Strategic Environmental Assessment in Action. Riki Therivel. 2004. Earthscan/James & James, London. 288 pp. $110 hardcover, $39.95 paperback.

Environmental impact assessment (EIA) of policies, plans, and programs is required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and implementing regulations, but it is not recognized as a specialty subset of NEPA practice by any specific guidelines. NEPA practitioners in the United States call it “programmatic review.” Programmatic documents are recognized by the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) in the weekly list of Environmental Impact Statements (EISs) received, published in the Federal Register on Fridays.

Environmental Decision Making and Risk Management: Selected Essays by Ian Langford. R. K. Turner, S. Georgiou, and I. J. Bateman, eds. 2004. Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd., Cheltenham, UK, and Northampton, MA. 307 pp. $115 hardback.

Environmental risk assessment and risk management have always been hampered by three types of uncertainty: the external or objective uncertainty inherent in the limits of scientific knowledge, the internal or subjective uncertainty introduced by cultural or institutional bias, and the lack of precision in the analytical tools at our disposal. These uncertainties, in turn, have hindered efforts at policy development and, some would argue, made the public skeptical of program proposals based on such analyses. This collection of essays, authored or coauthored by Ian Langford of the University of East Anglia, breaks new ground in both the treatment of introduced bias and the improvement of analytical methods, thereby greatly strengthening the analytical underpinnings of public policy.

Defending Wild Washington: A Citizen's Action Guide. E. Whitesell, ed. 2004. The Mountaineers Books, Seattle. 384 pp. $19.95 paperback.

Good advice on saving wild Washington: Buy this book! Not only is it an invaluable guide to the practical politics of protecting wilderness areas in Washington State, but it also provides a comprehensive overview of the state's geography, environmental history, complex and diverse ecology, and rich history of environmental activism. Of most importance, Defending Wild Washington provides sound and useful advice on what can and should be done now to protect Washington's remaining wilderness areas. This work is the impressive product of a team of students at The Evergreen State College, led by Environmental Studies faculty member Edward Whitesell and visiting professor Benjamin Shaine, who did extensive research on virtually every key aspect of Washington State's ecology. Defending Wild Washington is especially powerful and instructive in telling the individual stories of the long-term, passionate work of environmental activists, past and present, in protecting and reviving Washington's wild places.

Military Geographies. R. Woodward. 2004. Blackwell Publishing, Williston, VT. 196 pp. $39.95 paperback.

Military impacts tend to summon images associated with the ravages of conflict: landscapes worn by battle, ruined buildings turned into rubble, and the horrifying magnitude of people killed. Preparation for armed conflict, however, is an endless operation that takes place on different fields. In Military Geographies, Rachel Woodward explores the imprint of military preparedness on the economic, social, and political life, with the hope of improving the study of non-conflict military geography in research and teaching. The themes covered in the book include (1) geographies of control over space, (2) military economic geographies, (3) militarized environments, (4) military landscapes, and (5) challenges to military geographies. These themes focus predominantly on the United Kingdom's military, with few examples from the United States and other countries with advanced capitalist economies.

Site Plan and Development Review: A Guide for Northern New England. Robert M. Sanford and Dana H. Farley. 2004. Putney Press, Newfane, VT. 258 pp. $34.95 paperback.

The challenge of Environmental Planning is both the complexity of the process and the myriad backgrounds of the individuals involved in the process. Sanford and Farley's book attempts to put everyone on the same page, at least in regard to understanding the components of the planning process and bringing a semblance of clarity and organization to the review of site plans. With developing communities bucking strong private property proponents and the “powers that be” hurrying to make the most out of those hot development areas, the planning professional and the affected citizen can best be served by a document that is in-depth and yet easily understood. Sketches of planning solutions and engineering drawings of the more technical aspects of design are frequently used to show the reader just how a planning outcome might be implemented.

Environmental Biotechnology: Concepts and Applications. Hans-Joachim Jördening and Josef Winter, eds. 2005. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York. 488 pp. $160 cloth.

