Very informative book, 08 Aug 2007
This book is used as a study material at the Open University in Energy for a sustainable future course (T206).

The boook won't tell you how to fit a solar panel or a wind turbine on your roof nor how to connect your panels to the battery but it will tell you about various renewable energy sources and its pros and cons. The book looks at the energy needs on local, national and international scale, not on individuals scale. Each chapter also has a large list of references for further information.

There is a lot of calculations present so, you'll be able for example to calculate the area of solar panels required for your needs or prove that off shore wind turbines generate more electricity than on shore ones.

I really enjoyed this book and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in renewable energy.

Very informative book, 08 Aug 2007
This book is used as a study material at the Open University in Energy for a sustainable future course (T206).

The boook won't tell you how to fit a solar panel or a wind turbine on your roof nor how to connect your panels to the battery but it will tell you about various renewable energy sources and its pros and cons. The book looks at the energy needs on local, national and international scale, not on individuals scale. Each chapter also has a large list of references for further information.

There is a lot of calculations present so, you'll be able for example to calculate the area of solar panels required for your needs or prove that off shore wind turbines generate more electricity than on shore ones.

I really enjoyed this book and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in renewable energy.

When demand outstrips supply, 26 Sep 2005
Overshoot: when demand overtakes supply.

I recall buying the original edition of this book back in 1972, and also recall the rubbishing it got from those who believed it was all scare mongering.

The events of the 1970's should have acted as wake-up call, but they now seem like a distant memory: the three-day-week, the power cuts, the petrol rationing coupons (never implemented).

Since 1972, growth has been given a huge boost by globalisation, and the take-offs in China and India.

When this book was published in its 1992 edition - 'Beyond the Limits' - the authors warned that unsustainability was already evident: deforestation, climate change, the ozone hole.

They point to the failure of various international summits to get a grip on the problem.

It seems that our elites are vaguely aware that there is a problem here, and mention it in passing to give the impression that they on the case. It is usually on the list of the many things the Prime Minister is going to sort out before dinner.

The Kyoto protocols were some sort of triumph. But the developing nations, like China and India were not included and George W Bush doesn't seem to be persuaded that there's a problem.

The lack of urgency is widespread: as the victims of Katrina and Rita now know better than the rest of us.

Yet it's all something we know. We all know, for example, that the oil is going to dry up some day, but what the heck? It won't be next week, will it?

But someday it is going to be someone else's next week.

When that time comes, all the lost local skills will suddenly be missed. For that is what it will be: a return to the local economy. Your food, your shelter, your clothing, will all have be sourced locally. In the UK's case it's drop-back over two hundred years, minus the skills that were around in those days.

So, for the third time since 1972, the authors lay it all before us: what needs to be done.

First, and most painfully, there is no time to be lost:

"The longer the world economy takes to reduce its ecological footprint and move towards sustainability, the lower the population and material standard of living that will be ultimately supportable. At some point delay means collapse."

In the chapter "Transitions to a Sustainable System" the authors show us just how dramatic the changes need to be.

They offer our elites the chance to start the changes now, while there is time to manage the changeover.

They all make sense, but they require something more than political action, they require an end to individualism as we have known it. This is the leap many people will not be able to make

Out must go the competition for individual power, status, and wealth which are the engines of the current society. Reflect on that: and you see the enormity of the task.

Very informative book, 08 Aug 2007
This book is used as a study material at the Open University in Energy for a sustainable future course (T206).

The boook won't tell you how to fit a solar panel or a wind turbine on your roof nor how to connect your panels to the battery but it will tell you about various renewable energy sources and its pros and cons. The book looks at the energy needs on local, national and international scale, not on individuals scale. Each chapter also has a large list of references for further information.

There is a lot of calculations present so, you'll be able for example to calculate the area of solar panels required for your needs or prove that off shore wind turbines generate more electricity than on shore ones.

I really enjoyed this book and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in renewable energy.

When demand outstrips supply, 26 Sep 2005
Overshoot: when demand overtakes supply.

I recall buying the original edition of this book back in 1972, and also recall the rubbishing it got from those who believed it was all scare mongering.

The events of the 1970's should have acted as wake-up call, but they now seem like a distant memory: the three-day-week, the power cuts, the petrol rationing coupons (never implemented).

Since 1972, growth has been given a huge boost by globalisation, and the take-offs in China and India.

When this book was published in its 1992 edition - 'Beyond the Limits' - the authors warned that unsustainability was already evident: deforestation, climate change, the ozone hole.

They point to the failure of various international summits to get a grip on the problem.

It seems that our elites are vaguely aware that there is a problem here, and mention it in passing to give the impression that they on the case. It is usually on the list of the many things the Prime Minister is going to sort out before dinner.

The Kyoto protocols were some sort of triumph. But the developing nations, like China and India were not included and George W Bush doesn't seem to be persuaded that there's a problem.

The lack of urgency is widespread: as the victims of Katrina and Rita now know better than the rest of us.

Yet it's all something we know. We all know, for example, that the oil is going to dry up some day, but what the heck? It won't be next week, will it?

But someday it is going to be someone else's next week.

When that time comes, all the lost local skills will suddenly be missed. For that is what it will be: a return to the local economy. Your food, your shelter, your clothing, will all have be sourced locally. In the UK's case it's drop-back over two hundred years, minus the skills that were around in those days.

So, for the third time since 1972, the authors lay it all before us: what needs to be done.

First, and most painfully, there is no time to be lost:

"The longer the world economy takes to reduce its ecological footprint and move towards sustainability, the lower the population and material standard of living that will be ultimately supportable. At some point delay means collapse."

In the chapter "Transitions to a Sustainable System" the authors show us just how dramatic the changes need to be.

They offer our elites the chance to start the changes now, while there is time to manage the changeover.

They all make sense, but they require something more than political action, they require an end to individualism as we have known it. This is the leap many people will not be able to make

Out must go the competition for individual power, status, and wealth which are the engines of the current society. Reflect on that: and you see the enormity of the task.

Can capitalism ever be truly sustainable?, 03 Oct 2008
In a consumer society slowly eating itself, there's no more pressing question than whether or not capitalism and sustainability can ever go together. Johnathon Porritt sets out here to prove that they can. On the one hand, "global capitalism as we know it today would appear to be inherently incompatible with the pursuit of either ecological sustainability or social justice." On the other hand, "capitalism is now the only economic game in town."

Capitalism has been effective in providing goods and services, in creating wealth and raising standards of living. It has also created gross inequality and laid waste to the planet. Business as usual will lead to ecological suicide, quite simply.

In its place, Porritt argues for better regulation, costings for externalities, better metrics than GNP alone. He questions our fixation with growth, and tests the limits of corporate responsibility.

Porritt has got in trouble with some environmentalists for working a little too closely with big business, and he explores some of these initiatives in some detail here - business excellence, business aimed at the poor, experimental corporate reporting. It's easy to see why he's been accused of selling out as he sings the praises of Dow Chemicals, but the corporation aren't going anywhere any time soon, so I applaud him for working alongside them to develop better business models.

For all its problems, capitalism is what we have to work with right now. Although it could do with an extra chapter after the events of summer 2008, this book is still a useful guidebook to the changes already underway, and a roadmap for more responsible capitalism.

A revelation, 03 Jun 2007
A revelation. Really an excellent book. It should be read by all political and business leaders. It really should be read by everyone who is literate. Whether you think he's soft on capitalism or not, he recognises that the only solution is to work with it. And how.

