‘The Ethics of the Climate Crisis’ by Robin Attfield
Polity, 2024 ISBN: 978-1509559091 Reviewed by Brian Jackson _____________________________________________________________________________________ One [...]
‘The Invisible Doctrine: The Secret History of Neoliberalism (& How It Came to Control Your Life)’ by George Monbiot and Peter Hutchison
Allen Lane, 2024 ISBN: 978-0241635902 Reviewed by Ian [...]
‘Another England: How to Reclaim Our National Story’ by Caroline Lucas
Hutchinson Heinemann, 2024 ISBN: 978-1529153064 Reviewed by Ian Mowll [...]
‘Not Too Late: Changing the Climate Story from Despair to Possibility’ by Rebecca Solnit and Thelma Young Lutunatabua (Eds)
Haymarket Books, 2023 ISBN: 978-1-64259-930-5 Reviewed by Jenny Joyce _____________________________________________________________________________________ [...]
‘Regenesis: Feeding the World without Devouring the Planet’ by George Monbiot
Penguin 2022 ISBN: 978-0141992990 Reviewed by Ian [...]
‘Choosing Earth: Humanity’s Great Transition to a Mature Planetary Civilization’ by Duane Elgin.
First Edition: March 2020, Second Edition: January 2022 ISBN: [...]
‘Sacred Nature’ by Karen Armstrong
Bodley Head, 2022 ISBN: 978-1847927101 Reviewed by Ian Mowll ___________________________________________________________________________________________ [...]
‘The Climate Emergency and Green Spirituality Activism’ by Chris Philpott
Independently published, 2021 ISBN: 979-8481224206 Reviewed by Chris Holmes ___________________________________________________________________________________________ [...]
‘Earth Spirit – Healthy Planet: Global meltdown or global healing’ by Fred Hageneder
Moon Books, 2022 ISBN:978-1789048308 Reviewed by Marian Van Eyk McCain [...]
‘Moving to Higher Ground: Rising Sea Level and the Path Forward’ by John Englander
The Science Bookshelf, 2021 ISBN: 9781733499910 Reviewed by Marian [...]
‘The Web of Meaning: Integrating Science and Traditional Wisdom to Find Our Place in the Universe’ by Jeremy Lent.
Profile Books, 2021-07-27 ISBN: 978-1788165648 Reviewed by Marian Van Eyk [...]
‘Accompaniment, Community and Nature: Overcoming Isolation, Marginalisation and Alienation Through Meaningful Connection’ by Jonathan Herbert
Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2020 ISBN: 978-1785925474 Reviewed by Chris Holmes [...]
“Back to Nature: How to love life – and save it” by Chris Packham and Megan McCubbin
Two Roads (2020) ISBN 978-1529350395 Reviewed by Piers Warren _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ This [...]
‘The Reindeer Chronicles: And Other Inspiring Stories of Working with Nature to Heal the Earth’ by Judith Schwartz
Chelsea Green, 2020 ISBN: 978-1603588652 Reviewed by Marian [...]
‘Bringing Back the Beaver: The Story of One Man’s Quest to Rewild Britain’s Waterways’ by Derek Gow
Chelsea Green, 2020 ISBN: 978-1603589963 Reviewed by Marian Van Eyk McCain [...]
‘A Wild Love for the World: Joanna Macy and the Work of Our Time’ by Stephanie Kaza (Ed.)
Shambhala, 2020 ISBN: 978-1611807950 Reviewed by Marian Van [...]
‘Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist’ by Kate Raworth
Random House Business, 2018 ISBN: 978-1847941398 Reviewed by Jane Stott [...]
‘Dispatches from the Sweet Life: One Family, Five Acres, and a Community’s Quest to Reinvent the World’ by William Powers
New World Library, 2018 ISBN: 978-1-60868-564-6 Reviewed by Marian [...]
‘A New Republic of the Heart: An Ethos for Revolutionaries’ by Terry Patten
North Atlantic Books, 2018 ISBN: 9781623170479 Reviewed by Marian [...]
‘Origin Story’ by David Christian
Allen Lane, 2018 ISBN: 978-0241254684 Reviewed by Ian Mowll [...]