Environmental Biotechnology: Concepts and Applications, edited by Hans-Joachim Jördening and Josef Winter, is the most recent of six Wiley environmental and wastewater microbiology titles published since 1999. The Environmental Biotechnology title is strategic, differing from other entries with titles including such key phrases as Wastewater Microbiology and Environmental Microbiology. These latter phrases are clearer because they evoke accurately the content of the books, whereas the title of the book under review here suggests that cutting-edge technologies—most notably genetic engineering—are included, yet genetic engineering is virtually unrepresented in the book. In the context of five previous Wiley titles and many related titles by other publishers, the main issue facing this reviewer is not whether the book is good (it is), but whether it represents a worthy addition to alternative books in print, especially in view of its hefty price (cloth price: $160 for 488 pages).

Environmental Protection and the Social Responsibility of Firms: Perspectives for Law, Economics, and Business. B. L. Hay, R. N. Stavins, and R. H. K. Vietor, eds. 2005. RFF Press, Washington, DC. 240 pp. $80 cloth, $39.95 paperback.

In the 2005 text, Environmental Protection and the Social Responsibility of Firms, editors Bruce Hay, Robert Stavins, and Richard Vietor examine an issue that has existed for some time in its various iterations but only recently has gained renewed exposure under the buzzword “Corporate Social Responsibility,” or CSR. The editors employ a variety of authorities in various CSR-related areas to examine the three central questions of the work. First, do firms have a moral or social responsibility to commit resources to voluntary environmental protection, even if these voluntary efforts might reduce the company's overall earnings or profitability? Second, can such firms commit these voluntary resources on an ongoing, sustainable basis, or will market forces render such efforts implausible? Finally, do firms in general tend to engage in CSR-related activities and, if so, at what “cost”?

Without a Tear: Our Tragic Relationship with Animals. M. H. Bernstein. 2004. University of Illinois Press, Champaign. 207 pp. $35 cloth, $25 paperback.

This is perhaps the most difficult book I've read in my whole life. It is certainly the most difficult review. The title, in part, will clue you in as to why this book is such a challenge to read and review. Our Tragic Relationship with Animals is a book with more controversy, baggage, and emotion than most readers of Environmental Practice may have encountered with any other topic. I am reminded of Robert Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Pirsig, you may recall, was institutionalized after he allowed his mind to chase too many rabbits as he pursued a definition of quality in his own version of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. This current book is a bit like a literary maze … trail after trail is explored and each subsequent dead-end encountered in search of common justifications for harm to animals. The book is on a maddening search-and-destroy mission. Working as if in a furious video game, the villainous components of historical and contemporary philosophy are vanquished! The author might declare, “Mission accomplished”; this reviewer would reply, “Not so fast!”

Contributors.

Turning the Corner? A Reader in Contemporary Transport Policy. Francis Terry, ed. 2004. Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, UK. 209 pp. $34.95 paperback.

According to the Associated Press, a poll commissioned recently by a non-profit organization found that 20% of all Americans think the First Amendment to the Constitution guarantees them the right to drive a car.1 While this finding may make us chuckle, it should also give us pause, because it points out the magnitude of the problem faced by transportation planners in their efforts to ease congestion. And each year, even as commute times increase and traffic gets worse, vehicle ownership and vehicle-miles traveled continue to spiral upward.

Nanotechnology: Environmental Implications and Solutions. Louis Theodore and Robert G. Kunz. 2005. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York. 278 pp. $99 cloth.

The publisher states that this book is “written by two highly accomplished environmental professionals” and that it “brings scientists, engineers, and policymakers up to speed on the current state of knowledge in this vitally important area.”

The Aesthetics of Everyday Life. Andrew Light and Jonathan M. Smith, eds. 2005. Columbia University Press, New York. 224 pp. $24.50 paperback.

The Aesthetics of Everyday Life is a collection of 11 philosophical essays, five of which are pertinent for this journal's readership. It is a book more concerned with theory than with practice. Effort is made in this volume to provoke discussion and perhaps inaugurate a new field, or at least sub-field, of aesthetics.

Social Assessment: Theory, Process and Techniques, 3rd Edition. C. Nicholas Taylor, C. Hobson Bryan, and Colin G. Goodrich. 2004. Social Ecology Press, Middleton, WI. 194 pp. $16.95 paperback.

The authors of Social Assessment: Theory, Process and Techniques have done a remarkable job with a very complicated topic, crafting a fine book with potential for use as a text in an academic setting or as a guidebook in an applied setting. With but a few exceptions, the text is well organized. Beginning with the first chapter, the authors carefully define the topic and present it in a contemporary context where social assessment is most commonly used as a means to assess the impacts or effects a proposed project may have on people, community, and culture. As the authors point out, these assessments are often part of a formal Environmental Impact Assessment or are undertaken to fulfill a requirement similar to those common to the United States' National Environmental Policy Act. The first chapter moves quickly from a basic definition into a critical appraisal of the process and its use as a tool for understanding the impact of change on people, community, and society. This chapter has immediate appeal for the academic and the practitioner alike.

