Editorial Review

Paper or plastic? Neither, say William McDonough and Michael Braungart. Why settle for the least harmful alternative when we could have something that is better--say, Read more

Reviews (59)

everyone should read this book
We need change to the core, specifically on how we make, use and dispose of our "THINGS"... this is not a HOW TO book, so do not expect hands on solutions to problems you want to solve. It's more a wider view of just how much damage we are causing, and it's just mind blowing how much we can actually change by thinking different.
All is not lost!
This book is just the ticket for the average environmental pessimist.A refreshing and optimistic look at the future.It's simple, it makes sense, and it has the udeniable ring of truth.

The people criticizing this book have "misguided" all over them
There were a lot of complaints that the book wasn't specific enough, didn't give every detail to their examples, or didn't provide any examples at all. Newsflash: it was not the authors' goal to redesign our entire civilization. Their goal was to point out that it will eventually need to be done, should be done, and hopefully, with the examples they did provide, can be done. If you are disappointed a specific problem in our society wasn't solved, why don't you do as the book directed, take a few steps back, and come up with your own "effective" solution.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Environmental Conservation & Protection - General    2. Environmental Science    3. Environmental aspects    4. Industrial Design - General    5. Industrial management    6. Life Sciences - Ecology - Recycling    7. Recycling (Waste, etc.)    8. Science    9. Science/Mathematics    10. Nature / Environmental Conservation & Protection   

Reviews (1)

a good book for Environmental Engineer
I'm a Environmental Engineer Of wastewater treatment, and have worked only for one year. I am so eager to get the knowlege for this effect. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Engineering - Civil    2. Environmental Engineering & Technology    3. General    4. Life Sciences - Ecology - Recycling    5. Purification    6. Science    7. Science/Mathematics    8. Water    9. Civil Engineering, Surveying & Building    10. Technology / Engineering / Civil   

Reviews (1)

The best book of wastewater treatment plant design
This book is explained very clearly on how to design the WWTP. Especially, it is only book in the world that shows the design examples of the biological nutrient removal treatment processes. All design calculations are shown in every step that necessary for real design. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Engineering - Industrial    2. Environmental Engineering & Technology    3. Life Sciences - Ecology - Recycling    4. Science/Mathematics    5. Sewage disposal plants    6. Technology    7. Technology & Industrial Arts    8. Nature / Water Supply    9. Technology: General Issues    10. Water supply & treatment   

Reviews (4)

Great Text For Environmental Design Management ! Flawless!
I live, study and work in the New York Tri-State region and this book is pretty great because the author also lived, worked and studied in the same region. Whats good about that? The Human Development and Expliotation is our region is very diverse and often connects directly with other prominent regions around the globe. The author basically covers alot of legalities, origins, design principles, and field work analysis really well.
GREATEST ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING BOOK
GREAT!!!!!

94 S: Excellent Resource, Environmental Health professionals
I have just reviewed the ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING AND SANITATION 1994SUPPLEMENT, by Joseph A. Salvato and Joe E. Beck.It's a great resourcefor professionals seeking a broader vision of environmental health practiceareas and where we are heading.Prof. Beck obviously put a lot of workinto conceptualizing this volume and working with the distinguishedcontributors.It shows. In particular, I found the first chapter,Stakeholder Focused Interactive Planning (SFIP)by Joe Beck and Steven Isonto be a brilliant piece on the desirability of (indeed, the imperative forour profession to) include the public in problem-solving and planning.Ihave used this process and mediated disputes ranging from sitingcontroversies (haz. waste facility siting in Massachusetts) to determiningfuture land use options at Hanford in the nuclear weapons complex.Icommend both Beck and Ison for their clear portrayal of the paradigm aswell as the steps one undertakes in conducting such planning.Federalgovernment engineers and planners have been learning the hard way aboutwhat happens when decisions are made without public input and withoutregard to the values, interests, and expectations of so-calledstakeholders.At Hanford, more than $20 billion in appropriations hasyielded preciously little in terms of actual cleanup:one may wonder ifCongress will continue to appropriate the substantial $6 billion a year forthe Dept. of Energy's Environmental Management Program without consensus ofthe public on #1) the benefits or #2) the ameliorated risks from presentexpenditures.Current stakeholders come from a wide range of publicinterest groups and they do not get along particularly well.They do nothave current programs or projects that reflect the use of the SFIP andresearchers should be asking themselves, "Why not?" (Resourcesfor the Future [RFF] has an on-going research project that tackles publicparticipation in environmental decision making).Read more

