2 comments about American Environmentalism: Readings In Conservation History.

1. This isn't the type of book someone could pick up and get a good view of the American Environmental movement. It does well in teaching about past movements but ignores modern movements like Environmental Justice and the controversy surrounding Market Based Incentives. It is a good book for teaching if coupled with extra material as it is very readable and interesting.



2. What a joy to see that this book is back in print! When our nature book discussion group chose it as a monthly selection several years ago, we had to scramble to find copies. I was one of the lucky ones who got one, read it all, and underlined a whole slew of passages for later reference.

   Here are some of my favorite quotes:

   "Man is everywhere a disturbing agent. Wherever he plants his foot, the harmonies of nature are turned to discords." (George Perkins Marsh, 1864)

   "Environment is to the would-be cultured man what air is to the animal -- it is the breath of life." (Benton MacKaye, 1928)

   "When you have reached the edge of an abyss ... the only progressive move you can make is to step backward." (David R. Brower, 1977)

   Then the compiler adds his answer to the question "Why do we love wilderness?" by giving seven reasons: scientific value, spiritual values, aesthetic value, heritage value, psychological value, cultural value, and intrinsic value. His explanations make this selection the one I most often pass on to other people. (Roderick Frazier Nash, 1988)

   My advice is to buy this book as a present for your favorite environmentalist friend. Sure, you could go instead with _The Quotable Nature Lover_, a Nature Conservancy book edited by John A. Murray. But _American Environmentalism_ puts those kinds of quotes back into context; the editor not only provides full text but also explains what was going on at the time of its writing. Selections are arranged chronologically and are short enough to hold anyone's interest. And we're not talking just Thoreau, Muir, Carson and Leopold here, as the excerpts above show. There are names you might not recognize at first glance. Amateur environmentalists can use this compilation as a starting point for further reading, as full citations are always provided. Though it's not entirely current (1989) this book is still useful.

   Give it to a graduating senior, or to anyone else who has the potential to save the planet. They'll be inspired.

3 comments about Ecotourism and Sustainable Development, Second Edition: Who Owns Paradise?.

1. Ecotourism has been promoted as a mechanism to solve the world's environmental problems and social issues. It is marketed as a salve for the bruised consciences of carbon-spewing but sensitive travelers. But, at times, the label is used by lodges, tours and companies that are camouflaging their tourism-as-usual approach.
   
   Martha Honey, a former investigative reporter who lived for 20 years in developing countries, researched the realities of ecotourism and wrote the definitive book on the topic. Originally released in 1999 by Island Press, Ecotourism and Sustainable Development: Who Owns Paradise? provided readers with a clear understanding of what ecotourism can contribute to conservation, communities and economies. In addition, the book was also a guide to enticing lodges and fascinating places that a conscientious global citizen might want to visit and support.
   
   The second edition of Honey's book has just been released by Island Press and will be a welcome addition to the library of any thoughtful traveler. Part history and part guidebook like the first edition, this new version covers the major changes in the travel industry as ecotourism has become part of the mainstream vernacular. Honey's fine writing covers the evolution and definition of ecotourism in an accessible fashion in addition to giving up-to-the-minute information about selected destinations in seven locales around the world.
   
   This is a must-read book for anyone interested in the intersection between tourism, conservation, social justice and sustainable economies.
   
   Sandra Tassel
   Look at the Land Inc
   Conservation Consultants



2. Dr. Honey has composed another authoritative book on this critical topic, and I highly recommend it for anyone seeking to learn more about the impacts of one of the largest industries in the world. For those of us already working to minimize the negative impacts of the tourism industry, this second edition will bring you fully up to speed on the many developments in this dynamic field.
   
   There is a lot of hearsay out there when it comes to ecotourism, the environment and communities, but Dr. Honey's writing is clearly well researched and truly authoritative.



3. Since it was first published nine years ago, Martha Honey's Ecotourism and Sustainable Development has become an indispensible resource for students, researchers, and professionals working in conservation and sustainable development. Now, an updated version has just come out, similar to its predecessor, but 100 pages longer.
   
