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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Brinkmann, Robert, 1961- author.
Title: Introduction to Sustainability / Robert Brinkmann.
Description: Hoboken : Wiley-Blackwell, 2016. | Includes index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2015038624 | ISBN 9781118487143 (hardback) | ISBN 9781118487259 (paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Sustainable development. | Economic development - Environmental aspects. | BISAC: TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING / Environmental / General.
Classification: LCC HC79.E5 .B743 2016 | DDC 338.9/27 - dc23 LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015038624
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books.
Cover image: Topiary at the Montreal Botanical Garden © Mario Gomez
Typeset in 8.5/12pt MeridienLTStd by SPi Global, Chennai, India
Robert Brinkmann
Hofstra University
Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Table of Contents
Dedication
Acknowledgments
About the author
About the companion website
Chapter 1: Roots of the modern sustainability movement
Meaning of sustainability
Nineteenth century environmentalism
Pinchot, Roosevelt, and Muir
Aldo Leopold and the land ethic
Better living through chemistry, the Great Smog of 1952, and Rachel Carson
Environmental activism of the 1960s and 1970s and the development of environmental policy
The growth of environmental laws in the 1960s and 1970s
The first Earth Day
International concerns
Ozone and the world comes together
Globalization and the Brundtland Report
Deep ecology
Environmental justice
Measuring sustainability
The road ahead
Organization
Chapter 2: Understanding natural systems
The Earth, its layers, and the rock cycle
Biogeochemical cycles
Organisms and ecosystems
Understanding the Anthropocene
Chapter 3: Measuring sustainability
The United Nations Millennium Goals
National sustainability planning
Regional sustainability planning
Local sustainability measurement
Specific community plans
Small towns and sustainability
Business sustainability
Personal sustainability
Chapter 4: Energy
World energy production and consumption
Traditional or “dirty” energy resources
Green energy
Nuclear energy
Other innovations
Living off the grid
Chapter 5: Global climate change and greenhouse gas management
The end of nature?
The science of global climate change
Sinks of carbon
The IPCC and evidence for climate change, and the future of our planet
Ocean acidification
Phenological changes
Conducting greenhouse gas inventories
Greenhouse gas equivalents used in greenhouse gas accounting
Greenhouse gas emission scopes
Computing greenhouse gas credits
Climate action plans
Religion and climate change
Art, culture, and climate change
Chapter 6: Water
Sources of water
Consumption trends
Sources of water pollution
Water management and conservation
Water quality
Understanding drainage basins
Lakes
Seas
Oceans
Chapter 7: Food and agriculture
Development of modern agriculture
World agricultural statistics
Food deserts and obesity
Reactions to the high-tech agricultural movement
Farm to table
Community sponsored agriculture
Community gardens
Farmers markets
Beekeeping
The urban chicken movement
Guerilla gardening, freegans, and other radical approaches to food
Chapter 8: Green building
LEED rating systems
Site selection
Water use
Energy and atmospheric health
Materials and resources
Indoor environmental quality
Innovation
Regional priorities
Expansion of green building technology
Other green building rating systems
Green building policy
Critiques of green building
The greenest building and historic preservation
Small house movement
Further reading
Chapter 9: Transportation
Transportation options
Roads
Mass transit
The future
Chapter 10: Pollution and waste
Pollution
Understanding pollution distribution
The US approach to pollution
Sewage treatment
Garbage and recycling
Chapter 11: Environmental justice
Social justice
Civil rights and the modern environmental movement in the United States
Lead pollution and the growth of the urban environmental justice movement
Environmental racism in the United States
Brownfields, community re-development, and environmental justice
US EPA and environmental justice
Native Americans and environmental justice
Exporting environmental problems
Environmental justice around the world
Environmental justice in a Globalized World
Chapter 12: Sustainability planning and governance
Local governments and their structure
The role of citizens and stakeholders in local government
Community stakeholders
Boundaries and types of local governments
Leadership
Efforts to aid local governments on sustainability issues
Scale and local governments
Green regional development
Sustainable development
Globalization
War and sustainability
Further reading
Chapter 13: Sustainability, economics, and the global commons
The global commons
Economic processes that put the Earth out of balance
Social and economic theories
Destruction regardless of theory
Environmental economics: externalities
Measuring the economy
Green jobs
Cost–benefit analysis and its application in environmental economics
Environmental impact assessment
Environmental ethics
Chapter 14: Corporate and organizational sustainability management
Cognitive dissonance
Why are businesses concerned with sustainability?
