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Blessed Unrest
How the Largest Movement in the World Came into Being and Why No One Saw It Coming
by Paul Hawken (Author)

From Booklist
*Starred Review* The profusion of good causes and the nonprofit groups that advance them can seem laughably overwhelming, but without altruistic grass-roots efforts, the world would be a far less merciful place. Environmentalist Hawken believes that we are in the midst of a world-changing rise of activist groups, all "working toward ecological sustainability and social justice." Rather than an ideological or centralized movement, this coalescence is a spontaneous and organic response to the recognition that environmental problems are social-justice problems. Writing with zest, clarity, and a touch of wonder, Hawken compares this gathering of forces to the human immune system. Just as antibodies rally when the body is under threat, people are joining together to defend life on Earth. Hawken offers a fascinating history of our perception of nature and human rights and assesses the role indigenous cultures are playing in the quest for ecological responsibility and economic fairness. Hawken also presents an unprecedented map to this new "social landscape" that includes a classification system defining astonishingly diverse concerns, ranging from farming to child welfare, ocean preservation, and beyond. Fresh and informative, Hawken's inspired overview charts much that is right in the world. Donna Seaman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
 

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The Call of Service
by Robert Coles (Author)

From Library Journal
Coles is the prolific and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of such works as The Spiritual Life of Children ( LJ 11/1/90). Here he examines idealism, the drive that leads people to be of service to others. This service takes a variety of forms, from the formal (e.g., the Peace Corps) to simple volunteer work in hospitals, schools, and the like. Coles makes the subject interesting by letting the people who serve talk about their work. These doers, including Coles himself, tell of the satisfactions and the hazards of service. Let it be known that idealism or service is not a one-way street, Coles maintains. Those who give are as much receivers and learners. This engaging and inspiring book is highly recommended. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 5/15/93.
- John Moryl, Yeshiva Univ. Lib., New York
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
 

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Chapters examine the entire spectrum of career fields, with each chapter providing an "at a glance" summary of the field; discussion of history and background along with current issues and trends; examination of specific career opportunities and the educational requirements for each; salary ranges by type of employer, level of experience, and responsibility; and an extensive list of resources for further information. Fields profiled include: planning, education and communications, energy management and conservation, fisheries and wildlife management, forestry, land and water conservation, and others.

Written at a broad introductory level, The Complete Guide to Environmental Careers in the 21st Century provides an informative and inspirational starting place from which to learn more about specific fields. For recent college graduates, students, volunteers, librarians, career counselors, or anyone interested in working to protect the environment, it is an essential reference.
 

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The Consumer's Guide to Effective Environmental Choices
By Michael Brower and Warren Leon

From School Library Journal
YA-Brower and Leon, along with input from their colleagues, present statistics, describe solutions, and endorse steps for readers to take to live more ecologically based lifestyles as consumers of the Earth's resources. They encourage individuals to go beyond basic recycling and to look at changing the policies of government and large institutions, explain how negatively consumer choices can affect the environment, and present a quantitative analysis of which items most affect the environment. Important information is dramatically put forth in highlighted boxes of lists. The authors stress the fact that choice is the optimal word for today's consumers and some choices are easier than others. They wisely point out that some consumers don't have the leeway to make what might be considered the most ecological of choices available and present different styles of compromise in a variety of situations. A list of active Web sites for additional information and other pertinent resources is appended. Young adults interested in effecting change will find sources to help in their search as well as proven research to help them make their own decisions.
Pam Johnson, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Cosmo Doogood's Urban Almanac
Celebrating Nature And Her Rhythms In The City
by Eric Utne