   With many years of experience as an investigative journalist, Honey knows how to hunt down and interrogate a wide range of sources, ask difficult questions, formulate independent opinions, and provide cogent critiques. None of this has changed in the new edition. What has changed is her conviction that ecotourism, while not a panacea, can indeed support conservation of nature and culture, social and economic development, and equitable democratic societies.
   
   Following the same format as earlier, she begins with a comprehensive definition of ecotourism; a critical description of all the players in the tourism industry - especially those engaged in ecotourism; and an examination of the many issues and challenges facing the industry today. Most interesting and valuable, both for readers of the first edition and those new to the field, are the discussions of recently emerging ecotourism concepts, tools and issues.
   
   The second part of the book offers case studies of seven countries (or smaller destinations), each with fascinating examples of how the government, private tour operators, national parks, communities, indigenous and/or marginalized peoples and international entities interact in the name of ecotourism. Probably most interesting for many North American readers, is addition of a chapter on ecotourism in the United States.
   
   As its predecessor, Honey's book is highly engaging and full of provocative questions and challenges. As answers are found, the fields of ecotourism and sustainable development, as well as people, habitats and cultures around the world, are sure to benefit.

2 comments about The Farmers' Market Book: Growing Food, Cultivating Community (Quarry Books).

1. By the end of the first chapter, this book had moved me enough to take a break from the reading and write a thankyou note to the authors. Bloomington, IN hosts one of the country's great farmer's markets and the academics turned market vendors who wrote the book weave a wonderful story of not only their experiences, but a well researched history of farm markets in general and the larger vision of local food systems.
   
   Highly recommended, a beautifully created and very readable book.



2. I recommend this work highly. I have been researching farmers' markets for several years and ordered this book thinking it would give me some ideas of how Bloomington's market was organized. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the book was much wider in scope. The history of farmers markets around the world was especially interesting and well written. (The author, by the way, is an English professor). Also included are stories of farmers and growers, relationships at farmers markets, trials of growing crops and more. The photographs are excellent and the book is a joy to read. Useful for anyone interested in farmers markets or growing good food.

1 comments about Steady-State Economics: Second Edition With New Essays.

1. A brilliant mind can illuminate those of us that are less fortunate. This book is provides insight into what I believe to be the perfect relationship of what activity should be measured to determine the ultimate health of an economic system. Dr Daly has provided a perspective that is so simple in concept, yet almost unimaginable to see as a foundation for the future of societal systems. We live in a finite world with few renewable resouces... Thank you Dr Daly for a thought provoking adventure!
   Doug Jehle

2 comments about The Essential Aldo Leopold: Quotations and Commentaries.

1. Aldo Leopold was the author of "A Sand County Almanac" and one of the most influential conservationists of his day. In The Essential Aldo Leopold, Curt Meine and Richard Knight have collaborated to assembled a comprehensive collections of quotations from Leopold's extensive and diverse writings. These gems of wisdom, insight, and encouragement are organized in twenty-one chapters under the broad themes of conservation science and practice, conservation policy, conservation and culture. Each chapter begins with an introductory essay by a prominent conservation scholar to provide the reader with perspective on Leopold's numerous and varied contributions. The Essential Aldo Leopold is an essential, core title for any personal, academic, and professional environmental and conservation studies collection, and highly recommended reading for all Aldo Leopold admirers within the modern conservation movement.



2. In The Conference Board's magazine, "Across the Board," in a Nov/Dec 2000 article on the best business books read over the past year, I wrote:

   "Over the past couple of years, I must have read 10 to 20 management books every month. Unfortunately, before long, many of these titles start reading the same, hoping to capitalize on the management trend of the moment. But every once in a while a book comes along that includes unique and clear-headed thinking and writing. When I was working on an article about environmental ethics in business, I came across a new collection of the writings of Aldo Leopold, the legendary conservationist of the 1930s and 1940s perhaps best known for A Sand County Almanac. Edited by Curt Meine and Richard L. Knight, The Essential Aldo Leopold: Quotations and Commentaries is not, strictly speaking, a business book, but contained here in many previously unpublished observations are the thoughts and ideas of a natural (in all senses of the word) manager. Leopold was a rare combination of someone who saw the need for conserving nature, but who also understood and encouraged experiencing the beauty and functionality of the outdoors." --Across the Board, Nov/Dec 2000

   One of my favorite quotes of Leopold's from this collection:

   "Relegating conservation to government is like relegating virtue to the Sabbath. Turns over to professionals what should be daily work of amateurs."

