By Ashley Bouman

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope

By William Kamkwamba

Hard struggles and a passion for change charge the tale of William Kamkwamba's life in a small agricultural village in Malawi. As a boy, he was amazed by electricity and had hopes of going to boarding school, but a country-wide famine prevented him from doing so. The solution? Self-education at a local library. From there Kamkwamba found inspiration in the book Using Energy and decided his goal would be bringing electricity to the people of his village. He was ridiculed and called crazy - or missal - but even that did not deter him.

The story is compelling, with an in-depth look into a culture that values magic; a culture that many people overlook or have preconceived notions about. The windmill is only a small component of Kamkwamba's life and childhood. There are photographs from the author that helps the narrative flow and helps readers to imagine exactly what things are like. It makes it more personal, as if readers were acquaintances of Kamkwamba, listening to him describe his fascinating story. He has accomplished a great deal for someone so young.

This story makes one reflect on the things we may take for granted. Electricity is a basic necessity, yet it remains unattainable to some. William Kamkwamba's story of his windmill became popular after an article about it was published in the Daily Times, which then circulated through the internet on numerous blogs. He is frequently invited to tell his story but has saved his voice by writing this book. He is currently a student at the African Leadership Academy in Johannesburg, South Africa. He has been profiled by the Wall Street Journal and has had his inventions on display at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.

Natural Capitalism: Creating the Next Industrial Revolution

By Paul Hawken, Amory Lovins & L.Hunter Lovins

The message in Natural Capitalism reignites today. The authors believe that the world's economy is a part of a larger economy that incorporates the ecosystems and natural resources that sustain and nourish us. The argument is that recognising the relationship we have with the Earth's precious resources can be a business and if we treat it as such, we as a human race will continue to exist. The authors point out valuable suggestions for companies that are interested in a sustainable future. While Industrial Capitalism has always focused on money and goods as capital, Natural Capitalism places a greater emphasis on natural and human capital. The authors believe that the problems we are having today with the environment and preservation of our natural resources are the result of failure to account for capital and not capitalism itself. The authors believe the next industrial revolution is dependent on several different approaches which include more effective manufacturing processes that will in turn conserve natural resources, changing the principles from quantity to quality, investing in natural capital and/or restoring and sustaining natural resources as well as reusing materials found in natural systems. This mentality could be helpful in re-building the currently damaged economy. This new emphasis on the "natural economy" has the potential to create new jobs, restore the environment and promote social stability with creative, practical and profitable solutions. The authors bring their expertise from a multitude of areas. Paul Hawken is the founder of an immensely popular garden supply store, Smith & Hawken, and talks about his entrepreneurial success in the book and PBS series Growing a Business. Amory and Hunter Lovins are the winners of numerous awards for their work on efficiency, and are also the co-founders of the Rocky Mountain Institute.

Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed

By Jared Diamond

Are we responsible for our own demise? Jared Diamond thinks so. This book is a precise analysis of the civilisations before us that have collapsed due to environmental negligence. Diamond proves his theories by looking at various societies that have risen and fallen. Interestingly he starts the book off by looking at modern-day Montana, and how the interaction of society and environment plays out. He then goes back in time looking at various societies in history including the Mayans and the Polynesians on the Pitcairn Islands and ultimately makes predictions of what could happen in the future. The book is set upon environmental fragility and how societies adapt to this. Overpopulation is a key factor when determining whether a society will survive or not. A lot of it depends on how much the environment can actually support. Problems such as deforestation, water management problems, over hunting and fishing, soil problems (erosion, fertility loses and salinization) are also contributing factors to a sustainable culture in the natural world. The information is intertwined with personal stories and experiences of Diamond and his peers; it also helps bring to light the purpose of this book. After reading Collapse, take a moment of self-reflection, will our society fail like ones past? Perhaps this will open are eyes as to whether things have gotten better or worse or whether we will be around in 100 years time or so. Perhaps you will realise how you as an individual can help our society in succeeding instead of failing. Whatever the thought, Collapse stimulates us to heed the warning signs of the past as well as those presently before us, prompting us to think about the future of our societies. Dr. Jared Diamond is a professor at the University of California, Los Angles teaching geography. His previous books include The Third Chimpanzee and The Third Sex. He won the Pulitzer Prize for his recent book Guns, Gems, and Steel. He also has had over 200 articles published in a variety of magazines including Natural History, Nature, Geo and Discover.