Companies Books

I am slowly forming a collection of Susan Branch books. The time and artistic beauty that are shown throughout are worthy of keeping out every season. This one is in my kitchen next to a little tree , her recipes are also wonderful.

I've had this book for years and I have purchased this book many times over for the perfect gift at Christmas for the person who has everything. I leave it out all during the holidays and people will pick it up and then want it. It's just a great book to read through with lots of great ideas to make your holidays enjoyable. Beautiful illustrations too. You simply can't go wrong wih this book. The perfect gift!

I bought this book when I first discovered Susan Branch books. I loved it so much I gave it to all my sisters and sisters-in-law. They have all used it as a reference during the holidays and even through out the year.I have given this book to so many others as well and they all love the book. I can only state that this book stands up with all the Susan Branch products and is wonderful and so useful.

As with Susan Branch's other seasonal books, I use this Christmas treasure to kick off the season! Serioualy, I've dog-earred some of the recipes that have become family traditions since I first got this book. I've learned how special it is to replace all sheets with fun holiday flannel sheets. I do much more than simply put up a tree these days. In short, I must attribute my refreshed zest for holiday living to re-reading this book every year before do anything else. (It's also a nice gift!)

This book is so charming! I received it as a gift from a dear friend many years ago and I re-read it every Christmas! Recipes, ideas, and holiday thoughts pulled together with Susan Branch's truly unique artistry make this a favorite.

I have ordered from Amazon.com several times now and each time the item has been shipped right away and in good shape. This last purchase-The Complete Potter's Companion arrived quickly (it was a college class book) and it great shape. The decription stated it was used in excellent condidtion. It most defintely was. In fact if it didn't say used, I would never have guessed. Good job

Very informative with great step-by-step photos also. This book is really good at showing a wide variety of techniques and including historical information that is really interesting.

I'm new to pottery and found this book to be informative. I also found many creative ideas that sparked my own creativity.

This is a very pretty book, and it does cover a breadth of material, but it's very shallow. An entire book could be devoted to each chapter. It provides a good overview of what can be done with clay, but in the end, I have to turn to other books to get more than a cursory understanding of individual processes.

This book is a nice addition to any beginner potter's library. It is not in depth but offers a wide variety in information that is useful and helpful. It is most definatly in my 'top 10' of pottery books.

This calender is for those that love all types of dogs. Not only are the pictures of the animals great, but the quality of the calendar is superb. The prints are on heavy constructed paper and are supported by the plastic holder that lets you easily view each day. For each picture there are wonderful quotes from famous, non-famous, and anonymous dog lovers. Finally, enjoy the double sided prints by simply moving each day from the front to the back. Make sure they stay in order because in the middle of the year you must flip the stack of pictures. Dog Page-A-Day calendar reminds and instructs on when this should be done. It is simple and fun. A great interactive calendar for the young and old. Have fun fellow dog lovers.

I am very pleased with the quality of this product. The transaction went smoothly and I received the calendar sooner than anticipated.

EVERY YEAR I BUY THE DOG PAGE A DAY CALENDAR AND EVERY DAY YOU JUST TEAR OFF THAT DAY AND SOMETIMES I WILL SAVE IT. THIS YEAR I ORDERED THIS ONE BY MISTAKE. IT IS QUITE LARGER CALENDAR AND YOU HAVE TO SAVE EVERY DAY AND TURN THEM OVER TO CONTINUE THE CALENDAR. THE OTHER PAGE A DAY CALENDAR IS NOT AS INFORMAL AND I JUST LOVE IT. SINCE THEN I HAVE REORDERED THE OTHER CALENDAR.

Not as entertaining as dog a day but still high quality and a valuable product.

This calendar as well as the Cat Gallery calendar are traditional holiday gifts in our family. Every year we have several requests for one or the other. I believe I bought 6 this year! I start getting requests for this back in October/early November. It is the gift that keeps on giving all year. This Gallery edition is far superior to the regular page a day calendar; its' photographs are outstanding!

This book is what it is: an unambiguous & insightful summary of why & how we struggle so much. I'm still reading it (trying to savor every sentence), but I doubt I've ever been happier about any other purchase.

