Island Press

TO PROVIDE THE LATEST INFORMATION AND THE BEST IDEAS TO THOSE WORKING TO SOLVE ENVIROMENTAL PROBLEMS AND TO HELP ENVIROMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS BETTER COMMUNICATE THE RESULTS OF THEIR WORK.

RESEARCH AND PUBLICATIONISLAND PRESS PUBLISHES AND PROMOTES SCIENCE-BASED SOLUTIONS THAT HELP PEOPLE MAKE A POSITIVE DIFFERENCE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT. IN 2021, ISLAND PRESS PUBLISHED 23 NEW TITLES, SOLD 125,163 UNITS, AND DISTRIBUTED 24,569 FREE COPIES. AMONG THESE WERE:"THICKER THAN WATER: THE QUEST FOR SOLUTIONS TO THE PLASTIC CRISIS" BY ERICA CIRINO (OCTOBER 2021): CIRINO BRINGS READERS AROUND THE WORLD AS SHE MEETS THE SCIENTISTS AND ACTIVISTS WHO ARE TRYING TO SOLVE THE PLASTIC CRISIS. FROM THE SOUPY DEBRIS FILLED OCEAN TO THE LABS DOING CUTTING-EDGE RESEARCH ON THE MICROPLASTICS WE INGEST, SHE PAINTS A FULL PICTURE OF HOW PLASTIC POLLUTION IS THREATENING WILDLIFE AND HUMAN HEALTH. THIS BOOK SHOWS THAT WE CAN ONLY FIX THE PROBLEM IF WE FACE THE FULL SCOPE AND BEGIN TO REPAIR OUR THROWAWAY CULTURE. THE BOOK WAS HIGHLIGHTED IN HIGH-CIRCULATION MEDIA, INCLUDING HEALTHLINE, POPULAR SCIENCE, AND ARS TECHNICA. "CITIES FOR LIFE" BY JASON CORBURN (NOVEMBER 2021): CITIES CONTRIBUTE TO THE TRAUMAS THAT CAUSE UNHEALTHY STRESS THROUGH SEGREGATED NEIGHBORHOODS, INSECURE HOUSING, FEW PLAYGROUNDS, ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION, AND UNSAFE STREETS, PARTICULARLY FOR THE POOR AND MEMBERS OF MARGINALIZED GROUPS. SOME CITIES AROUND THE WORLD ARE ALREADY HELPING THEIR COMMUNITIES HEAL BY TAKING THE LEAD IN GENERATING EQUITABLE OUTCOMES. CITIES FOR LIFE SHARES LESSONS FROM THREE CITIES: RICHMOND, CALIFORNIA; MEDELLN, COLOMBIA; AND NAIROBI, KENYA. IN EACH PLACE, INDIVIDUALS AND COMMUNITIES WORKED TO HEAL FROM TRAUMA-FROM GUN VIOLENCE, HOUSING AND FOOD INSECURITY, AND POVERTY. CORBURN SHOWS HOW ANY COMMUNITY CAN REBUILD THEIR SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS, PRACTICES, AND POLICIES TO ENCOURAGE HEALING AND GOOD HEALTH. "THE MONSANTO PAPERS: DEADLY SECRETS, CORPORATE CORRUPTION, AND ONE MAN'S SEARCH FOR JUSTICE" BY CAREY GILLAM (MARCH 2021): FOLLOWING THE SUCCESS OF HER BOOK WHITEWASH, GILLAM BRINGS READERS INSIDE THE DAVID-VERSUS-GOLIATH LEGAL BATTLE TO HOLD ONE OF THE WORLD'S LARGEST COMPANIES ACCOUNTABLE. THE PLAINTIFF, DEWAYNE "LEE" JOHNSON, BECAME THE FACE OF THE FIGHT AGAINST AGRIBUSINESS GIANT MONSANTO, AFTER HE DEVELOPED TERMINAL CANCER FROM USING THE COMPANY'S POPULAR WEED KILLER ROUNDUP. THE BOOK FOLLOWS THE EVENTS LEADING UP TO THE LANDMARK VERDICT, WHEREIN MONSANTO WAS ORDERED BY JURY TO PAY $289 MILLION IN DAMAGES TO THE 46-YEAR-OLD GROUNDSKEEPER. (THIS WAS REDUCED TO $20.5 MILLION ON APPEAL.)BAYER A.G., THE COMPANY THAT BOUGHT MONSANTO, ANNOUNCED IN JULY 2021 THAT THEY WILL STOP SELLING THE GLYPHOSATE-BASED WEED KILLER FOR HOME USE BY 2023 AND WILL SET ASIDE $4.5 BILLION FOR THE NUMBER OF LAWSUITS COMING FORTH. TO DATE, THEY HAVE LOST ALL THREE CASES THAT HAVE COME TO TRIAL, STARTING WITH LEE. THIS IS A DIRECT RESULT OF GILLAM'S DEEP DIGGING AND HER BOOK'S CONTRIBUTION TO THE