Total quality management and sustainability
People, planet, and profits
Ray Anderson, the father of the green corporation and the growth of green corporate environmentalism
Greenwashing in the corporate world
Green consumers
Global Reporting Initiative
Sustainability reporting in the S & P 500
Dow Jones Sustainability Index
Sustainability reporting
International Organization for Standardization (ISO): ISO 14000 and ISO 26000
Case studies of sustainability at the corporate level
Can businesses with unsustainable products be sustainable?
Chapter 15: Sustainability at universities, colleges, and schools
Curriculum at colleges and universities
External benchmarking
Internal initiatives
Student and faculty activism
Index
End User License Agreement
List of Tables
Chapter 02
Table 2.1 Intrusive and extrusive rocks of similar chemistry have distinctly different properties and names.
Chapter 03
Table 3.1 Major indicators used to assess the greenness of local governments in Florida, as developed by the Florida Green Building Coalition.
Table 3.2 The costs to participate in the Florida Green Building Coalition's Green Local Governments program.
Table 3.3 Major New York city sustainability themes. Selected specific indicators are listed. For a full review of all of the goals in the plan, see http://www.nyc.gov/html/planyc/html/home/home.shtml.
Table 3.4 Environmental indicators used by the London Sustainable Development Commission. Note that progress was made on most indicators since 2008. Positively, there was no deterioration associated with any of the indicators.
Table 3.5 Social indicators used by the London Sustainable Development Commission. Note that progress was made on six of the eleven indicators since 2008. Two indicators were new and one indicator saw little change. Two indicators (voting rates and access to childcare) saw deterioration.
Table 3.6 Economic indicators used by the London Sustainable Development Commission. Note that progress was made only on three of the eleven indicators since 2008 (Child poverty, Carbon Efficiency, and Innovation). One indicator (Skills) was new. Three indicators (Business survival, Gross value added, and Fuel poverty) all experienced deterioration. This may be, in part, due to the global economic downturn that occurred after 2008. The remaining indicators saw little change.
Table 3.7 An example of how to develop a measurable indicator for assessing one's personal carbon footprint. This example focuses on reducing carbon as a result of air travel.
Chapter 05
Table 5.1 Steps to complete a greenhouse gas inventory as defined by the EPA. Direct quote from http://www.epa.gov/statelocalclimate/local/activities/ghg-inventory.html.
Chapter 06
Table 6.1 Agricultural impacts on water quality (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 1990).
Table 6.2 List of water contaminants regulated by the EPA.
Chapter 07
Table 7.1 Top meat producers in the world.
Table 7.2 Major crop types and crops ranked (World Food and Agriculture Organization).
Table 7.3 Major food producers in the world.
Chapter 08
Table 8.1 Issues associated with buildings and the environment.
Table 8.2 Elements of design that will make small spaces seem larger.
Chapter 09
Table 9.1 Top 10 countries for vehicles per person (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_vehicles_per_capita).
Table 9.2 Freight by country (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_usage_statistics_by_country).
Table 9.3 Types of materials found in street sweeping debris.
Chapter 10
Table 10.1 Major chemical pollutants.
Table 10.2 Macronutrients and micronutrients needed for productive plant growth.
Table 10.3 Summary of the composition of municipal solid waste (http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/municipal/).
Chapter 11
Table 11.1 Chemicals present in electronic waste and the potential health problems associated with them.
Chapter 12
Table 12.1 Impacts of war on sustainability.
Chapter 13
Table 13.1 Commons resources.
Table 13.2 Problems that emerge from particular economic causes. (From: Cato, M.C. 2011. Environment and Economy . Routledge, 263 p. Table from page 6).
