Innovations in Sustainabilit

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

To what extent can competition between companies encourage innovations in sustainability that have the potential to solve some of the world's major challenges? Using a series of case studies, this book pits closely related competitors against each other to examine the progress in and obstacles to the evolution of sustainable innovations in energy efficiency, solar power, electric vehicles and hybrids, wind energy, healthy eating, and agricultural productivity. It delves into the efforts of Tesla Motors to bring about a revolution in personal transportation, and the challenges Toyota and General Motors (GM) confront in commercializing hybrids. It explores the movement to healthy food by cereal companies General Mills and Kellogg's, and depicts the battles between Whole Foods and Walmart for the world's palate. By examining the experiences that particular businesses have had with sustainable innovation, this insightful book reflects upon lessons learned and encourages readers to think carefully about the challenges that lie ahead.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

This book is touted as an innovative approach to looking at big business decisions on making Earth and its growing population more sustainable by examining the actions of major competitors in the fuel and food sectors. Unfortunately, it falls far short of its promise. Each chapter faces off major players in various energy and food sectors with descriptions of their business moves and the context in which their decisions were made. However, there is no insightful analysis or commentary on how their decisions and actions influenced society, the sector, or other companies' decisions. Each chapter ends instead with a short paragraph containing a series of questions that Marcus (Univ. of Minnesota) thinks the reader should consider. It is an unsatisfying and annoying read, overall, that leaves readers wondering why they slogged through the detailed descriptions of what happened as opposed to learning about the broader implications and next steps. The lack of analysis, implications, and the meaning of the actions in a broader context is a wasted opportunity to illuminate the issues of how industry can work toward helping achieve a more sustainable future for people and business. Summing Up: Not recommended. --Barbara Ransom, formerly, University of California, San Diego