"Necessary Revolution" says there is a revolution under way in the business world in response to the threat of global warming, water shortages and other environmental crises, and warns that "the real problem is not these crises per se but the likelihood that our responses will be completely inadequate."

The authors conclude that change is unlikely to come through government regulation, but through cooperation between companies and nongovernmental organizations, and the power of individual action.

The book looks at how some companies are addressing sustainability issues and offers extensive advice on how to go about effecting change from within a corporation.

For employees who want to make their company greener while still maintaining healthy profits, "Necessary Revolution" appears to have come along at the right time. The idea of being environmentally proactive and corporate is big in a way that would have been inconceivable just a few years ago.

The book's chief strength lies in how the authors detail the various ways workers can make a difference at their companies.

If, however, you seek a broader look at how the environmental movement has gotten to corporations or how companies may have harmed the environment and resisted change in the past, you may be disappointed.

"Necessary Revolution" takes budding executives through several examples of how prominent corporations like Coca-Cola Co, DuPont Co, Alcoa Inc and General Electric Co are addressing sustainability issues.

In the case of consumer goods colossus Coca-Cola, for instance, the book follows how the company teamed up with the World Wildlife Fund to promote sustainability in water usage.

But there is scant information about how much water the company was using worldwide and Coke's action begs the question of how much damage it was doing and could have done had it not addressed the issue of water sustainability.

The authors of "Necessary Revolution" also touch on investor activism in persuading publicly-traded companies to adopt sustainability practices. However, the reference is fleeting.

Where "Necessary Revolution" succeeds is in providing detailed, step-by-step action plans for managers and employees to follow in order to engage and involve fellow employees and bring sustainability issues to management's attention.

This includes many flow charts plus encouraging subheads in chapters, such as "Small actions help the whole system" and "It's okay not to know how." There are also bullet-pointed "Toolbox" sections to guide managers, including, "Looking inside your own organization for energy and commitment."

If you want to effect change to benefit the environment but don't know how, "Necessary Revolutions" may hold the key. If you want to know more about why change by corporations is necessary, you might do better looking elsewhere. (Editing by Brian Moss)