Subjects:  1. Environmental Engineering & Technology    2. Environmental Engineering (General)    3. Environmental Science    4. Environmental engineering    5. Environmental health    6. Life Sciences - Ecology - Recycling    7. Sanitary engineering    8. Sanitation    9. Science    10. Science/Mathematics    11. Technology & Industrial Arts    12. Civil Engineering, Surveying & Building    13. Sanitary & municipal engineering    14. Technology / Environmental   

Reviews (10)

WORM BOOK
I have only flicked through the book quickly as work is taking up to much time. But the book is what i wanted, especailly about setting up worms to use for fishing.Thanks

More Worms on the Net than in this Book
While this book is interesting, I found more information by surfing the net.

A "user friendly" guide to recycling kitchen food waste
Now in its revised second edition, Worms Eat My Garbage by Mary Appelhof is a practical and "user friendly" guide to recycling kitchen food waste, producing fertilizer for house and garden plants, growing fishing worms, and saving money, all through the process of a worm composting system. Worms Eat My Garbage is a simple, effective, "how-to" guide covering everything from how to set up a worm bin, to what types of garbage are best for worm composting, to taking care of the worms, to effectively saving money while reaping the benefits of the process. Worms Eat My Garbage is easy-to-follow, thorough, and enthusiastically recommended reference for environmentalists and gardeners. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children: Grades 3-4    2. Earthworm culture    3. Earthworms    4. Gardening / Horticulture    5. Life Sciences - Ecology - Recycling    6. Organic    7. Techniques    8. Vermicomposting    9. Specialized gardening methods   

Reviews (1)

One of the most useful tools for Environmental Engineers
This book has the most extense inventory, sector by sector, of data related to processes, emissions and control techniques. Therefore, we have here a major supply of guidelines and useful information for our work inour everyday struggle to "play doctors" with our own planet. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Air    2. Air Pollution    3. Chemistry - Organic    4. Engineering Instruments    5. Environmental Engineering & Technology    6. Environmental Science    7. Environmental aspects    8. Equipment and supplies    9. Gases, Asphyxiating and poison    10. Gases, Asphyxiating and poisonous    11. Life Sciences - Ecology - Recycling    12. Mensuration    13. Particles    14. Purification    15. Science    16. Science/Mathematics    17. Atmospheric pollution    18. Pollution control    19. Science / Chemistry / Organic   

Reviews (51)

A Great How-to On Safely Composting Effluent Back To Food!
Human effluent has been the nemesis of most societies for centuries and despite all of our current technological prowess, we have yet to intelligently address one of the most basic biological functions of our existence. And our effluent is backing-up on us, big time.
Don't think it's all going to be perfect though.
We were so inspired by this book we ripped out both our flush toliets. We started a large composting operation in our back yard. Now we have lots of mice and flies - yes we follow the directions to the letter. He states with proper covering, you won't get flies. Wrong. If you mix food with the foop no mice - wrong again! Mice and flies anyway - so you might want to start small first before you go sell your old porcelain potties. We feel slightly betrayed by this book.

One Great Use for Poop
I was very excited when I discovered this book, as I had been saving my bowel products for about six months at the time with only a vague understanding that they might someday be put to better use.Unfortunately I live in a small condo, and I don't have a garden, much less a compost heap.So I guess I will have to donate my hard earned sludge to someone who can help it return to nature.I wonder if you ever grow a carrot that has a peanut stuck in it.Also, anyone know a good use for bottled yellow? ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ecology    2. Environmental Conservation & Protection - General    3. General    4. Life Sciences - Ecology    5. Life Sciences - Ecology - Recycling    6. Nature    7. Nature/Ecology    8. Organic    9. Science    10. Recycling   

Reviews (4)