I have read Emotional Clearing over the past year and have been extremely inspired by it. It is definitely the best new age book I've read, and I've read quite a lot. The concept of acceptance has been essential for me because for 21 years I've suffered terribly with anxiety, stress, and panic attacks. I've always fought it and suppressed it with alcohol and became as a result alcohol dependent. The book has given me relief from the attacks and I've been sober for 10 out of the past 12 months.

John Ruskan has put together a very well thought out system of understanding feelings, karma and life. He has been working at this for quite some time, but the material has a timeless quality. I've read the book twice and took a great deal more from it the second time. There is something the rings true about karma and how our suppressed feelings and conditioned patterns attract that which is needed for them to come to the surface and give us the opportunity to grow through them. Of course, sometimes we do not chose or are not able to grow through difficult feelings. Emotional Clearing offers a deep, thorough treatment of the concepts that underly the challenage of this universal truth. Thus, this book helped me grasp the very spiritual nature of self work. I'm indebted to Ruskan for this, simply put. This book is not, gratefully, scientific or academic. Yet it is precisely assembled and thorough, affected by Ruskan's well-organized logic, but also by his practiced access to feelings, instinct and intuition. The modality he has developed takes the theory further by offering therapeutic techniques that are based on long standing practices. Like yoga, like breathwork. So it is more than theory. If you want a book or process or modality that also guides you directly to effective action, this book does that. But don't get me wrong, the theory can occupy a thoughtful person for quite some time too. I would know, having found the book two years ago and finding myself still involved with it and even now using my experience with it as a jumping off point for writing and working. There has been a decided improvement in the flow of my life since first discovering Ruskan's website and then buying the book. For spirtual seekers and people wanting to improve thier life in a deep, authentic, sustainable manner, this book is effective.

I have read Emotional Clearing over the past year and have been extremely inspired by it. It is definitely the best new age book I've read, and I've read quite a lot. The concept of acceptance has been essential for me because for 21 years I've suffered terribly with anxiety, stress, and panic attacks. I've always fought it and suppressed it with alcohol and became as a result alcohol dependent. The book has given me relief from the attacks and I've been sober for 10 out of the past 12 months.

I have read Emotional Clearing over the past year and have been extremely inspired by it. It is definitely the best new age book I've read, and I've read quite a lot. The concept of acceptance has been essential for me because for 21 years I've suffered terribly with anxiety, stress, and panic attacks. I've always fought it and suppressed it with alcohol and became as a result alcohol dependent. The book has given me relief from the attacks and I've been sober for 10 out of the past 12 months.

This book provides an excellent information source for people with epilepsy and offers vital information to help them control their seisures.

I have always had seizures since I was a small child. I had no idea I could do more for myself than take the pills I was given by my doctor. I no longer have seizures since reading this book. I have lost my drivers on occasion due to seizures!!!

The information in this book should be more available to everyone!!! Doctors should be telling people some of the information in this book during their visits. The nutrition section was extremely important to me.

I bought this book back in 1995, and I still use it. It has chapters on foods and chemicals to avoid, exercises, relaxation... It is very helpful and my seizures have lessened. I cannot guarantee if they lessened due to this book, but I think so (o:

I have a completely new life now after reading this book and Treating Epilepsy Naturally by Patricia A. Murphy. These two books have so changed my life that I can hardly believe it. I wish I would have had these books over 20 years ago. But now, I have them and am so grateful. After having a seizure every week I am almost beside myself now that it has been over 6 weeks. And I haven't even tried everything in these books. Just a few. I wish I could give a medal to the authors. I wish I could express my thanks properly. If you have epilepsy or know someone who does, you won't regret reading these books and applying their advice. They are an answered prayer.

In spite of no new edition for ten years, this book is still highly relevent. The information on medication is a bit dated but everything else seems to be timeless.

In a world full of medical miracles people often expect a simple solution to their medical problems; i.e., "take a pill and everything will be alright." With epilepsy that is often not the case. There is so much more to the condition than just seizures. There is so much more to treating the disease than just taking pills. Most physicians are so pressed for time because of managed care and too few specialty providers that they rarely have time during an appointment to discuss the many aspects of epilepsy let alone the finer points of treating it.

This book addresses the many facets of epilepsy and suggests ways that individuals can take control of their disease. Most of the ideas are backed up with anecdotal evidence, but the concepts are extremely cogent and intellectually appealing.