Table 13.3 Common leading and lagging economic indicators used by economists to measure the economy. Note that the indicators measure traditional aspects of the economy that can be compared across space and time.
Table 13.4 Green growth indicators. (Modified from http://www.oecd.org/greengrowth/greengrowthindicators.htm.) These indicators differ greatly from the indicators presented in Table in that they measure a variety of social and environmental factors along with some of the traditional economic assessment variables that are listed in that table.
Table 13.5 Categories and segments of the green economy (from Brookings with permission with slight modifications http://www.brookings.edu/∼/media/series/resources/0713_clean_economy_descriptions.pdf).
Chapter 14
Table 14.1 A comparison of W. Edwards Deming's 14 points for transforming business with Jacobson's 14 points for transforming businesses within a sustainability lens.
Table 14.2 Categories of assessment for sustainability reporting by the Global Reporting Initiative. (Modified from https://www.globalreporting.org/resourcelibrary/GRIG4-Part1-Reporting-Principles-and-Standard-Disclosures.pdf).
Table 14.3 Questions (with some slight modifications) used to assess S & P 500 companies by the Governance and Accountability Institute (from http://www.ga-institute.com/fileadmin/user_upload/Reports/SP500_-_Final_12-15-12.pdf).
Table 14.4 The top industry group leaders listed by the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for 2013. Note that most of the leaders are in Europe and that comparisons are made within industry groups. (Source: http://www.sustainability-indices.com/review/industry-group-leaders-2013.jsp).
List of Illustrations
Chapter 01
Figure 1.1 This home was damaged in Superstorm Sandy and is in the process of being lifted up to avoid future damage. Damage from hurricanes is increasing around the world.
Figure 1.2 The three “E”s of sustainability: Environment, Economics, and Equity. Sustainability is achieved when the three are taken into consideration.
Figure 1.3 This is the largest green roof in the United States. It covers the Rouge Factory that manufactures the Ford F-150, one of the least fuel-efficient personal vehicles on the market. Is this greenwashing or a real attempt at corporate sustainability?
Figure 1.4 Forested lands like this one in northern Wisconsin provide a sense of peace and tranquility. However, they can also be seen as holding resources that could be developed.
Figure 1.5 Teddy Roosevelt was one of the major leaders of the modern conservation movement. This is a statue of him near his home in Oyster Bay, New York. (See insert for color representation of this figure.)
Figure 1.6 The 1950s and 1960s saw the world change in unimaginable ways. This was my family's dining room in that era. How is your dining room different? How does this change the chemistry around us?
Figure 1.7 Birds and bird eggs were a major theme of Rachel Carson's book. Today, many songbirds have made a recovery, but others are still under threat due to environmental challenges.
Figure 1.8 How much growth is enough? These developments in Caracas, Venezuela create challenges for infrastructure and also for environmental management.
Figure 1.9 This image of street art in Brooklyn gives one a sense of the challenges associated with diversity and fairness in urban issues.
Figure 1.10 Your author hiking on our family property in northern Wisconsin in 1968. How did your upbringing impact the way you think about the environment?
Chapter 02
Figure 2.1 This chapter focuses on understanding natural systems. While much of the world has been altered by humans, it is important to understand the basics of how the major Earth systems work.
Figure 2.2 The rock cycle showing the major forms of rock and their formation.
Figure 2.3 The water cycle. How do we alter it in our daily lives?
Figure 2.4 This is the opening to one of the largest caves in the world, Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. Caves are found in karst landscapes.
Figure 2.5 The pH scale. Materials that are less than 7 are acidic. Those higher than 7 are basic.
Figure 2.6 The Parthenon in Athens, Greece has been greatly impacted by acid rain and pollution. How are buildings in your area impacted by pollution?
Figure 2.7 Our modern agriculture uses a great deal of fertilizer to produce highly productive plants like this rhubarb in a garden in Wisconsin.
Figure 2.8 This eastern racer snake is part of the Animalia Kingdom, but it is also part of a broader ecosystem.
Figure 2.9 The Gaia Hypothesis tells us that subtle actions in one part of the world can have great impacts in another. The example that is used is that the fluttering of a butterfly's wings, here in Guyana, could cause a hurricane across the planet. How are your actions impacting other corners of the world far from your home?