For the busy person who wants to go green!
What a great little book! It's chock full of information and even created out of recycled paper! As someone who wants to "go green," but doesn't want a lot of long explanations and hard to understand terms, this book was perfect for me!
Incredibly helpful and easy!
The cover of this book intrigued me.What made me take it home was that upon glancing through it, I found that it wasn't a breathy manifesto but rather a compilation of tips.
Easy and No Preaching!
Ms. Trask's book was my first book about how to live green.I've wanted to learn more but have always felt overwhelmed by the information in other books.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Citizen participation    2. Cleaning & Caretaking - Household Hints    3. Ecology    4. Environmental Science    5. Environmental protection    6. Environmentalism    7. Home Improvement / Construction    8. Organic living    9. Reference    10. Remodeling & Renovation - Energy Efficient    11. Science    12. Science/Mathematics    13. Waste Recycling    14. House & Home / Reference   

Reviews (2)

Poorly written, poorly organized
This was the text for my environmental engineering class at Cooper Union (Fall 2002). A very useful book!
This is an excellent book to read if you want to learn about wastewater treatment or just if you want to refresh your knowledge of this theme. The book presents easy to follow examples in many of the topics, say, clarifiers design (primary, intermediate, final), Aeration basins, etc. Iprefer this book rather than Viessman & Hammer because it is much morefriendly. I have not check yet the part of the book corresponding to watertreatment, but the wastewater part is very good. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Environmental Engineering & Technology    2. Life Sciences - Ecology - Recycling    3. Sanitary And Municipal Engineering    4. Science/Mathematics    5. Sewage disposal    6. Technology    7. Technology & Industrial Arts    8. Water-supply engineering    9. Technology / Environmental    10. Waste treatment & disposal   

Subjects:  1. Engineering - Civil    2. Environmental Engineering & Technology    3. Life Sciences - Ecology - Recycling    4. Refuse and refuse disposal    5. Science/Mathematics    6. Technology    7. Technology & Industrial Arts    8. Technology / Environmental    9. Waste management    10. Waste treatment & disposal   

Reviews (2)

Geohydrology
After reading the first three chapters, I found serious errors and deficiencies in Chapter 3, Basic Geology and Hydrology.Although not relevant to design, the authors should know the earth's crust is 0 to 20.5 miles thick as opposed to 40 to 130 ft. thick.The discussion of soil classification systems recognizes the USCS, AASHTO, and USDA sytems, but only discusses the USCS and AASHTO systems. The highway and airport pavement driven AASHTO system is of little relevance to groundwater flow.The USDA system is commonly used and received no discussion.Although the chapter discusses the differences between unconfined and unconfined aquifers, the aquifer properties section is incomplete and confusing as to what properties apply to unconfined aquifers, confined aquifers, or both types of aquifers.Last, the example for Darcy's Law demonstrates a lack of understanding of the basic principles of groundwater flow.The example on page 45 presents an ERRONEOUS answer of 669,500 gpd, where the correct answer is 200,640 gpd.The author's incorrectly used the flow velocity rather than the Darcy Flux or specific discharge to calculate flow.Futhermore, their calculation of pore water velocity requires a discussion of apparent porosity.If one were to use their method of calculating flow, over calcuation of flows would be in the neighborhood of 200-400%.

Design of Remediation Systems
It is a good design guideline of this sort in remdiation engineering since it was written from designer's perspective with real examples and spreadsheets for data recording and analyses.However, it would be even better if it included more theoretical background on vapor extraction testto help designers compare with groundwater unsteady pump test theory. There is a minor error in page 216 that motor HP is considered a fuction ofmotor's efficiecy. Motors are usally rated as output HP. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Environmental Engineering & Technology    2. Environmental Science    3. Hazardous Waste Disposal And Treatment    4. Hazardous waste site remediati    5. Hazardous waste site remediation    6. Life Sciences - Ecology - Recycling    7. Oil Pollution    8. Oil pollution of soils    9. Oil pollution of water    10. Science/Mathematics    11. Technology    12. Technology & Industrial Arts    13. Science / Environmental Science    14. Technology: General Issues   

Reviews (37)

