This present condition of global trauma is not "natural," but a result of humanity's destructive actions. And, according to Masanobu Fukuoka, it is reversible. We need to change not only our methods of earth stewardship, but also the very way we think about the relationship between human beings and nature.Fukuoka grew up on a farm on the island of Shikoku in Japan. As a young man he worked as a customs inspector for plants going into and out of the country. This was in the 1930s when science seemed poised to create a new world of abundance and leisure, when people fully believed they could improve upon nature by applying scientific methods and thereby reap untold rewards. While working there, Fukuoka had an insight that changed his life forever. He returned to his home village and applied this insight to developing a revolutionary new way of farming that he believed would be of great benefit to society. This method, which he called "natural farming," involved working with, not in opposition to, nature.Fukuoka's inspiring and internationally best-selling book, The One-Straw Revolution was first published in English in 1978. In this book, Fukuoka described his philosophy of natural farming and why he came to farm the way he did. One-Straw was a huge success in the West, and spoke directly to the growing movement of organic farmers and activists seeking a new way of life. For years after its publication, Fukuoka traveled around the world spreading his teachings and developing a devoted following of farmers seeking to get closer to the truth of nature.Sowing Seeds in the Desert, a summation of those years of travel and research, is Fukuoka's last major work-and perhaps his most important. Fukuoka spent years working with people and organizations in Africa, India, Southeast Asia, Europe, and the United States, to prove that you could, indeed, grow food and regenerate forests with very little irrigation in the most desolate of places. Only by greening the desert, he said, would the world ever achieve true food security.This revolutionary book presents Fukuoka's plan to rehabilitate the deserts of the world using natural farming, including practical solutions for feeding a growing human population, rehabilitating damaged landscapes, reversing the spread of desertification, and providing a deep understanding of the relationship between human beings and nature. Fukuoka's message comes right at the time when people around the world seem to have lost their frame of reference, and offers us a way forward.

    While many experts point to the enormous complexity in addressing issues ranging from the destruction of ecosystems to the loss of millions of species, Thich Nhat Hanh identifies one key issue as having the potential to create a tipping point. He believes that we need to move beyond the concept of the "environment," as it leads people to experience themselves and Earth as two separate entities and to see the planet only in terms of what it can do for them. Thich Nhat Hanh points to the lack of meaning and connection in peoples' lives as being the cause of our addiction to consumerism. He deems it vital that we recognize and respond to the stress we are putting on the Earth if civilization is to survive. Rejecting the conventional economic approach, Nhat Hanh shows that mindfulness and a spiritual revolution are needed to protect nature and limit climate change.

    It crept up on me using the smallest of steps and didn't reveal its true beauty and real power until I was totally hooked. I was searching for a way to live well while spending very little money. What I found was a way of life that also gave me independence, opportunity and freedom.Rhonda Hetzel gently encourages readers to find the pleasure and meaning in a simpler life, sharing all the practical information she has gathered on her own journey. Whether you want to learn how to grow tomatoes, bake bread, make your own soap and preserve fruit, or just be inspired to slow down and live more sustainably, Down to Earth will be your guide.

    We are beset by climate change, fracking, tar sands extraction, GMOs, and mass extinctions of species, to say nothing of nuclear weapons proliferation and Fukushima, the worst nuclear disaster in history. Many of us fall prey to despair even as we feel called to respond to these threats to life on our planet.Authors Joanna Macy and Molly Brown address the anguish experienced by those who would confront the harsh realities of our time. In this fully updated edition of Coming Back to Life, they show how grief, anger, and fear are healthy responses to threats to life, and when honored can free us from paralysis or panic, through the revolutionary practice of the Work that Reconnects. New chapters address working within the corporate world, and engaging communities of color as well as youth in the Work.The Work that Reconnects has spread around the world, inspiring hundreds of thousands to work toward a life-sustaining human culture. Coming Back to Life introduces the Work's theoretical foundations, illuminating the angst of our era with extraordinary insight. Pointing the way forward out of apathy, it offers personal counsel as well as easy-to-use methods for group work that profoundly affect peoples' outlook and ability to act in the world.Joanna Macy is a scholar, eco-philosopher, teacher, activist, and author of twelve previous books including Coming Back to Life.Molly Young Brown is a teacher, trainer, counselor, and author of four previous books on psychology and Earth-based spirituality.

    Climate change, the depletion of oil, economic upheaval, and mass extinction together create a planetary emergency of overwhelming proportions. Active Hope shows us how to strengthen our capacity to face this crisis so that we can respond with unexpected resilience and creative power. Drawing on decades of teaching an empowerment approach known as the Work That Reconnects, the authors guide us through a transformational process informed by mythic journeys, modern psychology, spirituality, and holistic science. This process equips us with tools to face the mess we’re in and play our role in the collective transition, or Great Turning, to a life-sustaining society.

    But our bins are just the starting point for a strange, impressive, mysterious, and costly journey that may also represent the greatest untapped opportunity of the century. In Garbology, Edward Humes investigates trash—what’s in it; how much we pay for it; how we manage to create so much of it; and how some families, communities, and even nations are finding a way back from waste to discover a new kind of prosperity. Along the way , he introduces a collection of garbage denizens unlike anyone you’ve ever met: the trash-tracking detectives of MIT, the bulldozer-driving sanitation workers building Los Angeles’ Garbage Mountain landfill, the artists residing in San Francisco’s dump, and the family whose annual trash output fills not a dumpster or a trash can, but a single mason jar.  Garbology reveals not just what we throw away, but who we are and where our society is headed. Waste is the one environmental and economic harm that ordinary working Americans have the power to change—and prosper in the process.

    She’s a farmer. It’s “as big as a B-size potato.” As her bombarded land turns white, she and her husband Martin huddle under a blanket and reminisce: the one-hundred-mile-per-hour winds; the eleven-inch rainfall (“that broccoli turned out gorgeous”); the hail disaster of 1977. The romance of farming washed away a long time ago, but the love? Never. In telling her story of working the land, coaxing good food from the fertile soil, Atina Diffley reminds us of an ultimate truth: we live in relationships—with the earth, plants and animals, families and communities.A memoir of making these essential relationships work in the face of challenges as natural as weather and as unnatural as corporate politics, her book is a firsthand history of getting in at the “ground level” of organic farming. One of the first certified organic produce farms in the Midwest, the Diffleys’ Gardens of Eagan helped to usher in a new kind of green revolution in the heart of America’s farmland, supplying their roadside stand and a growing number of local food co-ops. This is a story of a world transformed—and reclaimed—one square acre at a time.And yet, after surviving punishing storms and the devastating loss of fifth-generation Diffley family land to suburban development, the Diffleys faced the ultimate challenge: the threat of eminent domain for a crude oil pipeline proposed by one of the largest privately owned companies in the world, notorious polluters Koch Industries. As Atina Diffley tells her David-versus-Goliath tale, she gives readers everything from expert instruction in organic farming to an entrepreneur’s manual on how to grow a business to a legal thriller about battling corporate arrogance to a love story about a single mother falling for a good, big-hearted man.

