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For more details, or to request a copy for review, please contact: Gagandeep Singh, Senior Editor, +919646026201, gagandeep.singh@taylorandfrancis.com
I have written in my space of three decades of career a few books and publications. But I was always craving to craft a book on the subject of Environmental Management & Sustainability. I wanted to structure a book that could meet the needs of academia, professionals in practice and communities. I also wanted to position the efforts taken by the businesses, financing institutions, policy makers and regulators; compile some of the success stories and cite leadership examples. In addition, I thought that the book should serve as a textbook to run a 36-lecture post graduate course at the universities.
Since 2015 I started working on this project with CRC Press (Taylor & Francis Group). The task was arduous and challenging. It took several iterations of re-structuring and re-writing. Nothing is perfect when you write! And your quest to be good, often plays the devil! All of us have experienced this uneasy process when you want to create something different. You struggle.
In 2016 I suffered from a cardiac stroke and then several setbacks came along on the health front that led to interruptions and delays. I doggedly continued and finally the book was completed by August 2017 for processing at the publisher’s end. My last twenty years of consulting practice at my company – Environmental Management Centre LLP – greatly helped me in this endeavor. My colleagues at EMC played a key role in helping me to pull the examples, doing proof-reading and in referencing.
I am happy to inform you that the book will now be released by end of December 2017. I hope I will receive a set of copies of this book on my birthday – January 4, 2018!
The book has been structured in six Chapters. The first Chapter introduces the critical issues the world is facing today with relevant statistics, underscoring the importance of recognizing the nexus. The key concerns on polarization of population due to urbanization and skew in the global material flows are discussed. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are outlined highlighting importance of Resource Efficiency (RE) and Secondary Material Recycling (SMR). The Chapter ends by introducing the concept of Circular Economy (CE).
Chapter 2 introduces the stakeholders to sustainability such as G (government)-FI (financing institutions)-B (business)-C (community). It lists the key governing principles that need to be put into practice. Responses from the national governments at policy level are then described – introducing examples of constitutional provisions. Next, the planning related interventions are illustrated with case studies such as zoning, eco-cities, eco industrial parks or eco-towns. Regulatory frameworks are then dealt with, citing examples of standards and their evolution in the life cycle perspective.
Chapter 3 is devoted mainly to Development Financial Institutions (DFIs) and Private Sector Financial Institutions (PSFIs). Examples are cited of the operations at the World Bank and Asian Development Bank, followed by PSFIs who have adopted Equator Principles. This chapter also introduces various financial instruments, trends and opportunities such as Sustainable Stock Exchanges, Adaptation Funds and Green Bonds
Sustainability in the Business organizations (both manufacturing and services) is discussed in Chapters 4 and 5. While Chapter 4 introduces the strategies practiced by the business across the sectors and Chapter 5 presents more of sectoral experience with numerous case studies
In Chapter 6, the focus is on the role played by the communities. Communities play an extremely key role when it comes to achieving results on the ground. Sometimes the community plays a role as a watchdog, sometimes a facilitator and sometimes takes a leadership which we often call as Community Driven Development (CDD). Chapter 6 also underscores the importance of awareness, education, training and innovation. The topics such as Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and eco-entrepreneurship are also introduced in this context. The Chapter presents several case studies where social enterprises have been set up for the benefit of community at large. The importance of linkages between sustainability and innovation is brought out where we show how businesses and the governments along with the local community are moving on the path of innovation. The Chapter presents case studies that emphasize importance of partnerships across communities, government, financing institutions and the business.
The book uses around 140 examples/case studies in the form of boxes. In each box, there are discussion questions and references for further reading for the interest of the students and the faculty. I put considerable efforts and emphasis on examples and discussion questions as I thought that this feature would make understanding, learning and teaching more effective and interesting.
The book may be used as a textbook or a principal reference to design and conduct a 36-lecture course at graduate level on Environmental Management and Sustainability. The instructor could intersperse these lectures with practicums, discussion sessions and brainstorming events. For each of the case studies the book has the lead references given. So, the student is encouraged to go through the original references from where the case studies have been drawn and then discuss the case studies in much more detail.
One could also use the book selectively depending on the audience. The content of Chapters 4 and 5 which are little more focused like on Business could be used in combination with Chapter 1 (as an introduction) to conduct short term training programmes. Similar approach could be used to train offers of the government, financing institutions and the communities.
The book does not delve in detail on specific environmental management tools. However, concepts of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), practices in Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), ISO 14001 Environmental Management System (EMS), frameworks such as Sustainability Assessment of Technologies (SAT) are introduced. The book cites number of references to gives directions to the reader on how to deepen knowledge on some of these tools. The students and practioners are encouraged to follow the references. The instructor can even consider exposing the students further by setting up reading assignments and prepare notes. For example, students may be encouraged to do a study on the application of LCA on some of the interesting products like washing machine, or plastic bags and then present these assignments in a group work and share with each other the methodologies used.
I must say I was fortunate to receive consent of Dr Bindu Lohani, my doctoral research guide and Ex-Vice President of the Asian Development Bank in Manila to write the Foreword for the book. His words of encouragement in my book are a result of our long relationship over past 35 years!
This book in summary makes an attempt to present an interesting and useful compilation of experiences put in the perspectives of key stakeholders such as government, financing institutions, business and the communities. I do hope that you find this resource useful and help to put sustainability in practice.