Cutting global carbon emissions is a daunting challenge, but the technologies and strategies to meet it exist today. A small set of energy policies, designed and implemented well, can put us on the right path. Energy systems are large and complex, so energy policy must be focused and cost-effective. One-size-fits-all approaches simply won’t get the job done. Written by Hal Harvey, CEO of the environmental policy firm Energy Innovation, with Robbie Orvis and Jeffrey Rissman of Energy Innovation, Designing Climate Solutions is a comprehensive guide to energy policies that will have the largest impact on carbon emissions, and how to design these policies well. In this unique resource, Harvey identifies the largest sources of global emissions, the best policies to target these sectors, and key design principles for each approach. Designing Climate Solutions gives professionals the tools they need to select, design, and implement a portfolio of policies that can put us on the path to a livable climate future.

 
In Trains, Buses, People: An Opinionated Atlas of US Transit, transportation expert Christof Spieler shows how cities can build successful transit.

He profiles the 47 metropolitan areas in the US that have rail transit or BRT, using data, photos, and maps for easy comparison. The best and worst systems are ranked and Spieler offers analysis of how geography, politics, and history complicate transit planning. In this fun and accessible guide, he shows how the unique circumstances of every city have resulted in very different transit systems. In the end, Trains, Buses, People shows that it is possible with the right tools to build good transit.

Design has built global brands, disrupted industries, and transformed our lives with technology. It has also contributed to the complex challenges we face today. In The Intergalactic Design Guide, business strategist and designer Cheryl Heller shows how social design offers a new approach to navigate uncertainty, increase creativity, strengthen relationships, and develop our capacity to collaborate.

The most innovative leaders in the world have instinctively practiced social design for decades. Heller has worked with many of these pioneers, observing patterns in their methods and translating them into an approach that can bring new creative energy to any organization. The Intergalactic Design Guide explains 11 common principles, a step-by-step process, and the essential skills for successful social design. Nine in-depth examples—from the CEO of the largest carpet manufacturer in the world to an entrepreneur with a passion for reducing food waste—illustrate the social design process in action.
 
Whether you are launching a start-up or managing a global NGO, The Intergalactic Design Guide provides both inspiration and practical steps for designing a more resilient and fulfilling future.
 

Are plants intelligent? Can they solve problems, communicate, and navigate their surroundings? For centuries, philosophers and scientists have argued that plants are unthinking and inert—yet discoveries over the past fifty years have challenged this idea, shedding new light on the complex interior lives of plants.

Walkable City Rules is a doer’s guide to making change in cities, and making it now. Jeff Speck’s follow-up to his bestselling Walkable City is the resource that cities and citizens need to usher in an era of renewed street life.
 
The 101 rules are practical yet engaging—worded for arguments at the planning commission, illustrated for clarity, and  packed with specifications as well as data. For ease of use, the rules are grouped into 19 chapters that cover everything from selling walkability, to getting the parking right, escaping automobilism, making comfortable spaces and interesting places, and doing it now! 
 

"Informational and inspirational." —Booklist

America has never felt more divided. But in the midst of the acrimony comes one of the most promising movements in our country’s history. In Food from the Radical Center, Gary Nabhan tells the stories of diverse communities who are bringing back North America's unique fare: bison, sturgeon, camas lilies, ancient grains, turkeys, and more. These restoration efforts have united people from the left and right, rural and urban, in game-changing collaborations. As a leading thinker and seasoned practitioner in biocultural conservation, Nabhan offers a key perspective on the movement. His most enduring legacy may be his message of hope: a vision of a new environmentalism that is just and inclusive, allowing former adversaries to commune over delicious foods. 

"Intrepid conservation detective story." —Nature

"A lucid, informed, and gripping account...a must-read." —Science

"Passionate...a heartfelt and alarming tale." —Publishers Weekly

"Gripping...a well-told and moving tale of environmentalism and conservation." —Kirkus

"Compelling." —Library Journal 

In 2006, vaquita, a diminutive porpoise making its home in the Upper Gulf of California, inherited the dubious title of world’s most endangered marine mammal. Vaquita have been in decline for decades, dying in illegal gillnets intended for a giant fish, totoaba. Author Brooke Bessesen takes us to the Upper Gulf region in search of answers to a heart-wrenching dilemma. When diplomatic efforts to save the porpoise failed, Bessesen followed a scientific team in a binational effort to capture remaining vaquita and breed them in captivity—the only hope for their survival. In this fast-paced, soul-searing tale, she learned that there are no easy answers when extinction is profitable.

The world is rediscovering the bicycle as a multi-pronged solution to acute, 21st-century problems, including affordability, obesity, congestion, climate change, inequity, and social isolation. The Netherlands has built an accessible cycling culture that cities around the world can learn from.

Chris and Melissa Bruntlett share the incredible success of the Netherlands through engaging interviews with local experts and stories of their own delightful experiences riding in five Dutch cities. Building the Cycling City examines the triumphs and challenges of the Dutch while also presenting stories of North American cities already implementing lessons from across the Atlantic. Discover how Dutch cities inspired Atlanta to look at its transit-bike connection in a new way and showed Seattle how to teach its residents to realize the freedom of biking, along with other encouraging examples.

The most comprehensive textbook on this topic, Energy for Sustainability, Second Edition takes a holistic and interdisciplinary approach to help techies and policymakers alike understand the policy and social mechanisms required to enable conversion to efficient and renewable energy that is clean, affordable, and secure. Major revisions to this edition reflect the current changes in technology and energy use and focus on new analyses, data, and methods necessary to understand and actively participate in the transition to sustainable energy. 

Throughout the book, analytical methods for energy and economic analysis and design give users a quantitative appreciation for and understanding of energy systems. Randolph and Masters use case studies extensively to demonstrate current experience and illustrate possibilities.

 

In Nourished Planet, the Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition offers a global plan for feeding ourselves sustainably. Drawing on the diverse experiences of renowned international experts, the book offers a truly planetary perspective. Essays and interviews showcase Hans Herren, Vandana Shiva, Alexander Mueller, and Pavan Suhkdev, among many others. Together, these experts plot a map towards food for all, food for sustainable growth, food for health, and food for culture. With these ingredients, we can nourish our planet and ourselves.