Documentation Strategies for Environmental Writers: Entries Reprinted from the Franklin Covey Style Guide (1997). L. H. Freeman and The Shipley Group, Inc. 2004. The Shipley Group, Woods Cross, UT. 126 pp., spiral bound.

Environmental professionals find writing skills an increasingly important part of their work, and for that work this book is an essential guide. It comes from a well-known consulting firm, The Shipley Group. The book is a ready desk and travel companion: spiral bound, 8½ × 11, and only 126 pages (including an index).

Environmental Law Handbook, 18th Edition. Thomas F. P. Sullivan, ed. 2005. Government Institutes, Rowman & Littlefield, Inc., Blue Ridge Summit, PA. 908 pp. $99 hardcover.

If a reference book makes it to its 18th Edition and has been serving its audience for over 32 years, recognition of its value needs to be accorded the editor and contributors from the outset. If it weren't for their talent and sensitivity to the needs of their audience, this milestone would not have been achieved.

Illustrated Dictionary and Resource Directory of Environmental & Occupational Health, 2nd Edition. Herman Koren. 2005. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL. 702 pp. $139.95 hardcover.

According to the Foreword, the 1st Edition contained 7,500 entries, whereas this 2nd Edition contains 16,000; clearly, a substantial upgrading has been accomplished in response to a professional need. As the Introduction eloquently describes the field, “Environmental and occupational health is not a single topic, but rather a colorful, complex, and diversified range of interrelated subjects including all the basic sciences, engineering, computer science, government, disease, injury identification, prevention, and control.” It goes on to list a plethora of other subtopics that are covered. Considering the facts presented thus far, this volume should be an exhaustive compilation of information critical to the effectiveness of the environmental, health, and safety professional. The inclusion or exclusion of a particular term is not an objective of this review; of particular importance are the readability, accessibility, completeness, and user friendliness, which are critical factors in creating a usable, reliable reference volume.

Environmental Instrumentation and Analysis Handbook. R. D. Down and J. H. Lehr. 2005. John Wiley and Sons, Hoboken, NJ. 1,068 pp. $150 cloth.

This compendium of information, containing 1,013 pages of text and 53 pages of index, is a comprehensive and authoritative reference work. In its six sections and 44 chapters, virtually all aspects of the field are covered, including Waste Water Monitoring, Air Monitoring, Flow Monitoring, and Ground Water Monitoring. The preface reads, “More than three dozen talented environmental professionals who are experienced and adept at extracting the most telling and accurate data from the ‘field’ have come together in this book to catalog nearly all the equipment and techniques that are available to modern scientists, engineers, and technicians.” This is perhaps the most appropriate description of the text.

Sustainability on Campus: Stories and Strategies for Change. Peggy F. Barlett and Geoffrey W. Chase, eds. 2004. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA. 327 pp. $23.95 paperback.

Will the 21st century see a transformation in American institutions, leading to a more sustainable future? Will our universities play a leading role in this “sustainability” movement? The authors of Sustainability on Campus argue in the affirmative that higher education has the potential to be the leverage point for change. Barlett and Chase attempt to justify their optimism through 16 stories in which 21 activist authors document their personal efforts to engage their respective campuses. The stated goal of this collection of narratives is to provide readers interested in greening their own universities not only with ideas, values, options, and theoretical perspectives but also with practical tools, skills, and motivation.

Contributors.

Tiger Bone & Rhino Horn: The Destruction of Wildlife for Traditional Chinese Medicine. R. Ellis. 2005. Shearwater Books of Island Press, Washington, DC. 294 pp. $17.99 cloth.

Richard Ellis, a research associate at the American Museum of Natural History and celebrated author and artist, presents an intriguing and (quite unfortunately) timely and relevant look at a major cause of the loss of many species worldwide: Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). The volume is meant for lay readers with interests in natural history and conservation, and the prose is, thankfully, devoid of technical jargon. Yet the information is up-to-date and comprehensive enough to offer something new for those of us who have looked at various aspects of Asian wildlife markets professionally.