From Publishers Weekly
Channeling the spirit of Ben Franklin’s Poor Richard, the founding publisher of Utne magazine (formerly known as the Utne Reader) brings together a delightful assortment of folksy knowledge in this guide for the urban citizen. In charging readers to "Look Up," "Look Out" and "Look In," Utne (aka Cosmo Doogood) hopes that city dwellers will connect better with themselves and their surroundings: "we are always in nature, wherever we are." Opening sections consider the pleasures of walking, the possibilities of gardening and the probabilities of wildlife sighting within city limits; the volume then becomes an eclectic and fascinating day planner, in which one can record one’s engagements on pages that also serve up poems, photographs, trivia (e.g., January is mail-order gardening month), recipes (Caprese salad; baked apples), quotes ("Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment"), travel suggestions (New Orleans’s Magazine Street), thumbnail biographies (Pharrell Williams; Rembrandt), history lessons (on the birth of the Transcendentalist Movement) and "civilizing ideas" (citizen wisdom councils; community gardens). There’s something interesting on every page of this fun and useful guide.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved
 

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Courage for the Earth
Writers, Scientists, and Activists Celebrate the Life and Writing of Rachel Carson
by Peter Matthiessen (Editor)

From Booklist
Rachel Carson is remembered as a hero for raising the alarm over ocean pollution and pesticides, and she is cherished for the sheer beauty of her writing. In introducing this thoughtful tribute to Carson marking the centennial of her birth, Matthiessen writes with stirring insight into Carson's spirit and achievements, setting the tone for the dozen affecting essays that follow. Biographer Linda Lear attests to Carson's "literary genius" and profound sense of responsibility. John Elder delves into Carson's poetic language. Al Gore writes with particular empathy about the vicious attacks Carson endured when Silent Spring was published, in 1962, a work that elegantly yet ferociously questions business as usual in light of environmental concerns. Edward O. Wilson calls Carson "valiant," and Terry Tempest Williams praises Carson's "moral courage." Brought down at 56 by cancer linked to the pollution she decried, Carson wrote exactingly, rhapsodically, and presciently: "It is one of the ironies of our time that, while concentrating on the defense of our country against enemies from without, we should be so heedless of those who would destroy it from within." Donna Seaman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
 

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Mindfully Green
A Personal and Spiritual Guide to Whole Earth Thinking
by Stephanie Kaza

From Publishers Weekly
Kaza, a biologist and professor of Environmental Studies at University of Vermont, combines Zen Buddhist practices and teachings with her 40 years as an environmentalist for this guide to enlightened environmentalism, proposing a belief in the interdependence of people and nature as the genuine way to "go green": "When we come to see ourselves as part of the green web of life... we are naturally drawn to respond with compassion." In three parts, she guides readers through the principles of Buddhism as they apply to taking responsible action toward the earth: reducing harm, understanding suffering, seeing the big picture, letting go of desire and being in the moment. In parts two and three, she advises practical steps for joining in and taking action in everyday life and community. Kaza's measured, focused text and clear command of Buddhism and ecology should shore up convictions and commitment in the newly green, and help secular environmentalists connect with their spiritual side.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
 

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Ready, Set, Green
Eight Weeks to Modern Eco-Living

by Graham Hill, Meaghan O'Neill (Author)

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Chapter 1

The Future Is Green

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Look out your window. What do you see? A paved street and electrical wires? Meadows and birds? A farm full of cows? Whatever surrounds you, that's the environment. And whether it was created by Mother Nature or the municipal works department, humans aren't separate from it. Just as hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes have an effect on our well-being, we have an effect on nature, polluting water via our factories and homes, reducing mountains to piles of coal that we burn for energy, packing landfills with our used-up cars and electronics packaging. Luckily, it turns out we also have the power to clean up after ourselves.

At TreeHugger.com, the website dedicated to modern green living, we believe that cutting-edge ideas, technology, and design-and, more important, people with the right attitude-can help save the environment. This book was conceived to help readers develop an understanding of existing eco dilemmas, and to empower them to help reverse the problems. We don't have all the answers; no one does. But we believe that individuals do have the power to "green" the planet. Your dollars count. Your vote counts. Your actions count. And when millions of people do the right thing, it can have a serious impact.
 