A bold new vision for capitalism, 04 Apr 2007
Activist Jonathon Porritt offers the startling proposal that capitalism may provide the best solution to poverty and global environmental degradation, though his solution requires reshaping capitalism. Porritt is aware that conventional environmental activists, greens and political academics favor socialism more than capitalism. However, he takes them to task for ignoring the power and potential of such capitalist mechanisms as markets and property rights and for their naïveté in expecting voters or political leaders to embrace their dismal vision of environmental responsibility as asceticism. We find his book more suggestive than programmatic. It meanders like a river and is sometimes directionless. The author makes his passions apparent, including anti-Americanism and scathing criticism of certain forms of Christianity. Though Porritt does not offer a detailed description of his vision or the practical steps needed to realize it, he does suggest a path toward a utopian ideal; for that hope, he deserves appropriate attention.

Important and Impressive, 23 Feb 2007
A hugely important and passionate book written by someone who has real gravitas in this field. The messages are profound and they are pragmatic.The weight of Porritts intellect, based on 40 years of engagement in the environmental cause, is staggering and stretches into economics, business, psychology and ecology.
Read it. Then read it again. And then get engaged in the debates that it raises. It matters.

The Definitive Message for the Future, 24 Aug 2006
Porritt is THE leading environmental crusader in the UK and now vitally close to both governments and large corporations. Here is a man who has been working every minute god gives him for the last 40 years to promote social and environmental change. His knowledge of this subject is unequalled, all the major environmental analyses over the past 20 years are distilled within this elegant summary. His message is clear; -- Sure we could do with total social change but this isn't going to happen in the next 10 years and watching climate change in action we don't have longer - so we have to adapt our current system (capitalism) and use it to deliver the better world that we all long for. If you buy one book this year make sure this is it!

Very informative book, 08 Aug 2007
This book is used as a study material at the Open University in Energy for a sustainable future course (T206).

The boook won't tell you how to fit a solar panel or a wind turbine on your roof nor how to connect your panels to the battery but it will tell you about various renewable energy sources and its pros and cons. The book looks at the energy needs on local, national and international scale, not on individuals scale. Each chapter also has a large list of references for further information.

There is a lot of calculations present so, you'll be able for example to calculate the area of solar panels required for your needs or prove that off shore wind turbines generate more electricity than on shore ones.

I really enjoyed this book and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in renewable energy.

When demand outstrips supply, 26 Sep 2005
Overshoot: when demand overtakes supply.

I recall buying the original edition of this book back in 1972, and also recall the rubbishing it got from those who believed it was all scare mongering.

The events of the 1970's should have acted as wake-up call, but they now seem like a distant memory: the three-day-week, the power cuts, the petrol rationing coupons (never implemented).

Since 1972, growth has been given a huge boost by globalisation, and the take-offs in China and India.

When this book was published in its 1992 edition - 'Beyond the Limits' - the authors warned that unsustainability was already evident: deforestation, climate change, the ozone hole.

They point to the failure of various international summits to get a grip on the problem.

It seems that our elites are vaguely aware that there is a problem here, and mention it in passing to give the impression that they on the case. It is usually on the list of the many things the Prime Minister is going to sort out before dinner.

The Kyoto protocols were some sort of triumph. But the developing nations, like China and India were not included and George W Bush doesn't seem to be persuaded that there's a problem.

The lack of urgency is widespread: as the victims of Katrina and Rita now know better than the rest of us.

Yet it's all something we know. We all know, for example, that the oil is going to dry up some day, but what the heck? It won't be next week, will it?

But someday it is going to be someone else's next week.

When that time comes, all the lost local skills will suddenly be missed. For that is what it will be: a return to the local economy. Your food, your shelter, your clothing, will all have be sourced locally. In the UK's case it's drop-back over two hundred years, minus the skills that were around in those days.

So, for the third time since 1972, the authors lay it all before us: what needs to be done.

First, and most painfully, there is no time to be lost:

"The longer the world economy takes to reduce its ecological footprint and move towards sustainability, the lower the population and material standard of living that will be ultimately supportable. At some point delay means collapse."

In the chapter "Transitions to a Sustainable System" the authors show us just how dramatic the changes need to be.

They offer our elites the chance to start the changes now, while there is time to manage the changeover.

They all make sense, but they require something more than political action, they require an end to individualism as we have known it. This is the leap many people will not be able to make

Out must go the competition for individual power, status, and wealth which are the engines of the current society. Reflect on that: and you see the enormity of the task.

Can capitalism ever be truly sustainable?, 03 Oct 2008
In a consumer society slowly eating itself, there's no more pressing question than whether or not capitalism and sustainability can ever go together. Johnathon Porritt sets out here to prove that they can. On the one hand, "global capitalism as we know it today would appear to be inherently incompatible with the pursuit of either ecological sustainability or social justice." On the other hand, "capitalism is now the only economic game in town."

Capitalism has been effective in providing goods and services, in creating wealth and raising standards of living. It has also created gross inequality and laid waste to the planet. Business as usual will lead to ecological suicide, quite simply.

In its place, Porritt argues for better regulation, costings for externalities, better metrics than GNP alone. He questions our fixation with growth, and tests the limits of corporate responsibility.

Porritt has got in trouble with some environmentalists for working a little too closely with big business, and he explores some of these initiatives in some detail here - business excellence, business aimed at the poor, experimental corporate reporting. It's easy to see why he's been accused of selling out as he sings the praises of Dow Chemicals, but the corporation aren't going anywhere any time soon, so I applaud him for working alongside them to develop better business models.

For all its problems, capitalism is what we have to work with right now. Although it could do with an extra chapter after the events of summer 2008, this book is still a useful guidebook to the changes already underway, and a roadmap for more responsible capitalism.

A revelation, 03 Jun 2007
A revelation. Really an excellent book. It should be read by all political and business leaders. It really should be read by everyone who is literate. Whether you think he's soft on capitalism or not, he recognises that the only solution is to work with it. And how.

A bold new vision for capitalism, 04 Apr 2007
Activist Jonathon Porritt offers the startling proposal that capitalism may provide the best solution to poverty and global environmental degradation, though his solution requires reshaping capitalism. Porritt is aware that conventional environmental activists, greens and political academics favor socialism more than capitalism. However, he takes them to task for ignoring the power and potential of such capitalist mechanisms as markets and property rights and for their naïveté in expecting voters or political leaders to embrace their dismal vision of environmental responsibility as asceticism. We find his book more suggestive than programmatic. It meanders like a river and is sometimes directionless. The author makes his passions apparent, including anti-Americanism and scathing criticism of certain forms of Christianity. Though Porritt does not offer a detailed description of his vision or the practical steps needed to realize it, he does suggest a path toward a utopian ideal; for that hope, he deserves appropriate attention.

Important and Impressive, 23 Feb 2007
A hugely important and passionate book written by someone who has real gravitas in this field. The messages are profound and they are pragmatic.The weight of Porritts intellect, based on 40 years of engagement in the environmental cause, is staggering and stretches into economics, business, psychology and ecology.
Read it. Then read it again. And then get engaged in the debates that it raises. It matters.

The Definitive Message for the Future, 24 Aug 2006
Porritt is THE leading environmental crusader in the UK and now vitally close to both governments and large corporations. Here is a man who has been working every minute god gives him for the last 40 years to promote social and environmental change. His knowledge of this subject is unequalled, all the major environmental analyses over the past 20 years are distilled within this elegant summary. His message is clear; -- Sure we could do with total social change but this isn't going to happen in the next 10 years and watching climate change in action we don't have longer - so we have to adapt our current system (capitalism) and use it to deliver the better world that we all long for. If you buy one book this year make sure this is it!

excellent, 03 Sep 2008
excellent as always Kate Fletcher surpasses herself in this brillaint and useful book. Not for people uniterested in the ethics of clothing and fabric but a real must have for textile designers

Fashion can and is being done differently!, 19 May 2008
I found this to be a truly inspiring book. It's an invaluable font of ideas that you can dip into regularly for reference. The initiatives it describes are an antidote to institutionalised ways of both producing and consuming fashion. It clearly sets out a variety of ways of thinking about sustainability in fashion and textiles but its real gift is how it enables us to think about loosening the stranglehold consumption has over fashion.

