Resource Library
Resource books to get you started
Here’s our selection of some of the most important books that have shaped the theory of sustainability or inspired aspiring entrepreneurs
‘Closing the loop’ - Insightful books exploring the sustainability advantage |
Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things
by William McDonough and Michael Braungart (North Point Press, 2002)
Cradle to Cradle, ‘the green design bible’ published in 2002, is a radical re-thinking of industrial manufacturing and distribution processes, and includes core concepts such as lifecycle analysis, abundance instead of scarcity, and waste=food.
The Ecology of Commerce
by Paul Hawken (Collins Business, 1994)
Hawken has written extensively about ‘green capitalism’, arguing for a commerce that addresses the social and environmental dimensions of doing business and truly acts as capitalism should: drawing off the interest rather than the capital. This book was a forerunner for the Triple Bottom Line concept and had a major impact on sustainability discussions around the world.
Official site
Amazon link
The Sustainability Advantage: 7 Business Case Benefits of a Triple Bottom Line
by Bob Willard (New Society Publishers, 2002)
In clear, easy to understand and business-oriented language, Willard lays out the advantages of sustainability-focused businesses and the means to get there. The triple bottom line (aka "people, planet, profit") measures organizational success: economic, ecological and social.
Official site
Amazon link
The Restoration Economy
by Storm Cunningham (Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2002)
Cunningham proposes that there are three waves of development in any civilization: New Development, Maintenance (or Conservation Development), and Restorative Development. He argues that in the face of three interrelated crisis - Contamination, Corrosion and Constraint - the last, Restorative, is the greatest and longest term business opportunity, and lays out arguments why investing in restoration makes the best business sense in the long term.
‘Bridging the gap’ - Great books to start up outstanding companies |
The Art of the Start: The Time-Tested, Battle-Hardened Guide for Anyone Starting Anything
By Guy Kawasaki (Portfolio Hardcover, 2004)
Kawasaki covers a variety of facets to consider, from identifying your customer base and writing a business plan to establishing partnerships and building brand identity. It is a FAQ for entrepreneurs that addresses basic questions as well as how to raise capital and what does it take to turn ideas into action.
Official site
Amazon link
Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable
by Seth Godin (Penguin, 2005)
You're either remarkable (like a purple cow) or invisible (like a standard cow). Make your choice. Godin shows how some companies achieve their growth in a time when the golden age of advertising has vanished. It's an inspiration for ideamakers who want to create products and services that are remarkable to their core.
Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die
by Chip Heath and Dan Heath (Random House, 2007)
"Stickiness" is the art of making ideas unforgettable. Made to Stick is the story of what makes them so, ensuring their spread around the globe. The authors lay out six key principles: simplicity, unexpectedness, concreteness, credibility, emotions and stories. They illustrate these principles with familiar or funny examples taken from contemporary culture (urban legends, conspiracy theories, and compelling advertising) and explores what makes them become viral social memes. Great ideas are made of this.
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Amazon link
Reality Check: The Irreverent Guide to Outsmarting, Outmanaging, and Outmarketing Your Competition
by Guy Kawasaki (Portfolio Hardcover, 2008)
We couldn’t refrain from adding a second book by Kawasaki, whose “reality check” approach will stop you from sliding into mediocrity. This book takes the best excerpts compiled from his blog, showcasing wit, wisdom, and contrarian opinions, from competition to customer service, innovation to marketing, and explaining how to create a community. Another highlight is the the top ten lies of entrepreneurs, which we are certain Guy himself has spun from time to time.
Official site
Amazon link
‘Reaching the top’ - Inspirational books for professional development |
Your Inner CEO: Unleash the Executive Within
By Allan Cox (Career Press, 2007)
This books relates both stories of exceptional winners and how they made it, as well as unfortunate losers and why they didn't. Chapters have examples, case studies, and exercises to help readers delve into their personal beliefs, unearth their hidden goals, reveal their strengths and weaknesses, and get engaged in some serious self-examination.
Official site
Amazon link
Now, Discover Your Strengths
by Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton (Free Press, 2001)
'Now' focuses on enhancing people's strengths rather than eliminating their weaknesses. Most of us, they argue, have little sense of our talents and strengths, narrowing in instead on our perceived failings. We must become experts not in trying to repair our weaknesses (precisely what parents, teachers and managers told us) but in building on our finest qualities and helping others do the same. Then, leverage it for powerful results in your own development and in the success of your project.
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Amazon link
Go Put Your Strengths to Work: 6 Powerful Steps to Achieve Outstanding Performance
by Marcus Buckingham (Free Press, 2007)
This book offers a road map for managers : how to learn for themselves, how to teach their employees, how to approach their work by emphasizing their strengths rather than weaknesses. Central to the map is a six week plan to identify your strengths and weaknesses and develop habits that build on your abilities.
Official site
Amazon link
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