1 comments about World Development Report 2008: Agriculture and Development (World Development Report) (World Development Report).

1. For those who do not follow this field the World Bank is the main international funder of development projects in the Third World. Every year it produces a kind of annual report on development usually focusing on a certain subject. The World Bank has many fine experts working for it but people should be aware it is very controversial. In the case of agriculture people might want to read Stolen Harvest: The Hijacking of the Global Food Supply or Diet for a Small Planet to hear some alternative views. I have a Listmania list on agriculture books that people might want to check out.

4 comments about In the Shadow of the Mountain: The Spirit of the CCC.

1. Although expecting a technical manual on the role of the Civilian Conservations Corps in the "New Deal" era, I was pleasently surprised at the direction this book takes. "In the Shadow of the Mountain" is a first person narative of life in two separate CCC camps, one on the east coast and one on the west. This book provides plenty of insight into the accomplishments of the CCC and of the daily life of its members. I highly recommend this book to those interested in the political and economic history of the Great Depression and beyond.



2. Mr. Hill does an excellent job of weaving the personal narratives of the "We Can Take It" boys with the potentially dry historical subject of the Civilian Conservation Corps. Not only do I now understand how the boys lived, what they did, how they felt, etc., but also how, why, and when the program began. It's a rich part of our history and one that each generation should know about. This is a book each family needs to include in their family library!



3. I became interested in learning more about the CCC when so many of the National and State parks that I visit had displays lauding the accomplishments of the CCC. Over 65 years later we're still enjoying the fruits of their labor! This book was my first attempt at reading more about them and I wasn't disappointed.
   
   Mr. Hill does a very good job describing his own personal experiences, those of his personal CCC buddies, and adds several other brief first-person accounts at the end. All together, the reader gets a good overall taste for what camp life was like and the tremendous accomplishments of this civilian army (some examples: 38,087 vehicle bridges, 83,548 miles of telephone lines, 5.9 million erosion check dams, 2.2 billion trees planted, 6.3 million mandays fighting forest fires). Woven throughout is a sense of just how brillant this government program was during the desperate times of the Depression--the CCC was simply a spectacular win-win for everyone.
   
   Overall, there seems to be a lack of good detailed histories and first-person accounts about the CCC. I cannot figure out why--so many lives were benefically influenced by the CCC and their successes are almost innumerable. "In the Shadow" was a great place to start learning more about the "We can take it" boys and has only whetted my appetite for more.



4. This book should be required reading for every high school student. In the Shadow of the Mountain gives our generation an appreciation for the price that was paid by a great generation before us.
   JER

2 comments about Environmentality: Technologies of Government and the Making of Subjects (New Ecologies for the Twenty-First Century).

1. Arun Agrawal's book offers a fresh approach to consider how subjectivities change, particularly in terms of how environmentalism happens at an individual and social level. Agrawal borrows from a number of different fields, including anthropology and history, to pursue these questions. His approach differs from several dominant schools that address these issues. One group of scholars, when talking about rural citizens in developing countries, assume that their needs are primarily material and antagonistic to any sense of long-term environmental care. "Environmentalist sensibilities don't make any sense unless their bellies are full" they say. Another group of scholars argues that rural women, because they rely on natural resources for their familiy's daily needs, are actually quite environmentally minded.
   
   Agrawal does not follow either of these approaches, and questions a number of their premises. To carry out his inquiry, Agrawal examines a region in India that was famous for its resistance to British forest protection during the colonial era. This area resisted British authority by lighting hundreds of deliberately set fires. Surprisingly, Agrawal now finds that a number of villages are forming their own community-based groups for forest protection, and he seeks to discover what accounts for these changes.
   
