Why should you read this?

Everyone is familiar with the images of melting glaciers, rising sea levels and climate change in Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth. The film and the book of the same name urge the world to sharply reduce its CO2 emissions. Our planet is in dire straits, Mr Gore insists. As an individual, one is filled with a sense of powerlessness at the sight of these images.

Sustainable Development... a Global Opportunity, however, opts for a different approach. It shows that the tide certainly can be turned, provided we make a global effort to implement sustainable development and are prepared to change our way of thinking. Follow the author on her voyage of discovery, as she interviews politicians, entrepreneurs, trend watchers, journalists, scientists and architects. Discover the possibilities of implementing sustainable development in your own home or business.

The book contains examples of sustainably developed products, such as the air-conditioned bed, the ‘edible’ bra, the Mirra office chair, the LED lamp, vertical and horizontal wind turbines, to name but a few. Read about the way alternative energy sources are increasingly being utilised to reduce CO2 emissions. Filling up on biodiesel at a farmyard is no longer a dream of the future, but a goal that is well within reach. Discover the advantages of corporate social responsibility, in which sustainable enterprise is rooted.

In addition to views of sustainable development, recorded during interviews with experts, the book offers countless useful tips on how to make a difference oneself. It is an explanatory guide, to be consulted time and time again on issues of sustainable development. A list of useful websites and reference material can be found at the back of the book.