Outstanding book jam packed with eye-opening ideas, 07 May 2008
Wow! This book is brimming with industry-led knowledge and facts on sustainability fashion design and I urge anyone who is interested in fashion or textiles to read it. It will alter your perception of the way that we produce and consume fashion and helps build the foundations for a radical new perspective.

This book gives us an eye opening look into the world of fashion and textiles and presents great new sustainable options with potential influence far beyond the fashion and textiles industries. Every aspect of the industry, use and lifecycle of textiles is considered. It delivers exactly what you want from a book - it opens your mind and changes your perspective for evermore. It is written and presented in an accessible way that is easy to use and a pleasure to read. If you are (or want to be) in the fields of textiles, fashion or sustainability, you definitely need to get with the programme and read this book!

If you only buy one fashion book this year, make sure its this one, 04 May 2008
Hi we are Jenny and Ruthy and We are currently studying fashion design at University College Falmouth, we've been reading your "Sustainable fashion and textiles" book to eachother everyday, before and after college! Its absolutely AMASING, we've been waiting forever for a book like this-this is a book that every fashion designer MUST read.

Very informative book, 08 Aug 2007
This book is used as a study material at the Open University in Energy for a sustainable future course (T206).

The boook won't tell you how to fit a solar panel or a wind turbine on your roof nor how to connect your panels to the battery but it will tell you about various renewable energy sources and its pros and cons. The book looks at the energy needs on local, national and international scale, not on individuals scale. Each chapter also has a large list of references for further information.

There is a lot of calculations present so, you'll be able for example to calculate the area of solar panels required for your needs or prove that off shore wind turbines generate more electricity than on shore ones.

I really enjoyed this book and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in renewable energy.

When demand outstrips supply, 26 Sep 2005
Overshoot: when demand overtakes supply.

I recall buying the original edition of this book back in 1972, and also recall the rubbishing it got from those who believed it was all scare mongering.

The events of the 1970's should have acted as wake-up call, but they now seem like a distant memory: the three-day-week, the power cuts, the petrol rationing coupons (never implemented).

Since 1972, growth has been given a huge boost by globalisation, and the take-offs in China and India.

When this book was published in its 1992 edition - 'Beyond the Limits' - the authors warned that unsustainability was already evident: deforestation, climate change, the ozone hole.

They point to the failure of various international summits to get a grip on the problem.

It seems that our elites are vaguely aware that there is a problem here, and mention it in passing to give the impression that they on the case. It is usually on the list of the many things the Prime Minister is going to sort out before dinner.

The Kyoto protocols were some sort of triumph. But the developing nations, like China and India were not included and George W Bush doesn't seem to be persuaded that there's a problem.

The lack of urgency is widespread: as the victims of Katrina and Rita now know better than the rest of us.

Yet it's all something we know. We all know, for example, that the oil is going to dry up some day, but what the heck? It won't be next week, will it?

But someday it is going to be someone else's next week.

When that time comes, all the lost local skills will suddenly be missed. For that is what it will be: a return to the local economy. Your food, your shelter, your clothing, will all have be sourced locally. In the UK's case it's drop-back over two hundred years, minus the skills that were around in those days.

So, for the third time since 1972, the authors lay it all before us: what needs to be done.

First, and most painfully, there is no time to be lost:

"The longer the world economy takes to reduce its ecological footprint and move towards sustainability, the lower the population and material standard of living that will be ultimately supportable. At some point delay means collapse."

In the chapter "Transitions to a Sustainable System" the authors show us just how dramatic the changes need to be.

They offer our elites the chance to start the changes now, while there is time to manage the changeover.

They all make sense, but they require something more than political action, they require an end to individualism as we have known it. This is the leap many people will not be able to make

Out must go the competition for individual power, status, and wealth which are the engines of the current society. Reflect on that: and you see the enormity of the task.

Can capitalism ever be truly sustainable?, 03 Oct 2008
In a consumer society slowly eating itself, there's no more pressing question than whether or not capitalism and sustainability can ever go together. Johnathon Porritt sets out here to prove that they can. On the one hand, "global capitalism as we know it today would appear to be inherently incompatible with the pursuit of either ecological sustainability or social justice." On the other hand, "capitalism is now the only economic game in town."

Capitalism has been effective in providing goods and services, in creating wealth and raising standards of living. It has also created gross inequality and laid waste to the planet. Business as usual will lead to ecological suicide, quite simply.

In its place, Porritt argues for better regulation, costings for externalities, better metrics than GNP alone. He questions our fixation with growth, and tests the limits of corporate responsibility.

Porritt has got in trouble with some environmentalists for working a little too closely with big business, and he explores some of these initiatives in some detail here - business excellence, business aimed at the poor, experimental corporate reporting. It's easy to see why he's been accused of selling out as he sings the praises of Dow Chemicals, but the corporation aren't going anywhere any time soon, so I applaud him for working alongside them to develop better business models.

For all its problems, capitalism is what we have to work with right now. Although it could do with an extra chapter after the events of summer 2008, this book is still a useful guidebook to the changes already underway, and a roadmap for more responsible capitalism.

A revelation, 03 Jun 2007
A revelation. Really an excellent book. It should be read by all political and business leaders. It really should be read by everyone who is literate. Whether you think he's soft on capitalism or not, he recognises that the only solution is to work with it. And how.

A bold new vision for capitalism, 04 Apr 2007
Activist Jonathon Porritt offers the startling proposal that capitalism may provide the best solution to poverty and global environmental degradation, though his solution requires reshaping capitalism. Porritt is aware that conventional environmental activists, greens and political academics favor socialism more than capitalism. However, he takes them to task for ignoring the power and potential of such capitalist mechanisms as markets and property rights and for their naïveté in expecting voters or political leaders to embrace their dismal vision of environmental responsibility as asceticism. We find his book more suggestive than programmatic. It meanders like a river and is sometimes directionless. The author makes his passions apparent, including anti-Americanism and scathing criticism of certain forms of Christianity. Though Porritt does not offer a detailed description of his vision or the practical steps needed to realize it, he does suggest a path toward a utopian ideal; for that hope, he deserves appropriate attention.

Important and Impressive, 23 Feb 2007
A hugely important and passionate book written by someone who has real gravitas in this field. The messages are profound and they are pragmatic.The weight of Porritts intellect, based on 40 years of engagement in the environmental cause, is staggering and stretches into economics, business, psychology and ecology.
Read it. Then read it again. And then get engaged in the debates that it raises. It matters.

The Definitive Message for the Future, 24 Aug 2006
Porritt is THE leading environmental crusader in the UK and now vitally close to both governments and large corporations. Here is a man who has been working every minute god gives him for the last 40 years to promote social and environmental change. His knowledge of this subject is unequalled, all the major environmental analyses over the past 20 years are distilled within this elegant summary. His message is clear; -- Sure we could do with total social change but this isn't going to happen in the next 10 years and watching climate change in action we don't have longer - so we have to adapt our current system (capitalism) and use it to deliver the better world that we all long for. If you buy one book this year make sure this is it!

excellent, 03 Sep 2008
excellent as always Kate Fletcher surpasses herself in this brillaint and useful book. Not for people uniterested in the ethics of clothing and fabric but a real must have for textile designers

Fashion can and is being done differently!, 19 May 2008
I found this to be a truly inspiring book. It's an invaluable font of ideas that you can dip into regularly for reference. The initiatives it describes are an antidote to institutionalised ways of both producing and consuming fashion. It clearly sets out a variety of ways of thinking about sustainability in fashion and textiles but its real gift is how it enables us to think about loosening the stranglehold consumption has over fashion.

Outstanding book jam packed with eye-opening ideas, 07 May 2008
Wow! This book is brimming with industry-led knowledge and facts on sustainability fashion design and I urge anyone who is interested in fashion or textiles to read it. It will alter your perception of the way that we produce and consume fashion and helps build the foundations for a radical new perspective.

