In a Dark Wood: The Fight Over Forests and the Myths of Nature

Customer Reviews:

Ina a Dark Wood: The Fight Over Forests and the Myths of Nature.......2007-01-10

A very well researched and well written account of the "Old Growth Forest" controversy. I strongly encourage students of enviromentalism to read it. It clearly lays out some of the seminal disagreements of forest management that stil plague our forests today.

ignorant and angry but useful.......2005-05-03

Chase's angry critique of "environmentalists" and their myths of nature has its points, but he ignores most of the substantial efforts to manage our ecosystem holistically -- e.g. including land, people, and money. He criticizes "biocentrism" but many of us recognize that human life, for example, is totally dependent on other organisms, E. coli to start. The question is not hierarchy, but interdependence.

Hundreds of pages on what's wrong in my edition, and only two pages that mention possible pathways to the future in the form of the Quincy Library Group and Applegate Partnership.

eye-opening clear analysis that changed my views.......2002-11-28

Until reading "In a Dark Wood" I espoused "politically correct" environmentalist views -- such as "all old growth forests must be saved at any cost from evil logging" -- in a knee-jerk, emotionally charged, self-righteous way, without ever taking the trouble to study or think through what was really at stake, and what premises about reality underlay my views. Alston Chase's thinking on conservation is so clearly presented, so well backed by evidence, so carefully analysed, and so full of good will and integrity, that I find it impossible to read his book without respecting his intentions -- and his conclusions, which challenge everything I had unthinkingly assumed in the past. This is the kind of book that not only addresses concrete problems, such as the political struggle between, say Earth First and Maxxam Corporation, but also inspires the reader to think more deeply, and question his/her assumptions. This is the kind of book I think most self-labeled "environmentalists" -- especially those who come from white, middle class, college-educated backgrounds -- will dismiss prior to investigation, and will never read. If so, it is a sad loss. It's a book that can change your views and help you learn to think better -- and I believe most people would rather not do so, since thinking better might well spoil the dramatic excitement of waging a war of good against evil, nature against humanity. Still, I hope people will read this book. It's one that changed my life.

Design for Sustainability: A Sourcebook of Integrated, Eco-logical Solutions

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A great read and also good as a course text!
thought provouking

Design for Sustainability: A Sourcebook of Integrated, Eco-logical Solutions
Janis Birkeland
Manufacturer: Earthscan Publications Ltd.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1853838977

Book Description

"Design for Sustainability" signals the crucial paradigm shift of the 21st Century: the transition from "environmental management" to "systems design" - eco-solutions that integrate social, political, and economic factors and radically reduce resource use, while increasing health, equity and life quality.
By using radical and innovative design solutions, everyone could be living in buildings and settlements that are more like gardens than cargo containers, and that purify air and water, generate energy, treat sewage and produce food - at lower cost.
This sourcebook presents inspiring and detailed examples of integrated systems design thinking by many of the foremost designers in the field. They cover applications in industrial design, materials, housing design, urban planning and transport, landscape and agriculture, and energy and resource use. They cut across traditional academic and professional boundaries to demonstrate a new transdisciplinary approach to environmental problem solving.
The volume makes a very valuable reference and teaching resource in areas from environmental sciences to design and planning. Each of the 14 topics within the field of environmental management and social change have pairs of short readings providing diverse perspectives to compare, contrast and debate. Informational boxes, sets of questions and exercises are also provided.

Customer Reviews:

A great read and also good as a course text!.......2006-07-22

This type of book is well overdue. It covers both the theoretical and practical side of sustainable design and is very well set out. It is an excellent reference book and covers the full spectrum of sustainable design issues, which affect us all!

thought provouking.......2003-06-07

design for sustainability is defnitly a sourcebook for sustainable designers.it spanes through every aspect of our existance and ofers a new way of living it sustainably. from hemp clothes to earth building and even touches thinking patterns of design, giving the profetional designer not only eco-logical solutions but new perspectives to the process of design.
this book opened my mind to new pathes of thought and action.

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COASTING!!