    Patagonia, named by Fortune in 2007 as the coolest company on the planet, has earned a reputation as much for its ground-breaking environmental and social practices as for the quality of its clothes. In this exceptionally frank account, Chouinard and Stanley recount how the company and its culture gained the confidence, by step and misstep, to make its work progressively more responsible, and to ultimately share its discoveries with companies as large as Wal-Mart or as small as the corner bakery. In plain, compelling prose, the authors describe the current impact of manufacturing and commerce on the planet’s natural systems and human communities, and how that impact now forces business to change its ways. The Responsible Company shows companies how to reduce the harm they cause, improve the quality of their business, and provide the kind of meaningful work everyone seeks. It concludes with specific, practical steps every business can undertake, as well as advice on what to do, in what order. This is the first book to show companies how to thread their way through economic sea change and slow the drift toward ecological bankruptcy. Its advice is simple but powerful: reduce your environmental footprint (and its skyrocketing cost), make legitimate products that last, reclaim deep knowledge of your business and its supply chain to make the most of opportunities in the years to come, and earn the trust you’ll need by treating your workers, customers and communities with respect.

    With conventional solutions failing, a new culture of decision-making is called for. Strategic design is about applying the principles of traditional design to "big picture" systemic challenges such as healthcare, education and the environment. It redefines how problems are approached and aims to deliver more resilient solutions. In this short book, Dan Hill outlines a new vocabulary of design, one that needs to be smuggled into the upper echelons of power. He asserts that, increasingly, effective design means engaging with the messy politics - the "dark matter"- taking place above the designer's head. And that may mean redesigning the organization that hires you.

    Imagine how much more self-reliant our communities would be if thirty million acres of lawns were made productive again. Permaculture is a practical way to apply ecological design principles to food, housing, and energy systems, making growing fruits, vegetables, and livestock easier and more sustainable.The Permaculture Handbook is a step-by-step, beautifully illustrated guide to creating resilient and prosperous households and neighborhoods, complemented by extensive case studies of three successful farmsteads and market gardens. This comprehensive manual casts garden farming as both an economic opportunity and a strategy for living well with less money. It shows how, by mimicking the intelligence of nature and applying appropriate technologies such as solar and environmental design, permaculture can:Create an abundance of fresh, nourishing local produce Reduce dependence on expensive, polluting fossil fuels Drought-proof our cities and countryside Convert waste into wealthPermaculture is about working with the earth and with each other to repair the damage of industrial overreach and to enrich the living world that sustains us. The Permaculture Handbook is the definitive practical North American guide to this revolutionary practice, and is a must-read for anyone concerned about creating food security, resilience, and a legacy of abundance rather than depletion.Peter Bane is a permaculture teacher and site designer who has published and edited Permaculture Activist magazine for over twenty years. He helped create Earthaven Ecovillage in North Carolina, and is now pioneering suburban farming in Bloomington, Indiana.

    We are alienated not only from one another, but also from the land that sustains us. Our ecosystems are increasingly damaged, and human bodies are likewise degraded. Most of us have little understanding of how our energy is derived or our food is produced, and many of our current industrialized practices are both unhealthy for our bodies and unsustainable for the planet. Agriculturalist Fred Bahnson and theologian Norman Wirzba declare that in Christ, God reconciles all bodies into a peaceful, life-promoting relationship with one another. Because human beings are incarnated in material, bodily existence, we are necessarily interdependent with plants and animals, land and sea, heaven and earth. The good news is that redemption is cosmic, with implications for agriculture and ecology, from farm to dinner table. Bahnson and Wirzba describe communities that model cooperative practices of relational life, with local food production, eucharistic eating and delight in God's provision. Reconciling with the land is a rich framework for a new way of life. Read this book to start down the path to restoring shalom and experiencing Jesus' kingdom of shared abundance, where neighbors are fed and all receive enough.

    Integrative medical strategies abound for situations in which medical help is NOT on the way. This book will teach you how to deal with all the likely medical issues you will face in a disaster situation, and shows you strategies to keep your family healthy even in the worse scenarios. You'll learn skills like performing a physical exam, transporting the injured patient, and even how to suture a wound!

    Deftly organized into ten chapters—Transparency,Connection, Simplicity, Collaboration, Passion, Creativity, Contagiousness,Generosity, Insight, and Full Commitment—it both inspires through greatwork and explains the principles involved.Over ninety campaigns in a full array of media channels are featured,and each is accompanied by a detailed commentary on the work. Includinginterviews and insights from leading advertising strategists, the book providesa comprehensive overview for professional advertising creatives, brandstrategists, or anyone who works with a brand that values truth, trust, andresponsibility.

    

    The fact that it is neither, and yet it is both, distinguishes this book from the many extant books on John Muir. Building on her lifelong passion for the work and philosophy of John Muir, author Anne Rowthorn has created this entirely new treatment for showcasing the great naturalist's philosophy and writings. By pairing carefully selected material from various stages of Muir's life, Rowthorn's book provides a view into the experiences, places, and people that inspired and informed Muir's words and beliefs. The reader feels able to join in with Muir's own discoveries and transformations over the arc of his life. Rowthorn is careful not to overstep her role: she stands back and lets Muir's words speak for themselves.

    The text offers detailed discussion of greenhouse gases, oceanic and atmospheric processes, Pleistocene and Holocene paleoclimate, the human fingerprints of climate change, modeling climate, sea level rise, climate impacts on economic sectors, and dangerous weather patterns associated with climate change.Fletcher offers the first real textbook to present the science surrounding climate change at the right level for an undergraduate student. His polished writing style makes this an entertaining read while the pedagogical support and organization helps students better identify and understand key concepts, ideas and terms. Each chapter is organized with learning objectives, student exercises, videos, scientific citations to promote further learning, and creative thinking problems to underpin classroom discussion.

    Foreword by Dennis Meadows, co-author of the 1972 Club of Rome report The Limits to Growth. Pioneering new research from the Club of Rome: In 1972, the first Report for the Club of Rome - The Limits to Growth - famously spelled out the unsustainable consequences of an economic system that demands infinite growth in a finite world. Just as The Limits to Growth exposed the catastrophic flaws in our economic system, this new Report from the Club of Rome exposes the systemic flaws in our money system and the wrong thinking that underpins it. It describes the ongoing currency and banking crises we must expect if we continue with the current monopoly system - and the vicious impact of these crises on our communities, our society as a whole and our environment. It finishes by setting out clear, practical proposals for creating a money 'ecosystem' with complementary currencies to support and stabilize the current money system.

