World Book Day 2014: six essential sustainability reads

If you’re looking to broaden your knowledge of sustainability – or simply want a page-turner to read on holiday – any of these six essential reads would be good places to start.

– Capitalism as if the World Matters

By Jonathon Porritt

Capitalism as if the World Matters argues that it is possible to reform our economic model so that it can provide solutions to the challenges we face, including climate change and poverty. The book takes a pragmatic, yet optimistic, approach and lays out a potential way forward pointing out that we need to prioritise well being over growth. Read more.

– Windfall: The Booming Business of Global Warming

By McKenzie Funk

Windfall takes a unique look at climate change and investigates the businesses and entrepreneurs that are coming up with solutions and profiting as a result. The author examines the cost of adapting, in both positive, such as developing water desalination, and negative, for example oil companies preparing for melting ice to open up additional resources, ways. Read more.

– The Population Bomb

By Paul Ehrlich

The best-selling Population Bomb looks at the issues surrounding global population growth, in particular access to food, and potential solutions. Despite some of the predictions in the book proving incorrect the author maintains the general argument remains in tact and it continues to be a valuable book on sustainability. Read more.

– The Good Struggle: Responsible Leadership in an Unforgiving World

By Joseph Badaracco

The Good Struggle examines how to lead successfully in an uncertain, high pressure and turbulent world. Badaracco, a Harvard Business School professor, looks at how leaders can deal with the complexities that now face them, how to embrace the struggle and details the benefits of doing so. Read more.

– A Life Stripped Bare: My Year Trying to Live Ethically

By Leo Hickman

A Life Stripped Bare is a humorous account of one man’s journey to live ethically over the course of a year. The book doesn’t preach but demonstrates how the decision to live as ethically as possible can impact on your life. The amusing and easy to read writing style will entertain whilst inspiring change. Read more.

– Sustainability: All That Matters

By Chris Goodall

Chris Goodall argues that today’s generation has borrowed from the future and as a result has left subsequent generation to foot the bill for unsustainable practices in Sustainability: All That Matters. The theories and solutions detailed are applied to various industries to demonstrate how the challenges can be overcome. Read more.