This book gives us an eye opening look into the world of fashion and textiles and presents great new sustainable options with potential influence far beyond the fashion and textiles industries. Every aspect of the industry, use and lifecycle of textiles is considered. It delivers exactly what you want from a book - it opens your mind and changes your perspective for evermore. It is written and presented in an accessible way that is easy to use and a pleasure to read. If you are (or want to be) in the fields of textiles, fashion or sustainability, you definitely need to get with the programme and read this book!

If you only buy one fashion book this year, make sure its this one, 04 May 2008
Hi we are Jenny and Ruthy and We are currently studying fashion design at University College Falmouth, we've been reading your "Sustainable fashion and textiles" book to eachother everyday, before and after college! Its absolutely AMASING, we've been waiting forever for a book like this-this is a book that every fashion designer MUST read.

A great primer, 09 Jun 2004
An ideal book for anyone wanting to understand the big issues in environmental policy and development, the green movement or indeed the developing world as a whole. The book is witty, clearly argued and gives a great overwiew of all the main issues and paradoxes (how can development be sustainable?), as well as their historical origins. Helpfully, it also clearly referenced and indexed.As someone who works in development i have found i keep returning to the book whenever i need material for a presentation or a seminar. Should be on the bookshelf of most of our policy-makers too....

A Witty Introduction to Sustainability, 11 Oct 2002
As a university student new to the economic theory behind sustainability I came across this book quite by chance.
I must say it is quite a witty primer and did set out the principles really well with more contemporary relevance than some of the dry text books I have recently been introduced to. There's a truly great quote from Joan Rivers in it too!

Very informative book, 08 Aug 2007
This book is used as a study material at the Open University in Energy for a sustainable future course (T206).

The boook won't tell you how to fit a solar panel or a wind turbine on your roof nor how to connect your panels to the battery but it will tell you about various renewable energy sources and its pros and cons. The book looks at the energy needs on local, national and international scale, not on individuals scale. Each chapter also has a large list of references for further information.

There is a lot of calculations present so, you'll be able for example to calculate the area of solar panels required for your needs or prove that off shore wind turbines generate more electricity than on shore ones.

I really enjoyed this book and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in renewable energy.

When demand outstrips supply, 26 Sep 2005
Overshoot: when demand overtakes supply.

I recall buying the original edition of this book back in 1972, and also recall the rubbishing it got from those who believed it was all scare mongering.

The events of the 1970's should have acted as wake-up call, but they now seem like a distant memory: the three-day-week, the power cuts, the petrol rationing coupons (never implemented).

Since 1972, growth has been given a huge boost by globalisation, and the take-offs in China and India.

When this book was published in its 1992 edition - 'Beyond the Limits' - the authors warned that unsustainability was already evident: deforestation, climate change, the ozone hole.

They point to the failure of various international summits to get a grip on the problem.

It seems that our elites are vaguely aware that there is a problem here, and mention it in passing to give the impression that they on the case. It is usually on the list of the many things the Prime Minister is going to sort out before dinner.

The Kyoto protocols were some sort of triumph. But the developing nations, like China and India were not included and George W Bush doesn't seem to be persuaded that there's a problem.

The lack of urgency is widespread: as the victims of Katrina and Rita now know better than the rest of us.

Yet it's all something we know. We all know, for example, that the oil is going to dry up some day, but what the heck? It won't be next week, will it?

But someday it is going to be someone else's next week.

When that time comes, all the lost local skills will suddenly be missed. For that is what it will be: a return to the local economy. Your food, your shelter, your clothing, will all have be sourced locally. In the UK's case it's drop-back over two hundred years, minus the skills that were around in those days.

So, for the third time since 1972, the authors lay it all before us: what needs to be done.

First, and most painfully, there is no time to be lost:

"The longer the world economy takes to reduce its ecological footprint and move towards sustainability, the lower the population and material standard of living that will be ultimately supportable. At some point delay means collapse."

In the chapter "Transitions to a Sustainable System" the authors show us just how dramatic the changes need to be.

They offer our elites the chance to start the changes now, while there is time to manage the changeover.

They all make sense, but they require something more than political action, they require an end to individualism as we have known it. This is the leap many people will not be able to make

Out must go the competition for individual power, status, and wealth which are the engines of the current society. Reflect on that: and you see the enormity of the task.

Can capitalism ever be truly sustainable?, 03 Oct 2008
In a consumer society slowly eating itself, there's no more pressing question than whether or not capitalism and sustainability can ever go together. Johnathon Porritt sets out here to prove that they can. On the one hand, "global capitalism as we know it today would appear to be inherently incompatible with the pursuit of either ecological sustainability or social justice." On the other hand, "capitalism is now the only economic game in town."

Capitalism has been effective in providing goods and services, in creating wealth and raising standards of living. It has also created gross inequality and laid waste to the planet. Business as usual will lead to ecological suicide, quite simply.

In its place, Porritt argues for better regulation, costings for externalities, better metrics than GNP alone. He questions our fixation with growth, and tests the limits of corporate responsibility.

Porritt has got in trouble with some environmentalists for working a little too closely with big business, and he explores some of these initiatives in some detail here - business excellence, business aimed at the poor, experimental corporate reporting. It's easy to see why he's been accused of selling out as he sings the praises of Dow Chemicals, but the corporation aren't going anywhere any time soon, so I applaud him for working alongside them to develop better business models.

For all its problems, capitalism is what we have to work with right now. Although it could do with an extra chapter after the events of summer 2008, this book is still a useful guidebook to the changes already underway, and a roadmap for more responsible capitalism.

A revelation, 03 Jun 2007
A revelation. Really an excellent book. It should be read by all political and business leaders. It really should be read by everyone who is literate. Whether you think he's soft on capitalism or not, he recognises that the only solution is to work with it. And how.

A bold new vision for capitalism, 04 Apr 2007
Activist Jonathon Porritt offers the startling proposal that capitalism may provide the best solution to poverty and global environmental degradation, though his solution requires reshaping capitalism. Porritt is aware that conventional environmental activists, greens and political academics favor socialism more than capitalism. However, he takes them to task for ignoring the power and potential of such capitalist mechanisms as markets and property rights and for their naïveté in expecting voters or political leaders to embrace their dismal vision of environmental responsibility as asceticism. We find his book more suggestive than programmatic. It meanders like a river and is sometimes directionless. The author makes his passions apparent, including anti-Americanism and scathing criticism of certain forms of Christianity. Though Porritt does not offer a detailed description of his vision or the practical steps needed to realize it, he does suggest a path toward a utopian ideal; for that hope, he deserves appropriate attention.

Important and Impressive, 23 Feb 2007
A hugely important and passionate book written by someone who has real gravitas in this field. The messages are profound and they are pragmatic.The weight of Porritts intellect, based on 40 years of engagement in the environmental cause, is staggering and stretches into economics, business, psychology and ecology.
Read it. Then read it again. And then get engaged in the debates that it raises. It matters.

The Definitive Message for the Future, 24 Aug 2006
Porritt is THE leading environmental crusader in the UK and now vitally close to both governments and large corporations. Here is a man who has been working every minute god gives him for the last 40 years to promote social and environmental change. His knowledge of this subject is unequalled, all the major environmental analyses over the past 20 years are distilled within this elegant summary. His message is clear; -- Sure we could do with total social change but this isn't going to happen in the next 10 years and watching climate change in action we don't have longer - so we have to adapt our current system (capitalism) and use it to deliver the better world that we all long for. If you buy one book this year make sure this is it!

excellent, 03 Sep 2008
excellent as always Kate Fletcher surpasses herself in this brillaint and useful book. Not for people uniterested in the ethics of clothing and fabric but a real must have for textile designers

Fashion can and is being done differently!, 19 May 2008
I found this to be a truly inspiring book. It's an invaluable font of ideas that you can dip into regularly for reference. The initiatives it describes are an antidote to institutionalised ways of both producing and consuming fashion. It clearly sets out a variety of ways of thinking about sustainability in fashion and textiles but its real gift is how it enables us to think about loosening the stranglehold consumption has over fashion.

