booklogging

This is a must-read for anyone serious about seeing more environmentally sensitive and sustainable ways for human beings to live and yet still be decentralized and for it to be possible for people to make a living and consolidate the benefits of technology. This isn't cranksville central, this is workable ways forward. There are a lot of examples of what is happening already to show that it is possible and works. There is a lot of good analysis of what needs to happen. The biggest theme is really about making sure that what accountants call 'externalities' are internalized; ie that costs that are currently borne by people or the environment that are not reflected in the price of things are actually brought to bear in the cost equations. So, for example, oil companies would figure the cost of cleaning up spills and political problems etc etc into their costs and so into our prices. There is also some looking at how planning processes and education can help in the picture: I found some of this stuff truly eye-opening and hopeful.

It is very wide ranging from sewage and sanitation to town planning, architecture, how accountancy proceedures can make sense of cost savings that energy efficient design delivers. I love the snippets of information like the buildings that process their own sewage through ornamental gardens and people never realise because the design is good, safe, efficient, clean and involves not only biomimicry but actually utilizes the appropriate biological processes of nature.

The cost savings of energy efficient design seems enormous and there is a goodanalysis of the economics of cost savings through energy efficientcy. I love the chapter on 'muda' -the Japanese concept of eliminating effort.

On the cover there is a quote by Bill Clinton "This is a huge deal". And he's right; it's no hype.