Global Coastal Change
Ivan Valiela , and Giuseppe Bertola
Manufacturer: Blackwell Publishing Limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1405136855

Book Description

Global Coastal Change provides a comprehensive overview of the environmental factors changing the marine systems of the world. Evaluating the evidence of change at a local and global level, this important text examines a wide range of factors affecting coastal environments. These factors include atmospheric changes, sea level rise, alterations in freshwater and sediment use and transport, toxins, overfishing, alien species, and eutrophication.Each chapter presents a different topic and includes:case studies providing real-world examplesa detailed review of the evidence of changes and possible solutions to resulting problemsreferences to the primary literature.Global Coastal Change brings together a wealth of important information about our changing marine environments and will be an invaluable reference for upper level undergraduates, graduates, and professionals interested in marine environmental science.

Customer Reviews:

COASTING!!.......2006-09-20

Are you interested in environmental issues or are a researcher or student dealing with coastal matters? If you are, this book is for you! Authors Ivan Valielaand and Giuseppe Bertola, have written an outstanding book that reviews evidence of intensity and pervasiveness of effects, and recovery from the action of the major agents of change that are altering the diverse coastal habitats and populations of the world.

Valielaand and Bertola, begin by dealing with ecological changes driven by changing global atmospheric and climate alterations. Then, they address coastal change created by human use of water on land. Next, the authors cover human destruction of the various habitats that occupy the near-shore zones. The authors continue by dealing with toxic substances that humans add to coastal environments. In addition, they also deal with changes that humans force on coastal food webs, including nutrient additions, which alter ecosystems by effects that permeate up food webs and create pervasive effects, and human-driven alterations in the species composition of coastal environments. The authors also discuss information on a miscellany of other agents of environmental change. Finally, they address ways in which the agents of change and their effects interact; how the comparison of the various agents of change relate in terms of the intensity of the changes, the extensiveness of the effects, and, the possibility of recovery from the perturbations; and, how to assess the relative priorities placed on addressing the issues raised by this book.

The authors of this most excellent book also review the evidence of intensity and pervasiveness of effects, and recovery from the action of the major agents of change that are altering the diverse coastal habitats and populations of the world. More importantly, the authors try to assess the degree of change forced by human and non-human influences.

Marx and Nature: A Red and Green Perspective

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Marx and Nature: A Red and Green Perspective
Paul Burkett
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0312219407

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There may still be disagreement about the threat to human survival posed by society's environmental impacts, but no one can doubt that individual eco-systems and the global biosphere are both increasingly shaped by human production and consumption. This book shows that Marx's treatment of natural conditions possesses an inner logic, coherence, and analytical power which has not been previously recognized. The power of Marx's approach stems from his consistent treatment of human production in terms of the mutual constitution of its social form and material content. While recognizing that production is structured by historically developed relations among producers, Marx also insists that production as a social and material process is shaped and constrained by natural conditions, including the natural condition of human bodily existence. Paul Burkett shows that it is Marx's overriding concern with human emancipation that impels him to approach nature from the standpoint of materialist history, sociology, and critical political economy.

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This book shows that Marx's treatment of natural conditions possesses an inner logic, coherence, and analytical power which has not been previously recognized. The power of Marx's approach stems from his consistent treatment of human production in terms of the mutual constitution of its social form and material content.

While recognizing that production is structured by historically developed relations among producers, Marx also insists that production as a social and material process is shaped and constrained by natural conditions, including the natural condition of human bodily existence.

Book Description

Most people love nature and consider themselves environmentalists, but nature isn't just pretty and lovable, it is indispensable to our survival and economic activity. That is the most compelling reason for environmental protection. The conventional economic wisdom views land (natural capital) as a small part of the economy, along with capital, labor, technology and so on. The authors argue that this is backwards: that the economy nests within the environment (land) and not the other way around. The authors give a brief history of the origins of conventional economic wisdom and critique it from a the standpoint of ecological economics. They explain what natural capital -our life support system - is and does, and describe the severe strains that have been put on it. They conclude with some policy options, such as green taxes and suggestions for personal action that would conserve natural capital and thus make conserve resources for present and future generations. Natural Capital and Human Economic Survival is written for environmentalists, environmental studies majors and anyone concerned about the flaws of mainstream economics - how it has led us into unsustainable ways of living - and who would like to learn about alternatives that are more sustainable.

Ecological Numeracy: Quantitative Analysis of Environmental Issues

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Thank god some sanity on the issue!
Too broad range for an environmental issue

Ecological Numeracy: Quantitative Analysis of Environmental Issues
Robert A. Herendeen
Manufacturer: Wiley
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Binding: Paperback

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A Primer for Policy Analysis

ASIN: 0471183091

Book Description

Master the fundamental math skills necessary to quantify and evaluate a broad range of environmental questions.