Rather than listing the contents of the book I think it is sufficient to say that the book advocates a holistic approach to the person with epilepsy. I heartily endorse that idea. It will be up to the individual and their family to make that happen. Physicians can help by directing people to resources outside of the traditional "just take your meds" approach. It is good to have a balanced approach to this condition.

I highly recommend this book. It is extremely well written and is a joy to read. Of all of the books I have read on epilepsy (so far), it more than any other paints a broad picture of the disease and advocates a balanced approach (between traditional medicine and alternative methods) to helping the person take control of their disease process.

Doug Moo offers a great exegetical and expositional commentary with the PNTC series offering on James. Well worth the buy, if you don't have a solid commentary on James. Nothing too crazy, and lots of compelling argumentation for his positions.

I have five critical commentaries on James (Lenski, Bruce, Woods, Martin, and now Moo). This one will more than likely be the primary source for me when I study the book in a critical fashion. He is thorough and that is what I want. If you are a preacher looking for something quick and in summary form, a smaller work might be more useful. For me, as a preacher, if I am in the circumstance where I need something quick I am already in trouble. I like the Pillar Series. Not long ago I read of one's review that was overly critical of the work on the epistles of John - I do not subscribe to that sentiment at all. It is a good series!

If you are looking for an answer to a question raised about the meaning of the book of Phillipians, you could not find a better treatment. This is a wonderful resource and fine treatment of the text. I used it in a series of sermons, and found it very easy to acess and get the gems of the book.

`The Epistle of James' by James B. Adamson, 1976, 227 pages in the series The New International Commentary on the New Testament; `The Letter of James' by Douglas J. Moo, 2000, 271 pages, a volume in the series The Pillar New Testament Commentary; and `James' by Ralph P. Martin, 1988, 240 pages, A volume in the series Word Biblical Commentary are all `full featured' and recent commentaries on the first of the short `catholic' epistles in the New Testament.

I find it amazing how different the material is in these three volumes. After 1800 years of commentary, one would expect a fair amount of uniformity in thinking about this short letter, but there is a remarkable range of differences in emphasis among the three.

Those of you who are familiar with the world of biblical commentary will recognize that all three are part of major series of commentaries. Adamson and Moo belong to series dedicated to the New Testament, while Martin's volume is an offering of a larger series on both Old and New Testaments. And, each volume is organized in a way to match the editorial style of their series. This is most clearly seen in Martin's volume, as his work is organized in virtually the same way as the much larger work on Paul's Epistle to the Romans by the distinguished scholar, James D. G. Dunn. This is no surprise, as Martin is the New Testament editor for his series, the Word Biblical Commentary.

Ranked by scholarly detail, Martin has the most and Adamson has the least, with Moo somewhere in between; but don't take from this that Martin is heavy on the Greek and Adamson has no original Greek. All three are specifically written for the scholar and assume that the reader either knows classical Greek or is willing to slog through all the Greek words and expressions. The irony here is that while Martin is the most heavily scholarly, it may also be the most accessible to the lay or strictly pastoral user, since this series divides scholarly observations into the `Comments' on each paragraph, while more general thoughts are spelled out in straight English in the `Form/Structure/Setting' section and later in the `Explanation' section following the `Comments'. Adamson organizes all his `special' or more technical topics in `Excursus' sections following his main commentary. I found this just a tad distracting, especially when I discovered some mistakes in references to these Excursus sections in the main text.

All three authors give us their own translations of the text, and all three agree on where the difficult phrases are to be found. If I were to pick a volume purely on the basis of their translation, I would prefer Adamson, as he seems to give translations that best resolve these difficult sections. But, in all three cases, the authors agree on where the difficulties lie and, in general, the nature of the difficulties.

In the three authors' introductory chapter on the author, themes, and canonical status of the letter, all three agree on the major points. They uniformly agree, for example on the belief that the letter does, in fact, represent the thoughts or writings of James, the brother of Jesus, who was head of the Christian Jews in Jerusalem up to about 62 CE. They also agree that the final form of the letter was rewritten and polished sometime in the early 2nd century, CE. The authors are also uniform in their citing Martin Luther's misunderstanding of James; however, I would give Luther credit for seeing scriptural support of many Roman Catholic doctrines, even if any sound reading of `James' shows that this support is probably stretching James points just a little too far.