    Traversing a range of cultures, including the Tohono O’odham of the Sonoran Desert and the Rarámuri of the Sierra Tarahumara, the book is an illuminating journey through the southwest United States and northern Mexico. Salmón weaves his historical and cultural knowledge as a renowned indigenous ethnobotanist with stories American Indian farmers have shared with him to illustrate how traditional indigenous foodways—from the cultivation of crops to the preparation of meals—are rooted in a time-honored understanding of environmental stewardship.In this fascinating personal narrative, Salmón focuses on an array of indigenous farmers who uphold traditional agricultural practices in the face of modern changes to food systems such as extensive industrialization and the genetic modification of food crops. Despite the vast cultural and geographic diversity of the region he explores, Salmón reveals common themes: the importance of participation in a reciprocal relationship with the land, the connection between each group’s cultural identity and their ecosystems, and the indispensable correlation of land consciousness and food consciousness. Salmón shows that these collective philosophies provide the foundation for indigenous resilience as the farmers contend with global climate change and other disruptions to long-established foodways. This resilience, along with the rich stores of traditional ecological knowledge maintained by indigenous agriculturalists, Salmón explains, may be the key to sustaining food sources for humans in years to come.As many of us begin to question the origins and collateral costs of the food we consume, Salmón’s call for a return to more traditional food practices in this wide-ranging and insightful book is especially timely. Eating the Landscape is an essential resource for ethnobotanists, food sovereignty proponents, and advocates of the local food and slow food movements.

    Together with some of the most brilliant thinkers and inspiring advocates of our time, Caldicott--whom Meryl Streep has called "my inspiration to speak out"--scrutinizes our unsustainable dependence on nuclear energy; explores how the United States could transition to renewable energy; and raises awareness about a host of other planetary issues, from deforestation and sea-level rise to nuclear arms and the potential health effects of cell phone radiation.

    In Enough Is Enough, Rob Dietz and Dan O’Neill lay out a visionary but realistic alternative to the perpetual pursuit of economic growth—an economy where the goal is not more but enough. They explore specific strategies to conserve natural resources, stabilize population, reduce inequality, fix the financial system, create jobs, and more—all with the aim of maximizing long-term well-being instead of short-term profits. Filled with fresh ideas and surprising optimism, Enough Is Enough is the primer for achieving genuine prosperity and a hopeful future for all.

    Some of the leading voices in the American environmental movement restate the case that population growth is a major force behind many of our most serious ecological problems, including global climate change, habitat loss and species extinctions, air and water pollution, and food and water scarcity. As we surpass seven billion world inhabitants, contributors argue that ending population growth worldwide and in the United States is a moral imperative that deserves renewed commitment.Hailing from a range of disciplines and offering varied perspectives, these essays hold in common a commitment to sharing resources with other species and a willingness to consider what will be necessary to do so. In defense of nature and of a vibrant human future, contributors confront hard issues regarding contraception, abortion, immigration, and limits to growth that many environmentalists have become too timid or politically correct to address in recent years.Ending population growth will not happen easily. Creating genuinely sustainable societies requires major change to economic systems and ethical values coupled with clear thinking and hard work. Life on the Brink is an invitation to join the discussion about the great work of building a better future.Contributors: Albert Bartlett, Joseph Bish, Lester Brown, Tom Butler, Philip Cafaro, Martha Campbell, William R. Catton Jr., Eileen Crist, Anne Ehrlich, Paul Ehrlich, Robert Engelman, Dave Foreman, Amy Gulick, Ronnie Hawkins, Leon Kolankiewicz, Richard Lamm, Jeffrey McKee, Stephanie Mills, Roderick Nash, Tim Palmer, Charmayne Palomba, William Ryerson, Winthrop Staples III, Captain Paul Watson, Don Weeden, George Wuerthner.

    The logical next step? Learning to grow and make your own.In The Organic Backyard Vineyard, expert Tom Powers walks the small grower through the entire process of growing grapes, with a month-by-month maintenance guide covering all regions of the U.S. and Canada. He explains everything a beginning grape grower needs to know: how to design and build a vineyard, how to select grapes for each region, how to maximize yield using organic maintenance techniques, how to build a trellis, how to harvest at peak flavor, and how to store grapes for wine making.

    

    However, social workers have played a low-key role in environmental issues that increasingly impact on people's well-being, both locally and globally. This compelling new contribution confronts this topic head-on, examining environmental issues from a social work perspective. Lena Dominelli draws attention to the important voice of practitioners working on the ground in the aftermath of environmental disasters, whether these are caused by climate change, industrial accidents or human conflict. The author explores the concept of 'green social work' and its role in using environmental crises to address poverty and other forms of structural inequalities, to obtain more equitable allocations of limited natural resources and to tackle global socio-political forces that have a damaging impact upon the quality of life of poor and marginalized populations at local levels. The resolution of these matters is linked to community initiatives that social workers can engage in to ensure that the quality of life of poor people can be enhanced without costing the Earth.This important book will appeal to those in the fields of social work, social policy, sociology and human geography. It powerfully reveals how environmental issues are an integral part of social work's remit if it is to retain its currency in the modern world and emphasize its relevance to the social issues that societies have to resolve in the twenty-first century.

    Reaching beyond partisan politics, Atlee explores how a diversity of views can be engaged around public issues in ways that generate a coherent, shared "voice of the people" that takes most or all of the population's perspectives and needs into account. Atlee's core approach is through "citizen deliberative councils," in which a small group of people randomly selected creates a "mini-public" or a microcosm of the larger population. Citizen councils engage in the study of a public issue and make recommendations to public officials and the community, but disband afterward; when a new issue arises, a new council is formed. Ultimately, Atlee aims even higher, suggesting a possible fourth branch of government to better balance our current democratic system. Combining a radical vision with practical solutions, Empowering Public Wisdom provides a unique and refreshing voice in the political arena.Empowering Public Wisdom is part of the EVOLVER EDITIONS Manifesto Series.

    A core thesis of the book is that the principal strategy currently advocated to mitigate climate change--the reduction of greenhouse gases--will not prove sufficient to measurably slow the rapid pace of warming in urban environments. Brian Stone explains the science of climate change in terms accessible to the nonscientist and with compelling anecdotes drawn from history and current events. The book is an ideal introduction to climate change and cities for students, policy makers, and anyone who wishes to gain insight into an issue critical to the future of our cities and the people who live in them.

    Beginning with an all-encompassing examination of the uses of the five most important materials—steel, aluminum, cement, plastic, and paper—this exploration delves into the entire lifecycle of these materials, from smelting and goods manufacture to final recycling. Through evidence drawn from this analysis and real-world commercial enterprises, the study submits creative solutions for achieving manufacturing efficiencies and the same functionality or services using less material, and identifies potential economic outcomes from these scenarios.

