Best sustainability & green design books according to redditors

I'm actually a town planner and while your idea may be well intentioned, it isn't rooted in any reality I'm aware of and the problems it would arise are too numerous to count. Over a century of town planning has worked on the best ways to structure cities considering transport, livability, economic efficiency, infrastructure efficiency ect and they've pretty much concluded the exact opposite of what you're suggesting.

All economic powerhouse economies are centered around large and dense urbanised cities and there are many good reasons for that. The big one being businesses want to be centrally located with access to the largest pool of skilled employees with efficient transport networks for goods and people. Decentralising everything into widely dispersed car-dependent business parks flies in the face of what a modern economy wants. Google just pulled out of the White Bay redevelopment because of the lack of mass transport options.

If you want a walkable CBD with no cars then how are people going to get there from their 2 acre home 50km away? Mass transport is out since they're only efficient in denser areas. So roads? That's how you build a car dependent sprawling mess where people sit in traffic all day, reducing worker productivity and quality of life along the way.

You'd need to sprawl suburbia endlessly outwards to cater for people living on such large lots and forget about parks and nature reserves, they'll be consumed by the sprawl. By living denser you free up the amount of space that can be used for public and national parks.

I could go on and on but if you actually want to know why your idea wouldn't work start out reading Jane Jacob's The Death and Life of American Cities which is the cornerstone for modern planning. Worth noting that environmental sustainability isn't addressed much since it was written in 1961 so if you want additional arguments for denser cities then David Owen's Green Metropolis is a good entry point.

Excluding activism: Stop flying. Cut down on red meat by 90%. After that, it depends more on how you in particular live (do you use heating or cooling? How do you commute, and what are the alternatives? What's your job? etc)

Here's a book about it, I haven't read it myself (yet).

The Handbook of Natural Plant Dyes is the book I use, great photos of dyes and how they will turn out using different mordants. Super useful! (I also did some extensive work figuring out how to get the best blue dye from black beans and blogged about it here.)

This book makes a great case that New York City is about the most environmentally friendly city in the country.

I buy into the case. It is the only city where over 50% of people take public transportation and a big chunk walk. So gasoline usage is about as low as you will find anywhere in the country. Electricity usage is also about as low as anywhere in the country because large buildings are more efficient to heat and cool.

Green Metropolis - For a good read.

Environmental Justice - For notes from legal cases.

The Environment Equation - For specific steps you can take.

No, they all have much smaller block sizes and narrower streets. Even though NYC's are fairly long in one dimension, there's s fair number of avenues in NYC that cut their blocks in half, much like the mid block streets I mentioned in SLC.

There's a few interesting books that talk about how the layout of streets affect the development of a city. Green Metropolis specifically talks about NYC and The Death and Life of Great American Cities talks generally about city planning.

beginner book

video series

youtube

If you want to learn about the basics of environmental engineering, you might try this book: http://www.amazon.com/Environmental-Engineering-Fundamentals-Sustainability-Design/dp/0470165057

My school used this in the intro ENVE class, and while a textbook, it reads pretty smoothly and is broad enough that it doesn't get too technical. This would give you a good overview of the different fields/concentrations within ENVE.

Edit: but again know that it is a textbook (equations and problems etc). I just think the text at the beginning of each chapter would be of interest to you as well as the overall range of topics.

None of these authors would probably call themselves modern communists but I do view them as such. Some of the material here goes into great depth to outline a possible post-scarcity scenario while some stay on the surface but are non the less a great read and great thinking exercices about a possible future.

​

Peter Joseph - The New Human Rights Movement: Realizing a New Train of Thought

https://www.amazon.com/New-Human-Rights-Movement-Reinventing-ebook/dp/B01M3NWW48/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1550425640&sr=8-1&keywords=peter+joseph+the+new+human+rights+movement

​

Jacque Fresco - The Best That Money Can't Buy

https://www.amazon.com/Best-That-Money-Cant-Buy-ebook/dp/B0773TB3GX/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1550425758&sr=8-2&keywords=jacque+fresco

​

Buckminster Fuller - Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth

https://www.amazon.com/Operating-Manual-Spaceship-Buckminster-Fuller-ebook-dp-B010R3HVOW/dp/B010R3HVOW/ref=mt_kindle?_encoding=UTF8&me=&qid=1550425647

​

Jeremy Rifkin - The Third Industrial Revolution: How Lateral Power Is Transforming Energy, the Economy, and the World

https://www.amazon.com/Third-Industrial-Revolution-Lateral-Transforming-ebook/dp/B005BOQBGW/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1550426107&sr=8-1

​

Peter Diamandis - Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think

https://www.amazon.com/Abundance-Future-Better-Than-Think-ebook/dp/B005FLOGMM/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1550426273&sr=8-1

​

Ray Kurzweil - The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Trenscend Biology

https://www.amazon.com/Singularity-Near-Humans-Transcend-Biology-ebook-dp-B000QCSA7C/dp/B000QCSA7C/ref=mt_kindle?_encoding=UTF8&me=&qid=

I looked up Kaki Hunter a few years ago. She and her husband ended up being big promoters of unusual homebuilding techniques. Here's one of her books

Brother wrote a book on this:
http://www.amazon.com/Edible-Estates-Attack-Front-First/dp/1933045744
Most friends thought it wasn't such a radical idea, but perhaps it is.