On the major themes of the letter, I generally prefer Martin's emphasis on the three topics of `Wisdom', `Perfection', and `The Piety of the Poor' to the other authors' interest in theology and the law. James is clearly spending less times on these typically Pauline topics than he is on lessons for a Christian life.

Among all the other differences, it is most remarkable to see all the differences between how the three authors structure an outline of the short letter. If you didn't know better, you may think they were talking about two different writings. This is just a symptom of the fact that `James' is much less a theological argument a la `Romans' and much more a collection of lessons on prayer, right Christian behavior, and the implications of faith. This is consistent with the fact that the letter has much in common with the Gospels, especially the Gospel of Matthew (See Martin).

One last difference I detect between the three is the fact that Martin makes more connections to modern theology of, for example Dietrich Bonhoffer, while Moo and Adamson have more citations to the great reformers, Calvin and Luther.

If I had to pick only one of these, I would go with Martin's volume in the Word Biblical Commentary series. If I were interested only in pastoral interpretation, I would go with Moo or the article `The Letter of James' by Luke Timothy Johnson in `The New Interpreter's Bible', since both refer heavily to the standard NIV and NRSV translations. If your interest is in a scholarly study of the letter, you will probably want all three.

This is Moo's second commentary on the epistle of James. He wrote his first one in 1985 as part of the Tyndale series. This commentary is the result of fifteen years of reflection on that work. The content of this commentary makes it evident that this is the mature thought of a noted scholar on the letter of James. Those fifteen years left him more convinced "that the heart of the letter is a call to wholehearted commitment to Christ" (x).
Moo provides a lengthy introduction to this epistle (46 pages worth). This introduction includes the history of James in the church, nature and genre, authorship, theology, occasion and date, and structure of James. Concerning authorship, Moo holds that James, the bother of Christ, is the author. He presents arguments against this traditional view and then answers them. The section on the theology of the book is a feature more commentaries would do well to include. He dates the writing of the letter around the middle of the 40s AD. This is important because the date of writing has great implication on the relationship of the letter to Paul's teachings. Moo does not place a ridge structure on the letter. Instead, he finds "several key motifs" which "are often mixed together with other themes in paragraphs that cannot be labeled as neatly as we might like" (45). Denying the assertion of some commentators that the letter has no unifying purpose, Moo argues that the central concern of the letter is spiritual wholeness of the readers (47).
Moo's analysis of the text is insightful. His word studies are well done. He presents a wide range of possible meanings but uses the context to determine which meaning is James's meaning. Moo also does a good job in showing James's relationship with Paul. James is not writing against Paul. James means something different by faith than does Paul. They are addressing different problems.
The format of the commentary is user friendly for the most part. One helpful aspect is that Moo's introductory notes precede the verse by verse exposition of major points and most sub-points. Moo transliterates Greek words making the commentary usable to those who do not have the advantage of knowing Greek. One slight critique concerns the chapter divisions. The chapter divisions of the commentary are based on the chapters of James. This is fine, but the table of contents is broken down by his outline. One would whish the editors would choose a method of division and stay with it. The only other criticism is that Moo's writing style can be difficult at times. These two minor criticisms in no way change the fact that this is a masterpiece. It is short at only 251 pages not counting indexes. Anyone from a layperson to a scholar will benefit from this commentary. This reviewer would recommend it without hesitation (something he does not do often).

This book is an intelligent conversion story. The author, Etty Hillesum, begins writing at a time when her life was repugnant; and yet, she is obviously very intelligent and so reading what she wrote during that period is not a waste of time.

Towards the middle of the book, Etty begins to change, and by the end, she is an admirable person - not just because she is intelligent, but also because she is good. It seems that her will changed, which is the definition of conversion.

I would compare this book favorably with "Surprised by Joy", which is the autobiography of C.S. Lewis. "Surprised by Joy" is a great book for Christians. "Etty Hillesum" is a great book for anyone.


