Among the summer reading recommendations shared by faculty and staff from across ASU in a recent ASU News article are several from the ASU Wrigley Institute.

Distinguished Sustainability Scientist Chuck Redman believes it is important to have a deeper understanding of poverty (for those of us lucky enough not to have experienced it firsthand), and suggests several books that could contribute to this. He was seriously moved by “Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America” by Barbara Ehrenreich, a writer who attempted to adopt the lifestyle of the working poor herself.

Redman adds that there are a variety of books on climate change that have reached the mass market and are quite readable. A bit more academic is Tim Flannery’s “The Weather Makers,” which tries to put the history, science and future into context. A bit less academic is Thom Hartmann’s “The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight.”

Brigitte Bavousett, a student recruitment and retention specialist for the School of Sustainability, requires Sustainable Cities students to read David Orr's “The Nature of Design.” Although 13 years old and a "classic" in the field of sustainability, Bavousett says it is very thought-provoking and relevant to current concerns. The variety of topics ranges from "slow knowledge" to "loving children."