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Reading List

Easy Navigation for Going Green Reading List

(Just click on the book title to go to the description/review.)


Green Marketing and Management: A Global Perspective, John F. Wasik, Wiley (1996)

Green Marketing and Management is a timely guide to the complex issues involved in making and selling a product in an environmentally responsible way. It is an essential resource for anyone doing business in today’s environmentally conscious global marketplace.

John F. Wasik, managing director of the New Consumer Institute, believes that doing business with a real commitment to environmental concerns will ultimately reduce costs, increase productivity, and boost profits. In Green Marketing and Management: A Global Perspective, he offers a complete guide to balancing various corporate and ecological goals and provides hundreds of examples of profitable companies all over the world that already are merging the two seemingly disparate interests with great success. (Amazon review)

(Added to the “Reading List” on January 29, 2010)

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Stakeholder Politics: Social Capital, Sustainable Development and The Corporation, Robert Boutilier, Stanford Business Books (2009)

Corporations are now publicly committed to sustainability. But, beneath the public relations happy face, executives and managers are perplexed. The majority of them have a genuine desire to work in an ethical and sustainable manner, yet, when they engage with their stakeholders for that purpose, they often encounter a world of hardball politics, full of hostile activists, self-interested elites, and unpredictable attacks.

Stakeholder Politics: Social Capital, Sustainable Development and The Corporation gives companies a “how to” guide for addressing the twin problems of maintaining political legitimacy and promoting sustainable development.

(Added to the “Reading List” on January 5, 2010)

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Radical IndustrialistConfessions of a Radical Industrialist: Profits, People, Purpose – Doing Business by Respecting the Earth, Ray Anderson, St. Martin’s Press (2009)

“Ray Anderson is a personal inspiration for me and for anyone trying to find their way in this new world of green business.  He may be radical but he s also a profit-seeking businessman. Confessions tells an amazing first-hand story of a personal and business transformation, a journey  from being a cold-eyed capitalist to being…a cold-eyed capitalist, but just with a much larger perspective on what profitable really means.  Ray has found a new path that s good for the planet and great for his business.  He’s showing the world how it s done yet again.” (Andrew Winston, environmental strategist, author of Green Recovery and co-author of Green to Gold)

We are in desperate need of hope in this world, but if hope is to be credible and trustworthy, it has to walk a straight line to reality.  No one does this better than Ray Anderson. (Paul Hawken, author of Ecology of Commerce, Natural Capitalism, and Blessed Unrest)

My only hesitation is that we cannot clone Ray Anderson…or perhaps we can? Let’s hope that Confessions of a Radical Industrialist becomes required reading in all business, industrial design, and economics classes so that our next generation of business leaders continue in the direction that Anderson has begun. (Annie Leonard, author of The Story of Stuff)

(Added to the “Reading List” on December 29, 2009)

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Sustainable MarketingSustainable Marketing: Managerial – Ecological Issues, Donald A. Fuller, Sage Publications (1999)

Sustainable Marketing is structured around the traditional “4Ps” of marketing and explains how marketing mix decisions can and do influence environmental outcomes. Throughout the book, Fuller advocates for conversion of consumption systems to a sustainable paradigm that represents a circular use of resources, not the linear approach that leads to the pollution of ecosystems.

The book’s running theme is that marketers can reinvent strategy and craft “win-win-win” solutions, where customers win (obtaining genuine benefits), organizations win (achieving financial objectives), and ecosystems win (ecosystem functioning is preserved or enhanced). The theme is vividly illustrated by 49 in-text exhibits of successful corporate environmental initiatives. (Description taken from the back of the book jacket.)

(Added to the “Reading List” on November 26, 2009)

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Design for EnvironmentDesign for Environment, Joseph Fiksel, McGraw Hill (2009)

Now in its second edition, Design for Environment draws on the experiences of numerous major corporations in offering a business rationale for developing sustainable products and processes.

