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The Retreat of the Elephants: An Environmental History of China
by Mark ElvinOpening a door into the Chinese past, this book provides both a new perspective on long-term Chinese history and an explanation of the roots of China's current environmental crisis.
The Retro Future: Looking to the Past to Reinvent the Future
by John Michael GreerThe author of The Long Descent examines a solution for the troubles of our modern age: technical regression.To most people paying attention to the collision between industrial society and the hard limits of a finite planet, it’s clear that things are going very, very wrong. We no longer have unlimited time and resources to deal with the crises that define our future, and the options are limited to the tools we have on hand right now.This book is about one very powerful option: deliberate technological regression.Technological regression isn’t about “going back”—it’s about using the past as a resource to meet the needs of the present. It starts from the recognition that older technologies generally use fewer resources and cost less than modern equivalents, and it embraces the heresy of technological choice—our ability to choose or refuse the technologies pushed by corporate interests.People are already ditching smartphones and going back to “dumb phones” and land lines and e-book sales are declining while printed books rebound. Clear signs among many that blind faith in progress is faltering and opening up the possibility that the best way forward may well involve going back.A must-read for anyone willing to think the unthinkable and embrace the possibilities of a retro future.Praise for The Retro Future“Whether or not you accept John Michael Greer’s argument that a deindustrialized future is inevitable, you’ll appreciate his call for the freedom to select the best technologies of the past—worthy and sustainable tools, not pernicious prosthetics. Greer’s vision of a “post-progress” world is clear, smart, and ultimately hopeful.” —Richard Polt, professor of philosophy, Xavier University; author, The Typewriter Revolution: A Typist’s Companion for the 21st Century“What might your life be like without an automobile, TV, or a mobile phone? Ask John Michael Greer, who lives that way and recommends it as practice for the soon-to-be-normal. Greer says we are embarked upon the post-progress era. Climate change, loose nukes, and resource exhaustion are among its many challenges. In The Retro Future, Greer looks backward to mark the way forward.” —Albert Bates, author, The Post-Petroleum Survival Guide, The Biochar Solution, and The Paris Agreement
Return: A Journey Back to Living Wild
by Lynx VildenIn this stunning memoir, beloved internationally acclaimed earth advocate chronicles her journey to reconnect with the earth, offering a model for how we all can nurture the wild around and inside ourselves.In 1991, twenty-four-year-old Lynx Vilden crawled out of a sweat lodge covered in mud, her face streaked with tears, and whispered a promise to the earth: “I will love you and cherish you, I will learn how to live and share what you teach me.” That promise became Vilden’s life purpose: to return to the ways of our oldest ancestors, to a simpler life, and to listen deeply to Earth and what she has to say. Over the next thirty years, Vilden’s mission would lead her far from the city streets and punk bands of London and Amsterdam where she was raised, on a long and winding journey spanning continents and seasons, and filled with indigenous wisdom, Stone Age hunting skills, and important lessons from nature.In this illuminating memoir, Vilden shares the joys that await all of us when we reconnect with the earth, when we recognize what has been lost, and understand what we gain by meaningfully returning to our roots and become rewilded. Return is a glimpse into her extraordinary world—from stories about mentoring Silicon Valley millennials at her Stone Age immersion in rural Washington State to adventures traveling among Sami reindeer herders in Arctic Sweden to detailing the intricacies of just how to pursue and survive a wild lifestyle inspired by Stone Age humans.This extraordinary debut ultimately invigorates our hunger to renew our bonds with the earth and awaken our wildest, most primal selves.
Return from Extinction: The Triumph of the Elephant Seal (Orca Wild #5)
by Linda L. RichardsLess than 100 years ago, the northern elephant seal was thought to be extinct. Today more than 250,000 elephant seals swim in the Pacific Ocean from Alaska to Mexico. In Return from Extinction: The Triumph of the Elephant Seal Linda L. Richards tells the story of their dramatic recovery. Elephant seals were hunted to near extinction for their precious oil before the Mexican government stepped in to protect them. Many people thought it was too late. Even though the life of the elephant seal is difficult and only 20 percent of pups born will make it to adulthood, the species adapted and came back from the brink. They are a true conservation success story.
