Sustainability Management: Lessons from and for New York City, America, and the Planet

Written by a former analyst and consultant for the EPA, this book sketches out a unique plan to combine sustainable efforts in water, agriculture, urban, and power management to achieve--in practice, not just in theory--a sustainable planet and economy. Steven Cohen begins with the technical, financial, managerial, and political challenges of such a project, and then assesses possible sustainable practices in the manufacturing and service industries. He also addresses renewable and carbon-free energy production; water sustainability, especially with regard to energy issues involving filtration, distribution, and changing rainfall patterns; food cultivation and distribution; and ways to maintain the interdependent systems on which we rely on to live. Taking examples from New York City, one of the most sustainable and sustainability-minded metropolises in the world, Cohen explains how everything from construction to waste management can be designed to facilitate a sustainable environment. He concludes with the global efforts necessary to preserve biodiversity and ecosystems, and the impact of war, terrorism, and human conflict on sustainability.