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Shades of Green
Environment Activism Around the Globe (International Environmental History)
by Christof Mauch (Author)

Shades of Green examines the impact of political, economic, religious, and scientific institutions on environmental activism around the world. The book highlights the diversity of national, regional and international environmental activism, showing that the term "environmentalism" covers an entire range of perceptions, values and interests. It demonstrates that each instance of environmental activism is shaped by historically unique circumstances, highlighting within each chapter the ideological, social, and political origins of efforts to protect the environment. Discussing issues unique to different parts of the world, Shades of Green shows that environmentalism around the globe has been strengthened, weakened, or suppressed by a variety of local, national, and international concerns, politics, and social realities.

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Sustainable Planet
Solutions for the Twenty-first Century
by Juliet Schor (Editor), Betsy Taylor (Author)

From Library Journal
The mission of the Center for a New American Dream (CNAD) is to "help people consume responsibly to protect the environment, enhance quality of life and promote social justice." Schor, author of The Overworked American and a member of CNAD's advisory board, and CNAD executive director Taylor present 16 essays that contain case studies, illustrations, and examples in support of that mission. The diverse essayists, some better known than others, include a congresswoman (Nydia M. Vel zquez, D-NY), a CEO (Jeffrey Hollender, Seventh Generation), an economist (John Cavanagh), and an author (Bill McKibben). But all have an abiding interest in the concept of sustainability, and practical action suggestions abound. Several of the articles will raise the awareness of those who are not fully alert to the impact of their consumer choices and how interwoven with environmental and social quality the purchase of a piece of clothing or an overly equipped car really is. This is a positive, informative, hopeful, and concrete anthology. Highly recommended for most environmental collections, public and academic, though those who might benefit the most may be those least likely to read it.
Nancy Moeckel, Miami Univ. Libs., Oxford, OH
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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The Urban Homestead
Your Guide to Self-sufficient Living in the Heart of the City (Process Self-reliance Series)
by Kelly Coyne (Author), Erik Knutzen (Author)

The Urban Homestead is the essential handbook for a fast-growing new movement: urbanites are becoming gardeners and farmers. By growing their own food and harnessing natural energy, they are planting seeds for the future of our cities.

If you would like to harvest your own vegetables, make homemade jam or bread, raise chickens or convert to solar energy, this practical, hands-on book is full of step-by-step projects that will get you started homesteading immediately, whether you live in an apartment or a house. It is also a guidebook to the larger movement and will point you to the best books and Internet resources on self-sufficiency topics.

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Worldchanging
A User's Guide for the 21st Century
by Alex Steffen (Author), Al Gore (Foreword), Bruce Sterling (Introduction)

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. This 600-page companion to the eco-friendly website of the same name (www.worldchanging.com) is chock-a-block with information about what is going on right now to create an environmentally and economically sustainable future-and what stands in opposition. Along the way, editor Steffen and his team make the stakes perfectly clear: "Oil company experts debate whether we will effectively run out of oil in twenty years or fifty, but the essential point remains: if you're under thirty, you can expect to see a post-oil civilization in your lifetime." The organization of the hefty volume mimics that of the website, divided into sections on Stuff, Shelter, Cities, Community, Business, Politics and Planet. Typical readers will be introduced to new concepts such as harvesting rainwater, zero-energy houses, South-South science and the use of flowers to detect land mines in entries on everything from "Knowing What's Green" to "Demanding Human Rights." Each entry is brief but comprehensive; for example, the passage on "Better Food Everywhere" focuses on "Where it Matters Most," "Better Restaurants," "Community Gardens," and "Urban Farming." All entries wrap up with reviews of pertinent resources-including books, websites and moves-where readers can get more detailed information. With color photos on nearly every page, and written by a small army of contributors living and working around the world (with biographies almost as fascinating as their contributions), it's hard to imagine a more complete resource for those hoping to live in a future that is, as editor Steffen puts it, "bright, green, free and tough."
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
 

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