Product Description
Kaizen events are opportunities to make focused changes in the workplace. This guide takes you through the critical steps in conducting a very effective kaizen event-one that is well planned, well implemented, and well documented. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Rip-off
I received a print out of a random book inside the Keizen cover book.The actual content of the Keizen was not there.It was just a prin out of something else....

Kaizen for the Shopfloor
An abbreviated version of the REAL Kaizen book; Kaizen Event Implementation Manual. OK for a quick read, copies much of what's in the Kaizen Event Implementation Manual.
Something as important as doing and understanding Kaizen deserves the real thing, not this. Save your money.

Kaizen Events
A great way to get up to speed on a single aspect of the Continuous Improvement movement. Fast-paced reading with all the need-to-know information in a simple, understandable format. The book could have been improved by a more compreshesive forward or introduction chapter that displayed the position of Kaizen Events in the total process map of CI.

kaizen review
It is a good book for someone who has not done a kaizen event or to review some techniques to do a kaizen.

A KAIZEN book for everyone
Good eloboration and explanation on the KAIZEN application, though it is fundamentals. No regret to own one for yourself. ... Read more

Product Description
The true cost of what the global food industry throws away.With shortages, volatile prices and nearly one billion people hungry, the world has a food problem—or thinks it does. Farmers, manufacturers, supermarkets and consumers in North America and Europe discard up to half of their food—enough to feed all the world's hungry at least three times over. Forests are destroyed and nearly one tenth of the West's greenhouse gas emissions are released growing food that will never be eaten. While affluent nations throw away food through neglect, in the developing world crops rot because farmers lack the means to process, store and transport them to market.

But there could be surprisingly painless remedies for what has become one of the world's most pressing environmental and social problems. Waste traces the problem around the globe from the top to the bottom of the food production chain.Stuart’s journey takes him from the streets of New York to China, Pakistan and Japan and back to his home in England. Introducing us to foraging pigs, potato farmers and food industry CEOs, Stuart encounters grotesque examples of profligacy, but also inspiring innovations and ways of making the most of what we have. The journey is a personal one, as Stuart is a dedicated freegan, who has chosen to live off of discarded or self-produced food in order to highlight the global food waste scandal.

Combining front-line investigation with startling new data, Waste shows how the way we live now has created a global food crisis—and what we can do to fix it. 8 pages of illustrations ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Insightful Introduction
Insightful introduction to a topic that begs for a lot more scholarship, research, and writing.

If there's something I took away, it's the importance of 1) Reducing; 2) Redistributing; 3) Recycling.In other words, whenever possible, waste should be reduced-- eliminated from all stages of the farm --> fork chain.More flexible and fair relationships between farmer/producers and supermarket buyers, less aesthetically stringent and really unnecessary standards, supermarkets' willingness to forgo the illusion of a constant cornucopia of a harvest, and many other factors would contribute to such a reduction.Stuart also goes into how food waste might be reduced in the fishing, restaurant, and catering businesses, etc.Next, food ought to be redistributed-- given to the poor, rather than needlessly and heartlessly landfilled.Here, Stuart seems to regard food as a basic human right, and I have some problem with his rather idealistic urge to supermarkets and producers to just give the leftovers or extras to the hungry.(He suggests, for example, that food be given directly within supermarkets to those on state benefits or who belong to particular groups.Finally, Stuart touches upon the importance of recycling, and how food waste should, as much as possible, be funneled as high as it might right back into the food chain.And here it is that he praises pigs to the sky as excellent purveyors of waste, marvelous magicians at turning inedible junk into plump flesh.If feeding waste to animals like pigs or chickens isn't possible, though, Stuart urges for anaerobic digestion or composting, anything save landfilling.

After reading this book, I did some research online and was heartened to find that there have been many efforts at linking together producers and buyers in a much more direct and efficient manner, such that waste might be diminished and costs from transportation/warehousing/refrigerating decreased.Check out: [...], or [...], for example.What I'd really like to see is a Facebook/Craigslist/Amazon-esque site for farmer/producers, such that they might 1) Break free of imbalanced relationships with buyers/supermarkets; 2) Be able to sell more of their product, both in terms of quantity produced, such that less might be thrown away post-harvest, and the fruit/vegetable/animal itself.There's bound to be a market for essentially every part of the _______, after all, and with the markedly decreased transaction costs effected by the Internet, producers should be able to find more easily buyers who want whatever that _______ might be, whether 'tis chicken legs or potato skins.

An Eye Opener. I adore the author's devotion to the subject
Very comprehensive, very well researched, furthermore, the author walks the talk- he is successfully using waste for everyday living, not just as a subject for a lively, vivid book. It is especially relevant for all us "civilized" societies and offers a perfect philosophical perspective on the subject: waste is the other side of the coin in our lives which we often prefer to ignore. Nothing is more expensive than a free lunch.

