathroom, to the kitchen and out into the garden. Although the percentage we recycle is increasing we still need to dramatically reduce the amount of waste we produce at home whether from the kitchen or bathroom or garden shed. A book full of practical tips and quirky ideas - from how to insulate your loft, to jazzing up your old clothes; growing your own food and keeping chickens.

ISBN: 9781906136130

SEPTEMBER 2008

When industry giants such as GE, Toyota, and Sharp and investment firms such as Goldman Sachs are making multi-billion dollar investments in clean technology, the message is clear. Developing clean technologies is no longer a social issue championed by environmentalists: it's a money-making enterprise moving solidly into the business mainstream. In fact, as the economy faces unprecedented challenges from high energy prices, resource shortages, and global environmental and security threats, clean tech-technologies designed to provide superior performance at a lower cost while creating significantly less waste than conventional offerings - promises to be the next engine of economic growth.In "The Clean Tech Revolution", authors Ron Pernick and Clint Wilder identify the major forces that have pushed clean tech from back-to-the-earth utopian dream to its current revolution among the inner circles of corporate boardrooms, on Wall Street trading floors, and in government offices around the globe. By highlighting eight major clean-tech sectors - solar energy, wind power, biofuels and biomaterials, green buildings, personal transportation, the smart grid, mobile applications, and water filtration - they uncover how investors, entrepreneurs, and individuals can profit from this next wave of technological innovation.Finally, Pernick and Wilder shine the spotlight on the winners among technologies, companies, and regions that are likely to reap the greatest benefits from clean tech - and they show you why the time to act is now. Groundbreaking and authoritative, this is the must-read book to understand and profit from the clean technologies that are reshaping our fast-changing world.

ISBN: 9780060896249

OCTOBER 2008

It's all very well talking about reforming your shopping habits and being less dependant on the supermarkets, but how easy is it to actually do it? And can one really make a difference? Does it involve huge sacrifices? Is it a lot of extra work? Is it more expensive? Two years ago Kate Lock set herself a series of eco-challenges to find out the answers to these questions. This book charts the story of how she, and her family, got on. Grittily realistic about the ups and downs of living in a more eco-friendly style, Kate manages to combine the practical with the inspirational, and after reading this book you won't shop in quite the same way again. Packed full of great tips, Kate Lock takes the reader through a set of personal green challenges and explains how to make a difference and stay sane.

ISBN: 9780340954676

AUGUST 2008

The Global Warming Diet is a smorgasbord of scientific fact and culinary art where the reader learns new ways to look at the climate crisis. It inspires personal life changes with in-depth research, easy recipes, ideas for your next book group read and eat tasting party, and simple tips on how to cook a global cooling cuisine. The book presents the full cycle on how our agrochemical food system affects global warming and how global warming affects the food system.

ISBN: 9781423603924

NOVEMBER 2008

What the environmental movement has been waiting for is a plane-frequenting, blissfully ignorant comedian with no green credibility whatsoever to tackle one of the most important issues of our time. When non-expert Mark Watson announced his intention to spend the year becoming less Crap At The Environment, within 24 hours, 500 mates and fans had joined him. He lived for (almost) a week without plastic. He ransacked libraries in order to read frightening books on climate change. He lured audiences outside to plant trees, confronted his morbid fear of bike-riding, even started eating vegetables. And a man who began 2007 as a blight on the planet ended up coming to the attention of the most famous almost-president in the world, Al Gore ...

ISBN: 9780340952801

JUNE 2008

With full colour photos, drawings and diagrams, the "Good Office" is a detailed exploration of the innovative work being done by the world's most visionary architects to create environmentally friendly, contemporary office design that reveals that good design and green design can be one and the same.

ISBN: 9780061537899

SEPTEMBER 2008

As an architect, Alan Berman is used to advising clients on combining design aspirations with environmental awareness. Now in this revised edition of his user-friendly and comprehensive guide, he presents the facts so that readers can make their own choices. Fully illustrated with photographs, diagrams and easy-to-follow charts, the book deals with all the key issues, starting with a re-assessment of traditional design, moving on to reveal the most environmentally friendly floors and floor coverings, walls and wall coverings, paints, varnishes, stains and other finishes, furniture and fabrics and including chapters on recycled materials, insulation, heating, sound and ventilation.