    Now "Architecture of Density“ comes in a new edition as a stand alone book.Focused on the specific visual elements Michael Wolf has depicted high density living in one of the world’s most crowded cities like nobody has before. For ›Architecture of Density‹, Wolf fashioned a distinctive style of photography. He removes any sky or horizon line from the frame and flattens the space until it becomes a relentless abstraction of urban expansion, with no escape for the viewer’s eye. Wolf photographs crumbling buildings in need of repair, brand new buildings under construction covered in bamboo scaffolding, as well as fully occupied residential complexes. Wolf’s disorienting vantage point gives the viewer the feeling that the buildings extend indefinitely, which perhaps is the spatial experience of Hong Kong’s inhabitants.Alert observers can also spot many traces of life on the facades, caused by inhabitants and users.Description credit: http://peperoni-books.de/tokyo_compre...

    The emphasis is on passive low-energy principles, and the rules of thumb cover all the design fundamentals from site and location to orientation and form, peppered with some which will help the designer to think 'outside the box' about the design process itself.

    The book is organized in three parts. The first part is concerned with transforming fashion products across the garment's lifecycle and includes innovation in materials, manufacture, distribution, use, and re-use. The second part looks at ideas that are transforming the fashion system at root into something more sustainable, including new business models that reduce material output. The third section is concerned with transforming the role of fashion designers and looks to examples where the designer changes from a stylist or shaper of things into a communicator, activist or facilitator.

    Those fortunate enough to succeed then face a second, major challenge: how to grow. This book focuses on the key questions an entrepreneur must answer in order to grow a business. Based on extensive research of more than fifty successful growth companies, Grow to Greatness discusses the top ten growth challenges and how to overcome them.Author Edward D. Hess dispels the myth that businesses must grow or die. Growth can create value. But, too much growth too fast outstrips effective processes, controls, or management capacity. Viewing growth as "recurring change," Grow to Greatness lays out a framework for how to approach business development—and how to manage its risks and pace.The book then takes readers through chapters that explore whether the time is right to grow, how to do it, and how to manage the vital reality that growth requires the right leadership, culture, and people. Uniquely, this book aims to prepare readers for the day-to-day reality of growth, offering up the lived experiences of eleven entrepreneurs. Six workshops to assess where readers stand now and a suite of templates that will prove to be useful over time help bring the book's teachings to life. After reading this book, entrepreneurs will have a real understanding of their readiness to grow and place in the growth cycle, as well as a concrete action plan for where to take their businesses next.Many books address how to start a business, but this is a unique, go-to resource for readers who want to learn how to thrive beyond the start-up phase.

    In Mobilizing the Green Imagination, philosophical provocateur Anthony Weston urges us to move beyond ever more desperate attempts to “green” the status quo toward entirely different and far more inviting ecological visions:Life after transportation—decentralized work, inventive infill, and self-sufficient micro-communities to facilitate life in placeAdaptation with attitude—cities that welcome the rising watersA great second chance—moving beyond exploitation of the whole natural worldA cosmic ecology—why not a green space program?These postcards from beyond the leading edge of today’s green thinking are bold, audacious, extravagantly hopeful, and profoundly inspiring—the perfect antidote to the despair brought on by too many “doom and gloom” scenarios. Nothing less than a complete reinvention of contemporary environmentalism, Mobilizing the Green Imagination belongs in the back pocket of anyone who dares to dream of a brighter future and a better world.Anthony Weston is professor of philosophy and environmental studies at Elon University in North Carolina, where he teaches ethics, environmental studies, and "Millennial Imagination." He is the author of twelve other books, including How to Re-Imagine the World and Back to Earth, as well as many articles on ethics, critical thinking, education, and contemporary culture. At Elon, Weston has been named both Teacher of the Year and Scholar of the Year.

    Capitalizing on West’s wide array of interests, this collection of his essays touches on topics ranging from viruses and the telegraph to children, bison, and Larry McMurtry. Drawing from the past three centuries, West weaves the western story into that of the nation and the world beyond, from Kansas and Montana to Haiti, Africa, and the court of Louis XV. Divided into three sections, the volume begins with conquest. West is not the first historian to write about Lewis and Clark, but he is the first to contrast their expedition with Mungo Park’s contemporaneous journey in Africa. “The Lewis and Clark expedition,” West begins, “is one of the most overrated events in American history—and one of the most revealing.” The humor of this insightful essay is a chief characteristic of the whole book, which comprises ten chapters previously published in major journals and magazines—but revised for this edition—and four brand-new ones. West is well known for his writings about frontier family life, especially the experiences of children at work and play. Fans of his earlier books on these subjects will not be disappointed. In a final section, he looks at the West of myth and imagination, in part to show that our fantasies about the West are worth studying precisely because they have been so at odds with the real West. In essays on buffalo, Jesse James and the McMurtry novel Lonesome Dove, West directs his formidable powers to subjects that continue to shape our understanding—and often our misunderstanding—of the American West, past and present.

    It is also home to the oldest and densest urban settlements in the American West. Focusing on human inhabitation of the Bay since Ohlone times, Down by the Bay reveals the ongoing role of nature in shaping that history. From birds to oyster pirates, from gold miners to farmers, from salt ponds to ports, this is the first history of the San Francisco Bay and Delta as both a human and natural landscape. It offers invaluable context for current discussions over the best management and use of the Bay in the face of sea level rise.

    The solutions are there, he argues; we just need the will to act together to bring about change.Suzuki delves into such provocative topics as the difference between human hunters and other predators, our dependence on the sun, and what we must learn from Japan's recent reactor meltdown. He also doesn't avoid controversial opinion, especially when it comes to taking on those who stand in the way of resolving serious issues like climate change.Everything Under the Sun includes telling facts and stats, the latest scientific findings, and examples of the positive actions people are taking today toward protecting what we have. Underpinning it all is the recognition that Earth gives us everything we require to live, under a sun that provides the energy to produce food, transport, and all of our modern conveniences.Published in partnership with the David Suzuki Foundation.

    In The Wrong Complexion for Protection, Robert D. Bullard and Beverly Wright place the government response to natural and human-induced disasters in historical context over the past eight decades. They compare and contrast how the government responded to emergencies, including environmental and public health emergencies, toxic contamination, industrial accidents, bioterrorism threats and show that African Americans are disproportionately affected. Bullard and Wright argue that uncovering and eliminating disparate disaster response can mean the difference between life and death for those most vulnerable in disastrous times.

