The purpose of Micro
Eco-Farming: Prospering from Backyard to Small Acreage
in Partnership with the Earth by Barbara
Berst Adams (New World Publishing, 11543 Quartz
Drive #1, Auburn CA 95602; 2004; $16.95) is to inspire
and encourage current and potential small-scale
market producers in their pursuits. The author wants
them to know they are not alone, that they are part
of a growing network of farmers who are filling
the "tons of niches" left by commercial
agribusiness. The movement is also responding to
increased awareness on the part of consumers, who
are "remembering something lost. And wanting
it again." Adams weaves brief stories of successful
micro-farmers into her text, which overall is a
celebration of diversity, the joys of working in
harmony with the Earth, and the Earth's abundance.
She includes chapters on restoring the Earth's fertility,
using "abundance" methods, getting started,
and ideas for selling what is grown. The Epilogue
is a beautiful retelling of experiences that reconnect
children with the Earth.
The Bidet by William Bruneau (Self-published:
publish@bbruneau.com, www.bbruneau.com; 2004; $7.95)
is a full coverage of this little-known subject.
The author has obviously done his research. He discusses
different kinds and types of bidets and includes
a comprehensive list of manufacturers and the features
of their product, as well as listing retailers with
their phone number and/or website. All of the many
quotations within the text have citations. Bruneau
also talks about the benefits of using a bidet,
including health benefits. The body's natural functions
are described in natural language, with much of
this coming from the author's own experience. This
is a good book for anyone who has thought about
adding a bidet to their bathroom or for anyone interested
in the subject.
The following was computed at
Ecology Action as a supplement to the above subject: Each person in the U.S. uses an average of 40 rolls
of toilet paper each year. If we were not using
this paper, about 6.8 million trees, 48 million
cubic feet of landfill, 56,000 trips by garbage
trucks, and 4.88 billion gallons of water would
be saved annually.
Gardening for the Earth and Soul by Heather Dean and Tom Benvenuto (Brethern Press,
1451 Dundee Avenue, Elgin IL 60120; 2004) offers
many gardening basics but presents them in such
a way that the reader is drawn into relationship
with the Earth, Spirit and other people. As one
of the authors states in the Epilogue, one of the
goals of this book is to celebrate "connections
between gardening and peacemaking." It is stressed
that whatever is happening in the world, our personal,
life-affirming actions can make a difference. One
chapter is devoted to community gardening, laying
out the steps a group might take from visualizing
to manifesting. Each chapter has a page of kids'
activities and resources for further education.
Many chapters also profile different organizations
that encourage local, sustainable food-related activities.
The book's illustrations somehow manage to convey
peace and the inner life. This is a fine book that
we recommend.
The purpose of Renewing America's Food
Traditions: Bringing Cultural and Culinary Mainstays
from the Past into the New Millenium, edited
by Gary Paul Nabhan and Ashley Rood (Center for
Sustainable Environments at Northern Arizona University,
Flagstaff AZ; 2004) is to inspire and encourage
readers to help in the restoration and preservation
of these foods. This small book lists 10 foods which
are endangered, 10 that are making a comeback due
to preservation efforts, and a longer list of other
foods that are endangered, threatened, recovering
or extinct. There are interesting descriptions of
each of the foods in the first two lists, telling
what is known of their origin, historical usage,
and path towards extinction (and recovery). It is
a mind-opening experience to realize what has been
traditionally used for food in various regions,
such as the American alligator and the Eulachon
smelt (which, when dried, can also be used as a
candle). This book should prove to be an important
consciousness-raising step towards renewing our
connection with the region we live in and our local
heritage.
Keepers of the Spring: Reclaiming Our Water
in an Age of Globalization by Fred Pearce
(Island Press, 1718 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite
300, Washington DC 20009; 2004; $26) looks first
at the "mega" water projects that we have
counted on to fulfill our water and energy needs.
Though they have provided these necessities in many
cases, they have also brought dislocation, environmental
destruction, and territorial conflicts. The author
then cites many examples of people who are relearning
ways to deliver adequate water on a community level.
There are as many different ways of doing this as
there are geographical and climatic conditions.
This is an excellent book-inspirational and educational-a
"must read" for anyone interested in alternative
community water systems.
Country Wisdom and Know-How: Everything
You Need to Know to Live Off the Land (Distributed
by Workman Publishing Co., 708 Broadway, New York
NY 10003; 2004; $19.95) is a compendium of Country
Wisdom bulletins first published by Storey Books
in the 1970s-a lot of information for a small price.
