Sustainability Made Simple

Sustainability Made Simple is an introduction to sustainability and sustainable living that explores the relationship between everyday life and the intricate global environmental issues of today, including air and water pollution, deforestation, and climate change. Rosaly Byrd and Laurèn DeMates offer an optimistic yet realistic perspective on our impact on the environment, giving much needed guidance to those who are interested in finding new and relatively easy ways to incorporate sustainability into daily life.

An excellent resource for those who are interested in learning what sustainability is about and picking up habits to be more sustainable, Sustainability Made Simple shows that adopting a sustainable lifestyle doesn’t require “going off the grid” or making drastic life changes that take time and cost money. Instead, Byrd and DeMates focus on the advantages and transformative changes associated with sustainability, demonstrating that although society is facing unprecedented environmental challenges, working towards sustainability is an opportunity to do things differently and do things better, enhancing aspects of life, such as health, work and community.

Rosaly Byrd is the co-founder and author of the blog The Sustainability Co-Op that works to engage readers on global environmental issues. She also writes as a freelance blogger for the Huffington Post. Rosaly has lived in Haiti and Brazil, working on environmental policy and sustainable development for the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and UN Development Programme (UNDP). Rosaly holds a Master’s degree in International Affairs with a focus on international environmental policy from University of California, San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy, and a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts from Florida Atlantic University Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College in Jupiter, Florida.

Laurèn DeMates is a sustainability professional committed to improving the environmental impact of government, corporations, and individuals. Her work has included applying behavioral and social science-based strategies to increase energy efficiency in the federal government and assisting companies collect and analyze corporate social responsibility metrics. Laurèn is a LEED Green Associate and a co-founder of The Sustainability Co-Op blog. She graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a Master’s degree in International Affairs, and from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo with a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Sciences.