Figure 2.10 The American alligator is a nuisance in some areas of Florida where they can wind up in pools and neighborhood ponds in cities and suburbs. Once threatened with extinction, these animals have thrived with sound management. (See insert for color representation of this figure.)
Figure 2.11 The Geologic time scale.
Chapter 03
Figure 3.1 The United Nations headquarters in New York City.
Figure 3.2 Many areas of the world have made great improvements in poverty reduction. One of the great success stories in poverty reduction is the People's Republic of China. The photo is of the city of Haikou.
Figure 3.3 Many areas, such as the Mediterranean Island of Serifos shown here, have lost significant biodiversity on land and in water.
Figure 3.4 Montreal, Canada is one of the world's most modern cities. This image shows a typical street in the historic downtown. (See insert for color representation of this figure.)
Figure 3.5 Tourism in Hainan, China is hot now. It is one of China's main winter tourist destinations. Nanshan temple shown here is one of the main tourist attractions on the island.
Figure 3.6 Wind farms are becoming more common across the world. This one is in France. Where is the closest one to you?
Figure 3.7 Many Florida communities benchmark their sustainability initiatives against each other. Governments encourage homeowners to improve homes and landscaping to achieve regional goals.
Figure 3.8 It might be a surprise to some, but professional sports focuses heavily on sustainability in their operations. What is your sports team doing? This photo is of CITI Field, home of the New York Mets. Photo by Josh Grossman.
Figure 3.9 New York City is encouraging many sustainability initiatives including modifying older buildings and building new ones to green standards.
Figure 3.10 How can businesses that you use benchmark their operations and products to become more sustainable? The Lakefront Brewery in Milwaukee has created an organic beer to help their organization become more sustainable.
Chapter 04
Figure 4.1 Top world energy producers in 2012. The figure includes all sources of energy.
Figure 4.2 Top world energy consumers in 2012.
Figure 4.3 Least energy intensive economies in the world.
Figure 4.4 Global energy use by source. (Source: https://www.lea.org/publications/)
Figure 4.5 Top ten nations for petroleum production.
Figure 4.6 Natural gas is among the most common fuels in use around the world.
Figure 4.7 Top ten producers of natural gas in 2012.
Figure 4.8 Coal production in the world in 2012.
Figure 4.9 This solar panel helps to power a farm in Vermont.
Figure 4.10 A compact fluorescent light bulb.
Chapter 05
Figure 5.1 This is the view from my bedroom window. I live on Manhasset Bay, an inlet off of Long Island sound. The landscape here is highly altered as a result of human activity. How many kinds of alteration can you see in the land, water, and air? What kinds of alteration can you see from your bedroom window?
Figure 5.2 This is Paynes Prairie, Florida, an extensive wetland that covers 21,000 acres. This ecosystem evolved over thousands of years. How will it survive in a rapidly changing climate?
Figure 5.3 We produce huge amounts of greenhouse gases through our driving choices. In this photo, what alternatives exist for using a car?
Figure 5.4 One of the benefits of urban forests, such as this one in Temple Terrace, Florida, is that it stores carbon. Many communities are looking to enhance and protect urban forests in order to mitigate their carbon emissions.
Figure 5.5 Many people work in the shellfish industry and many of us like the shellfish we can find in markets and restaurants. Ocean acidification is likely to impact the shellfish industry throughout the world.
Figure 5.6 Just because you purchase electricity from somewhere else doesn't mean you are not responsible for including it in your greenhouse gas inventory.
Figure 5.7 Part of a community action plan might be to reduce car and truck traffic in the central portion of the city. This makes room for pedestrians and other activities.
Figure 5.8 Your author (left) with Michael Mann.
Figure 5.9 This is a group of students from Young Evangelicals for Climate Action that visited my campus when Hofstra University hosted the last presidential debates.
Figure 5.10 Artists have much to say on the issue of climate change. This image shows the piece called Politicians Discussing Climate Change by the noted artist Isaac Cordal
Chapter 06
Figure 6.1 How we manage our water resources has a huge impact on our daily lives and on the lives of others throughout the world.