Outstanding book jam packed with eye-opening ideas, 07 May 2008
Wow! This book is brimming with industry-led knowledge and facts on sustainability fashion design and I urge anyone who is interested in fashion or textiles to read it. It will alter your perception of the way that we produce and consume fashion and helps build the foundations for a radical new perspective.

This book gives us an eye opening look into the world of fashion and textiles and presents great new sustainable options with potential influence far beyond the fashion and textiles industries. Every aspect of the industry, use and lifecycle of textiles is considered. It delivers exactly what you want from a book - it opens your mind and changes your perspective for evermore. It is written and presented in an accessible way that is easy to use and a pleasure to read. If you are (or want to be) in the fields of textiles, fashion or sustainability, you definitely need to get with the programme and read this book!

If you only buy one fashion book this year, make sure its this one, 04 May 2008
Hi we are Jenny and Ruthy and We are currently studying fashion design at University College Falmouth, we've been reading your "Sustainable fashion and textiles" book to eachother everyday, before and after college! Its absolutely AMASING, we've been waiting forever for a book like this-this is a book that every fashion designer MUST read.

A great primer, 09 Jun 2004
An ideal book for anyone wanting to understand the big issues in environmental policy and development, the green movement or indeed the developing world as a whole. The book is witty, clearly argued and gives a great overwiew of all the main issues and paradoxes (how can development be sustainable?), as well as their historical origins. Helpfully, it also clearly referenced and indexed.As someone who works in development i have found i keep returning to the book whenever i need material for a presentation or a seminar. Should be on the bookshelf of most of our policy-makers too....

A Witty Introduction to Sustainability, 11 Oct 2002
As a university student new to the economic theory behind sustainability I came across this book quite by chance.
I must say it is quite a witty primer and did set out the principles really well with more contemporary relevance than some of the dry text books I have recently been introduced to. There's a truly great quote from Joan Rivers in it too!

Not exactly a fun read, but....., 25 Sep 2007
Good, thorough accessible reference of energy systems, power systems etc - princples easy and cover generation technologies, energy systems, networks etc - good for (a) those entering the field, (b) BSc/MSc students (c) those working on the edges of the field or in related commercial areas, who want a reference to look things up or learn a little more. Little maths, well written, not for experts, nor for those seeking a totally fluffy read.

Very informative book, 08 Aug 2007
This book is used as a study material at the Open University in Energy for a sustainable future course (T206).

The boook won't tell you how to fit a solar panel or a wind turbine on your roof nor how to connect your panels to the battery but it will tell you about various renewable energy sources and its pros and cons. The book looks at the energy needs on local, national and international scale, not on individuals scale. Each chapter also has a large list of references for further information.

There is a lot of calculations present so, you'll be able for example to calculate the area of solar panels required for your needs or prove that off shore wind turbines generate more electricity than on shore ones.

I really enjoyed this book and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in renewable energy.

When demand outstrips supply, 26 Sep 2005
Overshoot: when demand overtakes supply.

I recall buying the original edition of this book back in 1972, and also recall the rubbishing it got from those who believed it was all scare mongering.

The events of the 1970's should have acted as wake-up call, but they now seem like a distant memory: the three-day-week, the power cuts, the petrol rationing coupons (never implemented).

Since 1972, growth has been given a huge boost by globalisation, and the take-offs in China and India.

When this book was published in its 1992 edition - 'Beyond the Limits' - the authors warned that unsustainability was already evident: deforestation, climate change, the ozone hole.

They point to the failure of various international summits to get a grip on the problem.

It seems that our elites are vaguely aware that there is a problem here, and mention it in passing to give the impression that they on the case. It is usually on the list of the many things the Prime Minister is going to sort out before dinner.

The Kyoto protocols were some sort of triumph. But the developing nations, like China and India were not included and George W Bush doesn't seem to be persuaded that there's a problem.

The lack of urgency is widespread: as the victims of Katrina and Rita now know better than the rest of us.

Yet it's all something we know. We all know, for example, that the oil is going to dry up some day, but what the heck? It won't be next week, will it?

But someday it is going to be someone else's next week.

When that time comes, all the lost local skills will suddenly be missed. For that is what it will be: a return to the local economy. Your food, your shelter, your clothing, will all have be sourced locally. In the UK's case it's drop-back over two hundred years, minus the skills that were around in those days.

So, for the third time since 1972, the authors lay it all before us: what needs to be done.

First, and most painfully, there is no time to be lost:

"The longer the world economy takes to reduce its ecological footprint and move towards sustainability, the lower the population and material standard of living that will be ultimately supportable. At some point delay means collapse."

In the chapter "Transitions to a Sustainable System" the authors show us just how dramatic the changes need to be.

They offer our elites the chance to start the changes now, while there is time to manage the changeover.

They all make sense, but they require something more than political action, they require an end to individualism as we have known it. This is the leap many people will not be able to make

Out must go the competition for individual power, status, and wealth which are the engines of the current society. Reflect on that: and you see the enormity of the task.

Can capitalism ever be truly sustainable?, 03 Oct 2008
In a consumer society slowly eating itself, there's no more pressing question than whether or not capitalism and sustainability can ever go together. Johnathon Porritt sets out here to prove that they can. On the one hand, "global capitalism as we know it today would appear to be inherently incompatible with the pursuit of either ecological sustainability or social justice." On the other hand, "capitalism is now the only economic game in town."

Capitalism has been effective in providing goods and services, in creating wealth and raising standards of living. It has also created gross inequality and laid waste to the planet. Business as usual will lead to ecological suicide, quite simply.

In its place, Porritt argues for better regulation, costings for externalities, better metrics than GNP alone. He questions our fixation with growth, and tests the limits of corporate responsibility.

Porritt has got in trouble with some environmentalists for working a little too closely with big business, and he explores some of these initiatives in some detail here - business excellence, business aimed at the poor, experimental corporate reporting. It's easy to see why he's been accused of selling out as he sings the praises of Dow Chemicals, but the corporation aren't going anywhere any time soon, so I applaud him for working alongside them to develop better business models.

For all its problems, capitalism is what we have to work with right now. Although it could do with an extra chapter after the events of summer 2008, this book is still a useful guidebook to the changes already underway, and a roadmap for more responsible capitalism.

A revelation, 03 Jun 2007
A revelation. Really an excellent book. It should be read by all political and business leaders. It really should be read by everyone who is literate. Whether you think he's soft on capitalism or not, he recognises that the only solution is to work with it. And how.

A bold new vision for capitalism, 04 Apr 2007
Activist Jonathon Porritt offers the startling proposal that capitalism may provide the best solution to poverty and global environmental degradation, though his solution requires reshaping capitalism. Porritt is aware that conventional environmental activists, greens and political academics favor socialism more than capitalism. However, he takes them to task for ignoring the power and potential of such capitalist mechanisms as markets and property rights and for their naïveté in expecting voters or political leaders to embrace their dismal vision of environmental responsibility as asceticism. We find his book more suggestive than programmatic. It meanders like a river and is sometimes directionless. The author makes his passions apparent, including anti-Americanism and scathing criticism of certain forms of Christianity. Though Porritt does not offer a detailed description of his vision or the practical steps needed to realize it, he does suggest a path toward a utopian ideal; for that hope, he deserves appropriate attention.

Important and Impressive, 23 Feb 2007
A hugely important and passionate book written by someone who has real gravitas in this field. The messages are profound and they are pragmatic.The weight of Porritts intellect, based on 40 years of engagement in the environmental cause, is staggering and stretches into economics, business, psychology and ecology.
Read it. Then read it again. And then get engaged in the debates that it raises. It matters.