    Persistent pollutants are accumulating. Food security is declining. There is no going back to the days of reckless consumption, but there is a possibility--already being realized in communities across North America and around the world--of localizing, of living well as we learn to live well within immutable constraints. This book maps the transition to a more localized world. Society is shifting from the centrifugal forces of globalization (cheap and abundant raw materials and energy, intensive commercialization, concentrated economic and political power) to the centripetal forces of localization: distributed authority and leadership, sustainable use of nearby natural resources, community self-reliance and cohesion (with crucial regional, national, and international dimensions). This collection, offering classic texts by such writers as Wendell Berry, M. King Hubbert, and Ernst F. Schumacher, as well as new work by authors including Karen Litfin and David Hess, shows how localization--a process of affirmative social change--can enable psychologically meaningful and fulfilling lives while promoting ecological and social sustainability. Topics range from energy dynamics to philosophies of limits, from the governance of place-based communities to the discovery of positive personal engagement. Together they point the way to a transition that can be peaceful, democratic, just, and environmentally resilient.

    As sustainability is a multi-disciplinary area of study, the text is the product of multiple authors drawn from the diverse faculty of the University of Illinois: each chapter is written by a recognized expert in the field.

    It will help adult educators understand what transformative learning is, distinguish it from other forms of learning, and foster it in their practice. The book covers five broad areas: historical, theoretical, practical, research, and future perspective. It is comprehensive, interdisciplinary, critical, reflective, and accessible to a wide audience of interested scholars, students, and practitioners. Co-edited by leading experts in the field with an advisory group of prominent authorities, this handbook is the leading resource for the field"--

    While it created tremendous growth, opportunity and prosperity for a generation that had just lived through economic depression and war, the way cities and regions were being built ? spread out across the landscape ? would ultimately be extremely expensive to sustain, far greater than the relative wealth the approach would generate. The harsh legacy of this reality is what nearly every U.S city faces today. A new approach to creating and sustaining prosperity is necessary. Charles Marohn is the author of the Strong Towns Blog and founder of the Strong Towns movement. As a civil engineer, land use planner, economic thinker and author, he brings a fresh perspective to the way America's cities have been built and financed. His work has been widely distributed and examined by decision-makers at all levels of society. Thoughts on Building Strong Towns is a collection of Marohn's thought-provoking essays from 2011, reworked and edited with some additional material and notes added by the author. There are 34 essays in all including: The Growth Ponzi Scheme, The Infrastructure Cult, Do we really care about children?, Complete Roads and The Diverging Diamond.

    Katharine K. Wilkinson shows that, contrary to popular expectations, faith-based effortsare emerging and strengthening to address this problem. In the US, perhaps none is more significant than evangelical climate care.Drawing on extensive focus group and textual research and interviews, Between God & Green explores the phenomenon of climate care, from its historical roots and theological grounding to its visionary leaders and advocacy initiatives. Wilkinson examines the movement's reception within the broaderevangelical community, from pew to pulpit. She shows that by engaging with climate change as a matter of private faith and public life, leaders of the movement challenge traditional boundaries of the evangelical agenda, partisan politics, and established alliances and hostilities. These leaders viewsea-level rise as a moral calamity, lobby for legislation written on both sides of the aisle, and partner with atheist scientists.Wilkinson reveals how evangelical environmentalists are reshaping not only the landscape of American climate action, but the contours of their own religious community. Though the movement faces complex challenges, climate care leaders continue to leverage evangelicalism's size, dominance, culturalposition, ethical resources, and mechanisms of communication to further their cause to bridge God and green.

    He is truly an architect whose sensibilities represent the widest range of this and earlier centuries." Such was the description of Renzo Piano given by the Pritzker Prize jury citation as they bestowed the prestigious award on him in 1998. Whereas some architects have a signature style, what sets Piano apart is that he seeks simply to apply a coherent set of ideas to new projects in extraordinarily different ways. "One of the great beauties of architecture is that each time, it is like life starting all over again," Piano says. "Like a movie director doing a love story, a Western, or a murder mystery, a new world confronts an architect with each project." This explains why it takes more than a superficial glance to recognize Piano's fingerprints on such varied projects as the Pompidou Center in Paris, the Kansai airport in Osaka, Japan, the Tjibaou Cultural Center in Nouméa, New Caledonia, The New York Times Building in New York, the Zentrum Paul Klee in Bern, Switzerland, and the Morgan Library in New York.About the Series:Every book in TASCHEN's Basic Architecture Series features:approximately 120 images, including photographs, sketches, drawings, and floor plans introductory essays exploring the architect's life and work, touching on family and background as well as collaborations with other architects the most important works presented in chronological order, with descriptions of client and/or architect wishes as well as construction problems and resolutions an appendix including a list of complete or selected works, biography, bibliography, and a map indicating the locations of the architect's most famous buildings

    He is demanding new thinking toward objectives and processes and also humane capitalism! This also calls for the establishment of a creative-focused education (Creative Sciences) alongside today’s focus on natural sciences and the liberal arts. This applies not only to finding and promoting all creative talent at an early school age, but also to then communicate the necessary professional expertise so that we are all in the position to constructively address the huge challenges ahead.

    This reader-friendly book is the first to promote a holistic approach to sustainable development. It gives readers a multifaceted approach to the area to encompass what is referred to as people, planet and profit . It looks at people, cultures, social cohesion, empowerment, education and health, nature and the environment, and prosperity and the economy, to help readers understand the fundamentals of sustainable development.The book has been written in an accessible way, and can be read with ease by those with no previous knowledge of sustainable development. The first part presents an overview of the conceptual and practical challenges in sustainable development stemming from human-environment relations as well as ensuing issues of inequality and insecurity. The second part explores strategies and solutions for facing these challenges. It presents case studies from all over the world and draws on many disciplines to investigate topics such as climate change, energy, technology, political and economic instruments, and sustainable business practices.An interactive and complete educational tool, the book comes with a website containing exercises, learning goals and summaries for each chapter as well as over forty video clips. It also offers a lecturer section which includes a PowerPoint to accompany every chapter, and answers and explanations to the exercises. This stimulating book is an invaluable resource for students and lecturers in all disciplines who have an interest in the sustainability of our planet, and our human society and economy."