Figure 6.2 Pinellas County, Florida, home of St. Petersburg and Clearwater, as seen from a satellite shows how vulnerable the state is to issues such as groundwater intrusion.
Figure 6.3 Arid areas often have landscaping that is in tune with the local ecology.
Figure 6.4 When it rains or when snow melts, all of that water is carried overland to surface water bodies, often through storm water sewers. When snow melts, high levels of pollutants, particularly salts, are carried in the meltwater.
Figure 6.5 This eutrophic surface water system in Guyana is used as a sewage outflow.
Figure 6.6 It wasn't that long ago that wells were commonly used as the main source of drinking water throughout the world. Most of our drinking water infrastructure is relatively new. This is a well near my uncle's trailer on his hunting property in 1976. Your author is on the right.
Figure 6.7 Using treated sewage for drinking water supplies has an “ick” factor. However, treated sewage is used to supply astronauts with a steady and sustainable water supply in space.
Figure 6.8 Water is often managed at the local or regional scale. This is a photo of my local water management office. How is water managed in your community?
Figure 6.9 Karst areas, such as this one in Croatia, have challenges with water management because of the complex underground geometry of karst aquifers.
Chapter 07
Figure 7.1 What you eat really does matter to the planet. What did you eat today? How did your food get to your plate? Who grew it and prepared it? What impacts did growing, transporting, and preparing your food have on the environment?
Figure 7.2 A small rural farm in Wisconsin.
Figure 7.3 Small-scale pig farming in South America.
Figure 7.4 How we raise meat has a profound impact on the lives of animals and the workers associated with raising and butchering animals. Have you ever butchered an animal for food? Would you?
Figure 7.5 My father butchering hogs in the 1970s. Today, most of our families do not butcher our own meat.
Figure 7.6 Stephen Ritz of the Bronx Green Machine speaking at Hofstra University.
Figure 7.7 A small rooftop farm in Brooklyn. Are there small farms in your neighborhood? (See insert for color representation of this figure.)
Figure 7.8 Everyone likes local food! Here I am in a selfie with canned quince jam made with quince I picked from a tree on my campus. How can you get involved with local food in your community?
Figure 7.9 Will Allen dedicating a student garden on the Hofstra University campus.
Figure 7.10 Farmers markets often showcase local food and are a great way to support local food producers.
Chapter 08
Figure 8.1 My father and brother putting up a wall on our cabin in the 1970s. Many of the materials that were used to build the cabin were recycled.
Figure 8.2 This is my university's first LEED Certified building. It is part of our medical school complex. How many LEED buildings are on your campus?
Figure 8.3 Brownfields are sites that are difficult to develop because they may or may not be contaminated.
Figure 8.4 The energy management system at One Bryant Park, the Bank of America Building. This is the first skyscraper to achieve LEED Platinum status.
Figure 8.5 How we design a home has a huge impact on the environment and society. This interior of the Versailles palace outside of Paris shows some of the design excesses that led, in part, to the downfall of the French monarchy.
Figure 8.6 Some carpets are more sustainable than others.
Figure 8.7 This green wall in Paris is beautiful, inspiration, and environmentally sound.
Figure 8.8 The headquarters of the National Cave and Karst Research Institute was built with the greenest technology available and includes the world's only intentional bat roost.
Figure 8.9 Preservation of historic buildings in Greece, along with standardized building form and design, help to retain the character of a community.
Figure 8.10 The re-development of a community that displaces small homes for larger homes is problematic in many areas of the world. A small home was demolished to make room for the large home on the left.
Chapter 09
Figure 9.1 This is the train station that gets me into Manhattan. The Long Island Railroad is one of the most successful commuter rail lines in the United States.
Figure 9.2 The billions of cars on the road need billions of dollars of infrastructure.
Figure 9.3 Many buses today are fueled by natural gas.
Figure 9.4 Hofstra University has plug in stations where I can charge my electric hybrid car for free. Does your university have electric car charging stations?
Figure 9.5 Even small boats can have impacts on the environment.
