The Virtual Island Summit 2021 book giveaway winners have been chosen! This year we gave away 6 island and sustainability themed books to 6 winners from around the world. We would like to sincerely thank the authors for contributing these books and for everyone who entered the draw and participated in the Summit. See below to learn about the books and meet the winners!
Book: Waking the Sleeping Giant, Jake Kheel
Winner: Margaret Hassey, Massachusetts, USA
In his new book, Waking the Sleeping Giant: Unlocking the Hidden Power of Business to Save the Planet, Jake Kheel provides compelling arguments for why sustainability is an aid, not an obstacle, to private sector growth and offers loads of inspiring case studies to help companies problem-solve their own way to sustainable growth. For fifteen years Jake has confronted social and environmental challenges in the Dominican Republic as Vice President of the Grupo Puntacana Foundation and Vice President of Sustainability for Grupo Puntacana. He has led creative projects that make Dominican tourism more competitive and environmentally sustainable and has helped pioneer one of the Caribbean’s largest coral reef restoration projects.
Book: The Nature of Nature: Why We Need the Wild, Enric Sala
Winner: George Smith, British Virgin Islands
Using fascinating examples from his expeditions and those of other scientists, Enric Sala shows the economic wisdom of making room for nature, even as the population becomes more urbanized. In a sober epilogue, he shows how saving nature can save us all, by reversing conditions that led to the coronavirus pandemic and preventing other global catastrophes.
Book: Women and Sustainable Development: Empowering Women in Africa, Maty Konte & Nyasha Tirivayi
Winner: Audrey Petaia, Samoa
This book adds significantly to the discourse surrounding the progress made in empowering women in Africa over the last decade, providing strong research evidence on diverse and timely gender issues in varied African countries. Topics covered include climate change and environmental degradation, agriculture and land rights, access to – and quality of – education, maternal and reproductive health, financial inclusion and women’s political participation. Cross cutting issues such as migration, masculinities and social norms are also addressed in this volume, which is aimed at policy makers, academics, and indeed anyone else interested in the UN Sustainable Development Goal of the empowerment of women and girls.
Book: Pristine Seas: Journeys to the Ocean’s Last Wild Places, Enric Sala
Winner: Emma Lewis, Jamaica
There are places in the ocean virtually untouched by man. They offer a fascinating glimpse into our past and an inspiring vision for the future. They are the last Pristine Seas, and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Enric Sala takes readers on an unforgettable journey to 10 of these astounding locations.
Book: A Million Aunties, Alecia McKenzie
Winner: Kevin Noel, Trinidad and Tobago
After a personal tragedy upends his world, American-born artist Chris travels to his mother’s homeland in the Caribbean hoping to find some peace and tranquility. He plans to spend his time painting in solitude and coming to terms with his recent loss and his fractured relationship with his father. Instead, he discovers a new extended and complicated “family.” The people he meets help him to heal, even as he supports them in unexpected ways. Told from different points of view, this is a compelling novel about unlikely love, friendship, and community, with surprises along the way.
Book: Blue Mind, Wallace J. Nichols
Winner: Nelson Tuyambaze, Uganda
Why are we drawn to the ocean each summer? Why does being near water set our minds and bodies at ease? In Blue Mind, Wallace J. Nichols revolutionizes how we think about these questions, revealing the remarkable truth about the benefits of being in, on, under, or simply near water.