The Definitive Message for the Future, 24 Aug 2006
Porritt is THE leading environmental crusader in the UK and now vitally close to both governments and large corporations. Here is a man who has been working every minute god gives him for the last 40 years to promote social and environmental change. His knowledge of this subject is unequalled, all the major environmental analyses over the past 20 years are distilled within this elegant summary. His message is clear; -- Sure we could do with total social change but this isn't going to happen in the next 10 years and watching climate change in action we don't have longer - so we have to adapt our current system (capitalism) and use it to deliver the better world that we all long for. If you buy one book this year make sure this is it!

excellent, 03 Sep 2008
excellent as always Kate Fletcher surpasses herself in this brillaint and useful book. Not for people uniterested in the ethics of clothing and fabric but a real must have for textile designers

Fashion can and is being done differently!, 19 May 2008
I found this to be a truly inspiring book. It's an invaluable font of ideas that you can dip into regularly for reference. The initiatives it describes are an antidote to institutionalised ways of both producing and consuming fashion. It clearly sets out a variety of ways of thinking about sustainability in fashion and textiles but its real gift is how it enables us to think about loosening the stranglehold consumption has over fashion.

Outstanding book jam packed with eye-opening ideas, 07 May 2008
Wow! This book is brimming with industry-led knowledge and facts on sustainability fashion design and I urge anyone who is interested in fashion or textiles to read it. It will alter your perception of the way that we produce and consume fashion and helps build the foundations for a radical new perspective.

This book gives us an eye opening look into the world of fashion and textiles and presents great new sustainable options with potential influence far beyond the fashion and textiles industries. Every aspect of the industry, use and lifecycle of textiles is considered. It delivers exactly what you want from a book - it opens your mind and changes your perspective for evermore. It is written and presented in an accessible way that is easy to use and a pleasure to read. If you are (or want to be) in the fields of textiles, fashion or sustainability, you definitely need to get with the programme and read this book!

If you only buy one fashion book this year, make sure its this one, 04 May 2008
Hi we are Jenny and Ruthy and We are currently studying fashion design at University College Falmouth, we've been reading your "Sustainable fashion and textiles" book to eachother everyday, before and after college! Its absolutely AMASING, we've been waiting forever for a book like this-this is a book that every fashion designer MUST read.

A great primer, 09 Jun 2004
An ideal book for anyone wanting to understand the big issues in environmental policy and development, the green movement or indeed the developing world as a whole. The book is witty, clearly argued and gives a great overwiew of all the main issues and paradoxes (how can development be sustainable?), as well as their historical origins. Helpfully, it also clearly referenced and indexed.As someone who works in development i have found i keep returning to the book whenever i need material for a presentation or a seminar. Should be on the bookshelf of most of our policy-makers too....

A Witty Introduction to Sustainability, 11 Oct 2002
As a university student new to the economic theory behind sustainability I came across this book quite by chance.
I must say it is quite a witty primer and did set out the principles really well with more contemporary relevance than some of the dry text books I have recently been introduced to. There's a truly great quote from Joan Rivers in it too!

Not exactly a fun read, but....., 25 Sep 2007
Good, thorough accessible reference of energy systems, power systems etc - princples easy and cover generation technologies, energy systems, networks etc - good for (a) those entering the field, (b) BSc/MSc students (c) those working on the edges of the field or in related commercial areas, who want a reference to look things up or learn a little more. Little maths, well written, not for experts, nor for those seeking a totally fluffy read.

NOT just another doom-monger book, 10 Jul 2008
There are just too many books about peak oil and other imminent economic, social and ecological crises, which all seem the same. They go over familiar ground and display no new insight or real depth of thought. I'm tired of reading them. Too often the author is a recent convert to these views and lacks the authority or background to contribute anything new, concluding feebly that the reader should learn about gardening and drive a smaller car. Well, duh! as my kids would say.

What a refreshing change to read Orlov's quirky and thought-provoking book which takes the basic premise of looming crisis for granted, and gets straight into delivering his first-hand insight into the collapse of the Soviet economy in a fresh, non-mathematical way (there are no graphs or tables of data) and how most people survived it. Not only that, but all delivered with the wickedly dry wit of a native Russian, living in the USA, who is clearly tired of hearing Americans crowing that they won the Cold War.

To give an example from the introduction, Orlov mentions a survey of Americans which asked, "Will you be able to afford to retire?" (one third said no). Without stopping to go over familiar arguments, Orlov proceeds immediately to strip away the euphemisms and assumptions, and translate the question as "Will you survive when you are too old to work, if not, what are you doing about it?". From his Russian experience, he then adds "Here is a bad solution: get drunk a lot."

Although aimed squarely at an American audience, this book is just as valuable for Europeans, and I recommend it to anyone who realises that our high-consumption, supermarkets-and-jet-planes society cannot last much longer, and is interested in thinking right through what that really means. Orlov treats his readers as intelligent people who will reach their own conclusions, and do not need to be spoon-fed with fatuous recommendations. It's a treat.

Very informative book, 08 Aug 2007
This book is used as a study material at the Open University in Energy for a sustainable future course (T206).

The boook won't tell you how to fit a solar panel or a wind turbine on your roof nor how to connect your panels to the battery but it will tell you about various renewable energy sources and its pros and cons. The book looks at the energy needs on local, national and international scale, not on individuals scale. Each chapter also has a large list of references for further information.

There is a lot of calculations present so, you'll be able for example to calculate the area of solar panels required for your needs or prove that off shore wind turbines generate more electricity than on shore ones.

I really enjoyed this book and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in renewable energy.

When demand outstrips supply, 26 Sep 2005
Overshoot: when demand overtakes supply.

I recall buying the original edition of this book back in 1972, and also recall the rubbishing it got from those who believed it was all scare mongering.

The events of the 1970's should have acted as wake-up call, but they now seem like a distant memory: the three-day-week, the power cuts, the petrol rationing coupons (never implemented).

Since 1972, growth has been given a huge boost by globalisation, and the take-offs in China and India.

When this book was published in its 1992 edition - 'Beyond the Limits' - the authors warned that unsustainability was already evident: deforestation, climate change, the ozone hole.

They point to the failure of various international summits to get a grip on the problem.

It seems that our elites are vaguely aware that there is a problem here, and mention it in passing to give the impression that they on the case. It is usually on the list of the many things the Prime Minister is going to sort out before dinner.

The Kyoto protocols were some sort of triumph. But the developing nations, like China and India were not included and George W Bush doesn't seem to be persuaded that there's a problem.

The lack of urgency is widespread: as the victims of Katrina and Rita now know better than the rest of us.

Yet it's all something we know. We all know, for example, that the oil is going to dry up some day, but what the heck? It won't be next week, will it?

But someday it is going to be someone else's next week.

When that time comes, all the lost local skills will suddenly be missed. For that is what it will be: a return to the local economy. Your food, your shelter, your clothing, will all have be sourced locally. In the UK's case it's drop-back over two hundred years, minus the skills that were around in those days.

So, for the third time since 1972, the authors lay it all before us: what needs to be done.

First, and most painfully, there is no time to be lost:

"The longer the world economy takes to reduce its ecological footprint and move towards sustainability, the lower the population and material standard of living that will be ultimately supportable. At some point delay means collapse."

In the chapter "Transitions to a Sustainable System" the authors show us just how dramatic the changes need to be.

They offer our elites the chance to start the changes now, while there is time to manage the changeover.

They all make sense, but they require something more than political action, they require an end to individualism as we have known it. This is the leap many people will not be able to make

Out must go the competition for individual power, status, and wealth which are the engines of the current society. Reflect on that: and you see the enormity of the task.

