Army Corps of Engineers Responsible for Damage from Katrina

In a groundbreaking decision Wednesday, a federal judge ruled that the Army Corps of Engineers' mismanagement of an enormous shipping channel was directly responsible for flood damage to homes and businesses in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. The decision favored three homeowners and a business owner who now stand to receive $700,000 in damages from the U.S. government. At the heart of the case is the mismanaged shipping channel called the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet, or "Mister Go." Called the "hurricane highway" by locals, Mister Go was built by the army corps with the strong support of political and economic interests and against the warnings of scientists and conservationists.

The story of MRGO has been chronicled in the new book Catastrophe in the Making: The Engineering of Katrina and the Disasters of Tomorrow by William Freudenburg, Shirley Laska, Robert Gramling, and Kai Erikson.

Related: Robert Gramling's blog post on the MR-GO.

Doug Bevington Extols the Virtues of Grassroots Environmental Efforts

Doug Bevington, author of The Rebirth of Environmentalism, explains how successful environmental grassroots can succeed.

Jerry Yudelson Explains the Advantages of Green Building

If you missed our green building webinar with Jerry Yudelson, don't worry--you can download the free video replay here.

GreenWorks Book Club

If you're looking for great deals on green building books, this is the place to start. USGBC members get discounts of up to 40% on book club titles, which cover the latest trends in the blossoming field of green building.

Poisoned for Pennies Author Frank Ackermann and Ignition Contributor Eban Goodstein Have Op-Ed in The Washington Post

Learn from Frank Ackermann and Eban Goodstein how we can save the planet in their October 23 article in The Washington Post. We need to greatly reduce our overall carbon emissions and it "turns out that 450 ppm is so 2005." Read the full article.

Public Produce Author Darrin Nordahl on The Diane Rehm Show

Don't miss Darrin Nordahl's take on how urban agriculture can feed the hungry, help build communities, and promote entrepreneurship Wednesday, October 21 at 11AM EST.

Learn more here, or download the audio files here (Windows Media, Real Audio).

Don't Be Such a Scientist Author Randy Olson on NPR's "Talk of the Nation"

Scientists and environmentalists often have trouble catching the public's attention. Randy Olson goes on NPR's "Talk of the Nation" to explain why scientists need to pair their substance with some style.

Listen to the entire interview and read an excerpt from Don't Be Such a Scientist here.

Island Press Editor Elinor Ostrom Wins Nobel Prize

Elinor Ostrom, editor of Protecting the Commons, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economic Science for her research on common spaces. She shares this year's prize with Oliver Williamson.

Read more here.

Catastrophe in the Making at Octavia Books

Learn more about Catastrophe in the Making.

Why Island Press?

What makes us special? Why support Island Press? Find out here!

Watch and share this video on Vimeo and Youtube.

In Praise of Predators on the New York Times Wild Side Blog

"I thought I’d declare October to be Predator Appreciation Month. For although such beasts are not, these days, a problem for most of us humans, predators remain a powerful force in the lives of many of our fellow creatures."

Full post here.

Related from Island Press:
Large Carnivores and the Conservation of Biodiversity
Coexisting with Large Carnivores
Desert Puma
Life in the Valley of Death

Island Press Author Joseph Romm one of Time's "Heroes of the Environment 2009"

"A physics Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Romm, 49, clearly has brains to spare. He combines that intellect with a strong sense of moral outrage. He also possesses a Jon Stewart-like quality for pointing out the absurdity of his opponents.

His Climate Progress blog is the perfect vehicle for this son of a newspaper editor. ... It's "excellent and indispensable," as New York Times columnist — and new green champion — Thomas Friedman likes to say."

Romm has written Cool Companies and The Hype About Hydrogen for Island Press. Read the Time profile here.

Ecosystem-Based Management for the Oceans Reviewed in Science Magazine

"Ecosystem-Based Management for the Oceans heralds a timely call for action. Ocean scientists, resource managers, and policymakers should take careful note of the volume and connected developments. They chart a critical new course for marine management--steering us away from destruction and toward a bountiful future for Earth's oceans."

Read it here (print, PDF)

Planetizen Names 11 Island Press Authors in its 100 "Top Urban Thinkers"

8 Leon Krier
10 Jan Gehl
11 Nikos A. Salingaros
13 Ian McHarg
19 Peter Calthorpe
42 Kaid Benfield
53 Christopher B. Leinberger
56 Saskia Sassen
84 Emily Talen
96 Timothy Beatley
99 William Fulton

Full list here.

Island Press Featured in the New York Times

"The proliferation of material online has made credible sources of environmental guidance all the more important.
[...]
Orrin H. Pilkey Jr., a coastal geologist at Duke University who is a co-author of “The Rising Sea,” an Island Press book out this summer, praised the “detailed and thoughtful editing” the manuscript received from its editor.
[...]
Publishers like Island Press, added [Clare Brauman Ferraro, president of Viking Penguin], 'identify causes, trends, very often before the rest of us, and they can do it with people who may not be obvious trade book authors.' [Island Press President Chuck] Savitt said he had faith in the future of books, as instruments of knowledge. 'Deep ideas have rarely been developed, no matter what field you are going to talk about, outside of a book,' he said."

Read the whole story here.

Randy Olson Talks About Don't Be Such a Scientist

Scientist-turned-filmmaker Randy Olson talks about his new book, "Don't Be Such a Scientist: Talking Substance in an Age of Style."

More Island Press News Pacific Institute President Peter Gleick deplores the "War on Rationality" Food historian Gary Nabhan on the benefits of real-world seed cultivation and replanting Unquenchable author Robert Glennon on water shortages and solutions Food Historian Gary Nabhan on NPR's "Morning Edition" Nature's Services Author Gretchen Daily Honored for Saving Biodiversity Robert Glennon on The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Earth Island Institute retrospective of Paul Ehrlich's career Earth Island Institute reviews More: Nature, Population and What Women Want Nature reviews Heatstroke: Nature in an Age of Global Warming Click here to watch the replay of our climate change live chat Heatstroke: Nature in an Age of Global Warming Author Anthony Barnosky on Wisconsin Public Radio The Washington Post reviews Heatstroke: Nature in an Age of Global Warming New Scientist review of Heatstroke: Nature in an Age of Global Warming

Expert Profile: Callum Roberts Roberts is Professor of Marine Conservation at the University of York in England. He is a prolific author and researcher, and has advised the US, British, and Caribbean governments on the creation of marine reserves. He authored The Unnatural History of the Sea for Island Press in 2007. Find more experts. »

Green Building in the Face of the Economic Downturn

Watch Jerry Yudelson, author of The Green Building Revolution, describe how green building may thrive in the face of the economic downturn. Yudelson also recently revealed his “Top Ten” list of green building trends for 2009. He says green building will continue to grow in spite of the global credit crisis and the ongoing economic recession.

Read Yudelson's Top Ten list »