Environment and Nature Books

I've read Mr. Green's advice column in Sierra Magazine for years, and was eager to get a copy of his book. Just as I expected, it's chock full of answers to questions that have been on my mind for years, "How much paper do you really have to recycle in order to save one tree?" as well as new green quandaries that I'd never even considered "Is it better to buy your beer in bottles or in cans?" The book is written in a friendly, chatty style, answering real letters that readers have written in to Mr. Green over the years, and Mr. Green's quirky humor shines through. Instead of being a preachy book, it tackles tough questions in a light way, and helps give you good realiable ammunition to convince your friends & family to make greener choices (my favorite is when he does the cost benefit analysis of turning off your lights when you leave a room-- over 10 years, you will save over $2,600! If that doesn't convince your relatives & friends to save electricity, I don't know what will!). This would be a good gift for anyone you know who is trying to live a more green lifestyle.

Goudie's book covers both past and present human impacts on every conceivable component of the Earth -- on vegetation, animals, landforms, soil, water, climate, and the atmosphere. One of the strengths of this book is, of course, the great breadth of the topics it covers. Another strength is the use of clear concrete examples, with plenty of maps, graphs, and other visual presentations of relevant information. And finally, and most importantly, this book stands out because of the clarity of the writing, which is straight-forward and devoid of both technical jargon and judgmental phrasing.

This would make a great textbook for a college course, and yet would also make a wonderful reference or pleasure reading book for the curious. Not many books can make such a claim!

Pezzoli's book offers an insightful and applicable understanding of sustainable development through regional activism. This book is appropriate for scholars, academics, activists, and developers but is easily readable by all peoples.

A well-written and insightful book by an up-and-coming star in the field of the history of the American West.

Our Fragile Planet Hydrosphere: The Land and Its Uses
Author: Dana Desonie, Ph.D.
Grade:6-12
Each book in the Our Fragile Planet series focuses on the causes and effects of climate change and human impact on the atmosphere, biosphere, climate, geosphere, the natural environment, hydrosphere, oceans, and polar regions. Each fact-filled book includes photographs, charts, and graphs along with a glossary, an index, and references for further reading. The information found in this series will engage childrenâ(tm)s curiosity and provide them with a sense of stewardship.

This volume defines the term hydrosphere and describes human uses and abuses of inland waterways, discussing the planet's fresh water and how people use it. Readers will find information about the water cycle, surface waters, surface water resources, and ground water and its use. Part two looks at pollutants that are introduced into fresh water, and part three traces the history of pollution in the Great Lakes. It also discusses clean-up options. Excellent background material is provided on each topic.

This thought-provoking book will make children and adults view our fragile planet in a new way. Written for students in grades 6 through 12, it could also be read by some elementary students. It would also be an excellent reference book for teachers. Teachers using differentiated instruction would find this book very useful.

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My 2 1/2 year old really enjoys this book. I believe it isaimed at the 4 - 8 year old set, but even younger ones can appreciatethe colorful illustrations and the natural settings and wildlife. They learn a little about nature ("I saw a loon and heard its cry; a tiny hummingbird flew by"). It's very peaceful - perfect before bedtime or naps. And children enjoy the fact that the little boy can never spot the frogs that the reader can see (they're usually hidden behind a rock). My son loves the last page when the little boy says "I wondered if all the creatures would say, I saw a human being today." He likes for me to name several animals and people so that he can label them as human beings or not. I've read this book to my son twice a day for over a month now and I'm not sick of it, which is definitely worth 5 stars in my book!

Got this book as well for my nephew who is big time into aquariums and all things of the sea. Great rhymes and illustrations.

Where have all the animals gone? I hope I never have to hear that question from my children. In the Beginning is a beautiful, hardcover book featuring several animals realistically portrayed in natural, life-like habitats. Oliver Owl is visited one day by a cloud in the form of a dinosaur. The dinosuar warns Oliver that the humans have been unsuccessful in their attempts to preserve the animals and the environment. He bestows Oliver the gift of communication in order to educate all the animals of the forest in how they can help themselves. The animals therefore are telling their own stories rather than having a human narrate their tales. The idea behind the books are to educate children of the growing problems facing our animals and environment in the hopes that these innovative minds of the future can come up with some ideas to save the animal kingdom and their habitat. The illustrations are realistic yet timeless. I believe education on animals and their environment and ways to help should be a part of every child's education and this book provides you with all of the above. It also has contests in the back in which your child can submit artwork or stories that if chosen, will appear in future editions. PRETTY INSPIRING FOR YOUNG MINDS, I'd say!!!

Land degradation is now recognized as a major environmental problem and, globally, millions of dollars are now being spent annually on soil and water conservation programs. Many success stories can be found among these programs but, overall, progress has been slow and there have been many failures. there is an apparent reluctance of landusers to adopt conservation-effective practices, and it is usually not clear why practices that have appeared so promising in trials have not been accepted by them, or have been rejected after a short time. Attention has therefore turned to the landusers themselves, rather than the technology. Landusers are now much more involved in the process of identifying the problems, developing practical solutions and applying the necessary measures in the field. The International Workshop on Soil Conservation Extension: Concepts, Strategies, Implementation and Adoption, held in Chiang Mai in June 1995, looked at how soil conservation programs were being presented in the field and what were the problems. It appeared that although progress is being made in many ways, there was one major shortcoming: even where extension services are effective in fully involving landusers in the process of problem identification and the development of acceptable solutions, progress may still be very slow. The reason for this is that landusers may simply not be able to change their practices because eof economic, social or political reasons that are beyond their control. To overcome this problem, programs have been using a variety of incentives and over the years a wide range has been developed and used. Because of the need to examine incentives more closely and to discover which incentives will work and under what circumstances, the editors, on behalf of the World Association of Soil and Water Conservation, invited workers in this field to contribute to the present book. It contains a variety of articles that explore many aspects of the use of incentives in soil conservation programs. The book gives a clear understanding of the subject and also provides guidance to those involved in the development and implementation of soil conservation programs. An interesting addition to books on soil conservation!

In this book, Foltz shows monumental scholarship as he interprets the sum of Heidegger's thinking about 'nature' and our relationship to it. Foltz cross-references dozens of texts that span many years of Heidegger's work to tie together a very, very complex picture. Can you imagine giving yourself THAT challenge? He digs deeply into Heidegger's thinking, and his summaries are clarifying and often inspiring. For those of us with the belief that real answers about our world lay partially hidden in Heidegger, this is a very optimistic book -- and there just aren't many in the world who could have done it. With this excellent scholarship, Foltz has done the ecology movement a great favor, and shows that he must be ranked with the likes of Dreyfus and Blattner as interpreters of Heidegger.