Nature and social power (book)

Nature, Choice and Social Power

We are at an environmental impasse. Many blame our personal choices about the way we live. This is only part of the problem. Different forms of social power - political, economic and ideological - structure the choices we have available. This book analyses how we make social and environmental history and why we end up where we do. Case studies challenge conventional wisdoms about why gold is valuable, why the internal combustion engine triumphed, and when and why suburbs sprawled. The book shows how the power of individuals, the power of classes, the power of the market and the power of the state were critical to setting us on a path to environmental degradation. It also challenges conventional wisdom about what we need to do now. Rather than reducing consumption and shrinking from outcomes we don’t want, it proposes growing towards outcomes we do want. We invested massive resources in creating our problems; it will take equally large investments to fix them.

Difference and inequality in alternative food (book)

Savoring Alternative Food: School Gardens, Healthy Eating and Visceral Difference

Advocates of the alternative food movement often insist that food is our "common ground" – that through the very basic human need to eat, we all become entwined in a network of mutual solidarity. In this challenging book, the author explores the contradictions of alternative food activism by examining the movement through various lenses of social difference – including class, race, gender, and age. While the solidarity adage has inspired many, it has also had the unfortunate effect of promoting sameness over difference, eschewing inequities in an effort to focus on being "together at the table". The author explores questions of who belongs at the table of alternative food, and who gets to decide what is eaten there. Case studies are presented from school gardens and slow food movements in Berkeley, California and rural Nova Scotia.

Intro to the green economy (book)

An Introduction to the Green Economy: Science, Systems and Sustainability

This textbook provides a comprehensive introduction to the green economy, using a strongly interdisciplinary approach based on environmental science, rather than treating it as a sub-set of economics. The scientific principles of sustainability are presented, which provide the foundations of the green economy, with a particular focus on systems-based approaches. Examples of real-world case studies are used to illustrate how the green economy can be achieved in practice, drawing from a wide range of disciplines including ecology, geography, social science, psychology, sustainability science, environmental science, law and economics.

Half the world's animals lost since 1970 (report)

The Living Planet Report 2014

This latest edition of the Living Planet Report is not for the faint-hearted. The  Living Planet Index (LPI), which measures more than 10,000 representative populations of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish, has declined by 52 per cent since 1970. Put another way, in less than two human generations, population sizes of vertebrate species have dropped by half. We are using nature’s gifts as if we had more than just one Earth at our disposal. By taking more from our ecosystems and natural processes than can be replenished, we are jeopardizing our very future. Nature conservation and sustainable development go hand-in-hand. They are not only about preserving biodiversity and wild places, but just as much about safeguarding the future of humanity – our well-being, economy, food security and social stability – indeed, our very survival.

The 13 greatest weeds (book)

The Wild Wisdom of Weeds 13 Essential Plants for Human Survival

The Wild Wisdom of Weeds is the only book on foraging and edible weeds to focus on the thirteen weeds found all over the world, each of which represents a complete food source and extensive medical pharmacy. More than just a field guide to wild edibles, it is a global plan for human survival. If we can open our eyes to see the wisdom found in these weeds right under our noses, instead of trying to eradicate an "invasive," we will achieve true food security. If we can become familiar with these thirteen edible survival weeds, we will never go hungry, and we will become closer to our own wild human instincts—enjoying the freshest, wildest, and most nutritious food there is. For free!

Farming the woods (book)

Farming the Woods An Integrated Permaculture Approach to Growing Food and Medicinals in Temperate Forests

Learn how to fill forests with food by viewing agriculture from a remarkably different perspective: that a healthy forest can be maintained while growing a wide range of food, medicinal, and non-timber products. Many of things we take for granted, such as coffee, chocolate, and many tropical fruits, all originate in forest ecosystems. But such abundance is also available in the cool temperate forests of North America. Farming the Woods covers in detail how to cultivate, harvest, and market high-value forest crops such as American ginseng, shiitake mushrooms, wild leeks, maple syrup, fruit and nut trees, ornamentals, and more.

Europe's vegetation cover mapped (#journal)

Semi-natural vegetation in agricultural land: European map and links to ecosystem service supply

Semi-natural vegetation in agricultural land includes extensively managed grassland, agro-forestry and vegetated features not used for crop production, such as hedgerows and woodlots. Semi-natural vegetation plays a major role in the supply of ecosystem services such as pollination, pest control, water quality control and erosion prevention. In spite of such a relevance, semi-natural vegetation in agricultural land has never been mapped at the European scale. This article presents the first 1- km resolution map of semi-natural vegetation in agricultural land in the EU. Results show that semi-natural vegetation is usually beneficial for regulating services, whereas the relation to provisioning services is context-dependent. The study supports greening measures in the Common Agricultural Policy. Results also will help to identify green infrastructure elements and priority areas for ecological restoration.