Included are complete directions for making cheese
and yogurt, instructions for keeping chickens and
rabbits and butchering livestock. There are sections
on natural healing, simple home repairs, and what
to do when the power fails. A large gardening section
has good information on soil and many other aspects
of gardening. The book's cover advertises "8,167
Useful Skills and Step-by-Step Instructions."
Not all are survival skills. There are instructions
for making baskets and other crafts and a large
section on birds. With this much to choose from,
the reader is likely to find much that is useful
for his or her situation.
The Story of Corn by Betty Fussell
(University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque; 1992)
is a fascinating, informative and somewhat overwhelming
book that must have involved an awesome amount of
research. Although corn and only corn is the subject,
it is offered in a myriad of ways. Corn in mythology
is explored through original texts, artifacts, ruins
and oral history. A science chapter has a small
amount of botany and a large amount of history,
including significant disputes over the origins
of corn. Native American connections with corn are
presented throughout. Corn as food, as drink, as
schmaltz and many other manifestations of the grain
have found their way into this book. The author
has an eclectic way of writing, and working one's
way through the mass of information can be challenging,
but many gems of information can be gleaned by a
persistent reader.
The Gardner's A-Z Guide to Growing Flowers
from Seed to Bloom by Eileen Powell (Storey
Publishing; 2004; $24.95) is an excellent reference
tool for selecting and growing flowers. A short
section of planting instructions is practical and
easy to read. This is followed by a plant guide
of over 300 pages that includes sowing, germinating,
transplanting, plant care instructions and other
information for each reference. This is followed
by a section of color photos of many of the plants
and a well-thought-out chart for a quick survey
of plant needs. The book should prove to be a one-stop
reference for many flower growers.
Slow Food by Carlo Petrini (Columbia
University Press; 2001). Twenty years ago a movement
was born to counteract the proliferation of the
fast food industry. Protesting the global corporate
agenda for fast profits at the expense of nutrition
and cultural identity, Carlo Petrini founded the
Slow Food movement. For the past two decades his
organization has been preaching the benefits of
preserving local indigenous gastronomic traditions.
This book is a reflection of those human values
which are quickly becoming extinct as a result of
our fatalistic quest for a quick fix and how we
may recover before it is too late.
The Compleat Squash: A Passionate Grower's
Guide to Pumpkins, Squashes and Gourds by Amy Goldman (Artisan; 2004). This is a beautiful
coffee table-sized book that makes a great gift
for your gardener friend who has lost sleep over
what to do with all those squashes in his or her
garden. The book consists of three excellent topics
pertaining to pumpkins and squashes. The first provides
growing, harvesting, pollinating and seed- saving
techniques. The second categorizes over 150 different
varieties, complete with color pictures. The third
part includes delicious recipes which will have
your friends coming back for more.
The following books came to our organization
but we did not have time to review them:
- Teaching Organic Farming and Gardening:
the UCSC Farm and Garden Apprenticeship.
Edited by Albie Miles and Martha Brown (Center
for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems,
1156 High Street, UC Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz CA
95064; 2003; $45). Can also be downloaded in PDF
format for free at www.ucsc.edu/casfs.
- Landowner Resource Guide from
the Institute for Sustainable Forestry, Landowners
Association Forest Stewardship Program
- Cover Cropping in Vineyards: A Grower's
Handbook (University of California, Agriculture
and Natural Resources Communication Services,
6701 San Pablo Avenue, 2nd Floor, Oakland CA 94608-1239;
1998)
- Jack Hill's Country Chair Making (David and Charles Books; $19.95; 1997)
- Hardy Bamboos: Taming the Dragon by Paul Whittaker (Timber Press, The Haseltine
Building, 133 SW Second Ave, Suite 450, Portland
OR 97204-3527; 2005; $39.95) is written from the
experience of a person whose garden is wet in
the winter and experiences summer drought and
hard winds.
- Resource-Efficient Farming Methods for
Tanzania: Proceedings of a Workshop,
1983, Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary
Science, University of Dar es Salaam, Morogoro,
Tanzania (Rodale Press, 1983)
- The Owner-Built Home by Ken
Kern (1972)
- Resource Guide to Sustainable Wildcrafting
and Medicinal Herbs in the Pacific Northwest by Michael Pilarski (Friends of the Trees Society;
2000; $8 plus shipping)
- La Participacion Comunitaria en Salud (Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Paseo de
la Reforma 476, Mexico DF; 1997)
- Warm Season Grasses: Balancing forage
programs in the Northeast and Southern Corn Belt (Soil Conservation Society of America, 7515 NE
Ankeny Road, Ankeny IA 50021-9764; 1986)
- Resourceful Farming: A Primer for Family
Farmers (Small Farm Resource Project,
Center for Rural Affairs, PO Box 736, Hartington
NE 68739; 1987).