The book also provides a comprehensive toolkit for practicing the Design for Environment approach in the context of product lifecycle management.

GreenBiz.com Executive Editor Joel Makower, author of Strategies for the Green Economy, calls Fiksel’s book is a “must-read for all practitioners of a Design for Environment approach.”

The book covers how to:

  • Practice integrated product development and concurrent engineering,
  • Select appropriate metrics to represent product lifecycle performance,
  • Maintain and apply a portfolio of systematic Design for Environment strategies,
  • Use analysis methods to evaluate design performance and trade-offs, and
  • Apply systems thinking to reduce the supply chain environmental footprint.

(Read the rest of the review on the GreenBiz Bookstore.)

(Added to the “Reading List” on November 26, 2009)

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Graphics Gone GreenGraphics Gone Green: Ways to Go Green Without Losing Your Shirt, Rita Amladi and Erica Aitken, Self-Published (2009)

An incredibly rich and useful ebook about what to change for the good of the planet, and for you.

  • How to design products and campaigns with the environment in mind. Streamline your efforts, costs and waste.
  • Meet eco-innovators like Terri Stone of InDesign Magazine, Don Carli of the Institute for Sustainable Communication, Michael Hodgson of Ph.D, A Design Office, Ellen Gittins of Blurb, Travis Lee and Scot Herbst of LUNAR, Yvette Perulho and Eric Benson of Renourish.com, and many more.
  • Find all the tools for an easy transition: Paper calculators, energy audit, recycling information, efficient and green workflow ideas.

This ebook is designed for online viewing: Easy to read, color-coded, hyperlinked cross-references and glossary, relevant external links and resources, video interviews, and a visual colophon full of invaluable information.

Purchase as an e-book or POD book. Thanks to Sabine Lenz, PaperSpecs for the head’s up!

(Added to the “Reading List” on November 24, 2009)

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Beyond Green MarketingBeyond Green Marketing, Christiane Katharina Murr, VDM Verlag Dr. Mueller ( 2008)

New approaches for a possible implementation of sustainability in marketing.

Would you like to add a review to this book listing? I can’t find anything that describes the book on any of the sites offering the book for sale. It looks very interesting! What do YOU think?

(Added to the “Reading List” on November 23, 2009)

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Marketing in the GroundswellMarketing in the Groundswell, Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff, Harvard Business School Press (2009)

“Since Groundswell was published in April of 2008, two things have happened: The global economy has gone into the dumper; and at the same time, marketers have fallen in love with social technologies.” So states author Josh Bernoff in his introduction to Marketing in the Groundswell, which offers vital information that everyone involved in marketing or in communicating with customers’ needs to know.

The book includes three core chapters from the original bestseller that focus on market research, marketing, and spreading word-of-mouth among your best customers. Sure, you already know that customers are writing about your products on blogs or talking about your brand on Twitter and Facebook. Now, turn that interest into opportunity and profit.

In these economic times, marketers like you are increasing their investment in social technologies, while cutting back on more traditional expenses. Why? Because they work–no matter the economic climate. Marketing in the Groundswell shows you how you can build social applications, measure their results, and use the social technology movement to your company’s advantage. (Amazon review)

(Added to the “Reading List” on November 23, 2009)

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Greening Your Small BusinessGreening Your Small Business: How to Improve Your Bottom Line, Grow Your Brand, Satisfy Your Customers – and Save the Planet, Jennifer Kaplan, Prentice Hall Press (2009)

Greening Your Small Business is the definitive resource for those who want their small businesses to be cutting- edge, competitive, profitable, and eco-conscious.

Filled with stories from small business owners of all stripes, Greening Your Small Business addresses every aspect of going green, from basics such as recycling, reducing waste, energy efficiency, and reducing the IT footprint, to more in-depth concerns such as green marketing and communications, green business travel, and green employee benefits.

