Impacts

Island Press publishes compelling storytelling and overwhelming evidence that motivates people to protect wilderness and create sustainable communities. Supporters like you help us publish these critical ideas and solutions, so that decision-makers can take informed action. Our community of supporters have helped us achieve incredible downstream impacts, like the ones highlighted below. At the bottom of this page, you can access our impact reports from the past few years.

Regulating Chemical Emissions

In March 2024, the head of Biden’s Cancer Moonshot Program invited IP author, Kristina Marusic, to speak to EPA officials about her book, A New War on Cancer. A month later, the Biden administration announced that they “will require more than 200 chemical plants to cut their emissions of toxic chemicals as part of a broader effort to reduce cancer cases.” (The Hill)

Educating Congress on Exclusionary Zoning

On March 21, 2024, the 2024 Economic Report of the President was released, and Island Press book Arbitrary Lines was cited twice in the section on housing affordability, specifically referencing exclusionary zoning laws which lead to increased class segregation. This report overviews the nation’s economic progress and is read by all members of Congress.

Boosting Cougar Conservation Efforts

After we published The Cougar Conundrum (2020), two leading philanthropists read the book and awarded the cougar conservation organization Panthera $3 million in grant funds. The donations allowed the organization to grow rapidly, expanding their impact and translating to greater conservation for cougars.

Innovating on Urban Safety

In 2015, both Fast Company and The Boston Globe reported on a local citizen who put lessons from our book Tactical Urbanism into practice to make a deadly intersection safer. Inspired by the book, bike commuter Johnathon Fertig placed cones and potted flowers in the buffer zone of the bike lane to keep vehicles from edging over to the curb.

Advocating for Inclusive Energy Transitions

In 2023, the premier nonprofit, American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE), partnered with The National Urban League to release their State of Black America report. Included in the April 2023 report was an excerpt from Shalanda Baker’s Island Press book, “Revolutionary Power” (2021), “A Just Energy System as a Civil Right.” Media outlets and partner organizations of Island Press help us achieve inclusive transitions to sustainable solutions.