Best Sustainability & Green Design Books of 2025

Polyface Designs is a comprehensive guide for building scalable farming infrastructure, featuring tips and tricks from Polyface Farm's half-century of trial and error. Written by Joel Salatin and illustrated by former Polyface apprentice Chris Slattery, this book offers detailed diagrams and building specifications for constructing everything from broiler shelters to corral gates. The 568-page book is in full color and is a beautiful addition to any coffee table. Despite its cover price, the cost is easily justified by the many money-saving building tips included. Overall, this book is a valuable resource for anyone interested in sustainable farming practices.

Harvesting Rainwater for Your Homestead in 9 Days or Less by seksok is a complete stress-free blueprint to building an above-ground, dry rainwater harvesting system in just 9 days or less. With step-by-step illustrated instructions and the amazing 7-step QuickRain Blueprint, even beginners can easily collect pure, clean rainwater with minimal time, budget, and hassle. The book offers adaptable solutions for homesteaders of all backgrounds, as well as anyone looking to create a reliable backup water supply. This book is a must-read for those who want to unlock their family's independent, clean, and off-grid water source.

The book "Hidden Reality: The BioGeometry Physics of Quality" offers a new scientific paradigm that is based on the understanding of the subtle energy medium as the life force within the universal mind. The author presents holistic concepts of time-space, radiation, attraction forces, and consciousness, which can be applied in different fields, such as sustainability and green design. The book offers a practical methodology for creating a prosperous future that is integrated into nature's own multi-dimensional design language. It is a must-read for those who are interested in exploring the relationship between science, nature, and spirituality.

The Pretty Good House book provides a practical and affordable framework for homeowners looking to build or renovate a high-performance home with a focus on sustainability and personal needs. Authors Michael Maines, Dan Kolbert, Emily Mottram, and Christopher Briley offer guidelines for constructing homes that are small, durable, insulated, and air-sealed. The book is a must-read for anyone looking to build a home that is healthy, responsible, and resilient on a budget.

The "Manual of Biogenic House Sections: Materials and Carbon" is a 352-page book that explores the use of materials that either sequester carbon or have low embodied carbon in the construction of houses. The book features cross-sectional drawings of fifty-five modestly-sized houses from around the world, highlighting the tectonics and materials used in their construction. It also includes life cycle diagrams showing how raw materials are processed into building components. This book seeks to change how we build now and for the future by drawing connections between the architecture of the house, environmental systems, and material economies. Overall, this book provides a deep insight into the use of low carbon-emitting materials in building design.

The Homemade Contrivances and How to Make Them book is a compilation of traditional American devices that date back to an era long before modern farming equipment. The book contains 1001 labor-saving devices for farm, garden, dairy, and workshop. It provides instructions on how to make simple inventions for managing young bulls, protecting drain outlets, and much more. This book is a great resource for ranchers, farmers, or anyone who loves the rural life. It is an insightful guidebook that can help readers learn how to make their own contraptions and experience the satisfaction of using them.

Bigger Than Tiny, Smaller Than Average is a captivating study of small houses that demonstrates limited space doesn't mean compromised style. The book is filled with stunning color photos and lots of examples of small house options around the country, including ADUs. It compiles lots of previously difficult-to-find information in one place, making it a great resource for those interested in living more sustainably in a smaller house. Overall, the book provides endless inspiration to space-efficient and green homeowners, and it stands out from other residential architecture books due to its focus on sustainability and practicality.

Julia Watson's Lo-Tek; Design by Radical Indigenism is a thought-provoking book that challenges the myth of technology as a solution to environmental problems. The book draws on traditional ecological knowledge from 18 countries, revealing how indigenous innovation is sophisticated and designed to work sustainably with complex ecosystems. The book's tactile reading experience reflects the ingenuity of the carefully selected projects with copper highlights, a cardboard hardcover, and Swiss binding. Lo-Tek is a must-read for designers, architects, and anyone interested in how we can live in symbiosis with nature.

Missing Middle Housing by Daniel Parolek is a must-read for anyone interested in urban planning and housing crisis. The book explores the concept of attainable housing options that meet the diverse needs of residents. Parolek's approach to Missing Middle Housing is well supported by case studies, graphics, and data analysis, making it a comprehensive guide for planners, architects, builders, and city leaders. The book highlights the barriers that cities need to remove to enable the construction of these housing types. Overall, the book is informative, well-researched, and provides practical solutions to address the current housing crisis in the US.

Prefabulous for Everyone by Sheri Koones showcases 24 examples of environmentally friendly, cost-effective houses built wholly or partially off-site, including modular, SIPS, panelized, and kit built. Koones includes luxurious, expensive houses as well as some modest, lower-cost homes. The book provides a convincing overview of the merits of prefabricated homes, which are faster to build, less expensive than site-built houses, and potentially more energy efficient. This is a wonderfully curated design book that is perfect for fans of Koones or readers looking to downsize.