ISBN: 9780711228344

OCTOBER 2008

Already loved and widely acclaimed by the fashion industry, GREEN IS THE NEW BLACK now has even more fantastic tips and ideas that make saving the world with style easy! From the truth about fast fashion to the best biodegradable shoes, from guilt-free spending sprees to the joys of swishing parties. With fashion secrets from celebrity friends, GREEN IS THE NEW BLACK is the chicest, greenest survival manual around. If you want to change the world, and your wardrobe, don't go shopping without it! Also includes: - High street heroes - Sustainable style - Creating your own - Ethical bling - Green holidays and much, much more...

ISBN: 9780340954317

JULY 2008

Did you know that you can cut your lighting costs in half by using energy-efficient light bulbs? That beer is just as effective as chemicals to trap snails? Or that salt and vinegar are excellent antiseptics and stain removers?Eco-friendly and natural practices don't have to be difficult, time-consuming or expensive. Packed with masses of natural hints, tips and ideas, this guide will help you to make greener, safer choices for a better, healthier life.Covering a wide range of topics from homemade cleaning products and low-energy heating to natural gardening methods, the practical advice will inspire you to make simple changes to your home and reap the benefits.If you want to be well-informed, save money and use more natural products in the home, this book will show you easy eco-friendly ways to make a real difference to your life.

ISBN: 9780276443794

SEPTEMBER 2008

Thomas L. Friedman's No.1 bestseller "The World Is Flat" has helped millions of readers to see globalization in a new way. Now Friedman brings a fresh outlook to the crises of destabilizing climate change and rising competition for energy - both of which could poison our world if we do not act quickly and collectively. His argument speaks to all who are concerned about the state of the world in the global future. Friedman proposes that an ambitious national strategy - which he calls 'Geo-Greenism' - is not only what we need to save the planet from overheating; it is what we need to make us all healthier, richer, more innovative, more productive, and more secure.As in "The World Is Flat", he explains a new era - the Energy-Climate era - through an illuminating account of recent events. He sets out the clean-technology breakthroughs the world will need; he shows that the ET (Energy Technology) revolution will be both transformative and disruptive; and he explains why America must lead this revolution - with the first Green President and a Green New Deal, spurred by the Greenest Generation. "Hot, Flat and Crowded" is classic Thomas L.Friedman - fearless, incisive, forward-looking, and rich in surprising common sense about the world we live in today.

ISBN: 9781846141294

We're always too busy ...we try to find happiness through consumption ...our media are obsessed by celebrity ...our communities are dying ...where on earth are we going? We have wealth that would have seemed inconceivable to previous generations, but many people find their lives deeply unsatisfying. Richard Docwra examines this paradox: he looks beneath the surface to see how we understand, are affected by, and deal with the world in our minds. He identifies some common causes of our malaise: a key one being our society's obsession with profit and economic growth, the effects of which seep into many unexpected areas of our lives-including our stress levels, how we behave with our friends, the sort of people we become, and our ability to make choices. "Modern Life: As Good As It Gets?" examines how people can empower themselves with the necessary intellectual skills so they can lead truly self-determined lives in a complex world, and how we can put people and planet before profit.

OCTOBER 2008

ISBN: 9781903998977

Green living begins at home, and "The New Green Home" tells you how. Most of the energy-derived pollution we produce comes as a direct result of our homes - how we heat them, how we cool them, how we keep them well lit and full of things that make our lives so comfortable. The good news is that we have tremendous power to create change. Renewable energy design, better insulation, and more efficient appliances could reduce energy demands by 60 to 80 percent. By embracing conservation and renewable energy, we can win our energy independence and help save the planet.