Can capitalism ever be truly sustainable?, 03 Oct 2008
In a consumer society slowly eating itself, there's no more pressing question than whether or not capitalism and sustainability can ever go together. Johnathon Porritt sets out here to prove that they can. On the one hand, "global capitalism as we know it today would appear to be inherently incompatible with the pursuit of either ecological sustainability or social justice." On the other hand, "capitalism is now the only economic game in town."

Capitalism has been effective in providing goods and services, in creating wealth and raising standards of living. It has also created gross inequality and laid waste to the planet. Business as usual will lead to ecological suicide, quite simply.

In its place, Porritt argues for better regulation, costings for externalities, better metrics than GNP alone. He questions our fixation with growth, and tests the limits of corporate responsibility.

Porritt has got in trouble with some environmentalists for working a little too closely with big business, and he explores some of these initiatives in some detail here - business excellence, business aimed at the poor, experimental corporate reporting. It's easy to see why he's been accused of selling out as he sings the praises of Dow Chemicals, but the corporation aren't going anywhere any time soon, so I applaud him for working alongside them to develop better business models.

For all its problems, capitalism is what we have to work with right now. Although it could do with an extra chapter after the events of summer 2008, this book is still a useful guidebook to the changes already underway, and a roadmap for more responsible capitalism.

A revelation, 03 Jun 2007
A revelation. Really an excellent book. It should be read by all political and business leaders. It really should be read by everyone who is literate. Whether you think he's soft on capitalism or not, he recognises that the only solution is to work with it. And how.

A bold new vision for capitalism, 04 Apr 2007
Activist Jonathon Porritt offers the startling proposal that capitalism may provide the best solution to poverty and global environmental degradation, though his solution requires reshaping capitalism. Porritt is aware that conventional environmental activists, greens and political academics favor socialism more than capitalism. However, he takes them to task for ignoring the power and potential of such capitalist mechanisms as markets and property rights and for their naïveté in expecting voters or political leaders to embrace their dismal vision of environmental responsibility as asceticism. We find his book more suggestive than programmatic. It meanders like a river and is sometimes directionless. The author makes his passions apparent, including anti-Americanism and scathing criticism of certain forms of Christianity. Though Porritt does not offer a detailed description of his vision or the practical steps needed to realize it, he does suggest a path toward a utopian ideal; for that hope, he deserves appropriate attention.

Important and Impressive, 23 Feb 2007
A hugely important and passionate book written by someone who has real gravitas in this field. The messages are profound and they are pragmatic.The weight of Porritts intellect, based on 40 years of engagement in the environmental cause, is staggering and stretches into economics, business, psychology and ecology.
Read it. Then read it again. And then get engaged in the debates that it raises. It matters.

The Definitive Message for the Future, 24 Aug 2006
Porritt is THE leading environmental crusader in the UK and now vitally close to both governments and large corporations. Here is a man who has been working every minute god gives him for the last 40 years to promote social and environmental change. His knowledge of this subject is unequalled, all the major environmental analyses over the past 20 years are distilled within this elegant summary. His message is clear; -- Sure we could do with total social change but this isn't going to happen in the next 10 years and watching climate change in action we don't have longer - so we have to adapt our current system (capitalism) and use it to deliver the better world that we all long for. If you buy one book this year make sure this is it!

excellent, 03 Sep 2008
excellent as always Kate Fletcher surpasses herself in this brillaint and useful book. Not for people uniterested in the ethics of clothing and fabric but a real must have for textile designers

Fashion can and is being done differently!, 19 May 2008
I found this to be a truly inspiring book. It's an invaluable font of ideas that you can dip into regularly for reference. The initiatives it describes are an antidote to institutionalised ways of both producing and consuming fashion. It clearly sets out a variety of ways of thinking about sustainability in fashion and textiles but its real gift is how it enables us to think about loosening the stranglehold consumption has over fashion.

Outstanding book jam packed with eye-opening ideas, 07 May 2008
Wow! This book is brimming with industry-led knowledge and facts on sustainability fashion design and I urge anyone who is interested in fashion or textiles to read it. It will alter your perception of the way that we produce and consume fashion and helps build the foundations for a radical new perspective.

This book gives us an eye opening look into the world of fashion and textiles and presents great new sustainable options with potential influence far beyond the fashion and textiles industries. Every aspect of the industry, use and lifecycle of textiles is considered. It delivers exactly what you want from a book - it opens your mind and changes your perspective for evermore. It is written and presented in an accessible way that is easy to use and a pleasure to read. If you are (or want to be) in the fields of textiles, fashion or sustainability, you definitely need to get with the programme and read this book!

If you only buy one fashion book this year, make sure its this one, 04 May 2008
Hi we are Jenny and Ruthy and We are currently studying fashion design at University College Falmouth, we've been reading your "Sustainable fashion and textiles" book to eachother everyday, before and after college! Its absolutely AMASING, we've been waiting forever for a book like this-this is a book that every fashion designer MUST read.

A great primer, 09 Jun 2004
An ideal book for anyone wanting to understand the big issues in environmental policy and development, the green movement or indeed the developing world as a whole. The book is witty, clearly argued and gives a great overwiew of all the main issues and paradoxes (how can development be sustainable?), as well as their historical origins. Helpfully, it also clearly referenced and indexed.As someone who works in development i have found i keep returning to the book whenever i need material for a presentation or a seminar. Should be on the bookshelf of most of our policy-makers too....

A Witty Introduction to Sustainability, 11 Oct 2002
As a university student new to the economic theory behind sustainability I came across this book quite by chance.
I must say it is quite a witty primer and did set out the principles really well with more contemporary relevance than some of the dry text books I have recently been introduced to. There's a truly great quote from Joan Rivers in it too!

Not exactly a fun read, but....., 25 Sep 2007
Good, thorough accessible reference of energy systems, power systems etc - princples easy and cover generation technologies, energy systems, networks etc - good for (a) those entering the field, (b) BSc/MSc students (c) those working on the edges of the field or in related commercial areas, who want a reference to look things up or learn a little more. Little maths, well written, not for experts, nor for those seeking a totally fluffy read.

NOT just another doom-monger book, 10 Jul 2008
There are just too many books about peak oil and other imminent economic, social and ecological crises, which all seem the same. They go over familiar ground and display no new insight or real depth of thought. I'm tired of reading them. Too often the author is a recent convert to these views and lacks the authority or background to contribute anything new, concluding feebly that the reader should learn about gardening and drive a smaller car. Well, duh! as my kids would say.

What a refreshing change to read Orlov's quirky and thought-provoking book which takes the basic premise of looming crisis for granted, and gets straight into delivering his first-hand insight into the collapse of the Soviet economy in a fresh, non-mathematical way (there are no graphs or tables of data) and how most people survived it. Not only that, but all delivered with the wickedly dry wit of a native Russian, living in the USA, who is clearly tired of hearing Americans crowing that they won the Cold War.

To give an example from the introduction, Orlov mentions a survey of Americans which asked, "Will you be able to afford to retire?" (one third said no). Without stopping to go over familiar arguments, Orlov proceeds immediately to strip away the euphemisms and assumptions, and translate the question as "Will you survive when you are too old to work, if not, what are you doing about it?". From his Russian experience, he then adds "Here is a bad solution: get drunk a lot."

Although aimed squarely at an American audience, this book is just as valuable for Europeans, and I recommend it to anyone who realises that our high-consumption, supermarkets-and-jet-planes society cannot last much longer, and is interested in thinking right through what that really means. Orlov treats his readers as intelligent people who will reach their own conclusions, and do not need to be spoon-fed with fatuous recommendations. It's a treat.

A non-exhausting and innovative read!, 02 Nov 2001
Herbert Girardet's 'Creating Sustainable Cities' carries on his work from 'The Gaia Atlas on Cities' and 'Making Cities Work' but this time concentrates more specifically to large cities and their ecologigal problems. Girardet uses a consistent writing style with brilliant examples in form of case studies and manages to give a sound perspective on sustainable development in less than a hundred pages. An essential read for anyone interested in sustainability.

