Practical Sustainability

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xiv

   PDF

2. Part I

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1

      PDF

   2. Change Yourself and Change the World

      • Robert Brinkmann

      Pages 3-12

   3. Our Climate Change Challenge

      • Robert Brinkmann

      Pages 13-36

   4. Our Great Sustainability Challenge

      • Robert Brinkmann

      Pages 37-65

   5. Our Ethical Responsibility

      • Robert Brinkmann

      Pages 67-84

3. Part II

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 85-85

      PDF

   2. How You and Your Family Can Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

      • Robert Brinkmann

      Pages 87-102

   3. How Your Community Can Reduce Its Greenhouse Gas Impact

      • Robert Brinkmann

      Pages 103-119

   4. How Your School, Non-profit Organization, or Business Can Reduce or Eliminate Its Carbon Footprint

      • Robert Brinkmann

      Pages 121-137

4. Part III

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 139-139

      PDF

   2. Moving to Green Energy

      • Robert Brinkmann

      Pages 141-157

   3. Protecting Our Water Resources

      • Robert Brinkmann

      Pages 159-175

   4. Dealing with the Garbage Around Us

      • Robert Brinkmann

      Pages 177-190

   5. Saving Ecosystems

      • Robert Brinkmann

      Pages 191-206

5. Part IV

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 207-207

      PDF

   2. Building a Just and Sustainable Society

      • Robert Brinkmann

      Pages 209-225

   3. Green Your Economy

      • Robert Brinkmann

      Pages 227-242

   4. Sustainable Travel and Leisure

      • Robert Brinkmann

      Pages 243-259

   5. Tune Out, Buy Nothing, and Get Educated

      • Robert Brinkmann

      Pages 261-276

This book will teach you everything you need to know about sustainable living—from reducing your greenhouse gas footprint to making sure that you are part of the green economy. Along the way, readers will learn about the field of sustainability and the “three E’s” of sustainable living—environment, economy, and equity. We are in the midst of great environmental change and all of us need to do everything we can to try to live more gently on the planet. Robert Brinkmann provides a range of options for readers as to what they can do to try to make a difference. Some involve simple lifestyle changes - but he also challenges all of us to commit to make more difficult and more meaningful changes to create a greener, more sustainable world. 


The book also delves into how we can create more sustainable communities, schools, and organizations. It showcases many examples of people and organizations that are making significant contributions to improving our planet’s sustainability that serve as inspiration and guidance for all of us trying to live more sustainably. 

• sustainability
• climate change
• sustainable living
• carbon footprint
• sustainable energy use
• waste management
• environmental sustainability
• sustainable organisations
• upcycling
• Greenhouse Gas Impact
• sustainable development goals
• ecosocialism
• ecotourism
• environmental justice
• environmental racism
• organic food
• Rainforest Alliance
• renewable energy
• sustainable living
• sustainable cities

“This book will change how you see the world. It argues compellingly that dramatic changes are happening to our planet and the only way forward is to treat the environment, and each other, with sustainability in mind. By presenting the basic science behind global threats and offering sage advice for doing your part to make a positive difference, this book is a must-have manual for life on Earth in the 21st century.”

(Professor E. Christian Wells, Department of Anthropology, University of South Florida, USA)

• College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, USA

  Robert Brinkmann

Robert Brinkmann is the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Northern Illinois University, USA and is the author of numerous books, including Environmental Sustainability in a Time of Change. His blog, On the Brink, is one of most popular sustainability blogs on the Internet.

Policies and ethics