Sustainability by Design: A Subversive Strategy for Transforming Our Consumer Culture [Paperback]

John R. Ehrenfeld (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 25, 2009

The developed world, increasingly aware of “inconvenient truths” about global warming and sustainability, is turning its attention to possible remedies—eco-efficiency, sustainable development, and corporate social responsibility, among others. But such measures are mere Band-Aids, and they may actually do more harm than good, says John Ehrenfeld, a pioneer in the field of industrial ecology. In this deeply considered book, Ehrenfeld challenges conventional understandings of “solving” environmental problems and offers a radically new set of strategies to attain sustainability.

 

The book is founded upon this new definition: sustainability is the possibility that humans and other life will flourish on Earth forever. There are obstacles to this hopeful vision, however, and overcoming them will require us to transform our behavior, both individually and collectively. Ehrenfeld identifies problematic cultural attributes—such as the unending consumption that characterizes modern life—and outlines practical steps toward developing sustainability as a mindset. By focusing on the “being” mode of human existence rather than on the unsustainable “having” mode we cling to now, he asserts, a sustainable world is within our reach.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"'Sustainability by Design, authored by John Ehrenfeld, may be and certainly should be one of the most important books of the 21st century.' Janice Pryor, Host of WUMB's, The Commonwealth Journal 'Ehrenfeld presents a unique perspective on the subject of sustainability that needs to be taken seriously by anyone who claims to talk about the subject.' H. Thomas Johnson, Portland State University"

About the Author

John R. Ehrenfeld, who before his retirement was affiliated with the MIT Center for Technology, Policy, and Industrial Development and the Departments of Chemical Engineering and Civil and Environmental Engineering, now serves as executive director of the International Society for Industrial Ecology and is senior research scholar at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. In 1999 he became the first recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the World Resources Institute. He lives in Lexington, MA.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press (August 25, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300158432
• ISBN-13: 978-0300158434
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.7 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #121,378 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Thinking for a Change October 12, 2008

By Matthew E. May

Format:Hardcover

Mr. Ehrenfeld offers a broadly appealing and immediately accessible definition of sustainability: "sustainability is the possibility that humans and other life will flourish on the Earth forever."

Now isn't that what we really want? And to address this higher view of things, don't you necessarily need to think more deeply about the issue than simply neutralizing a negative situation--which is what virtually every other book in this genre attempts to do?

That's what I like about this book, that Ehrenfeld takes a systems look at a systemic issue. He looks at mindset -- the subtitle is "A Subversive Strategy for transforming Our Consumer Culture" -- and that's what is so attractive.

Ehrenfeld, formerly of MIT (a noted breeding ground for systems thinkers), is executive director of the International Society for Industrial Ecology and senior research scholar at Yale's School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, and you can tell he's been thinking about this for a long tim. It shows in how he approaches the challenge of sustainability. For example, he uses words and phrases that resonate will resonate with anyone who is interested in a more mindful approach to a complex issue. "Reflection" is the first threshold to cross, he says. And he talks about "structures," which appeals to my sense of the importance in properly framing problems. And he talks about "nurturing possibility."

You see, we too often incorrectly ask the question "What are the alternatives" before we ask "What is possible?"

If you're a fan of Peter Senge (who writes the Foreword) and The Fifth Discipline like I am, you'll enjoy the author's foray into single and double loop thinking. From there, he looks at root cause, that being an addiction to resources (a phrase I often use!) linked to the cultures of consumption in the modern, industrialized world. And then he offers his definition of sustainability, and the whole construct hangs together quite nicely.

Woven throughout the book is a subtext of respect, of simply caring about others and the world we live in enough to wrap our designs around that thought in a very purposeful way. If only we could hold that core value tightly enough, hold on to the tension created between where we are and where we need to be, our designs -- our innovation processes and innovative outcomes -- would go far in moving the planet toward a sustainable vision of the future.

And that future, the author says, does not have "a revolution waiting in the wings," because he does not believe "that such a revolution would necessarily be the best change mechanism."

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, provocative work. April 25, 2009

By Nicholas A. Russell

Format:Hardcover

Bought this book for my Energy and Society class. It is the last of four books we read this semester, and was an excellent conclusion to the course. The author addresses the root causes of energy scarcity and provides a basic framework for sustainability in which the human race can ultimately thrive.
5/5 Stars

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Sustainability by Design, by John R. Ehrenfeld December 31, 2011

By Edward J. Garrity

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

John R. Ehrenfeld takes an ambitious, difficult path to move the reader's mindset from the current, consumer-crazed culture to the necessary mental model - the post-consumer-crazed, sustainability mindset.

This is a necessary book for those truly interested in "true sustainability." The major use of the term sustainability in today's culture refers to incremental changes made by corporations to make their products, processes and services less wasteful (doing good) while also saving money and earning additional revenue (doing well). But incremental changes by companies, while necessary (to buy time) is insufficient if the consumer mindset is not also changed. Our current mindset or mental model drives growth, the true underlying problem behind sustainability. Technology changes make short-run positive benefits, but as every system dynamics modeler knows, without tackling the underlying problem of growth such technology changes merely enable growth to proceed further. To the extent that people believe "the hype behind going green" then the current sustainability initiatives by companies can actually make the problem worse, ... by diverting attention away from the necessary changes required in our own consuming and cultural behavior.
Ehrenfeld lays out the deep intellectual basis for our future sustainability mindset. So, if you are not "up to" deep reflecting on our current culture, if you want a quick fix or the 5-steps your company can take now to be more profitable then don't buy this book. On the other hand, if you are searching for answers and want to have a better understanding of the true problem then this book should be a part of your collection. In fact, Ehrenfeld also goes a step further and supplies a path to change through the enhanced design of products (and institutional design issues). Both the underpinning of the current consumer mindset and the new path are well researched with a rich set of references.
In summary, this is not your typical sustainability book. But, it will be found on the bookshelves of all of the critical thinkers who will help move sustainability forward.