Figure 9.6 Channel dredging is a constant problem in many ports – it is also an environmental challenge.
Figure 9.7 Storm water ponds are used to divert water from roadways to avoid flooding and surface water pollution.
Figure 9.8 This diagram shows the difference between urban and rural drainage basins. Urban drainage basins cause water to reach streams much faster than rural basins.
Figure 9.9 During the spring, pollution and salt that is stored in snow and ice is released into storm water systems.
Figure 9.10 Subways are integral to the economy of many cities.
Figure 9.11 Many people are interested in walking or biking to work or school.
Chapter 10
Figure 10.1 Fertilizers are great for producing healthy gardens and farms, but their over-use or mismanagement is a serious pollution problem.
Figure 10.2 Since I live on the water, I try to limit the use of fertilizers and pesticides in my lawn and garden.
Figure 10.3 The night sky throughout the world has changed. What kind of impact do your actions have on the night environment?
Figure 10.4 Noise is a problem for many of us who live in big cities. However, noise is also a problem for marine animals. (See insert for color representation of this figure.)
Figure 10.5 The clear air that is enjoyed in many parts of the world is due to sound management and regulation.
Figure 10.6 Many playing fields are fertilized with nitrogen-rich Milorganite to keep them green. The fertilizer is a byproduct of sewage treatment from the City of Milwaukee.
Figure 10.7 In some places, such as here in Guyana, the infrastructure is not in place to deal with municipal waste (photo courtesy of Chontelle Sewett).
Figure 10.8 Managing garbage and recycling is a major undertaking in many cities throughout the world, including in Oxford, England.
Chapter 11
Figure 11.1 Physicians protesting against nuclear war in Washington, DC
Figure 11.2 This is the famous bus (now located at the Henry Ford Museum) where Rosa Parks refused to move the back seat. The American Civil Rights Movement ushered in a new focus on environmental justice.
Figure 11.3 Children are more susceptible than adults to lead poisoning, which is why many nations have banned using lead additives in paint and gas.
Figure 11.4 Many brownfield sites are fenced and closed to the community. This hurts the overall aesthetic look of a neighborhood and drives down property values.
Figure 11.5 Many countries have national organizations like the EPA that regulate air, water, and other pollution. In Yalong Bay in China, there is regular monitoring that takes place to ensure the protection of the environment.
Figure 11.6 Food is often labeled with an external benchmarking organization's logo. There are organizations that verify organic, fair trade, and GMO-free, among others.
Figure 11.7 All of my students are working to make the world a better place. What are you doing to try to improve the lives of others?
Figure 11.8 Father Mark Genszler, an Episcopal Priest, oversees the Garden at St. Marks which grows food for local food pantries.
Chapter 12
Figure 12.1 Political leaders work with a variety of stakeholders to make decisions that impact local communities, states, and nations.
Figure 12.2 Downtown New York may center around the new World Trade Center complex, but in reality, the New York region extends for miles in all directions.
Figure 12.3 Many large and small communities are members of ICLEI including Vancouver, Canada, shown here.
Figure 12.4 What would your life be like if you lived or worked near a factory that made hot sauces?
Figure 12.5 Globalization helps bring us together. Here my Chinese colleague is teaching me how to make dumplings with her America daughter in China. How is your world impacted by globalization?
Figure 12.6 These are projectile points that are about 3500–5000 years old! They were found on the campus of Michigan State University and were collected as part of a campus archaeology program. What artifacts might you find on your campus?
Figure 12.7 Florida's beaches are so pristine because the state has banned the development of oil wells off shore.
Figure 12.8 Many in our families served in combat around the world. War has a negative impact on the environment and on society in many ways. This is my brother, Jim and my nephew John. Both are veterans, as is my nephew James who took this picture.
Figure 12.9 Community leaders of Long Island showed up to help distribute Scallops in Peconic Bay, New York.
Chapter 13
Figure 13.1 The natural landscape of arid areas such as this one in southern New Mexico is not suitable for the development of large populations. Nevertheless, millions of people live in these areas and have to draw in resources, particularly water, from other areas.