All the nicest dens do!

So I have not done any green building myself, but I've met a number of people who have. One of them wrote this book which I only browsed through but it is essentially a ground up guide to sustainable building techniques, mostly from an architectural standpoint I believe. There are other books like this that should be incredibly helpful in giving you an idea of what to build.

LEED Green Associate V4 Exam Complete Study Guide (Second Edition) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0994618018/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_fQeRDbVE15MR6

http://www.motherearthnews.com/renewable-energy/passive-annual-heat-storage-zmaz85zsie.aspx#axzz3L4TMf2D6

Passive annual heat storage is your solution. I met a guy that made his earth home so efficient his house started getting too warm because he didn't account for the extra heat generated from his appliances. I have John Hait's book and love it.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0615905889/ref=pd_aw_sbs_1?pi=SL500_SY115&simLd=1

You're welcome. It seemed that my own choices/experience lined up with the kind of place you were already picturing.

There is other stuff too -- but most of that is more in the form of "generic" home buying advice (i.e. make certain you get a REALLY GOOD home inspection done before signing, ideally you should be there WITH the guy as he inspects the place).

And in addition to the basics of "inspection" {blatant of big existing problems} you also want to checking for {and at least know about} things like what construction/material choices went into the place {watch out for particle board [bad] or OSB/chipboard [not so great] or plywood [better] or actual boards [best]; and look for PVC/CPVC [acceptable] or copper [best] supply line plumbing rather than Galvanized [bad] or blue Polybutylene [BAD] or even PEX [trendy/debtable], etc -- Cf http://plumbing.about.com/od/basics/tp/Types-Of-Pipe.htm -- Oh and note that copper has other advantages {antimicrobial, etc} that often aren't talked about, and that the other types of pipe lack; plus while PEX is "fast" and cheap to install, it's durability over decades is questionable {tends to get brittle is exposed to UV -- and not all vendors properly store their PEX out of sunlight -- tubing installed might work fine for 10 years, then become brittle and something triggers a break and suddenly start flooding the walls, and unlike copper, "patching" a section of pipe isn't really possible}).

Or other things like making certain the house ISN'T in some recently land-filled or the low-lying area (not just some "flood plain", but you want to avoid too much settling or shifting, not to mention seasonal "muck") -- ideally you should rather want the house itself to be located up a bit higher than much of the surrounding land, enough so that natural drainage will prevent "wet/damp basement" problems, and so on.

Also... especially if you're looking for exurban/rural "country" home & land... make certain you learn a bit about private wells, and private septic systems. Both so that you know what "inspections" should be done, as well as how to "live with" a small residential septic system -- people moving out from cities where they are used to city water/sewer, tend to NOT understand that a private well and private septic are DIFFERENT critters; for example, you don't use the toilet as a "garbage disposal" the way many city folk use their sewer system (at least not unless you want to have to rip out and replace your entire septic leech bed). Think about picking up one of the following (or similar):

• http://www.amazon.com/Septic-System-Owners-Manual/dp/0936070404/
  
  
• http://www.amazon.com/Country-Plumbing-Living-Septic-System/dp/0911469346/
  
  
• http://www.amazon.com/Septic-Systems-Slickers-Nancy-Martin/dp/0992367700/
  
  I'd do some additional reading (books or online) about building -- even if you're planning on buying something already existing rather than building your own place -- but keep in mind that a LOT of crap is focused on what is "trendy" and aesthetically appealing (i.e. resale "value" and/or spec home crap designed to get WOMEN to "fall in love" with "dream homes" and etc) rather than solid advice on livability/durability. Plus of course, most everything in the industry is aimed at "families" rather than single people (especially single MEN).. who are considered an unimportant/irrelevant and trivial market niche.

So pretty much the whole array.


I don't know if you're looking for academic books. But these two are what I'd go with. The first provides an overall intro to ENVE Eng with engineering based calculations, but covers all topics.

The second gets more in depth into design work and the theory behind certain equations and what they are used for.

Both together cover all the topics you mentioned. A little pricey, but both are among the books on my shelf.

