Cradle to cradle —
Remaking the Way We Make Things
William McDonough, Michael Braungart
North Point Press, 193 pp., 2002

The authors, an architect and a chemist, demonstrate the importance of considering a "complete life cycle" when developing products and services, in order to insure true eco-effectiveness.

Wouldn't it be great if?
John Thackara
Dott 07 / Design Council, 102 pp., 2007

These are case studies that stem from a UK-based grassroots initiative concerned with environmental sustainability, and the contribution that design can make towards this positive goal. They focus on five domains of action: Movement, Energy, Schools, Health, and Food.

The Reflective Practitioner —
How Professionals Think in Action
Donald A. Schön
Basic Books, 374 pp., 1983

A journey into the heart of practitioner intuition, this book investigates the rift that exists between academic knowledge and knowledge gained or developed in practice; it explores the notion of "reflexion-in-action".

Fostering Sustainable Behavior — An Intro. to Community-Based Social Marketing
Doug McKenzie-Mohr, William Smith
New Society Publishers, 176 pp., 1999

This book presents tools, other than traditionnal legislative approaches or conventional marketing, to encourage long-lasting sustainable behavior through community-based action: this is coined as social marketing.

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In the bubble — designing in a complex world
John Thackara
MIT Press, 321 pp., 2008

Author John Thackara suggests "a world based less on stuff and more on people". He rethinks how objects, systems and technology can play a supporting role in a people-centered world; how services, not things, can be designed to help people carry out their activities.

The Greenpeace Green Living Guide
Amy Katz
Greenpeace Canada, 209 pp., 2007

This is a valuable reference for taking practical action to protect the environment. From your garden to your floor coverings, to special events, this is how to live green.

Design Research — Methods and Perspectives
Brenda Laurel, editor
MIT Press, 334 pp., 2003

A collection of 40 essays that demonstrate how design research can make our profession more muscular, relevant, and influencial.