Kenneth P. Green has studied energy and energy-related environmental policy for nearly 20 years. An environmental scientist and policy analyst by training, he has published several studies and two supplemental textbooks intended for middle-school and college audiences. In addition, Green has testified before regulatory and legislative bodies at the local, state and federal levels, including many times before the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. He was also a designated expert reviewer for two reports by the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
"The Art of the Personal Essay: An Anthology from the Classical Era to the Present," Phillip Lopate,1997
A special collection of personal essays from history so carefully selected, it really shows you the power and enduring value of the personal essay. One of my favorites is by Sei Shonagon, called "Hateful Things." This woman was a lady of the Japanese court in the 11th century who just kept a diary of things that pissed her off.
"Power Hungry: The Myths of 'Green' Energy and the Real Fuels of the Future," Robert Bryce, 2011
Something really accessible to the lay reader. They don't have to master thermodynamics to read it. Bryce's writing is accessible and lively.
"Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human," Richard W. Wrangham, 2010
Catching Fire makes the anthropological case that humanity's harnessing of energy (as fire) led to major advances in our evolution. It not only gave primitive humans access to more calories in their food, it lengthened their productive time, let them shed a bunch of heavy musculature and hair, gave them protection from predators and allowed them to settle in areas that would otherwise be uninhabitable. We are not "addicted" to energy, we are creatures of energy.