Book 1

Book 2

Here is the desktop version of your link

I've been a fan of solar for decades, it's free energy that just falls on everything we own. It's almost literally like cash raining from the sky, and we mostly just sweep it up and throw it in the trash without using it. A square meter can have just over a thousand Watts of energy falling onto it under really good conditions, and even up here away from the equator it's pretty easy to catch 500-700 Watts with a square meter of PV. Solar water heating is even more cost-effective, and in fact, before the advent of natural gas pipeline distribution systems solar water heating was very popular and growing quickly.

Lots of info in this well-researched book:

https://www.amazon.com/Let-Shine-000-Year-Story-Energy-ebook/dp/B00E512102/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1522290009&sr=8-1&keywords=let+it+shine+history+of+solar+power

Did you know people were using solar heating principles four thousand years ago? If I were to recommend just one book on the subject of solar energy, I'd recommend this one.

I've removed this thread as this is all pretty broad, easy to find, hard to answer in a comment, or covered here plenty of times before.

> What loop/sample sites offer free samples/loops

You can find this with search

> What is the best way to fill in the buildup?

Listen to tracks you like and do what they do

> Anything to take into account with vocoders and vocaloids?

Learn how they work and where vocals sit in a mix

> Is there anything I should know about mixing&plastering as well?

There are entire books about this, such as this and this and this ;)

You're welcome to post all of these in our regular "there are no stupid questions" threads; there should be a new one today. Best of luck and don't be afraid to research and just try things!

They grow banana trees and other tropical fruits inside the earthships in Taos, New Mexico. I'm not sure what climate zone that is, but it does get below zero in the winter. The design of the house keeps it 70 degrees inside all winter without heating. You can build an earth sheltered greenhouse in such a way that the surrounding mass of earth absorbs heat during the summer months and releases heat during the winter. It is possible to maintain pretty much whatever temperature you desire by adjusting the average annual temperature inside the greenhouse through venting or earth tubes.

Check out John Hait's book "Passive Annual Heat Storage," he does a really good job of explaining the science behind the concept, and how to build it without making some key mistakes. Here's a link to the book on Amazon:
http://amzn.com/0615905889

It is also possible to use earthworks as "sun traps." Think of a large U shaped berm, maybe 20 feet tall, oriented so the U opens towards the sun/south and with heat absorbing materials around the inside. Large boulders work great for absorbing heat, you can even build a rock wall to reflect light/heat toward the center of the U. In front of the berm you can build a pond to reflect light/heat into the U. All of these elements combine to create a micro-climate in the center of the U that is much warmer than the surrounding environment. I recently went to Paul Wheaton's land, where he is building something like this in hopes of being able to grow a lemon tree in Montana. Sepp Holzer has been growing citrus at high altitude in the Alps for years using these methods.

Another variation is the crater garden, which is exactly that, a large below grade garden in a crater like hole. The humidity from the plants inside the crater raises the temperature of the air, creating a warmer miocro-climate.

https://www.amazon.com/LEED-MOCK-EXAMS-Explanations-Certification/dp/1612650198/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1466265945&sr=8-3&keywords=leed+ga+v4

Is a great book to pass.

You need this:

https://www.amazon.com/Septic-System-Owners-Manual/dp/0936070404/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1523974654&sr=8-1&keywords=septic+system+owners+manual&dpID=6161zjPsUoL&preST=_SX218_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch

I toured the author's greenhouse in the high mountains of CO. Pretty crazy to see bananas growing in a place that gets many feet of snow in the winter. https://www.amazon.com/Forest-Garden-Greenhouse-Design-Permaculture/dp/1603584269

Some of what you are saying is correct, bad regulation plays a large role, but the solution is better regulation, not less. It is cheaper for builders to build out instead of up, building out has all of the problems of sprawl without the efficiencies of dense urban centers.

So this is not a problem that free markets can solve on their own, in states/areas with limited zoning/development planning the default is suburban development, it's cheaper.

I think you might also be mixing up styles of development/zoning planning, yes cities like SF have stupid height limits, and barriers on density... but suburban places have just the opposite, so like I said the problem is not regulation and the need for the free market, the problem is bad regulation. No regulation can go either way, yes maybe some dense development, but also the possibility of tenement slums and unsafe conditions, think no fire code, no sanitation requirements etc... or really spread out expensive (an unsafe) if it encroaches on wildlands with fires.

​

Check out this book The green metropolis its all about dense urban development and how it is better than what alot of our zoning right now promotes.

I'd amend my above post to say **good** energy analysts take carbon leakage and the like into account. And those analyses still show urban centers as being more environmentally friendly, especially after controlling for income.

Dense cities are much better for the environment than suburbs, and usually quite a bit better than rural areas. https://www.amazon.com/Green-Metropolis-Smaller-Driving-Sustainability/dp/1594484848