Figure 13.2 Hunting without care for the future of the species is unethical. However, in many areas hunting is heavily regulated. My brother Charlie, shown in this photo from 1971, purchased a hunting license and followed strict hunting rules, including rules about the color of clothing one wore while hunting.
Figure 13.3 Consumerism is one of the biggest challenges to sustainability. We are driven to want more by our greed and by reacting to advertising and trends.
Figure 13.4 What value do you place on the environment? (See insert for color representation of this figure.)
Figure 13.5 There are many alternatives to traditional thinking about the environment as a resource. Which of the alternatives resonate within your values system?
Figure 13.6 Chef, caterer, radio host, and entrepreneur, Bhavani Jaroff.
Figure 13.7 Jake Sackett working at New York City's Edible Schoolyard program.
Figure 13.8 Rob Milyko driving his bus in Montana.
Chapter 14
Figure 14.1 How can we make the procurement of gasoline greener in all phases of its production?
Figure 14.2 What and where we buy as consumers matters. We can choose to become more deliberate in limiting our consumption and being judicious about our purchases.
Figure 14.3 Many feel as if the business community is too tight with politicians. What do you think? How do business interests drive political decisions in your community?
Figure 14.4 Wal-Mart is well known for its sustainability initiatives.
Figure 14.5 Peter Shaindlin (right) and Vikram Garg of the Halekulani Hotel on Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Chapter 15
Figure 15.1 This is a picture I took of one of my sustainability classes at Hofstra University. I am lucky to work at a university that values sustainability. We have many sustainability initiatives throughout campus and offer undergraduate and graduate degrees in sustainability.
Figure 15.2 The way sustainability is taught varies considerably around the world.
Figure 15.3 Many K-12 schools put a strong emphasis on the environment, including Learning Gate Community School. (Photo courtesy of Learning Gate.)
Figure 15.4 This is your author (with long hair!) at the celebration announcing that the University of South Florida was a signatory on the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment. (See insert for color representation of this figure.)
Figure 15.5 My current campus is an official national arboretum, which means that we have a unique collection of trees. We also plant a tulip for every student. Each year thousands of tulips are in bloom across our campus. We also limit pesticides and herbicides by using integrated pest management. How do your campus grounds reflect sustainability?
Figure 15.6 What we offer to students to eat on campus matters. How does your campus dining services reflect your university's commitment to sustainability?
Figure 15.7 A waste container at Hofstra University.
Figure 15.8 Venerable Oxford University has a myriad of sustainability initiatives.
Guide
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This book is dedicated to all young people around the world who are striving to make the world a better place.
I am grateful to everyone at John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. for their guidance throughout the production of this book. They were professional, patient, and extremely helpful. I am also deeply appreciative of the reviewers that provided insightful initial comments on the text.
There are many who helped me in one way or another as I worked on this book. I cannot name everyone, but please know that all of my friends, family members, colleagues, and former students have my thanks. Yet there are some who deserve some special thanks for inspiration or assistance. They are: Mario Jose Gomez, Jim Brinkmann, Charlie Brinkmann, Fenda Akiwumi, Kamal Alsharif, J. Bret Bennington, Elizabeth Bird, David Brinkmann, James Brinkmann, John Brinkmann, Rose Brinkmann, Jennifer Collins, Michelle and Craig DeBruyn, Andrea Del Toro, Lauren D'Orsa, Joni Downs, Emma Farmer, Bernard Firestone, Lee Florea, Taiyo Francis, Jared Garfinkel, Sandra Garren, Jody and Erik Gartzke, Lynne Goldstein, Antonio Gomez, Carolina Gomez, Elis Grecia Pulido Gomez, Elis Vera de Gomez, Charleen Gonzalez, Karla Gonzalez, Mark Hafen, Grant Harley, Nancy Heller, Adriane Hoff, Sharon and Bob Hoff, Randy Honig, Heidi Hutner, Robin Jones, Rafael Jaramillo, Bhavani Jaroff, Sophia Kasselakis, Ina Katz, Beth Larson, Lawrence Levy, Burrell Montz, Joe Murphy, Keshanti Nandlall, Christopher Niedt, Gitfah Niles, Joanne Norris, Leslie North, Juan Penso, Lisa Marie Pierre, Jason Polk, Phil Reeder, Norma Camero Reno, Geary Schindel, Gail Schwab, Scott Simon, Patricia and Nelson Sohns, Elizabeth Strom, Graham Tobin, Maya Trotz, Naimish Upadhyay, Aimee Van Allen, Phil Van Beynen, George Veni, and Laurie Walker.
