Boost your sustainability knowledge with these summer tips
Summer is finally here, and for many – that means time to catch up on leisure reading. Sustainability has, to say the least, flourished this year, and it blooms of books, podcasts, and documentaries to dive deep into! Whether you prefer fiction or nonfiction, read or listen to – we got something just for you. Check out these five sustainability tips that should be on everyone’s radar this summer!
Book: How to Avoid a Climate Disaster by Bill Gates
In the #1 New York Times Best Seller How to Avoid a Climate Disaster (2021), Bill Gates sets out the solutions we have and the breakthroughs we need for the world to reach zero greenhouse gas emissions in time to avoid climate catastrophe. The book has been praised for an easy-to-read explanation of the mess we’re in and being the closest thing to a how-to guide for addressing the climate crisis. If you want an easy, optimistic, and “can-do”-type of book, then this is your perfect match!
Book (Cli-fi): Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
Climate fiction, or cli-fi, is a new growing branch of fiction literature that has gotten worldwide attention in recent years. The combination of thrilling writing and the seriousness of the effects of climate change is a new way to reach the many and talk about climate change. Cli-fi has been described as the connecting piece between science and receptivity.
Due to its steep rise, there is plenty of new, brilliant climate fiction out there. However, this summer, we recommend going back to its roots and read climate activist and twice-running Booker Prize winner Margaret Atwood's cli-fi trilogy Oryx and Crake (2004). It sets before and after a great pandemic kills most of humanity, but our failure to halt climate change had already put the Earth in trouble well before that. It is a nerve-racking story that feels more relevant and close today than ever before.
Book: Finding Sustainability by Trent Romer
Finding Sustainability (2021) would be the perfect schoolbook example of a cli-fi story, but unbelievably – there is no fiction in it. The astonishing true story is about the author himself, Trent Romer, who ran his family's plastic manufacturing business of 57 years with 70 employees and realized that he had to make a drastic, operational change. His family’s legacies and hard work have been outrun by the hard fact that the company's core product is out of sync with a sustainable future.The journey to a sustainable life is not easy for anyone. But if Romer – with a bigger hurdle than most – succeeded, it doesn’t seem so impossible anymore. A great book to get inspired and empowered from.
"I highly recommend Finding Sustainability to businesses of any size who are searching how to navigate a purpose-driven transformation rooted in sustainability, faith, and the quest for meaning."
- Patrick Lindner, Senior Executive for Fortune 500
Podcast: Supply Chain Revolution
The Supply Chain Revolution podcast series explores emerging topics in Supply Chain, Sustainability and Circular Economy. In over 50 episodes, the importance of supply chains when it comes to saving lives, saving the planet, and connecting industrial, natural, technological, and human systems are discussed in detail. It may not come as a big surprise that we love to geek out on everything related to supply chains, and if you are anything like us on this matter – then we can’t stress this podcast enough!
Documentary: Breaking Boundaries: The Science of Our Planet
Staying in and watching a documentary might not be on top of people’s to-do lists this summer. But let’s be honest, rain is inevitable, and a long break from the sun is necessary from time to time. For those days, why not try to make sense of one of the most influential frameworks in the work of Sustainability – the 9 planetary boundaries. It was framed by the Swedish renowned environmental scientist Johan Rockström – who lays out the theory in the documentary Breaking Boundaries. Together with the legendary Sir David Attenborough as the narrator, the documentary visually breaks down the complex theory and makes it easy to grasp for everyone. We know that everything, including Attenborough, is bound to succeed – and this documentary is no expectation!
For those who want to dive deeper into the framework, the documentary is based on Rockström’s and Owen Gaffney’s book that came out earlier this year. You will most likely find it at the nearest library or get a copy here.
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