   In his explanation, Agrawal draws on Foucauldian and other post-structural thought, but does so in novel ways. He is trying to examine the process of how subjects change over time, and even over the course of one lifetime. His writing is lively and his analysis is sharp. I highly recommend this book for those interested in social change, social theory, environmentalism, and new interdisciplinary approaches.



2. This book reports a rare success story in Third World conservation: the rise of grassroots-level forest management in Kumaon, India. In the colonial period, the British tried to stop deforestation by increasingly authoritarian methods. This failed; the local countryfolk, prevented from using their forests for subsistence needs, protested more and more seriously, ultimately resorting to arson. Eventually the British got the message and eased off. Fortunately, the Indian government later built on this perception, and gave more and more management rights to the Kumaonese. They rose to the occasion, and now manage the forests reasonably well. Arun Agrawal uses a Foucauldian approach to analyze the development of local management in an extremely fine-grained, detailed, careful way. The benefit of this approach is that it has stimulated a uniquely thorough and fair ethnography. The cost of this approach is its narrow focus on government and "subjects"--there is no independent assessment of how well the forests are actually doing. One wishes for a biologist's input. Still, any success story, even relative, is welcome these days, and this book will be very useful to anyone interested in comanagement of resources or resource conservation in general. We simply have to involve local people and respect their needs, in every conservation project, and this book is notably good at detailing one way a governmental system actually did that.

2 comments about Energy Systems and Sustainability.

1. This book, and its companion "Renewable Energy", are excellent introductory books to the topic of energy. The basics are explained in clear language, the references are up-to-date and the graphics are colorful and very helpful. These two books take a HUGE topic and make it understandable and interesting. I hope that new editions continue to be published.
   
   If I had to make one complaint, it's that it's focused on the UK, which in terms of energy is a relatively small country. But in today's world, that is a minor issue. The book gives you the tools you need evaluate other sources of information.



2. The author presents an overall about the Renewable Energy Sources (RES). I recommend this book for those ones with no previous experience in this subject. Good book for a fresh start in RES business.

5 comments about Green, Greener, Greenest: A Practical Guide to Making Eco-Smart Choices a Part of Your Life.

1. Bongiorno has done an exhaustive job researching a guide that will make our homes and lives allot greener.
   
   This is the perfect gift for all our friends struggling with their green choices.
   
   Fred Miggins



2. Just in time for Earth Day! My family and I made some Earth Day 2008 resolutions, and after discovering this book, we now know how to make good on them. This is cover-to-cover full with great, practical information and green choices. It covers a wide spectrum of topics and issues, making it the kind of reference book we'll be able to go back to for years.
   
   Highly recommended!



3. The author provides some excellent ideas aimed at preserving
   the environment. Some of these are as follows:
   
   o formaldehyde free fiberglass
   o washable area rugs
   o replaceable carpet tiles to reduce waste in replacement
   o dehumidifiers to reduce molds
   o low-flow showerheads
   o waterbourne polyurethane floor finishes
   
   The authors have done a considerable amount of research
   in presenting readers with practical and affordable
   earth-friendly products and processes for business and
   personal use. The book would be helpful for a wide
   group of consumers and users in every industry.



4. A very fine resource for going GREEN. I've incorporated many of the practical energy efficient ideas into our city lifestyle hoping our family can (in our own little way) help the planet. I've bought several copies for friends who are choosing to do the same. Global warming is here folks.



5. While I found this book to be interesting, and some areas quite enlightening, other areas were very disappointing.
   
   Do a little research before you take her advice on food. Many of her 'resources' are known activist groups with their own agendas. For instance, while she does her best to discourage anyone from choosing irradiated foods siting information from The Center for Food Safety, she neglects to mention that the process has been approved in over 40 countries, has been used on food for over 50 years, and has the potential to virtually eliminate many life-threatening outbreaks of foodborne illnesses. She also makes a cancer link to milk from cows that have received rbst - that link has not been proven.
   
   So don't avoid the book, just read certain portions with some skepticism and do more research on your own. You are your own best advocate.