Very informative book, 08 Aug 2007
This book is used as a study material at the Open University in Energy for a sustainable future course (T206).

The boook won't tell you how to fit a solar panel or a wind turbine on your roof nor how to connect your panels to the battery but it will tell you about various renewable energy sources and its pros and cons. The book looks at the energy needs on local, national and international scale, not on individuals scale. Each chapter also has a large list of references for further information.

There is a lot of calculations present so, you'll be able for example to calculate the area of solar panels required for your needs or prove that off shore wind turbines generate more electricity than on shore ones.

I really enjoyed this book and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in renewable energy.

When demand outstrips supply, 26 Sep 2005
Overshoot: when demand overtakes supply.

I recall buying the original edition of this book back in 1972, and also recall the rubbishing it got from those who believed it was all scare mongering.

The events of the 1970's should have acted as wake-up call, but they now seem like a distant memory: the three-day-week, the power cuts, the petrol rationing coupons (never implemented).

Since 1972, growth has been given a huge boost by globalisation, and the take-offs in China and India.

When this book was published in its 1992 edition - 'Beyond the Limits' - the authors warned that unsustainability was already evident: deforestation, climate change, the ozone hole.

They point to the failure of various international summits to get a grip on the problem.

It seems that our elites are vaguely aware that there is a problem here, and mention it in passing to give the impression that they on the case. It is usually on the list of the many things the Prime Minister is going to sort out before dinner.

The Kyoto protocols were some sort of triumph. But the developing nations, like China and India were not included and George W Bush doesn't seem to be persuaded that there's a problem.

The lack of urgency is widespread: as the victims of Katrina and Rita now know better than the rest of us.

Yet it's all something we know. We all know, for example, that the oil is going to dry up some day, but what the heck? It won't be next week, will it?

But someday it is going to be someone else's next week.

When that time comes, all the lost local skills will suddenly be missed. For that is what it will be: a return to the local economy. Your food, your shelter, your clothing, will all have be sourced locally. In the UK's case it's drop-back over two hundred years, minus the skills that were around in those days.

So, for the third time since 1972, the authors lay it all before us: what needs to be done.

First, and most painfully, there is no time to be lost:

"The longer the world economy takes to reduce its ecological footprint and move towards sustainability, the lower the population and material standard of living that will be ultimately supportable. At some point delay means collapse."

In the chapter "Transitions to a Sustainable System" the authors show us just how dramatic the changes need to be.

They offer our elites the chance to start the changes now, while there is time to manage the changeover.

They all make sense, but they require something more than political action, they require an end to individualism as we have known it. This is the leap many people will not be able to make

Out must go the competition for individual power, status, and wealth which are the engines of the current society. Reflect on that: and you see the enormity of the task.

Can capitalism ever be truly sustainable?, 03 Oct 2008
In a consumer society slowly eating itself, there's no more pressing question than whether or not capitalism and sustainability can ever go together. Johnathon Porritt sets out here to prove that they can. On the one hand, "global capitalism as we know it today would appear to be inherently incompatible with the pursuit of either ecological sustainability or social justice." On the other hand, "capitalism is now the only economic game in town."

Capitalism has been effective in providing goods and services, in creating wealth and raising standards of living. It has also created gross inequality and laid waste to the planet. Business as usual will lead to ecological suicide, quite simply.

In its place, Porritt argues for better regulation, costings for externalities, better metrics than GNP alone. He questions our fixation with growth, and tests the limits of corporate responsibility.

Porritt has got in trouble with some environmentalists for working a little too closely with big business, and he explores some of these initiatives in some detail here - business excellence, business aimed at the poor, experimental corporate reporting. It's easy to see why he's been accused of selling out as he sings the praises of Dow Chemicals, but the corporation aren't going anywhere any time soon, so I applaud him for working alongside them to develop better business models.

For all its problems, capitalism is what we have to work with right now. Although it could do with an extra chapter after the events of summer 2008, this book is still a useful guidebook to the changes already underway, and a roadmap for more responsible capitalism.

A revelation, 03 Jun 2007
A revelation. Really an excellent book. It should be read by all political and business leaders. It really should be read by everyone who is literate. Whether you think he's soft on capitalism or not, he recognises that the only solution is to work with it. And how.

A bold new vision for capitalism, 04 Apr 2007
Activist Jonathon Porritt offers the startling proposal that capitalism may provide the best solution to poverty and global environmental degradation, though his solution requires reshaping capitalism. Porritt is aware that conventional environmental activists, greens and political academics favor socialism more than capitalism. However, he takes them to task for ignoring the power and potential of such capitalist mechanisms as markets and property rights and for their naïveté in expecting voters or political leaders to embrace their dismal vision of environmental responsibility as asceticism. We find his book more suggestive than programmatic. It meanders like a river and is sometimes directionless. The author makes his passions apparent, including anti-Americanism and scathing criticism of certain forms of Christianity. Though Porritt does not offer a detailed description of his vision or the practical steps needed to realize it, he does suggest a path toward a utopian ideal; for that hope, he deserves appropriate attention.

Important and Impressive, 23 Feb 2007
A hugely important and passionate book written by someone who has real gravitas in this field. The messages are profound and they are pragmatic.The weight of Porritts intellect, based on 40 years of engagement in the environmental cause, is staggering and stretches into economics, business, psychology and ecology.
Read it. Then read it again. And then get engaged in the debates that it raises. It matters.

The Definitive Message for the Future, 24 Aug 2006
Porritt is THE leading environmental crusader in the UK and now vitally close to both governments and large corporations. Here is a man who has been working every minute god gives him for the last 40 years to promote social and environmental change. His knowledge of this subject is unequalled, all the major environmental analyses over the past 20 years are distilled within this elegant summary. His message is clear; -- Sure we could do with total social change but this isn't going to happen in the next 10 years and watching climate change in action we don't have longer - so we have to adapt our current system (capitalism) and use it to deliver the better world that we all long for. If you buy one book this year make sure this is it!

excellent, 03 Sep 2008
excellent as always Kate Fletcher surpasses herself in this brillaint and useful book. Not for people uniterested in the ethics of clothing and fabric but a real must have for textile designers

Fashion can and is being done differently!, 19 May 2008
I found this to be a truly inspiring book. It's an invaluable font of ideas that you can dip into regularly for reference. The initiatives it describes are an antidote to institutionalised ways of both producing and consuming fashion. It clearly sets out a variety of ways of thinking about sustainability in fashion and textiles but its real gift is how it enables us to think about loosening the stranglehold consumption has over fashion.

Outstanding book jam packed with eye-opening ideas, 07 May 2008
Wow! This book is brimming with industry-led knowledge and facts on sustainability fashion design and I urge anyone who is interested in fashion or textiles to read it. It will alter your perception of the way that we produce and consume fashion and helps build the foundations for a radical new perspective.

This book gives us an eye opening look into the world of fashion and textiles and presents great new sustainable options with potential influence far beyond the fashion and textiles industries. Every aspect of the industry, use and lifecycle of textiles is considered. It delivers exactly what you want from a book - it opens your mind and changes your perspective for evermore. It is written and presented in an accessible way that is easy to use and a pleasure to read. If you are (or want to be) in the fields of textiles, fashion or sustainability, you definitely need to get with the programme and read this book!

If you only buy one fashion book this year, make sure its this one, 04 May 2008
Hi we are Jenny and Ruthy and We are currently studying fashion design at University College Falmouth, we've been reading your "Sustainable fashion and textiles" book to eachother everyday, before and after college! Its absolutely AMASING, we've been waiting forever for a book like this-this is a book that every fashion designer MUST read.

A great primer, 09 Jun 2004
An ideal