‘Awakening to Earth-Centred Consciousness: Selection from GreenSpirit Magazine’ Edited by Ian Mowll and Santoshan (Stephen Wollaston)
GreenSpirit Book Series, Title No. 9 CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, [...]
‘Climate: A New Story’ by Charles Eisenstein
North Atlantic Books, 2018 ISBN: 978–1623172480 Reviewed by Ian Mowll [...]
‘The Secret Life of Cows’ by Rosamund Young
Faber & Faber, 2018 ISBN: 978-0571336777 Reviewed by Ian Mowll [...]
‘Fertile Edges: Regenerating land, culture and hope’ by Maddy Harland
Permanent Publications, 2017 ISBN: 978 1 85623 309 [...]
‘Being Salmon, Being Human: Encountering the Wild in Us and Us in the Wild’ by Martin Lee Mueller
Chelsea Green, 2017 ISBN: 97811603587464 Reviewed by Marian [...]
‘The Rights of Nature: A Legal Revolution That Could Save the World’ by David R. Boyd
ECW Press, 2017 ISBN: 9781770412392 Reviewed by Marian Van Eyk McCain [...]
“Nature’s Allies: Eight Conservationists Who Changed Our World” by Larry A. Nielsen
With political leaders who deny climate change, species that are fighting for their very survival, and the planet’s last places of wilderness growing smaller and smaller, it is all to easy to succumb to despair and to give up because, after all, what can a single person do? Well, one person can do a surprising amount. In Nature’s Allies, Larry A. Nielsen uses the stories of eight people to show that through passion and perseverance, we can each be a positive force for change.
‘The Empowerment Manual: A guide for collaborative groups ‘ by Starhawk
The Manual seeks to identify the key elements that enable collaborative groups to thrive, how their healthy development can be facilitated with many practical exercises and rituals drawn from and credited to a wide range of sources. Starhawk illustrates her concepts by applying these elements and processes to a dramatically created fictional co-housing cooperative working its way through difficulties and challenges. And she ends by referring to the amazing levels of global collaboration offered by digital technology and how all organisations must adapt and evolve to the changing contexts of our times.
‘Other Than Mother: Choosing Childlessness with Life in Mind’ by Kamalamani
The decision to have – or not to have—children, says this author, is "a private decision with global consequences." Her book is intended to help those who are involved in making the decision whether or not to remain childless and includes all genders, creeds, cultures and the different reasons for considering this. Her greatest inspiration came from Stephanie Mills’ graduation speech, during the time when the population explosion began to cause concern. Stephanie said, "I am terribly saddened by the fact that the most humane thing for me to do is have no children at all."
‘This Changes Everything’ by Naomi Klein
Klein's book is crammed with case studies from the frontline of the climate movement – from companies and organisations working on new ‘solutions’ to global warming to the shady coalitions and funding deals that are sealed behind closed doors. It could easily have descended into a depressing catalogue of reasons why we – and the Earth – are doomed, but the main message is one of hope It’s not too late to save the planet if we act now; but the action must be dramatic and all-encompassing.
‘Spiritual Activism: Leadership as Service’ by Alastair McIntosh and Matt Carmichael
Spiritual activism is about being both ‘spiritually active,’ i.e. inspiring others, as well as being ‘spiritually grounded,’ i.e. being a compassionate activist with protests and practical action. It has ten chapters covering a wide range of territory, each ending with a case study featuring a well-known person who has been involved in spiritual activism such as Julia Butterfly Hill, Gandhi, Muhammad (pbuh) and Desmond Tutu.
‘The Optimistic Environmentalist: Progressing Toward a Greener Future’
As an environmental lawyer, Canadian writer David Boyd knows full well that much of the environmental news these days is bad news. However he also knows that although news tends to make more compelling headlines than good news, there is good news to be found. Although we have a very, very long way to go, it is a fact that: From air pollution to safe drinking water, from greener cities to renewable energy, we've made remarkable but widely underacknowledged progress. And his aim was to document as many examples of this kind of good news as he could fit between two covers.
‘The Triumph of Seeds: How grains, nuts, kernels, pulses and pips conquered Nature and shaped human history’ by Thor Hanson
Just as William Blake talked about seeing the world in a grain of sand, Thor Hanson is able to see the whole world in a seed. And through his writing, he opens that world to us. From the tiniest, almost invisible seed of an epiphytic orchid to the forty-pound coco de mer, seeds come in all shapes and sizes and colours and employ an amazing diversity of methods for dispersing themselves and finding their way to somewhere they can germinate and grow. On that search and that settlement of seed into soil, now rests the whole of life on land—our own human lives included.