Shawn T. Miller

This book would be one of the five. Its not about the Holocaust, not really. It is about one of the most soulful women who we all could learn so much from about how to approach our days. I cherish this book with all my heart. It came to me in a very weird way however! My parents were viisting me in Seattle when I lived there and while browsing in Elliott Bay Books, my mom handed me this book and said, "When I die I want this book buried with me!" I know, thats kind of a weird sell but she bought me my own copy (along with a separate one for her future plans) and I read it in one evening. I couldn't put it down. While she lived just a short distance from Anne Frank and was writing her journals at the same time, they are equally moving but worlds apart. Etty was in her late twenties while she wrote and her outlook on life is simply among the most remarkable I have ever encountered. I don't think I need to be buried with it but that doesn't mean I don't recommend it extremely highly for both men and women. Its a privilege to be able to recommend it, to know that even while her life was so tragically cut short at Auschwitz, that her journals survived and that maybe just one person more will come to her journals as a result of this review. You know what? I'd like to be buried with this book too. Also include a cupcake.

Etty Hillessum's diaries and her letters from Westerbork serve as an outstanding testament to the human spirit and the ability to find the sacred in the most horrific of situations. Although she was not a saint in the sense that Teresa of Avila or Juan de la Cruz were saints, she could properly be considered a mystic and a good example of a modern who had 'enlightened' insights. I find her diaries at once humane and modern in the sense of a liberated 'bohemian' who explored her sexuality and her psyche. As her diaries progress, her inner life (and oneness with God) deepens as the horrors of the realities of being Jewish in Europe during the Second World War becomes more apparent. I highly recommend this book! It will change your life!

This is one of the most profound documents ever written. Etty Hillesum was truly a person who had reached transforming union and had the ability to be able to share her experience through journaling and letters. She was unwaivering in her desire to see the beauty and meaning of life in one of the most difficult situations ever experienced on this planet. There are no words to express how deeply this work has influenced my life, except to say that I go back to her writing over and over again. She is a bright light for anyone seeking spiritual growth.

In nearly all of our nation's middle and high schools the Diary of Anne Frank is required reading. This present volume ought to be a required follow-up reading for the older student.

This Owl Books publication includes excellent photographs and commentary to bring alive holistically the full presentation of this intelligent and searching young woman's life and vision, whose eight well-preserved copy books reveal to us her soul, supplemented by personal, surprisingly joyful and hopeful and positive do-not-lose-heart letters from a way station on the road to Auschwitz. Together this corpus of writing presents bright light in the deepest darkness and locus of despair. One cannot read these living words on the way to certain death without weeping, and reflecting, at the unreasonable cruelty and inexorable deadly fruit of any total war. One cannot read this without a cry for the end of all war.

Please read this book in a prayerful way. Consider the promising and peaceful lives which were lost, whose voice rings out truly here in this thick volume of her writings, and resolve to work for peace, that we may never study war, no more. Let us work for peace, and pray with the prophet that our swords may soon be beat into plowshares, that all may live in peace to their fullest promise.

This book brings to us the reality of the horror of hateful war, through Etty's human and hopeful and joyous and beautiful voice, ever encouraging those in the deepest despair until she herself is also placed on the road to Auschwitz, a road from which so very few ever returned.

This is a wonderfully visual book with page after page of inspirational photos of the artist/author's exotic quilts (and works by other talented textile artists) and her methods of creating the most amazing textures through her layered surface design techniques. It is easy to read with photos laid out very clearly alongside the appropriate directions and it includes ideas for using both traditional objects and not so traditional, all done with a particular artistic effect in mind.

This book is an excellent source of information on creating truly exciting textures with textiles as well as being just sheer pleasure to thumb through for inspiration with its brilliant use of colour.

Love this book and the abundance of techniques and project ideas. With the clear directions and numerous photographs of techniques, the hands-on rewards are immediate! The outcomes are stunning! This is a must have book for any fiber artist!

Here are some excerpts from my review of this book. You can see the complete review on the Quilter's Review website.

"Have you ever looked for fabric but couldn't find exactly what you wanted? Maybe you found a great print, but it was a little too bright. Or you found something close, but you really wished it had some gold sparkles in it....

"Bonnie Lyn McCaffery shows you how to create the fabric you want, and how to have fun doing it.

"Bonnie has worked out all the details of turning run-of-the-mill fabric into something not only personal, but spectacular. The only limit is your imagination. And if your imagination is limited, Bonnie will help you with that, too.

"Bonnie's technique begins with a base fabric. Cotton, the choice of most quilters, works well, but so do silks, satins, metallics, and many others. To the base fabric she applies a sheer fabric to add a shadow layer, or to create a slight color change. She explains the properties of the different base and top fabrics, and how they work together....