For companies too small to hire consultants to draft and implement green policies and practices, this guide is designed for easy use, featuring:

  • Simple ways to make the workplace greener
  • Two plans of action for going green (divided into two levels)
  • Definitions for green terminology and jargon

(Added to the “Reading List” on November 10, 2009)

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Sustainablity MarketingSustainability Marketing: A Global Perspective, Frank-Martin Belz and Ken Peattie, Wiley (2009)

Sustainability Marketing: A Global Perspective provides a new sustainability-oriented vision of marketing for the twenty-first century. It has a consumer marketing focus with an emphasis on integrating sustainability principles into both marketing theory and the practical decision making of marketing managers. The book shows how the complexities of sustainability issues can be integrated into marketing decisions through a systematic step-by-step approach.

The steps involve an analysis of socio-environmental priorities to complement conventional consumer research; an integration of social, ethical and environmental values into marketing strategy development; a new consumer-oriented sustainability marketing mix to replace the outmoded and producer-oriented ‘4 Ps’; and finally an analysis of how marketing can go beyond responding to social change to contribute to a transformation to a more sustainable society. Without taking such steps, marketing will continue to drive global crises linked to climate change, poverty, food shortages, oil depletion and species extinction, instead of helping to tackle them.

(Added to the “Reading List” on October 23, 2009)

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Paper in DesignUnfolded-Paper in Design, Art, Architecture and Industry, Petra Schmidt and Nicola Stattmann, Birkhäuser (2009)

Publisher Birkhäuser says: In Unfolded-Paper in Design, Art, Architecture and Industry paper conquers the third dimension and demonstrates the undreamed-of possibilities it holds today for lightweight construction, product design, fashion and art. From the collection of bags by Stefan Diez, to Konstantin Grcic’s paper models, and the scented paper garments of Issey Miyake, this book presents paper as a high-quality contemporary and ecological material.

An enormous selection of projects, the lavish design and numerous illustrations provide designers with invaluable inspiration for their work. The content core of the book is a comprehensive list of state-of-the-art paper products and innovative paper technologies, supporting designers in their everyday work with detailed information on the “high-tech” material paper. From Japanese washi paper and paper foam, to ceramic paper and carbon fiber paper, “Unfolded” presents the latest in research and development, as well as the most important methods and technologies in handcrafts and industry.

(Added to the “Reading List” on October 13, 2009)

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A_Fine_LineA Fine Line: How Design Strategies Are Shaping the Future of Business, Hartmut Esslinger, Jossey-Bass (2009)

A Fine Line offers a step-by-step overview of the innovation process — from targeting goals to shepherding new products and services to the marketplace — in order to reveal how to arrive at an authentic human design that connects strongly with consumers. With a unique perspective, rich stories, and a global mindset, Esslinger explores business solutions that are environmentally sustainable and contribute to an enduring global economy.

Read more about the author here.

(Added to the “Reading List” on September 21, 2009)

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The Gort CloudThe Gort Cloud, by Richard Seireen, Chelsea Green Publishing (2009)

“The Gort Cloud” is a term coined by Seoreen to describe the vast and largely invisible network of NGOs, trendspotters, advocacy groups, social networks, business alliances, certifying organizations, and other members of the green community that have the power to make or break new green brands.

Integrating The Gort Cloud into brand development and marketing strategies is critical to the success of any aspiring green brand. This “green community” can supply technical assistance, venture capital, the first line of core customers, and tremendous “echo effect” in getting the word out quickly and inexpensively.

In 12 case studies, Seireeni examines the cloud’s make-or-break abilities, particularly to reject, fairly or not, claims of eco-utility as “greenwashing.” Seireeni’s focus is on “exactly how others have built green brands” with loyal followings; among others, he covers Seventh Generation cleaning supplies, Tesla Motors electric cars, Stonyfield Farm dairy, the financial institutes “creating Green Street,” and Southwest Windpower. (Amazon review)

Read more about the author here.

(Added to the “Reading List” on September 4, 2009)

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