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    For the fortunate they also provide comfort and delight. In the twentieth century comfort became a 'product' produced by machines and run on cheap energy. In a world where fossil fuels are becoming ever scarcer and more expensive, and the climate more extreme, the challenge of designing comfortable buildings today requires a new approach.This timely book is the first in a trilogy from leaders in the field which will provide just that. It explains, in a clear and comprehensible manner, how we stay comfortable by using our bodies, minds, buildings and their systems to adapt to indoor and outdoor conditions which change with the weather and the climate. The book is in two sections. The first introduces the principles on which the theory of adaptive thermal comfort is based. The second explains how to use field studies to measure thermal comfort in practice and to analyze the data gathered.Architects have gradually passed responsibility for building performance to service engineers who are largely trained to see comfort as the 'product', designed using simplistic comfort models. The result has contributed to a shift to buildings that use ever more energy. A growing international consensus now calls for low-energy buildings. This means designers must first produce robust, passive structures that provide occupants with many opportunities to make changes to suit their environmental needs. Ventilation using free, natural energy should be preferred and mechanical conditioning only used when the climate demands it.This book outlines the theory of adaptive thermal comfort that is essential to understand and inform such building designs. This book should be required reading for all students, teachers and practitioners of architecture, building engineering and management - for all who have a role in producing, and occupying, twenty-first century adaptive, low-carbon, comfortable buildings.

    But while laid up after surgery, she read an article about the staggering amount of plastic polluting the oceans and decided then and there to kick her plastic habit. Now she wants to teach you how you can too. In her quirky and humorous style well known to the readers of her popular blog, My Plastic-Free Life, Terry provides personal anecdotes, stats about the environmental and health problems related to plastic, and personal solutions and tips on how to limit your plastic footprint. Terry includes handy lists and charts for easy reference, ways to get involved in larger community actions, and profiles of individuals--Plastic-Free Heroes who have gone beyond personal solutions to create a change on a larger scale. Plastic-Free also includes chapters on letting go of eco-guilt, strategies for coping with overwhelming problems, and ways to relate to other people who aren't as far along on the plastic-free path. Both a practical guide and the story of a personal journey from helplessness to empowerment, Plastic-Free is a must-read for anyone concerned about the ongoing health and happiness of themselves, their children, and the planet.

    Becoming Human by Design's provocative argument presents a revised reading of human 'evolution' centred on ontological design.Examining the relation of design to the nature of the human species - where the species came from, how it was created, what it became and its likely future - Fry asserts that current biological and social models of evolution are an insufficient explanation of how 'we humans' became what we are.Making a case for ontological design as an evolutionary agency, the book posits the relation between the formation of the world of human fabrication and the making of mankind itself as indivisible. It also functions as a provocation to rethink the fate of Homo sapiens, recognising that all species are finite and that the fate of humankind turns on a fundamental Darwinian principle - adapt or die. Fry considers the nature of adaptation, arguing that it will depend on an ability to think and design in new ways.

    Now, with the Peter L. Bernstein Classics Collection e-bundle, you will be able to enjoy some of the most important and critically acclaimed books by this engaging investment writer—Capital Ideas, Against the Gods, The Power of Gold, and Capital Ideas Evolving. Capital Ideas and Capital Ideas Evolving traces the origins of modern Wall Street, from the pioneering work of early scholars and the development of new theories in risk, valuation, and investment returns, to the actual implementation of these theories in the real world of investment management Against the Gods skillfully explores one of the most profound issues of our time—the role of risk in our society—in a non-technical and accessible style The Power of Gold tells the story of how history's most coveted, celebrated, and inglorious asset has inspired romantic myths, daring explorations, and titanic struggles for money and power Engaging and informative, Peter L. Bernstein Classics Collection puts the insights of one of the greatest financial writers of our time at your fingertips.

    It is written for both serious home seed savers and diversified small-scale farmers who want to learn the necessary steps involved in successfully producing a commercial seed crop organically.Detailed profiles for each of the major vegetables provide users with practical, in-depth knowledge about growing, harvesting, and processing seed for a wide range of common and specialty vegetable crops, from Asian greens to zucchini.In addition, readers will find extensive and critical information on topics including:The reproductive biology of crop plantsAnnual vs. biennial seed cropsIsolation distances needed to ensure varietal purityMaintaining adequate population size for genetic integritySeed crop climatesSeed-borne diseasesSeed-cleaning basicsSeed storage for farmersand more . . .This book can serve as a bridge to lead skilled gardeners, who are already saving their own seed, into the idea of growing seed commercially. And for diversified vegetable farmers who are growing a seed crop for sale for the first time, it will provide details on many of the tricks of the trade that are used by professional seed growers. This manual will help the budding seed farmer to become more knowledgeable, efficient, and effective in producing a commercially viable seed crop.With the strong demand for certified organic produce, many regional seed companies are increasingly seeking out dedicated seed growers to ensure a reliable source of organically grown seeds for their farmer and gardener customers. This trend represents a great business opportunity for small-scale commercial growers who wish to raise and sell vegetable seeds as a profitable part of their diversified small-farm operation. Written by well-known plant breeder and organic seed expert John Navazio, The Organic Seed Grower is the most up-to-date and useful guide to best practices in this exciting and important field.

    This is a no-nonsense and engaging introduction on how to do it.' Kevin McCloudThe Passivhaus Handbook is an essential guide for anyone wanting to realise a supremely comfortable, healthy and durable home with exceptionally low energy costs. Passivhaus design focuses on getting the building fabric right, to achieve ultra-low energy consumption in the most cost-effective manner. The approach is relevant to a wide range of building types and climates.Passivhaus methodology can be combined with elements of other building standards, such as the UK’s Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH), or with other sustainable building goals, such as a commitment to using low-impact or natural building materials.Whether you are building an extension, retrofitting your house or starting from scratch, and whether you are new to low-energy design or already have some experience, this book will help you navigate around the potential pitfalls and misconceptions. It brings together current thinking and best practice.The book includes:A clear explanation of the underlying building physics and terminology. Detailed information on key elements of Passivhaus: avoiding air leakage, designing out thermal (cold) bridges, moisture management and ventilation strategy.Practical advice on setting up a project, including developing a motivated project team.A discussion of economic considerations and the policy context in the UK.As pressure on global resources increases and energy prices continue to rise, the Passivhaus approach, proven over 20 years, meets the challenge of ultra-low-energy building for the future.

    From apple cinnamon beer bread to award-winning mac and cheese, even the most carnivorous palates will be satisfied. With an emphasis on demystifying veganism and taking the intimidation out of cooking, this cookbook's tips, tricks, and glossaries of important ingredients and cooking terms serve to encourage the uninitiated as well as vegan veterans.

