TFIs third published reading list was inspired by Superstorm Sandy. The disastrous 2012 storm was a clear reminder that global products supply chains and customers are at the mercy of increasing disruptions arguably heightened by unsustainable practices by business and consumers alike. So, dont be surprised if in the titles of books that have recently influenced our thinking, you see words such as broke, revolution, enough, and melting.

With the title, Im Sorry I Broke Your Company, author Karen Phelan weaves humor into dozens of true corporate stories in which traditional approaches to supply-chain and leadership issues prove disastrous indeed. One story was about a literal disaster a fire at a clients manufacturing plant. By taking a collaborative approach to disaster recovery, Phelan actually aligned everyone in the supply chain resulting in faster order fulfillment than pre-fire levels. I had the pleasure of reviewing the books manuscript for Phelans and my mutual book publisher, Berrett-Koehler.

The Third Industrial Revolution doesnt disappoint readers of Jeremy Rifkins earlier books (The European Dream makes understandable why the EU was first to implement leading environmental regulations for electronic products). In his latest, Rifkin reminds us of the price weve paid for our first two industrial revolutions, and introduces us to what he calls the Third Industrial Revolution, which establishes the infrastructure for transitioning to an era of distributed energy and collaboration.

Enough is Enough: Building a Sustainable Economy in a World of Finite Resources (also published by Berrett-Koehler) refers to Prosperity without Growth? (featured in TFIs What Were Reading II), and its new set of economic principles for our future. In Enough, economists Rob Dietz and Dan ONeill start with a strong, rational case that economic growth strains our planets finite resources, and present an economic plan that can help move humanity toward a better future where sustainable and equitable human well-being is the goal, not economic growth. The tenets remind me of DfE Online(TM)s Reduction in the Use of Materials Resources section training electronics designers in dematerializing products to reduce both costs and environmental distress.

MELTING DOWN! is a fun, fast-paced book by TFIs colleague and DfE Online(TM) co-developer Dr. Harvey Stone. Warning: this is not a business book. This fabulous thriller / disaster / political novel has a fictional plot based on real-world facts and science vetted by a co-recipient of the 2007 Nobel Peace Price. It makes a dramatic point about the narrow margin between life as we know it and a disastrous future caused by industry and societys contributions to climate change. My husband (thriller-novel fan) and I read the final draft together (admittedly, Im not a thriller-novel fan, but I really love this book!).

Finally, a title Id like to mention that doesnt have any cataclysmic events but does have the word cancer in it was written by our client and friend Craig Pynn. One Mans Life-Changing Diagnosis: Navigating the Realities of Prostate Cancer is an award-winning book that sharply departs from Pynns previous books Strategies for Electronics Tests and The Low-Cost Test Handbook. I mention it here for two reasons: (1) reading it can be life-saving for men, and (2) when in Chapter 2 Pynn lists potential carcinogens causing cancer, Im reminded that reducing threats to human health is a key reason why responsible tech companies are embracing Design-for-Environment and other sustainability initiatives.

By Pamela J. Gordon, TFI Founder and Press.