Waste: Uncovering the Global Food Scandal
Released initially in the UK, //Waste// tells the story of a bloated culture's unconscionable, systematic, hour-by-hour waste of food (in the UK and US) and how this waste destroys our environment.In rich, developed nations, food is thrown away through neglect. In poor developing nations, it rots for lack of means to process, store, and transport. Together we waste enough to feed everyone on the planet.Stuart charts the global food crisis with examples and research from New York, Pakistan, China, Japan, and the UK.His style is journalistic and he explores unhelpful policies (for example adopting "use by" rather than "best by" labeling) unhelpful practices (for example, sushi restaurants throw away literally tons of very expensive fish) and unhelpful expectations (farmers tossing away perfectly good though misshapen fruits because consumers refuse to buy them).

The book is heavy on storytelling, moderate on good data, and weak on offering cogent solutions.He does describe his personal practice:he eats exclusively "wasted food" from refuse piles.The book is interesting and the multinational comparisons are especially good; but it needs editing, and needs to be out in paperback for half the price.

Reviewed by Marcia Jo

Tells the overlooked story of how what we don't eat is destroying our environment
Tristram Stuart's WASTE: UNCOVERING THE GLOBAL FOOD SCANDAL tells the overlooked story of how what we don't eat is destroying our environment. About 50 percent of all food is wasted by farmers and manufacturers - enough to food the world's hungry and more. Solutions to this problem are provided in a survey of the issue, human food chain waste habits, and how they may be remedied.

Good Topic and Summary -
Tristram Stuart is an energetic and talented individual who has turned an early hobby, thinking about food waste, into a life-consuming passion. Unfortunately, his data and associated conclusions are sometimes limited, but he makes up for that with honesty and common-sense. Stuart begins with a U.N. estimate that the world's agricultural land may decline in productivity by up to 25% this century, thereby making food availability a serious matter. (Worse yet is the projected growth in world population from its current 6.8 billion to 8.9 billion by 2050 - a 31% increase.) Stuart believes that about half of the world's food is wasted, though some of that is debatable - eg. feeding leftover human foods to farm animals, 'growing' biofuels. Regardless of the precise amount, as Stuart points out, the food waste is considerable, and this also wastes energy and adds to global warming.

Sources of waste exist all along the food chain. For example, farmers may grow 25% extra to ensure meeting contracts (and avoid expensive penalties) with acceptable volume and quality, large numbers of fish are thrown back (most die) because they are too small or the wrong species. Stuart goes on to point out that farmers lose additional amounts, especially in third-world nations, due to inadequate storage, lack of refrigeration, and exposure to sunlight. Food packagers and retailers create more waste through largely aesthetic standards and overstocking (especially at smaller stores) to avoid potentially lost sales - eg. minimizing the appearance of 'picked over' shelf-stock. How do aesthetic standards create waste - some packagers (eg. Birdseye), per Stuart, prohibit the resale of rejected product, or require it to be used for animal feed. "Sell-by" dates add more losses (I always pick through Twinkies to get the newest). And finally, U.S. and European consumers, especially single-individual homes, throw out even more. (Stuart also considers as waste the amount of food that too-many of us consume while overeating.)

Fortunately, remedies are as numerous as sources. Stuart notes considerable cultural differences - eg. Uighurs in western China are serious of making good use of food, while the Chinese Hans living in the same area see overfilling plates as being hospitable. In general, Stuart picks Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea as examples of cultures that waste much less food; it is tempting to suggest that North Korea probably is way ahead of even those three nations, but that would indeed be in poor taste - it is, a reminder, however, of the topic's importance. Farmers in the U.S. tend to band together and/or use futures markets more than their European counterparts to handle the risk of not filling sale contracts; other helpful tactics Stuart found included shaving down non-aesthetic carrots into 'young' carrots, micro-loans to provide spoil- and rat-proof storage, and selling vegetables rejected for appearance to caterers. (The latter is a bit funny - you're pay more at many restaurants, for cheaper vegetables, and to help avoid waste!). Stuart has also found that vending via Farmers' Markets reduces the volume of appearance out-grades. As for fishermen, changing the hooks used, the type of line (single long-line with multiple hooks, vs. many short ones), net construction and composition, and stopping the killing of sharks for their fins helps reduce needless loss of fish, and turtles, dolphins, and albatross as well.

