Rani Iyer: Green Transport

Advance copy: Backstories on books by NASW members

Green Transport cover

GREEN TRANSPORT:
EXPLORING ECO-FRIENDLY TRAVEL
FOR A BETTER TOMORROW
Rani Iyer, PhD
TERI (The Energy Research Institute), January 15, 2016, $18
ISBN-10: 8179934446
ISBN-13: 978-8179934449
Kindle: ASIN: B01BM65RS0

Iyer reports:

One sunny day, I waited with my son at the railroad crossing in our small city in Washington State. Within seconds, we were enveloped by the smoke from the train and the other idle automobiles. For days afterward, we both experienced breathing difficulties. In fifteen minutes, we experienced the effects of air pollution and global warming.

How much carbon do I create when I travel?, I wondered. I started my own calculations to find the answer.

Rani Iyer

The more I researched, the clearer it became that the vast amount of information I found needed to be compiled into a book.

With high-speed travel, the distances are shrinking. Goods, fruits, flowers, and electronics are transported through multiple channels to reach the stores near us. The market demand supports the transport of goods over long distances. An expanding and intricate transport system enables distribution of the goods all over the globe. Thus, transportation affects all our lives in many different ways.

Since TERI publishes books on energy use, I contacted an editor with my idea. After many months, another editor contacted me about writing a book on sustainable transport for young adults. I developed a book outline, shaped by some editorial feedback, that included scientific concepts, and provided case studies with a regional, national, and international focus.

A book of this nature is never completely finished, as both information and science continue to grow rapidly. When the editor accepted the first draft, diesel was not considered a carcinogen. We updated that, before sending the book out for independent fact checking and review.

While writing this book, I learned the critical importance of keeping multiple copies of historical data and materials. When my computer crashed, and the backup failed, I lost much of the important data and five chapters. I wished that I had had the foresight to make multiple backups when handling information from original sources. It took weeks of working day and night to research the sources, and complete the book within the deadline.

Contact info:

Rani Iyer, PhD, 509-432-5149, iyerani@gmail.com, http://www.raniyer.com
Book website: http://bookstore.teri.res.in/books/9788179934449

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Advance Copy

The path from idea to book may take myriad routes. The Advance Copy column, started in 2000 by NASW volunteer book editor Lynne Lamberg, features NASW authors telling the stories behind their books. Authors are asked to report how they got their idea, honed it into a proposal, found an agent and a publisher, funded and conducted their research, and organized their writing process. They also are asked to share what they wish they’d known when they started or would do differently next time, and what advice they can offer aspiring authors. Lamberg edits the authors’ answers to produce the Advance Copy reports.

NASW members: Will your book be published soon? Visit www.nasw.org/advance-copy-submission-guidelines for information on submitting your report.

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