Environmental issues are often quantitative—how much land, how many people, what amount of pollution. Computer programs are useful, but there is no substitute for being able to use a simple calculation to slice through to the crux of the problem. Having a grasp of how the factors interact and whether the results make sense allows one to explain and argue a point of view forcefully to diverse audiences.

With an engaging, down-to-earth style and practical problem-solving approach, Ecological Numeracy makes it easy to understand and master basic mathematical concepts and techniques that are applicable to life-cycle assessment, energy consumption, land use, pollution generation, and a broad range of other environmental issues. Robert Herendeen brings the numbers to life with dozens of fascinating, often entertaining examples and problems.

Requiring only a moderate quantitative background, Ecological Numeracy is a superb introduction for advanced undergraduate students in environmental science, planning, geography, and physical and natural sciences. It is also a valuable professional resource for environmental managers, regulators, and administrators.

Customer Reviews:

Thank god some sanity on the issue!.......2000-12-19

This book should be read by any who want some reality applied to their ecology beliefs. This book is really a competent upper division text book that takes quantitative analysis seriously. My take is that Herendeen is attempting to make ecology into something akin to current day economics. The education about and then critique of cost benefit analysis (consider the time discount rate of the value defined over 300 years) was informative to novices like me who are inclined to promote simple cost benefit analysis approaches of almost all ecology problems. The raw data on large numbers of ecology parameters is also useful (e.g. half life of CO2 in the atmosphere, and hundreds of other data points) just to get some scale to your ecology intuitions.

Too broad range for an environmental issue.......1998-11-22

This book presents a broad range of environmental analysis. We have a brief introduction to the problem. The best way must be a focus in quantitative analyis of specific environemtal problem

Footprints in the Jungle: Natural Resource Industries, Infrastructure, and Biodiversity Conservation

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Engaging Private Sector in Environmental Protection
Engaging Private Sector in Environmental Protection

Footprints in the Jungle: Natural Resource Industries, Infrastructure, and Biodiversity Conservation

Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0195125789

Book Description

Tropical forests have seen a tremendous growth in logging, mining, and oil and gas development over the past decades. These industries and their infrastructure, including roads and power lines, have a tremendous impact on the environment and often conflict with the growing concern for conservation, particularly the conservation of tropical biodiversity. However, development in the tropics is extremely important economically, both for developing and industrialized nations, and Footprints in the Jungle is an invaluable reference in this important and highly politicized debate. This volume looks at new approaches that lessen the impact of development. It collects numerous case studies by project managers, advocates, and researchers from major international companies, development agencies, universities, and non-governmental organizations. It also examines the environmental and social impact of resource development, proposes a rigorous "best practices" approach, and analyzes a number of challenging technical, environmental, social, and legal issues.

Customer Reviews:

Engaging Private Sector in Environmental Protection.......2001-10-30

Business which is based on profit maximization is usually considered to be in conflict with the goals of environmental protection. This contradiction can be even more severe when the business owned by private sectors in developed countries extend their activities in far-away underdeveloped areas. The book looks at the environmental protection from business perspectives, especially extractive industries' involvement in biodiversity conservation. It explores numerous cases ("best practices") showing how business interests reconcile with environmental protection goals. The dynamics of various stakeholders was investigated to illustrate how the business strategic calculation of benefit and cost has been shaped by other stakeholders. According to the authors, there are two major reasons of why business starts to voluntarily involve in environmental protection: corporate reputation (intangible value) and eco-efficiency (tangible value). The book is a big contribution to the empirical studies of how business operation has been shaped by environmental protection and vice versa. I recommend the book to environmental experts, project managers and corporate environmentalists.

Engaging Private Sector in Environmental Protection.......2001-10-30

Ecological Revolutions: Nature, Gender, and Science in New England

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Fundamental text

Ecological Revolutions: Nature, Gender, and Science in New England
Carolyn Merchant
Manufacturer: The University of North Carolina Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0807842540

Book Description

By exploring the stages of ecological transformation that took place in New England as European settlers took control of the land, Carolyn Merchant develops a fresh approach to environmental history. Her analysis of how human communities are related to their environment opens a perspective that goes beyond overt changes in the landscape.