Get the Dirt on a Filthy Subject
There's no way around it: We all produce trash. Some create more garbage than others, but nobody is exempt from discards. We rely on our local garbage truck drivers--"san men"--to make it disappear. So where does it go? Does recycling really do any good? Is there anything we can do to help cut down on waste?
Don't Toss This
I got a little worried when I read the first pages of this book and found the author starting to sort through her daily garbage, making herself account for every piece of plastic wrap in there, every orange rind. I was afraid I might be meeting up with a humorless fanatic who put recycling ahead of all immediate human values.
Time to put a lid (cap) on our garbage
Out of sight, out of mind is the phrase that comes to mind after most people place their bag of waste out to the curb. Elizabeth Royte, in a moment of self-reflection, decides that it is time to see what happens to all of the waste and recyclable material that she disposes of weekly. Spurred on by an Earth day cleanup of a canal in her hometown of New York City, she decides to get down and dirty and dives back into her garbage to determine what she is throwing out. Using a kitchen scale and her daughter's toboggan, to restrain the waste, she sorts, weighs and records every minute shred of waste.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Environmental Science    2. Environmental Studies    3. Life Sciences - Ecology - Recycling    4. Popular Culture - General    5. Social Science    6. Sociology    7. Sociology - Rural    8. Social Science / Sociology / Rural   

Subjects:  1. Environmental Engineering & Technology    2. Handbooks, manuals, etc    3. Hazardous Waste Disposal And Treatment    4. Hazardous wastes    5. Life Sciences - Ecology - Recycling    6. Management    7. Reference    8. Science/Mathematics    9. Technology    10. Technology & Industrial Arts    11. Pollution control    12. Technology / Engineering / Chemical & Biochemical    13. Waste management   

Subjects:  1. Engineering - Chemical & Biochemical    2. Life Sciences - Ecology - Recycling    3. Plastics    4. Plastics industry and trade    5. Pyrolysis    6. Recycling    7. Science/Mathematics    8. Technology    9. Technology & Industrial Arts    10. Textiles & Polymers    11. Waste minimization    12. Plastics & polymers technology    13. Technology / Engineering / Chemical & Biochemical   

Reviews (3)

Gibbs' book an inspiring & accurate account
As a native Western New Yorker who lived in suburban Buffalo during the Love Canal era, I found Gibbs' account both accurate and inspiring.(I'm also a Ph.D. historian and am a stickler for evidence.)This book demonstrates that even one person can make a difference -- a lesson we need to hear today more than ever.The evidence of Love Canal's danger to residents is overwhelming.The book to which another reviewer refers as counterevidence (The Skeptical Environmentalist) has been widely panned in the scientific and scholarly reviews such as the journal Science as a highly flawed book which used secondary sources out of context.I invite you to visit Love Canal the next time you are in Niagara Falls, and you will see (and smell) for yourself the physical evidence of the chemicals which bloop and seep in the areas covered by a massive clay cap right across from the elementary school -- like some terrible modern-day burial mound. Not the whole story.
Before picking up Lois Gibbs's self-congratulatory tome, the reader would do well to research the whole story behind the Love Canal fiasco.In brief, Love Canal was a neighborhood in Niagara, New York, that was used by Hooker Chemicals as a dumping-ground for toxins in the 1940s and 1950s.As with many landfills, the area was covered and developed.An incident in 1958 in which three children suffered chemical burns from seeping toxins alerted local residents to the history of their lots.They nonetheless stayed for another twenty years. Reminds us that citizens must remain diligent.
Gibbs' book is important to the history of the grassroots environmentalmovement. It helps us understand where we came from and why it's soimportant to have programs like Superfund. It also reminds us that citizensmust be diligent in their fight against polluting industry and thepoliticos who share their beds. While she often repeats herself, it's stilla quick (and powerful) read. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Environmental Conservation & Protection - General    2. Environmental Science    3. Environmental Studies    4. Life Sciences - Ecology - Recycling    5. Love Canal Chemical Waste Landfill (Niagara Falls, N.Y.)    6. New Age    7. Environmental factors    8. Pollution & threats to the environment    9. Waste management   