"I collected a printed invitation, small silk flowers, and a folding fan from a bat mitzvah, and have been trying to figure out how to incorporate them into something to commemorate the occasion. I'd thought my only choice was to make a shadow box or frame for these memories, even though I really want to make a quilt. But now, Bonnie's book has given me the ideas and know-how I needed to create a commemorative quilt.

"I can't remember when I've had so much fun playing with fabric. Thanks to Bonnie's book, I now have a whole new relationship with my stash."

You know all those beautiful floral applique quilts you have pictured in your mind? The ones you will stitch when you have time? Fantasy Floral Quilts by Bonnie Lyn McCaffery teaches a very clever method for creating floral quilts by capturing silk flowers under a layer of sheer fabric.

I found this book to be well-illustrated, packed with content, and offering an approachable can-do style. Very detailed quilt examples accompany every technique. Twisted Branches is one of Bonnie's clever techniques for creating a unique and realistic "branch" look and gave me a great idea for a Tree of Life quilt.

Bonnie teaches how to apply color schemes, color value, and flower positioning. One very creative suggestion was to view silk flowers as flowing blocks of color, adding dimension to landscape quilts. Embellishments of thread, beads, buttons, charms, and silk ribbons are an integral part of Fantasy Floral quilting. I really liked the french knots created from silk ribbons and used for flower centers.

Fantasy Floral Quilts by Bonnie Lyn McCaffery is a fun, creative book for all quilters and is a great second step for fans of her first book, Fantasy Fabrics: Techniques for Layered Surface Design.

I got this as a gift from someone who knows I quilt. I have mixed feelings, and most of it is because I quilt for utility and beauty, and this is a technique that seems more suited to beauty.

The instructions are clear, and give you lots of directions to go off on your own, as well as lots of useful pointers (if you're using glitter, remember that gravity will affect things). The results are gorgeous.

That said, I don't know that this book serves my needs for something that can be washed again and again, thrown on beds and floors and grass, and stand up to the rigors of quilt-like use as opposed to wallhanging art-piece news.

If you are looking for an interesting way to add depth and sparkle to your art pieces, this is the book for you. If you plan to wrap a scared dog in what you make, not so much.

This book could easily have been titled "Everything you ever needed to know about rural land sales but didn't know who to ask, or even that you should ask." The Schers give detailed explanations of very complex real estate issues that you just aren't going to be familiar with if you've only bought urban housing or have never bought property at all. I personally know people who have experienced some of the real estate and legal horrors that Les describes in this book. I'm so glad someone finally put all this information together in one somewhat easy-to-read reference... now I know how to keep myself out of the same jams! Even the things that don't specifically apply to my location are good to understand since, in some way, they might still affect me in the long run. Lots of great pointers to additional references and government/legal agencies that I've been trying to pin down.

Definitely a MUST HAVE for any modern homesteader... enthusiastic two thumbs up!!!

I read the book, it cover a lot of the things that I haven't even think about for owning land. Anyone who is looking to buy land to invest, this book is a must read.

My husband and I are considering buying some undeveloped land. While we own a house, we know nothing about rural land purchases and didn't even know what questions we should be asking. This brook provided a good overview of issues to consider, and the checklist at the back of things to inspect/ask about for each property was especially helpful.

This guide has everything I could imagine and alot I couldn't....which is of course the point.

If comprehensive is what you want, this should make you happy. The problem is that if you follow every bit of advice in this book you will have to quit your job and make finding your place a full time endeavor (or spend years part time). The advice is all good, but it almost makes the task seem more daunting, not less. Still great for learning all the issues and things to look out for, then you decide how much effort to put into footwork before buying your piece in the country

I have revisited this book a number of times since I read it last year. It is a good resouce in understanding the benefits and dangers of going green.

Excellent breakdown of the drivers for companies to go green. Also excellent analyses of strategies used by the corporate world to achieve their goals with green programs. Many examples of what worked and what didn't work.
Great reading!

Good book with alot of insights... but I think you really have to be interested with these matters to be able to finish the book.

This is a great book! The information presented is very useful. I have also heard both authors speak at conferences. They have a great message and convey it clearly.