EFFORTS TO HOLD MONSANTO ACCOUNTABLE FOR KNOWINGLY SELLING A HARMFUL PRODUCT. "GETTING TO THE HEART OF SCIENCE COMMUNICATION: A GUIDE TO EFFECTIVE ENGAGEMENT" BY FAITH KEARNS (MAY 2021): SCIENTISTS ARE INCREASINGLY BEING CALLED UPON TO SPEAK TO THE PUBLIC ABOUT DIFFICULT AND EMOTIONAL TOPICS. KEARNS PRESENTS AN ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO COMMUNICATING CLEARLY AND WITH EMPATHY. USING INTERVIEWS AND PERSONAL ANECDOTES, AS WELL AS HER OWN INSIGHTS AS A FIELD SCIENTIST, KEARNS WALKS READERS THROUGH THE EVOLUTION OF SCIENCE COMMUNICATION AND HOW EMOTIONAL AND HIGH-STAKES ISSUES HAVE SHAPED COMMUNICATION. THE BOOK IS BEING USED IN TRAININGS AND WORKSHOPS TO SUPPORT SCIENTISTS AND IMPROVE THEIR COMMUNICATIONS SKILLS. "REINVENTING FOOD BANKS AND PANTRIES" BY KATIE MARTIN (MARCH 2021): MARTIN SHOWS HOW FOOD BANKS AND PANTRIES CAN PROVIDE BOTH A MORE DIGNIFIED, HEALTHFUL EXPERIENCE IN THE SHORT-TERM AND MORE EFFECTIVE SOLUTIONS TO REDUCE FOOD INSECURITY IN THE LONG-TERM. SHE DETAILS PROVEN STRATEGIES THAT GO BEYOND TREATING THE SYMPTOM OF FOOD INSECURITY TO GET TO THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM THAT IS CAUSING IT. THE BOOK DETAILS CHANGES AT VARYING SCALES, FROM ALLOWING CLIENTS TO PICK THEIR OWN FOOD TO INCORPORATING JOB TRAINING AND NUTRITION EDUCATION INTO THEIR PROGRAMS. IN ONE INDICATOR OF THE BOOK'S INFLUENCE, AN ORGANIZATION BOUGHT 600 COPIES OF THE BOOK TO GIVE TO EVERY EMPLOYEE IN THEIR NETWORK OF FOOD BANKS. "SWAMPLANDS" (OCTOBER 2021) BY ED STRUZIK: STORIES FROM ECOLOGICAL SITES AROUND THE WORLD HIGHLIGHT THE UNAPPRECIATED STRUGGLE BEING WAGED TO SAVE PEATLANDS BY SCIENTISTS, CONSERVATIONISTS, AND LANDOWNERS AROUND THE WORLD. CRITICALLY IMPORTANT ECOSYSTEMS, THEY FUNCTION AS CARBON SINKS-NATURAL TOOLS READY TO HELP ADDRESS OUR CLIMATE CRISIS. YET, THEY ARE BEING SYSTEMATICALLY DRAINED AND DEGRADED TO MAKE WAY FOR OILSANDS, MINES, FARMS, AND ELECTRICITY. THE BOOK HAS RECEIVED POSITIVE REVIEWS IN THE WALL STREET JOURNAL AND SIERRA.

MARKETING, COMMUNICATION, AND DISTRIBUTIONISLAND PRESS COMMUNICATES INFORMATION ON ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES AND SOLUTIONS TO GOVERNMENTAL, PROFESSIONAL, AND NON-PROFIT STAFF AND THEIR ORGANIZATIONS; BUSINESSES; STUDENTS AND PROFESSORS; AND GENERAL READERS. OUR PUBLICATIONS ARE DISTRIBUTED WORLDWIDE IN PRINT AND ELECTRONIC FORMATS, INCLUDING THROUGH AMAZON AND AMAZON'S KINDLE, AT BOOKSTORES, THROUGH ONLINE RETAILERS, AND VIA THE ISLAND PRESS WEBSITE. THEY ARE OFTEN TRANSLATED BY FOREIGN PUBLISHERS; IN 2021 MORE THAN 30 ISLAND PRESS TITLES WERE LICENSED FOR TRANSLATION INTO NUMEROUS LANGUAGES, INCLUDING SIMPLIFIED CHINESE, KOREAN, SPANISH, AND FRENCH. OVER THE COURSE OF THE YEAR, ISLAND PRESS' MARKETING TEAM SECURED MORE THAN 1,800 MEDIA PLACEMENTS, INCLUDING MORE THAN 175 BOOK REVIEWS. WE SECURED MEDIA COVERAGE FOR OUR BOOKS AND AUTHORS IN LARGE NATIONAL OUTLETS, INCLUDING MSN, FORBES, NEW YORK TIMES, AND CNN, TO BRING ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS TO THE PUBLIC. ALTOGETHER, THIS WORK HAD A POTENTIAL REACH OF 4.5 BILLION READERS, VIEWERS, AND LISTENERS.