Merchant brings to light the dense network of links between the human realm of economic regimes, social structure, and gender relations, as they are conditioned by a dominant worldview, and the ecological realm of plant and animal life. Thus we see how the integration of the Indians with their natural world was shattered by Europeans who engaged in exhaustive methods of hunting, trapping, and logging for the market and in widespread subsistence farming. The resulting "colonial ecological revolution" was to hold sway until roughly the time of American independence, when the onset of industrialization and increasing urbanization brought about the "capitalist ecological revolution." By the late nineteenth century, Merchant argues, New England had become a society that viewed the whole ecosphere as an arena for human domination. One can see in New England a "mirror of the world," she says. What took place there between 1600 and 1850 was a greatly accelerated recapitulation of the evolutionary ecological changes that had occurred in Europe over a span of 2,500 years.

Customer Reviews:

Fundamental text.......2007-06-23

Ecological Revolutions is an absolutely fundamental text in the fields of Colonial and Environmental American history. This book, along with William Cronon's Changes in the Land, transformed historians' understandings of Native American relationships to the land, as well as the ecological, economic, and reproductive changes brought by European colonists. Changes in the Land is more entertaining to read, but Ecological Revolutions is more advanced methodologically. I recommend both books heartily.

Ecological Medicine: Healing the Earth, Healing Ourselves (The Bioneers Series)

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Ecological Medicine: Healing the Earth, Healing Ourselves (The Bioneers Series)

Manufacturer: Sierra Club Books
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1578050987

Book Description

Drawn largely from luminous presentations given at the annual Bioneers Conference, this pathfinding book--the first in a new Bioneers Series published by Sierra Club Books--focuses on pragmatic solutions emerging at the fertile edges between the overlapping worlds of environmental restoration and holistic healing. In this kaleidoscopic collection, many of the world's leading health visionaries show us how human health is inescapably dependent on the health of our environment.
The rich array of voices in this book reflects the collective intelligence of the emerging movement known as Ecological Medicine. Its advocates look to the strategic public health measures that first do no harm to the environment and, in turn, successfully improve human health. They call for prevention and precaution as the first line of action. They seek to heal the tragic split that conventional medicine made from nature and to conjure nature's own mysterious capacity for self-repair. They celebrate the virtues of ancient natural-medicine practices but also embrace an integrative medicine that uses the best of all approaches to healing--with special emphasis on the centrality of the human spirit in the healing process. Their inspiring work, described so compellingly in this book, is of critical relevance to everyone concerned about health and the environment.

ABOUT THE BIONEERS BOOKS:
Since 1990, the annual Bioneers Conference has gathered scientific and social innovators who have demonstrated model practices and practical models for restoring the Earth. The Bioneers come from many diverse cultures and perspectives, and from all walks of life. They are scientists and artists, gardeners and economists, activists and public servants, architects and ecologists, farmers and journalists, priests and shamans, policy makers and everyday people committed to preserving and supporting the future of life on Earth. Uniting nature, culture, and spirit, their visionary and practical solutions also embody a change of heart, a spiritual connection with the fullness of all life, grounded in social justice.

Ecological Economics: A Workbook For Problem-Based Learning

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Ecological Economics: A Workbook For Problem-Based Learning
Joshua Farley , Jon Erickson , and Herman E. Daly
Manufacturer: Island Press
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ASIN: 1559633131

Book Description

Ecological economics addresses one of the fundamental flaws in conventional economics--its failure to consider biophysical and social reality in its analyses and equations. Ecological Economics: Principles and Applications is an introductory-level textbook that offers a pedagogically complete examination of this dynamic new field.

As a workbook accompanying the text, this volume breaks new ground in applying the principles of ecological economics in a problem- or service-based learning setting. Both the textbook and this workbook are situated within a new interdisciplinary framework that embraces the linkages among economic growth, environmental degradation, and social inequity in an effort to guide policy in a way that respects fundamental human values. The workbook takes the approach a step further in placing ecological economic analysis within a systems perspective, in order to help students identify leverage points by which they can help to affect change. The workbook helps students to develop a practical, operational understanding of the principles and concepts explored in the text through real-world activities, and describes numerous case studies in which students have successfully completed projects.

Ecological Economics: A Workbook for Problem-Based Learning represents an important new resource for undergraduate and graduate environmental studies courses focusing on economics, environmental policy, and environmental problem-solving.

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