Subjects:  1. Dense nonaqueous phase liquids    2. Environmental Engineering & Technology    3. Environmental Science    4. Environmental aspects    5. Hazardous Waste Disposal And Treatment    6. Hazardous waste sites    7. Life Sciences - Ecology - Recycling    8. Nature/Ecology    9. Science    10. Pollution of rivers & water supplies    11. Science / Environmental Science    12. Water supply & treatment   

Subjects:  1. Applied Mathematics    2. Arithmetic    3. Engineering - Industrial    4. General    5. Life Sciences - Ecology - Recycling    6. Mathematics    7. Problems, exercises, etc    8. Purification    9. Sanitary And Municipal Engineering    10. Science    11. Science/Mathematics    12. Sewage    13. Sewage disposal    14. Technology & Industrial Arts    15. Mathematics for scientists & engineers    16. Nature / Water Supply    17. Sanitary & municipal engineering   

Reviews (2)

Environmental Engineer
A very well organized and written text-book. The theory and examples are properly selected for readers including graduate students, academics and practitioners. Certainly recommended...

A good book!
This is a very good technology review book in bioprocess for waste water treatment. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biological treatment    2. Environmental Engineering & Technology    3. Life Sciences - Biology - General    4. Life Sciences - Ecology - Recycling    5. Purification    6. Science    7. Science/Mathematics    8. Sewage    9. Technology    10. Waste Biodegradation    11. Environmental Science    12. Nature / Water Supply    13. Pollution    14. Pollution of rivers & water supplies    15. Sewage treatment & disposal   

Reviews (2)

Excellent Lab Safety Reference
This book is an excellent reference for laboratory safety professionals, students, and science educators.

Combines and updates two informative and useful books.
Prudent Practices has combined and updated two of the most useful and informative books on chemical safety available. This is a must for chemical technicians, researchers and hazardous waste managers! The book(s) gives concise information on general chemical lab safety, proposes procedures for monitoring experiments, controlling waste and uncovering hazardous situations. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Chemical Safety    2. Chemicals    3. Environmental Engineering & Technology    4. Hazardous Waste Disposal And Treatment    5. Hazardous substances    6. Hazardous wastes    7. Life Sciences - Ecology - Recycling    8. Research & Methodology    9. Safety measures    10. Science/Mathematics    11. Technology & Industrial Arts    12. Laboratory techniques, experiments    13. Science / Chemistry / Analytic    14. Scientific equipment & techniques, laboratory equipment   

Reviews (4)

Thorough, yet Concise Book on Waste Management
This is a really good book that I had to purchase for my graduate level Haz. and Waste Management class. My professor, Dr. Reimers, is THE top man in the country for Activated Sludge use, etc. I thought that the book would be boring, but I really learned a great deal from it. We had to do select homework problems from each chapter (some of which our teacher required a lot of detailed answers for), which weren't that bad. Overall, this book comes highly recommended!

designer's reference
Although this book is geared towards upper level engineering students, I found it extremely beneficial in my research as a graduate student in architecture.Architects and landscape architects interested in reclaiming the post-industrial landscape will find it to be a clear and concise guide to contaminants and remediation technologies.

A plug for ERM - pure and simple!
The titlle of the book implies that it has much to do with hazardous waste management, although in reality, it is more about remediation or site cleanup.Classic hazardous waste management deals with the MANAGEMENT of hazardous wastes within an industrial setting and how NOT to let it get into the media in the first place.In this regard, while the authors had the right intention, they fell short.For example, the chapter on environmental auditing was very weak and not given much attention, which is really at the heart of hazardous waste management.In addition, a troubling issue that took away from the book was the blatent self-promotion of ERM in the book, beginning with the foreward by Paul Woodruf, ERM's CEO, and the profuse listing of ERM self credits from editing to graphics.Who really authored the book, the authors listed, or ERM? ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Engineering - Civil    2. Environmental Engineering & Technology    3. Hazardous wastes    4. Life Sciences - Ecology - Recycling    5. Management    6. Science/Mathematics    7. Technology    8. Technology & Industrial Arts    9. Hazardous waste treatment & disposal    10. Technology / Engineering / Civil    11. Waste management