‘The Prostitute State: How Britain’s Democracy Has Been Bought’ by Donnachadh McCarthy
In this book, Donnachadh describes his time in the Liberal Democratic Party, rising to the position of Deputy Chair and his subsequent disillusionment with corporate greed, politics and the wider economic system. The book is well researched and wide ranging; covering such subjects as tax avoidance, the press, politics and unfettered capitalism.
‘Collected Papers of Michael E. Soulé: Early Years in Modern Conservation Biology’ by Michael, E. Soulé
This book contains skilfully collected presentations of the many faceted concerns of conservation combined with peer-reviewed scientific research in the broadest areas of biology, environmental studies and genetics. With well prepared overviews and summary paragraphs of the fourteen presented papers, the book serves as an essential text book for students of conservation biology and also as a fascinating general knowledge source for any layperson interested in the multitude of synchronous and symbiotic relationships within the plant and animal kingdoms and in the concept of the planet as a living, holistic being. It is a collection that would provide stimulating reading for anyone seeking deeper understanding of the ways in which the strands of the web of life are woven together.
‘Love in the Age of Ecological Apocalypse: Cultivating the Relationships We Need to Thrive’ by Carolyn Baker
Carolyn Baker is one of a growing band of writers who are facing up to the seriousness and scale of the ecological and economic collapse our planet is currently facing and 'telling it like it is.' The sort of world that humans might build out of the ruins of the old one will depend hugely, if not entirely, on our relationships. This includes our relationships with loved ones, with our neighbours and friends, with our children and our elders, ourselves, our bodies, our fellow creatures, the rest of Nature, and the Earth itself.
‘Protecting the Wild: Parks and Wilderness, the Foundation For Conservation’ by George Wuerthner, Eileen Crist, and Tom Butler (Editors)
As John Terborgh points out in his Foreword: One of the great challenges to be faced by conservationists now and in the future will be that of clarifying in the public mind the distinction between ecosystem services and biodiversity protection. A program can, in some cases, provide both. In this book we hear the voices of several dozen conservationists from around the world, including well-known spokespeople like Jane Goodall and George Monbiot, about how these challenges are being met.
‘Saved by the Sea: Hope, Heartbreak and Wonder in the Blue World’ by David Helvarg
Most of us are unaware of the extent to which humans are destroying the ecosystems of our planet's vast seas and oceans. But for David Helvarg, who loves the sea and loves to swim and surf and dive and really interact with the water—and who is also a trained journalist with deep passions and an enquiring mind—there is no way to ignore the tragedy that is happening in that vast, salty realm and to all who live there, from the tiniest krill to the largest whale. And no way to shirk the task of telling the world about it.
‘Revolution’ by Russell Brand
I have not always been a fan of Russell Brand’s comedy; the little I heard did not strike a chord with me. And so I was surprised to read his book Revolution which is both refreshing and insightful. Rather like the Court Jester of the Middle Ages who had the King’s ear – Russell Brand is the modern day Jester – telling us how things really are and prodding us to change.
Sustainable World Sourcebook: Critical Issues, Viable Solutions, Resources for Action (4th Edition, 2014)
If you wanted a comprehensive yet succinct overview to present to someone with scant knowledge of social/environmental issues, to anyone interested in sustainability, or to a group looking for action ideas and/or discussion topics, this would be your perfect resource book. It is, in fact, a practical and inspirational one-stop shop for all things green. It covers social justice, energy, climate change, economics, communities and all aspects of the environmental issues that our world is currently facing. Inspirational and potentially attitude-changing.
‘Don’t Even Think About It: Why our brains are wired to ignore climate change’ by George Marshall
As the title suggests, this is not a book about climate science. It’s about humans and the weird but inescapable fact that we, as the species whose actions have contributed so heavily to climate change, seem utterly incapable not only of addressing the issue but even of admitting that it exists. Why? Why don’t we all join the dots and amend our lifestyles to lower carbon emissions? Marshall is convinced that the real answers to do not lie in the things that drive us apart so much as the things we all share: our common psychology, our perception of risk, and our deepest instincts to defend our family and tribe. This book, the result of years of research, provides a full and fascinating explanation of this phenomenon and what we might do about it.