PROGRAM SERVICES/TECHNICAL ASSISTANCEISLAND PRESS CREATES PROGRAMS AND SERVICES THAT IMPROVE THE COMMUNICATIONS CAPACITY OF EMERGING LEADERS AND EDUCATE PRACTITIONERS ON THE LATEST ENVIRONMENTAL THINKING AND SOLUTIONS, INCREASING THEIR CAPACITY TO IMPLEMENT CHANGE. WE WORK CLOSELY WITH MOVEMENT LEADERS AND EMERGING THINKERS TO HELP THEM TELL THEIR STORY THROUGH ARTICLES, BLOG POSTS, OP-EDS, AND PLACE THEM IN MEDIA OUTLETS TO SHARE ENVIRONMENTAL LESSONS WIDELY. WE PROVIDE EDITORIAL AND MARKETING SUPPORT TO PUT THESE VOICES INTO THE NATIONAL CONVERSATION. AS A RESULT, WE PUBLISHED 75 ORIGINAL PIECES IN 2021, WHICH HAD A POTENTIAL READERSHIP OF MORE THAN 1.3 MILLION PEOPLE. SAID ONE CONTRIBUTOR: "I LITERALLY COULDN'T DO IT WITHOUT YOU. WITHOUT KNOWING YOU WOULD BE THERE TO SUPPORT ME, I WOULD NOT HAVE EVEN PUSHED MYSELF TO WRITE THIS PIECE."BECAUSE THIS TYPE OF WRITING CAN RESPONSE QUICKLY TO CURRENT EVENTS, WE WERE ABLE TO ADAPT AND QUICKLY WORK TO PUBLISH ON COVID-19 AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES AND WEAKNESSES THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC EXPOSED. WE PLACED THIS CONTENT IN HIGH-PROFILE MAINSTREAM MEDIA (INCLUDING "FORBES AND "US NEWS & WORLD REPORT") AND IN DOZENS OF PUBLICATIONS THAT TARGET SPECIFIC PROFESSIONAL AUDIENCES ("THE HILL", "NEXT CITY", "SHELTERFORCE", AND "GRIST"). ISLAND PRESS ALSO HOSTED OR CO-HOSTED 51 EDUCATIONAL WEBINARS IN 2021 THAT ATTRACTED MORE THAN 41,000 PARTICIPANTS. DUE TO THEIR VIRTUAL SETTING, THESE WEBINARS SUCCESSFULLY ENGAGED PROFESSIONALS THROUGHOUT THE PANDEMIC, AND BECAME A KEY COMPONENT OF OUR COVID-19 RESPONSE AND PROVIDED AN INTERACTIVE LEARNING EXPERIENCE FOR OUR COMMUNITY. SOME OF THE BEST-ATTENDED EVENTS ATTRACTED MORE THAN 1,000 PEOPLE, INCLUDING A PANEL DISCUSSION FEATURING ERICA CIRINO ON "THICKER THAN WATER", A DISCUSSION OF "MISSING MIDDLE HOUSING" WITH AUTHOR DAN PAROLEK, AND A PRESENTATION BY BRUCE HULL ON "LEADERSHIP FOR SUSTAINABILITY". ISLAND PRESS ALSO CREATED EIGHT NEW COURSES FOR THE UNITED STATES GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL'S (USGBC) EDUCATION PROVIDER PLATFORM FOR LEADERSHIP IN ENERGY EFFICIENT DESIGN (LEED) GREEN BUILDING PROFESSIONALS. PARTICIPANTS RECEIVE CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDITS TOWARD THEIR LEED CERTIFICATIONS UPON COMPLETION OF A COURSE.THESE COURSES ARE ALL HIGHLY RATED, RECEIVING SUCH PRAISE AS: "POTENTIALLY THE BEST USGBC WEBINAR I'VE WATCHED YET! VERY INSPIRING AND WELL DONE." ANOTHER COMMENTER ON THE COURSE "PUERTO RICO'S JUST RECOVERY," STATED IT PROVIDES A "VERY REAL-WORLD CONVERSATION ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE." THE COURSE DESCRIBES HOW HURRICANE MARIA AFFECTED THE ISLAND AND WHAT CAN BE DONE TO PREVENT MASSIVE DAMAGES LIKE THIS FROM HAPPENING IN THE FUTURE. IT TOUCHES ON ENERGY DEMOCRACY, COMMUNITY RESILIENCY, AND MANAGING CONTAMINATED SUPERFUNDS, AMONG OTHER ISSUES. ULTIMATELY, ISLAND PRESS STRENGTHENS THE ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT BY GIVING PROFESSIONALS AND ADVOCATES ACTIONABLE INFORMATION FOR CREATING A HEALTHIER, MORE SUSTAINABLE WORLD.