ISBN: 9781423603894

NOVEMBER 2008

The oceans are the single most important feature of our planet. They shape our climate, our culture, our future. Yet we know more about the surface of Mars than we do about Earth's watery depths. What lies below the frozen Arctic ice-sheets? Or in the intriguing black holes under the Caribbean Sea? Drawing on the most exciting stories from the fields of sub-aquatic archeology, geology, marine biology and anthropology, professional diver and explorer, Paul Rose reveals an astonishing hidden world of lost cities, forgotten shipwrecks, underwater caves and submerged volcanoes. He also looks at the inhabitants of the ocean habitat, from great white sharks to the myriad exotic, but rarely seen, life forms that thrive in the extreme conditions miles beneath the surface.This book, like the landmark television series it accompanies, examines the possible consequences of upsetting this delicate balance and its impact on global warming. Beautifully illustrated with more than 150 color photographs, "Oceans: Exploring the Hidden Depths of the Underwater World" unravels the mysteries of the deep and provides illuminating insights into this vast undersea domain. Oceans/seas explored include: Mediterranean, Sea of Cortez, Indian Ocean, Red Sea, Southern Ocean, Arctic.

ISBN: 9781846075056

OCTOBER 2008

The surprising story of the peace symbol from its origins as a symbol for nuclear disarmament in the late 1950s to its adoption by the antiwar movement of the 1960s and its evolution as a symbol used in merchandise, as well as its enduring relevance today. As its popularity blossomed, so did an entire generation, and expertly selected images drawn from his own collections as well as a broad variety of historical archives, illustrate both the symbol itself and the larger history that it helped shape.Alongside the story, the author recounts the controversy inspired by the peace symbol, bring to light several trials that challenged its very existence. The author draws on exclusive interviews with Nigel Holtomb, the creator of the symbol (now deceased), to tell the story of its origin and creates a historic portrait, using both iconic and little-known imagery.

ISBN: 9781426202940

JUNE 2008

As a young man, John Francis witnesses the devastating effects of a 1971 oil spill in San Francisco Bay. He stops using motorised transportation and begins a walk that will continue for twenty-two years and span two continents. A few months later, he takes a vow of silence that lasts seventeen years. Through his silence and walking he learns to listen and to become a good steward of the earth. Born the son of West Indian immigrants in North Philadelphia, John overcomes fear and the objections of his family as he walks from California to Montana in silence, earning college and graduate degrees in science and environmental studies. He then walks through America's heartland, where he earns a PhD. in land resources. When he reaches the East Coast, the United Nations Environment Programme appoints him goodwill ambassador to the world's grassroots communities, and the U.S. government recruits him to write oil spill regulations following the Exxon Valdez disaster." Planetwalker" is the deeply personal and engaging story of John's remarkable journey - the positive experiences, the challenging times, the diverse characters encountered, the majesty of our land - and the wisdom he gained along the way. Along with John's poems, drawings, and watercolors, the book also contains practical suggestions on how we too can become better stewards of the earth and make our own pilgrimages both great and small.

ISBN: 9781426202759

JUNE 2008

Ray Mears has travelled the world for much of his life learning and teaching wilderness skills. Now hereflects on his experiences in some of the most remote and beautiful places on Earth alongwithhis own stunning photographs of the landscapes and peoples he's encountered.Fascinated by photography from an early age, each of Ray's pictures capturesaninstant of life, a powerfulexperience he has compared to hunting -to releasing the trigger on a rifle.This book reveals our dramatically changing planet and inspires us to look more closely at the changes around us. See our vanishing world through the eyes, ears and camera lensof Ray Mears.

ISBN: 9780340961483

OCTOBER 2008

COVER PRICE £9.99

ISBN: 9781842365724

A BARGAIN TITLE

It's a dream come true when you finally get a piece of land or join an eco-community, and start to plan your sustainable land-based enterprise; but all too often the dream is spoiled by lack of money, stress, exhaustion and poor time management, and your work and future plans can dissolve into discord, illness and poverty. Smallholdings provide food, home, fuel and employment for those who run them, and local, seasonal, often organic and ethical food and timber for an expanding market."Surviving and Thriving on the Land" looks at ways in which projects can be designed that care for the people involved in them as well as the earth that they are trying to protect. If land-based ecological projects are to offer a realistic solution to the problems we face in the twenty-first century, it is imperative that they should be sustainable in terms of human energy. This book offers a framework, backed up by real life examples, of issues to consider when setting up a new project, or for overcoming human-energy-based problems in existing projects.