    Through groundbreaking new science, The Human Quest recognizes what is at stake. The content comes to life through beautiful and dramatic pictures and is thereby the first of its kind to merge science and photography. It serves as an inspiration and guide for action as humankind faces a turning point in our history and the state of the Earth. Over the past 50 years, our unsustainable ways of living have begun to put massive pressure on the planetary processes that support our well-being and economic development. The Human Quest tells how. Integrating the latest scientific insights with the power of images and real world experience, Johan Rockström and Mattias Klum combine evidence from the many scientific disciplines that study how planet Earth operates and the relations between ourselves and the Earth system. They not only diagnose the problems, but also look at the opportunities and evidence supporting that transitions to a sustainable future are possible.The book illustrates the fragility and the beauty of our planet, while it lays out the challenges we now face as a human race, providing a framework for navigating these turbulent times. Unlike any other book of its kind, The Human Quest builds this framework from the unique perspective of nine planetary boundaries interactively combined, defined as: climate change, ocean acidification, stratospheric ozone, biogeochemical, global freshwater use, land system change, biodiversity loss, chemical pollution, and aerosol loading.Exceeding these nine planetary boundaries are propelling the human race towards catastrophic risks. The book highlights that action needs to be taken now, in what may be the worst decisive decade in human history. With a fundamental shift in mindset, humanity can succeed in a transition to global sustainability. The Human Quest can help turn the page to that new paradigm.

    

    Can the shape of a car make it more aerodynamic and more attractive at the same time? Could buildings be constructed of porous materials that simultaneously clean the air and soothe the skin? Can cities become verdant, productive landscapes instead of wastelands of concrete?Drawing from a wealth of scientific research, Hosey demonstrates that form and image can enhance conservation, comfort, and community at every scale of design, from products to buildings to cities. Fully embracing the principles of ecology could revolutionize every aspect of design, in substance and in style. Aesthetic attraction isn’t a superficial concern — it’s an environmental imperative. Beauty could save the planet.

    The new material reflects on the rapidly shifting global economic scenarios, bringing the book up to date as of June 2012.

    Hello, my name is Merlyn Seeley and I live off the grid in a one room cabin in the middle of the Ozark mountains of Missouri. Everything I have except the cabin I built with my own two hands with the help of my 11 year old daughter and loving wife of 12 years. We had the cabin already built when we got here by the local Amish community, although we have plenty of timber on the property to build our own home if we had to. If you have ever wondered what it would be like to live like this well then this book is a good place to start with stacking up on the knowledge you need in order to survive out here. All you have to do is take the jump and just go for it. In this book I will tell you how you can try this life out and if you do not like it, how easy it is to just go back to what you know. Today there are ways of sampling different lifestyles without having to completely change your life right off.

    Scarcity explores the causes, implications, and imminent consequences associated with humanity's predicament.

    Importantly, it also provides guidelines for its practical application.

    In a perfect world, those who make environmental decisions would be armed with a foundation about the broad range of issues at stake when making such decisions. Offering a simple but comprehensive understanding of the critical roles science, economics, and values play in making informed environmental decisions, Environmental Decision-Making in Context: A Toolbox provides that foundation.The author highlights a primary set of intellectual tools from different disciplines and places them into an environmental context through the use of case study examples. The case studies are designed to stimulate the analytical reasoning required to employ environmental decision-making and ultimately, help in establishing a framework for pursuing and solving environmental questions, issues, and problems. They create a framework individuals from various backgrounds can use to both identify and analyze environmental issues in the context of everyday environmental problems.The book strikes a balance between being a tightly bound academic text and a loosely defined set of principles. It takes you beyond the traditional pillars of academic discipline to supply an understanding of the fundamental aspects of what is actually involved in making environmental decisions and building a set of skills for making those decisions.

    They are at once fragile organisms in constant need of care and battlegrounds of conflicting interests. And above all, they're ours. The smart guide to Utopia showcases 111 projects, initiatives and ideas from all over Europe that make our cities better places. Whether it be an underground waste disposal system in Barcelona or a public swimming pool converted into an arts centre in Berlin, a self-sufficient urban garden or a solar-powered pop-up restaurant traveling with the sun, a building printer or a zero-packaging supermarket, this book celebrates the energy and imagination of people who want to make their cities a little more fun, clean, friendly, green and above all, restore a sense of community. Our cities belong to us, and they depend on us. Only we can make them worth living in.

    Taking key aspects of globalisation in turn - trade, production and finance - the book highlights the relations of power at work that determine whether globalization is managed in a sustainable way and on whose behalf. Each chapter looks in turn at the political ecology of these central pillars of the global economy, reviewing evidence of its impact on diverse ecologies and societies, its governance - the political structures, institutions and policy making processes in place to manage this relationship - and finally efforts to contest and challenge these prevailing approaches. The book makes sense of the relationship between globalisation and the environment using a range of theoretical tools from different disciplines. This helps to place the debate about the compatibility between globalisation and sustainability in an explicitly political and historical context in which it is possible to appreciate the 'nature' of interests and power relations that privilege some ways of responding to environmental problems over others in a context of globalisation.

    Edgar Mitchell embarked on a journey into outer space, resulting in his becoming the sixth man to walk on the Moon. The Apollo 14 mission was NASA’s third manned lunar landing. This historic journey ended safely nine days later on February 9, 1971. It was an audacious time in the history of mankind. For Mitchell, however, the most extraordinary journey was yet to come.As he hurtled earthward through the abyss between the two worlds, Mitchell became engulfed by a profound sensation—a sense of universal connectedness. He intuitively sensed that his presence, that of his fellow astronauts, and that of the planet in the window were all part of a deliberate universal process—and that the glittering cosmos itself was in some sense conscious. The experience was so overwhelming, that Mitchell knew his life would never be the same: “You don’t look at our little planet from that perspective without its having a profound impact on your thinking.”And while Mitchell regarded his experience, his education, and his lunar endeavors as invaluable milestones, they would become mere stepping stones to what would eventually become his true life passion—exploring the power of the conscious mind. It is a subject he embraces passionately once one gets past the predictable discussions of his spaceflight experience.The palpable presence of collective mind, ever present and ever at work in the universe, is something he is sure of and something he feels bears examination, not only in the euphoric musings of mystics, zealots, and dreamers, but in the harsh light of science. When Mitchell left NASA, it was to devote his life to the area he believed society had overlooked—man’s potential, particularly the power of the mind.In 1973 Mitchell founded the Institute of Noetic Sciences, an organization dedicated to exploring the underlying principles of consciousness in nature and how to apply this knowledge to the sustainability of our fragile spinning planet, spaceship Earth.When Mitchell talks about these things, he loses the shyness and stiffness he takes on with strangers. He is not an easy person to get to know. Still, start Mitchell talking about planet Earth and the role of its inhabitants, and there is passion in his voice and the thoughts come tumbling out. He likes this role of maverick, explorer, forger of new frontiers. This is what Mitchell wants to be remembered for. Yes, it’s nice to be known as one of the twelve men who stood on the moon and looked back at Earth. But what Edgar Mitchell considers his major contribution is helping to transform the whole way we think about ourselves and our capabilities.And he’s not finished yet.

