Berkshire Encyclopedia of Sustainability

This is the first volume of an interdisciplinary reference--intended for students and the general public--devoted to environmental challenges. In her introduction publisher Karen Christensen discusses the planning and thinking behind the project, which will comprise ten volumes when completed in 2011. She explains some of the decisions regarding how to focus and organize the material, and formulation of the goals of presenting general knowledge, providing specific information not readily accessible outside the academic community, and connecting information with opportunities for individual involvement. It's a tall order, but the fruits of this endeavor will no doubt be widely useful. This first volume on the spirit of sustainability was prepared in collaboration with the Forum on Religion and Ecology (FORE), Yale Divinity School (with which editor Jenkins is affiliated). The 147 articles address a selection of carefully chosen topics such as African diasporan religions, bioethics, Christianity (of various types), fundamentalism, paganism, and sin and evil, to name just a few. The signed entries are typically one or two pages in length, each beginning with an abstract and ending with a further reading list. Upcoming volumes will be devoted to business, law and politics, natural resources, ecosystems management, measurements and indicators, China and India, the Americas and Oceania, Afro-Eurasia, and the future of sustainability. Annotation c2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)