OCTOBER 2008

ISBN: 9781900322287

Start with a warm tropical climate. Add an abundance of exotic natural building material. And then let the cross currents of Asian design and aesthetics create a rich architectural alchemy of its own. The result? The exquisite homes of the Philippines, a perfect balance of form and functionality, beautifully portrayed in "Tropical Living,"
Featuring an introduction by anthropology professor, Fernando Nakpil Zialcita, "Tropical Living" is a feast for lovers of Southeast Asia and anyone interested in design concepts from this fascinating and underrepresented corner of the world.

ISBN: 9780794605568

AUGUST 2008

This title offers an in-depth look at everyone's favourite topic - the weather Wind, cloud, tornadoes, twisters, hurricanes, storms, rain and snow, discover all you need to know about the world's extraordinary climate and weather systems. Find out how our weather works from learning to 'read' clouds to predicting future conditions from the isobars on a weather chart, plus explore the technology behind forecasting. Discover what's happening to the planet, and what changes to expect for our climate in the years to come. Hop on a round-the-world tour of different weather and climate phenomena, explaining why they occur and how they affect us. It is written in association with the UK Met Office, the world's oldest meteorological agency, and a global leader in climate research and weather prediction.

ISBN: 9781405330930

NOVEMBER 2008

National Geographic is pleased to present our new Collector's Series. Each 6" by 6 1/2" gem is a fresh presentation of one of our world-famous photography books. A beautiful gift and lovely to own, in a size you can easily carry and easily afford. Our first volume, "Work: The World in Photographs", showcases this most universal human pastime through images culled from National Geographic's vast photographic archive as well as other important collections. This fascinating, wide-ranging volume presents a wonderfully varied group portrait of people at work - in great cities and tiny villages; in 19th-century China and 21st-century New York; in fields, factories, food carts, four-star restaurants, and just about everywhere else we earn our keep.Here are cowboys and clowns, shepherds and shopkeepers, street musicians and artists' models all plying their assorted trades; on one page a professional quarterback fires off a pass as the crowd cheers him on, on the next a lone fisherman casts his net in the silent solitude of a Pacific lagoon, and on the next a nomadic tribesman erects a yurt on the Mongolian plain. Work is a subject that is both worldwide and personal. It is a shared endeavor at the very core of our identity.From the glamour of a Parisian fashion show to the grit of an African diamond mine, there are countless ways to make a living. The book illuminates scores of them - many in never-before-published photographs - offering revealing glimpses into various eras and cultures and engaging the reader with entertaining text and informative captions. With a wonderful mix of the utterly unexpected and the instantly familiar, this vivid panorama takes an essential human activity and shows us myriad ways in which work is at once universal and delightfully, unforgettably unique.

ISBN: 9781426203015

JUNE 2008

It is a fact universally acknowledged that the British are obsessed with the weather. This is not surprising as no country in the world has such unpredictable weather, with such power to rule people's lives. THE WRONG KIND OF SNOW is the complete daily companion to this national phenomenon. From the Spanish Armada to the invention of the windscreen wiper, each of the 365 entries beautifully illustrates a day in the weird and wonderful history of the British and their weather.

31 January: The Big Freeze of 1963 brings the FA Cup competition to a halt: every football pitch in Britain is frozen: the third round takes 66 days to complete: the Pools Panel is formed as a result.
9 February: British Rail blames the 'Wrong Kind of Snow'. It was a journalist's phrase, but on this day in 1991 it stuck to the beleagured BR like flesh to ice.
15 July: The exceptionally hot and steamy summer of 1858 caused the Great Stink of London, resulting in the building of London's sewage system, still in use today. On the same day in 1930, rainfall in Yorkshire was so heavy that the Whitby lifeboat makes a rescue two miles inland.
10 September: A violent storm rather than British sea power defeats the Spanish Armada in 1588. Had the weather held and the fleet reached home, it would have been hailed as a Spanish triumph. Four centuries later, bad light and rain stop play at the Oval . . .

And much much more.

ISBN: 9780340937884