- Agroforestry in Minnesota: A Guide to
Resources and Demonstration Sites by
Scott Josiah, Lara Jo Gordon, Erik Streed and
Jan Joannides (University of Minnesota Extension
Service Distribution Center, 20 Coffey Hall, 1420
Eckles Avenue, St. Paul MN 55108-6069; 1999).
- We have received a whole library of booklets
published by the E.F. Schumacher Society, most
of them taken from the Society's lecture series.
We list them here for your interest:
- An Economics of Peace, Essays by E.F. Schumacher,
Wendell Berry and Susan Witt; 2001
- Land: Challenge and Opportunity by Susan
Witt and Robert Swan; 1995
- Robert Swann: Tributes (A memorial); 2003
- Voices from White Earth by Winona La Duke;
1993
- The Right Livelihood Award by Jakob von
Uexkull; 1992
- The Community's Role in Appropriate Technology
by George McRobie; 1982
- Becoming Native to this Place by Wes Jackson;
1993
- Call for a Revolution in Agriculture by
Wes Jackson; 1981
- Cold Evil: Technology and Modern Ethics
by Andrew Kimbrell; 2000
- Creating a Post Corporate World by David
C. Korten; 2000
- Every Being Has Rights by Thomas Berry;
2003
- The Family as a Small Society by Elise Boulding;
1982
- It's Healing Time on Earth by David Brower;
1992
- Flopping Butterfly Wings: A Retrospect of
TRANET's First 20 Years
- A Map (From the Old Connecticut Path to
the Rio Grande Valley and all the Meaning
In Between) by Chellis Glendinning; 1999
- Wagner and the Fate of the Earth: A Contemporary
Reading of "The Ring" by Hunter
G. Hannun; 1993
- Buddhist Technology by Arthur Zajone; 1997
- A New Lease on Farmland, E.F. Schumacher
Society; 1990
- Distributing Our Technological Inheritance
by Gar Alperootz; 1994
- Women and the Challenge of the Ecological
Era by Dana Lee Jackson; 1990
- Ecological Design: Reinventing the Future
by John Todd; 2001
- Inflation and the Coming Keynesian Catastrophe
by Ralph Borsodi; 1989
- Mother of All: Introduction to Bioregionalism
by Kirkpatrick Sale; 1983
- Environmental Literacy: Education as if
the Earth Mattered by David W. Orr; 1992
- The Friendship Club and the Wellspring of
Civil Society by William Schambra; 1999
- The Economy of Regions by Jane Jacobs; 1983
- Capitalism, the Commons and Divine Rights
by Peter Baines; 2003
- The Ecozoic Era by Thomas Berry; 1991
- The Assembly by Donald L. Andersen; 1996
- How the Conquest of Indigenous Peoples Parallels
the Conquest of Nature by John
- Mohawk; 1997
- Reclaiming Community by David Morris; 1996
- Making Amends to the Myriad Creatures by
Stephanie Mills; 1991
- Bob Swann's Positively Dazzling Realism
by Stephanie Mills; 2004
- Bringing Power Back Home: Recreating Democracy
on a Human Scale by John
- McClaughery; 1989
- Economic Globalization: The Era of Corporate
Rule by Jerry Mander; 1999
- The Company We Keep: A Case for Small Schools
by Deborah Meier; 1998
- Moving Toward Community: From Global Dependence
to Local Interdependence by Helena Norberg-Hodge;
1996
- Green Politics: The Spiritual Dimension
by Charlene Spretnak; 1984
- The Garden Project: Growing Urban Communities
by Cathrine Sneed; 1995
- An Ecological Economic Order by John Todd;
1985
- The Wisdom That Builds Community by Greg
Watson; 1997
- The Wisdom of Leopold Kohr by Ivan Illich;
1994
- Democracy, Earth Rights and the Next Economy
by Alanna Hartzok; 2001
- Greening the Campus from a Procurement Perspective
by Kevin Lyons; 2002
- Natural Capitalism: The Next Industrial
Revolution by Amory Lovins; 2001
- Toward a Politics of Hope: Lessons from
a Hungry World by Frances Moore Lappe;1985
|