Bottom Line: "Waste" is an easy, informative, and credible read about an important topic. ... Read more

Product Description
Interest in solid waste disposal has been growing since the early 1960s, when researchers emphasized the potential for solid waste to harbor pathogenic microorganisms. Since then, society has become more interested in the environmental impacts of solid waste treatment and disposal, and how biological processes are used to minimize these impacts. This new text provides a basic understanding of the unique microbial ecosystems associated with the decomposition of municipal solid waste (MSW). It addresses the challenges of sampling and assaying microbial activities in MSW and describes preferred methods. The decomposition of MSW under anaerobic conditions in landfills and digestors is described, as well as under aerobioconditions during composting.The Microbiology of Solid Wastes discusses the need to consider MSW as an integrated system of collection, recycling, treatment, and disposal. A better understanding of solid waste microbiology will contribute to safe and economical solid waste management. Microbiologists, environmental engineers, and solid waste managers will all find this a useful reference. ... Read more

Product Description

This book brings together a group of leading experts in the management of electrical and electronic waste to provide an up-to-date review of the scale of the waste problem, the impact of recent legislation such as the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE) and the "restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment" directive (RoHS), and of current and future methods for treatment, recycling and disposal of this waste. The book discusses these latest directives, examines current worldwide legislation and considers the opportunities and threats posed by this form of waste. While the emphasis is on European practice, comparisons with other countries such as the USA, Japan and China are made.

The book deals with the full range of waste management issues, including recycling and recovery of materials, design considerations for waste minimization, and contains a wide variety of illustrative case studies, e.g: LCD displays. With detailed and comprehensive coverage of the subject matter it also contains an extensive bibliography with each chapter. Key chapters cover areas such as:

• electronic waste
• materials
• EU directives
• landfill and incineration
• recycling and recovery
• 'cradle to grave' design considerations
• engineering thermoplastics.

Product Description
This book contains the papers presented at the Fifth International Conference on Waste Management and the Environment that was held in Tallinn, Estonia, in July 2010. This conference is the latest in a successful series that began in 2002. The conference provides a platform for the professionals involved in the waste management sector, industrial sector, governmental and non-governmental organizations and other stakeholders to exchange knowledge on the current best practices that are developed and applied in different countries.Governments all over the world have become aware that past solutions to waste management, which mainly rely on landfill disposal, are not sustainable. It is not just the volume of the waste produced, but also the composition and nature of waste that is the problem, since it often contains compounds that would not decay for centuries or that are highly toxic and thus require new ways of dealing with waste. The approach that emerged as the most sustainable strategy was originally termed 3Rs (reduce/reuse /recycle). Recently Rethink has been added as the fourth action (4Rs); for example, recover energy from waste that cannot be reduced, reused or recycled.The book provides papers dealing with a wide range of experiences and applications representing the practices. It also identifies areas for research and improvement. ... Read more

Product Description
Discusses the sources, dangers, and disposal of nuclear and toxic wastes. ... Read more

Product Description
Featuring papers published at the Fourth International Conference on Waste Management and the Environment this book contains contributions on the following topics: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle (3R's); Advanced Waste Treatment Technology; Clean technologies; Waste Reduction and Recycling; Wastewater Treatment Resources Recovery; Waste Incineration and Gasification; Waste Pre-treatment; Separation and Transformation; Methodologies and Practices;
Landfills, Design, Construction and Monitoring; Soil and Groundwater
Clean-up; Community Awareness; Biological Treatment of Waste; Air Pollution Control; Hazardous Waste; Waste Management; Construction and Demolition Waste; Costs and Benefits of Waste Management Options; Energy from Waste; Risk Assessment. ... Read more

Product Description
The issue of nuclear waste is about managing some of the most dangerous material ever to exist. This has to be done safely, and in a way that remains safe for many thousands of years. To realize safe disposal, satisfying bedrock conditions are needed as well as people willing to accept disposal in their own community. In most countries this kind of place has been difficult to locate.
This book is the first of its kind, reporting a study which analyses in detail the highly controversial decisions on how to finally dispose of nuclear waste in Sweden, a country considered a forerunner in nuclear waste management. The siting process is traced, as are its connections both back in time and to the global community. From the perspective of science and technology studies the study contributes to the understanding of regulation of controversial technical issues in modern societies. ... Read more

Product Description
Every treatment plant and pretreater of industrial wastes needs a copy of this reference. Developed by a panel including engineers from wastewater treatment plants, manufacturing facilities, and consulting firms, along with federal and state regulatory personnel, this manual contains information on the roles of both parties in the treatment and discharge of manufacturing process wastewater and the solids it contains. Covers a wide range of pollutants and technology. ... Read more

Product Description

A successful modern heavy metal control program for any industry will include not only traditional water pollution control, but also air pollution control, soil conservation, site remediation, groundwater protection, public health management, solid waste disposal, and combined industrial-municipal heavy metal waste management. In fact, it should be a total environmental control program. Comprehensive in scope, Heavy Metals in the Environment provides technical and economical information on the development of a feasible total heavy metal control program that can benefit industry and local municipalities.