    In the context of an emerging "culture of sustainism," many successful social design projects have embraced qualities such as connectivity, sharing, and localism, as well as sustainability. Sustainism Design Primer charts what such "sustainist" values could mean for the practice of social design.It formulates an open-ended agenda for social design and presents a set of design criteria that goes well beyond "green" design. It brings together the key principles for sustainism design, maps out best practices, and explores workable ideas for developing future social design.Michiel Schwarz is a cultural thinker, innovator, and policy consultant working from Amsterdam and Berkeley, California. He holds a PhD in the sociology of technology from the University of London. He has advised public organizations and has initiated a wide range of projects on global issues, sustainable futures, design strategies, media culture, and innovation.

    In Clean Tech Nation, they shine a light on the leaders at the forefront of the growing movement. USA Today called Pernick and Wilder’s groundbreaking first book, “one of the few instances in this genre that shows the green movement not in heartstring terms but as economically profitable.” Clean Tech Nation expands on their original idea to provide concrete analysis on the efforts of the U.S. and other countries in this area, and provides a clear way forward for the U.S. so that it can lead the pack as it competes with the rest of the world.

    “In this era of tightening world food supplies, the ability to grow food is fast becoming a new form of geopolitical leverage. Food is the new oil,” Lester R. Brown writes.What will the geopolitics of food look like in a new era dominated by scarcity and food nationalism? Brown outlines the political implications of land acquisitions by grain-importing countries in Africa and elsewhere as well as the world’s shrinking buffers against poor harvests. With wisdom accumulated over decades of tracking agricultural issues, Brown exposes the increasingly volatile food situation the world is facing.

    Each chapter presents essays by leading writers and thinkers; interviews and statements from designers such as Stella McCartney, Vivienne Westwood, and Hussein Chalayan; and case studies on everything from the life cycle of jeans to smart textiles and fair trade projects.

    Included in these pages are some of the leaders in the movement, from Novella Carpenter’s farm in an empty lot in Oakland to Growing Power’s vast compound in Milwaukee. In addition to stories about the farms and their owners, sidebars provide basic how-to tips for such activities as composting, canning, beekeeping, and growing vegetables. A burgeoning movement that is fast catching on, urban farming taps into many touchstones of the zeitgeist, including environmental awareness, the foodie culture, localism, distrust of mass-production farming practices, and the DIY approach to life and living.Praise for Urban Farms:“Sarah C. Rich’s handsome, intelligent URBAN FARMS (Abrams, $30) chronicles a movement to bring kale to the people, an effort that stretches across the country, from Brooklyn to Oakland. . . . Benson’s spirited photographs capture the joy and beauty of urban farming’s bounty. No vase full of lush peonies from the grounds of an elegant estate could inspire such looks of eager joy as do the tomatoes harvested out of New York City’s Edible Schoolyard. These vegetable gardeners—and farmers—are working against such odds that there’s simply no excuse to let a comparatively lush suburban backyard lie fallow.” —New York Times Book Review

    Yet, throughout the world, groundwater resources are being depleted, allocated, squandered, contaminated -- but rarely is their fundamental value to humankind thought about or understood! Groundwater for the 21st Century is an effort to increase the groundwater literacy -- from local to global scales, among laymen, students, and professionals -- of citizens of planet Earth. Groundwater for the 21st Century provides two very important perspectives on the resource -- (a) a thorough yet accessible introduction to basic groundwater science and (b) a current, concise but comprehensive overview of groundwater resources and their importance, uses, status, management, and prospects in today's world. The book is well organised, substantive, clearly written in accessible language, and richly endowed with numerous illustrations and tables. An overview of the book is provided at www.mwpubco.com/titles/groundwater.htm -- and we especially invite readers to review the Author's (a) Detailed Table of Contents and (b) Expanded Description, both of which are available at the link provided.Why is this Book Important? Groundwater for the 21st Century is the most comprehensive overview available combining groundwater science and groundwater use by humans, and it has been organised and written specifically for use by a wide range of readers of all ages, places, interests, and nationalities who might wish or need to be informed and literate about freshwater issues. The health, food, financial security, and habitability of homes and communities -- the lives -- of billions of human beings depends upon the availability of sufficient amounts of fresh water. This book provides much material with which to inform readers about the nature of water, its distribution, and its uses and abuses by humans. From this, readers will be better prepared to evaluate their own actions and those of their neighbours, communities, and the hierarchy of decision makers that lead, guide, influence, and otherwise shape the present and future world. Who is this book intended for? Groundwater for the 21st Century is intended for the working bookshelves of a very broad audience of readers. After all, groundwater is of often unrecognised but unquestionably absolute value to all of humankind.That broad audience includes (a) individual readers of diverse ages and backgrounds who will seek out this volume on their own to pro-actively inform themselves of freshwater resources and their importance; (b) those who teach, lead, and direct others with respect to informed natural resource management; and (c) those with more advanced knowledge of the subject who might wish to acquaint themselves with some of the broader aspects or relationships of their speciality.

    In our intensive agricultural systems, our many ill-conceived business and political policies, this relationship has become fragmented. Through his own personal experiences, as well as the inspiring stories of others, this fourth-generation farmer relays a message of revolution and evolution that starts within ourselves. The resulting transition will help humanity adopt a more sustainable paradigm of existence.

    With a majority of the world population now living in urban areas, have cities become the new states? What are the greatest challenges on the horizon to city sustainability? As cities increasingly serve as economic epicenters for a region or nation, how can city-to-city diplomacy lead to policies that will address rising inequalities in the global economy?

    Following Germany's example, some adopted nuclear phase-out plans, focusing instead on renewable energy. Even heavily nuclear-reliant France began to consider a phase-out, and some developing countries in the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific area rethought their nuclear plans. David Elliott reviews the disaster and its global impacts, looking in detail at public and governmental reactions as the scale of the disaster became clear, and at the social, environmental, economic, technological and political implications in Japan and worldwide. He asks whether growing opposition to nuclear power around the world spells the end of the global nuclear renaissance.

    The first part of the book illustrates the weakness of existing analyses of energy problems: the science of energy was born and developed neglecting the issue of scale. The authors argue that it is necessary to adopt more complex protocols of accounting and analysis in order to generate robust energy scenarios and effective assessments of the quality of alternative energy sources.The second part of the book introduces the concept of energetic metabolism of modern societies and uses empirical results. The authors present an innovative approach Multi-Scale Integrated Analysis of Societal and Ecosystem Metabolism (MuSIASEM) capable of characterizing the quality of alternative energy sources in relation to both environmental constraints and socio-economic requirements. This method allows the metabolic pattern of a society to be described in relation to its feasibility, when looking at biophysical factors, and desirability, when looking at socio-economic factors.Addressing the issue of scale in energy analysis by cutting through the confusion found in current applications of energy analysis, this book should be of interest to researchers, students and policy makers in energy within a variety of disciplines.