This book explores what every executive must know to manage the environmental challenges facing society and business. According to the authors, companies generate lasting value by building environmental thinking into their business strategies. This book attempts to show how to be good stewards of the Earth while simultaneously building the bottom line; how to keep a sharp focus on execution while using an environmental strategy; and ways to cope with environmental pressures and responsibilities.

According to the authors, the state of the art in environmental thinking can be summed up with the slogan, "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle." The best pollution-control option is to reduce the use of resources and eliminate waste. The next best option is to refurbish or reuse items. Then recycle what's left. As a last resort, throw something out.

I really enjoyed the many case studies included. Here are a few:

(a) In the weeks before Christmas 2001, the Dutch government was blocking Sony's entire European shipment of PlayStation game systems; more than 1.3 million boxes were sitting in a warehouse because a small, but legally unacceptable, amount of the toxic element cadmium was found in the cables of the game controls. Sony rushed in replacements to swap out the tainted wires. It also tried to track down the source of the problem by inspecting more than 6,000 factories and resulted in a new supplier management system. The total cost of this environmental problem was more than $130 million.

(b) In a speech to shareholders, Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott vowed to cut energy use by 30 percent; to use 100 percent renewable energy (from sources like wind farms and solar panels); and to double the fuel efficiency of its massive shipping fleet. The company will invest $500 million annually in these energy programs.

(c) In the mid-1990s, executives at Unilever saw a big threat to one of their product lines. Supply for the frozen fish sticks business was at risk because the oceans were running out of fish. In partnership with World Wildlife Fund, the company set up the Marine Stewardship Council, an independent body to promote sustainable fisheries around the world. The Council certifies fisheries where the total catch is limited so that fish populations do not diminish over time. To create specific incentives for fishermen to seek certification, Unilever committed to buying 100 percent of its fish from sustainable sources by 2005.

(d) Over the last 15 years, chemical giant DuPont has cut its contribution to global warming by 72 percent. Half of the cuts came from changing one process: the production of adipic acid. This modification eliminated emissions of nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas that causes far more warming than carbon dioxide.

(e) IKEA is proud of its "flat packaging." Efforts to squeeze millimeters out of every box have allowed the company to pack its trucks and trains tighter. That saves up to 15 percent on fuel per item.

(f) Toyota saw the Green Wave coming and responded with the energy-efficient "hybrid" Prius, a breakthrough product that enhanced profits.

According to the authors, the top 10 environmental issues facing humanity are:

1. Climate Change. This includes rising sea levels, changes in rainfall patterns, severe droughts and floods, harsh hurricanes and new pathways for disease.
2. Energy. Companies selling goods and services that promise to improve energy efficiency will claim market share.
3. Water. Companies around the world now face limits on access to water.
4. Biodiversity and Land Use. Biodiversity preserves our food chain and the ecosystem on which all life depends. It also holds prospects of new drugs, foods and other products. A key factor in the decline of biodiversity is habitat loss.
5. Chemicals, Toxics and Heavy Metals. Part of what makes air pollution more dangerous is the presence of toxic elements. Exposure to chemicals like dioxin, a byproduct of production processes such as papermaking, and heavy metals such as lead and mercury can create severe public health risks.
6. Air Pollution. Significant air-quality controls on factories, cars and other emissions sources have reduced air pollution over the past 30 years in the United States, Japan and Europe. But the air is still not clean.
7. Waste Management. The EPA estimates that the 1,200 Superfund sites across the country will require
about $200 billion to clean up over the next 30 years. Under the liability provisions of the Superfund law, anyone found responsible for the waste at a site can be held liable for the full cost of cleanup, even if the toxics were legally disposed.
8. Ozone Layer Depletion. With a thinned ozone layer, the world becomes a more dangerous place, with
reduced agricultural productivity, higher risk of skin cancer and other health problems.
9. Oceans and Fisheries. More than 75 percent of the world's fisheries are over-exploited and beyond sustainability.
10. Deforestation. Every company that uses wood, paper or cardboard packaging has a stake in, and responsibility for, the state of our forests. When McDonald's realized 15 years ago that litter was an issue, it began working on reducing packaging.

Companies can and should be a force for good, leading the charge on caring for the environment and protecting our shared natural assets. Financial and environmental success can be achieved together. With the right mindset and tools, companies can handle the hard trade-offs.

This is a great book that should be required reading to executives at all levels!