The book discusses the importance and contamination of metals such as lead, chromium, cadmium, zinc, copper, nickel, iron, and mercury. It covers important research of metals in the environment, the processes and mechanisms for metals control and removal, the environmental behavior and effects of engineered metal and metal oxide nanoparticles, environmental geochemistry of high arsenic aquifer systems, nano-technology applications in metal ion adsorption, biosorption of metals, and heavy metal removal by expopolysaccharide-producing cyanobacteria. The authors delineate technologies for metals treatment and management, metal bearing effluents, metal-contaminated solid wastes, metal finishing industry wastes and brownfield sites, and arsenic-contaminated groundwater streams. They also discuss control, treatment, and management of metal emissions from motor vehicles.

The authors reflect the breadth of the field and draw on personal experiences to provide an in-depth presentation of environmental pollution sources, waste characteristics, control technologies, management strategies, facility innovations, process alternatives, costs, case histories, effluent standards, and future trends for each industrial or commercial operation. The methodologies and technologies discussed are directly applicable to the waste management problems that must be met in all industries.

Product Description
Everyday, thousands of hospitals around the country produce thousands of tons of infectious waste. The disposal of this waste is considered one of America's primary environmental problems. Drawing on the author's 20 years of experience as an administrator, department director, and staff consultant, Infectious Waste Management offers an insider's approach to medical waste management.This reference includes information on how to manage medical waste practically. It gives simple, effective procedures on how to a establish or revitalize a waste management program. Written in a friendly, understandable style, the book covers everything from working with administration to provide necessary resources to getting employees to work effectively. It describes cost-containing guidelines and establishing regulatory compliance. This invaluable guide discusses proper department procedures and methods to monitor systems. The book contains "education modules" or short education tools which can be used to convey important task-oriented information to staff.The book is divided into three sections according to the intended audience. Text in the first section is directed toward hospital administrators and members of the infection control and safety committees. The second is primarily for department directors and focuses on writing infectious waste management procedures for the departments of environmental services and maintenance. This section also addresses the essential functions of program monitoring and waste tracking or manifesting. The third part is for people responsible for educating staff. Together, these sections present an effective, full-staff approach to infectious waste management. The book has a number of appendices, which restate important points made throughout the book and provide sample policies, procedures, letters, memos, reference cards, and other management or education tools that will prove helpful. ... Read more

Product Description
This book provides incentives for further development of sustainable fuel cycles through a novel and interdisciplinary approach to an Earth science-related topic. The main focus is on geochemical concepts in immobilizing, isolating or neutralizing waste derived from energy production and consumption. The book also addresses the issue of using some types of energy-derived waste as alternative raw materials. Moreover, it highlights research on how certain wastes can be used for energy production, an increasingly important aspect of modern integrated waste management strategies. The main objectives are to: (a) identify the most serious environmental problems related to various types of power generation and associated waste accumulation; (b) present strategies, based on natural analogue materials, for the immobilization of toxic and radioactive waste components through mineralogical barriers; (c) discuss modern procedures for reuse of waste or certain waste components; and (d) review the importance of geochemical modelling in describing and predicting the interaction between waste and the environment.

Also available:

Issues in Environmental Geology: A British Perspective - ISBN 1862390142
Function of Soils for Human Societies and the Environment - Special Publication no 266 - ISBN 1862392072

The Geological Society of London

Founded in 1807, the Geological Society of London is the oldest geological society in the world, and one of the largest publishers in the Earth sciences.

The Society publishes a wide range of high-quality peer-reviewed titles for academics and professionals working in the geosciences, and enjoys an enviable international reputation for the quality of its work.

The many areas in which we publish in include:

-Petroleum geology
-Tectonics, structural geology and geodynamics
-Stratigraphy, sedimentology and paleontology
-Volcanology, magmatic studies and geochemistry
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-Regional geology guides ... Read more

Product Description
Waste management is one of the key issues of modern society. It requires constant advancement in adopted practices and technologies in order to keep up with the new industrial technologies and commodities introduced to the market every year, which can have varying impacts on the environment. This book brings together papers from the Third International Conference on Waste Management and the Environment, and will be of interest to environmental engineers, local authority representatives, waste disposal experts, research scientists in the area of waste management, civil engineers and chemical engineers The proceedings of the conference address a wide range of the current waste management issues, which are conveniently arranged into the following sessions: Advanced waste treatment technology; Air pollution control; Biological treatment of waste; Clean technologies; Community involvement and education; Construction and demolition waste; Costs and benefits of waste management options; Hazardous waste, disposal and incineration; Landfills, design, construction and monitoring; Methodologies and practices; Resources recovery; Soil and groundwater cleanup; Waste incineration and gasification; Waste management, strategies and planning; Waste pre-treatment, separation and transformation; Waste reduction and recycling; Water and wastewater treatment. ... Read more

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One of a series aimed at busy managers, and based on a belief that most managers do not have the time - or possibly the inclination - to read heavyweight tomes. The reports are written in a straightforward style, so that the information can be quickly and easily absorbed. ... Read more