I would also like to thank all of the photographers who submitted photographs for this book. I couldn't have completed the work without the terrific support of Hofstra University, the University of South Florida, the National Center for Suburban Studies, and the Harris Manchester College at Oxford. Finally, I would like to thank all of my current and former students for the inspiration you give me to have hope for the future of our planet.
Robert (Bob) Brinkmann, Ph.D. is the Director of Sustainability Studies and the Director of Sustainability Research at the National Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra University where he is also a Professor in the Department of Geology, Environment, and Sustainability. He was born in 1961 in rural Wisconsin and was greatly influenced by his experiences growing up in a quaint, small-town environment. As a child he spent many hours in nature hiking, fishing, and canoeing, especially in the wilderness of northern Wisconsin. In 1979, he entered the geology program at the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh. There, he earned a Bachelor of Science with a focus on lithology, mineralogy, and field geology. During this period, he travelled throughout North America and participated in a geology field school in Alberta, British Columbia, and the Yukon. His first publication, on the formation of the Berlin Rhyolite, was published in 1982.
After graduation, Brinkmann attended the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee where he earned an MS in Geology in 1986 and a Ph.D. in Geography in 1989. During this period, he worked in diamond exploration, ice crystallography, and soil chemistry. It was while conducting fieldwork in diamond exploration that Brinkmann began to be influenced by sustainability issues. He started to take courses with the late Forest Stearns, one of the first ecologists to call for research on urban ecosystems, and the late Robert Eidt, a soil scientist noted for his definition and interpretation of anthrosols, or humanly modified soils. Brinkmann began to study a number of topics including heavy metal geochemistry of garden soils in cities, ancient agricultural soils in the Arabian Peninsula, and soil and sediment erosion in mountainous regions. He also took courses with cave and karst expert, Michael J. Day, and noted archaeologist, Lynne Goldstein.
In 1990, Brinkmann became an Assistant Professor at the University of South Florida (USF) where he continued his research on urban sustainability, particularly as associated with soil and sediment pollution in urban and suburban areas and cave and karst research. He published numerous articles and books including the only book on the science, policy, and management of urban street sweeping (with Graham Tobin) and the only book on sinkholes in Florida. He became a Full Professor in 2000 and the first Chair of USF's Department of Environmental Science and Policy. He also served as Chair of the Department of Geography and as Associate Dean for Faculty Development in the 2000s. He arrived at Hofstra University in 2011 to start a new sustainability studies program. The undergraduate program offers a BS, BA, and MA in sustainability.
Over the years, he has designed a number of courses, including ones on sustainability management, wetlands, and community-based sustainability. He is currently involved in a number of projects, including analysis of sustainability efforts in post-hurricane Long Island, evaluation of international sustainability planning with the United Nations, assessment of sustainability in Hainan, China, and sustainability in sports. He is also active with economic development issues on Long
Brinkmann is the Chair of the Board of the National Cave and Karst Research Institute and has served as the co-editor of the Southeastern Geographer . He is an associate editor for the Journal of Cave and Karst Studies and the Editor of Suburban Sustainability . He has served as an elected officer with a number of national, regional, and local organizations. Brinkmann has appeared on a number of national news outlets as an expert on geologic and environmental issues, including CBS News and CNN. His blog, On the Brink , which focuses on environmental and sustainability issues, gets thousands of hits a day. He also has a regular column on Huffingtonpost , and his opinion pieces have appeared on Newsday and CNN.com.
This book is accompanied by a companion website:
www.wiley.com/go/Brinkmann/Sustainability
The website includes
PowerPoints of all figures from the book for downloading