‘Occupy Spirituality: A Radical Vision for a New Generation’ by Adam Bucko and Matthew Fox
'Occupy Spirituality' is a superb dialogue between two important contemporary progressive Christian thinkers and activists. Though the subtitle partly suggests the book is focussed on the younger generation, there is nothing within the pages that is not relevant to us all, to the times in which we live and to the materialistic greed, bigotry and complacency that is bringing about the greatest spiritual crisis human and more-than-human life have ever faced. If this gives the impression this might a negative read, then it would be a wrong one. The book is truly inspirational. This is a spirituality that is prepared to get its hands dirty, to do something and work towards positive changes.
‘Stories of the Great Turning’ edited by Peter Reason and Melanie Newman
An inspiring collection of personal stories, told by sixteen people who are each, in their own individual ways, involved in working towards what Joanna Macy calls 'The Great Turning,' i.e. the movement away from the madness of our materialist, militaristic, industrial culture and towards the sanity of living sustainably and co-operatively on our planet.
‘Earth Calling: A climate change handbook for the 21st century’ by Ellen Gunter and Ted Carter
Ever since Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, there have been many more books on our desecration of the environment in the name of materialist profit. There is a massive amount of data in this book, also, about the harm we are doing to our Earth, but it is presented here in a readable way. And despite this despairing message of the Earth in peril, the final 80 pages of this book provide a guide to ways each individual can make a positive contribution to survival.
‘The Unselfish Spirit: Human evolution in a time of global crisis’ by Mick Collins
Our planet is in crisis, largely as a result of human actions and attitudes over the last few centuries. This is a book about how we can develop spiritually and try to avoid what seems to be the impending extinction of humankind.
‘Common Ground on Hostile Turf: Stories from an Environmental Mediator’ by Lucy Moore
Lucy Moore, an environmental and public policy mediator with twenty-five years of experience, has written this book of what are basically ‘teaching stories’ as a way of sharing some of what she has learned in her work at the front lines of conflict resolution. Her work is done mostly in the American Southwest but the lessons we can learn from her are widely applicable to environmental conflict anywhere on the planet.
‘Spiritual Ecology: The Cry of the Earth’ Edited by Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee
Our present ecological crisis—accelerating climate change, species depletion, pollution and acidification of the oceans — is the greatest man-made disaster this planet has ever faced. There is a pressing need to articulate a spiritual response to this ecological crisis if we are to help bring the world as a living whole back into balance and in this book, under the editorship of Sufi teacher and author Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, twenty powerful voices take it in turns to do that, each in his or her own way.
‘People Habitat: 25 Ways to Think About Greener, Healthier Cities’ by F. Kaid Benfield
As well as easy access to the places we go to for shopping, services, leisure and socializing, human beings need comfort, cosiness, connectedness, clean air, beauty, lovability, safety, atmosphere, diversity and other subtle qualities of place that are hard to name but which we all recognize with our hearts. This book is about turning our existing cities into dense, mixed-use urban environments with high ‘walkability,’ excellent public transit, cycle paths etc., along with greening and revitalizing run-down neighbourhoods and finding ways to retrofit existing suburbs to cope with changing demographics, changing work patterns and dwindling natural resources.
‘Keeping the Wild: Against the Domestication of Earth’ by George Wuerthner (Author, Editor), Eileen Crist (Editor) and Tom Butler (Editor)
Anthropocentrism, instead of gradually going away as so many of us have hoped, is sneaking in again by the back door. The people letting it in are not the familiar enemy who rip the tops of mountains and drill the Arctic but a small bunch of people who are billing themselves as the ‘new environmentalists’ (also known as ‘Anthropocene-boosters’) and who are wolves in sheep’s clothing.
‘Hosting Transformation: Stories from the edge of changemaking’ by Betsy McCall and Joos van den Dool
Education like all sectors of our economy and society is undergoing huge changes. On the pioneering edge of this process is a group of organisations across Europe exploring and experimenting with what education and learning might look like in these times. McCall and van den Dool have woven together threads of stories from many people hosting innovative educational experiences.