The Return of Collective Intelligence: Ancient Wisdom for a World out of Balance
by Dery DyerReveals how we can each reconnect to collective intelligence and return our world to wholeness, balance, and sanity • Explains how collective intelligence manifests in flocks of birds, instantaneous knowing in indigenous peoples, and the power of sacred places • Offers ways for us to reconnect to the infinite source of wisdom that fuels collective intelligence and underscores the importance of ceremony, pilgrimage, and initiation • Draws on recent findings in New Paradigm science, traditional teachings from indigenous groups from North, South, and Central America and Siberia, as well as sacred geometry, deep ecology, and expanded states of consciousness For our ancestors, collective intelligence was a normal part of life. We see it today as the mysterious force that enables flocks of birds, swarms of bees, and schools of fish to function together in perfect synchrony, communicating and cooperating at some undetectable level. At its most subtle, it&’s an instantaneous knowing, shared by members of a group, of the wisest course of action that will benefit all. As Dery Dyer reveals, collective intelligence still resides within each of us, and it is the key to restoring balance and harmony to our world. She shows how it occurs spontaneously when individuals who share a need and a purpose instinctively &“self-organize&” into a group and function with no leader or central authority. Such groups exhibit abilities much greater than what any of their members possess individually--or what can be replicated with artificial intelligence. Dyer explains, due to an unquestioning dependence on technology, modern humanity has forgotten how to connect with collective intelligence and fallen into collective stupidity, otherwise known as mob mind or groupthink, which is now endangering the interconnected web of life on Earth. Drawing on recent findings in New Paradigm science, traditional teachings from indigenous groups, as well as sacred geometry, deep ecology, and expanded states of consciousness, the author shows how the ability to think and act collectively for the highest good is hardwired in all living beings. She explains how to release ourselves from enslavement by technology and use it more wisely toward the betterment of all life. Underscoring the vital importance of ceremony, pilgrimage, and initiation, she offers ways for us to reconnect to the infinite source of wisdom that fuels collective intelligence and which manifests everywhere in the natural world. Revealing that once we relearn how to hear the Earth, we can heal the Earth, Dyer shows how each of us has a vital role to play in restoring our world to wholeness.
The Return of Nature: Sustaining Architecture in the Face of Sustainability
by Preston Scott Cohen Erika NaginskiThe Return of Nature asks you to critique your conception of nature and your approach to architectural sustainability and green design. What do the terms mean? Are they de facto design requirements? Or are they unintended design replacements? The book is divided into five parts giving you multiple viewpoints on the role of the relations between architecture, nature, technology, and culture. A detailed case study of a built project concludes each part to help you translate theory into practice. This holistic approach will allow you to formulate your own theory and to adjust your practice based on your findings. Will you provoke change, design architecture that responds to change, or both? Coedited by an architect and a historian, the book features new essays by Robert Levit, Catherine Ingraham, Sylvia Lavin, Barry Bergdoll, K. Michael Hays, Diane Lewis, Andrew Payne, Mark Jarzombek, Jean-Francois Chevrier, Elizabeth Diller, Antoine Picon, and Jorge Silvetti. Five case studies document the work of MOS Architects, Michael Bell Architecture, Steven Holl Architects, George L. Legendre, and Preston Scott Cohen.
Return of the Grizzly: Sharing the Range with Yellowstone's Top Predator
by Cat UrbigkitConflicts arise when humans and grizzlies are forced into close quarters.The Yellowstone grizzly population has grown from an estimated 136 bears when first granted federal protection as a threatened species to as many as 1,000 grizzlies in a tri-state region today. No longer limited to remote wilderness areas, grizzlies now roam throughout the region—in state parks, school playgrounds, residential subdivisions, on farms and ranches, and in towns and cities throughout the region. Return of the Grizzly tells the story of the successful effort to recover this large carnivore, the policy changes and disputes between bear managers and bear advocates, and for the first time, provides insight to what recovery means for the people who now live with grizzlies across a broad landscape. From cowboys on horseback chased by a charging grizzly, and grizzlies claiming game animals downed by human hunters, to the numerous self-defense killing of grizzlies that occur each year, the manuscript examines increases in conflicts and human fatalities caused by grizzlies in this ecosystem inhabited by humans who live there year-round. Human–bear interactions, grizzly attacks and deaths, avoiding attacks, effects on agriculture, wildlife protesters, the consequences of bear habituation, and more are all covered.
The Return of the Horse
by Liz HuyckHorses began 55 million years ago in North America before migrating to Asia. One day, Europeans would bring horses back to the plains of North America.
Return of the Sea Otter: The Story of the Animal That Evaded Extinction on the Pacific Coast
by Todd McLeishA science journalist's journey along the Pacific Coast from California to Alaska to track the status, health, habits, personality, and viability of sea otters--the appealing species unique to this coastline that was hunted to near extinction in the 18th and 19th centuries.These adorable, furry marine mammals--often seen floating on their backs holding hands--reveal the health of the coastal ecosystem along the Pacific Ocean. Once hunted for their prized fur during the 1700s and 1800s, these animals nearly went extinct. Only now, nearly a century after hunting ceased, are populations showing stable growth in some places. Sea otters are a keystone species in coastal areas, feeding on sea urchins, clams, crab, and other crustaceans. When they are present, kelp beds are thick and healthy, providing homes for an array of sealife. When otters disappear, sea urchins take over, and the kelp disappears along with all of the creatures that live in the beds. Now, thanks to their protected status, sea otters are making a comeback in California, Washington, and Alaska.
The Return of the Unicorns: The Natural History and Conservation of the Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros (Biology and Resource Management Series)
by Eric DinersteinBeginning in 1984, Eric Dinerstein led a team directly responsible for the recovery of the greater one-horned rhinoceros in the Royal Chitwan National Park in Nepal, where the population had once declined to as few as 100 rhinos. The Return of the Unicorns is an account of what it takes to save endangered large mammals. In its pages, Dinerstein outlines the multifaceted recovery program—structured around targeted fieldwork and scientific research, effective protective measures, habitat planning and management, public-awareness campaigns, economic incentives to promote local guardianship, and bold, uncompromising leadership—that brought these extraordinary animals back from the brink of extinction. In an age when scientists must also become politicians, educators, fund-raisers, and activists to safeguard the subjects that they study, Dinerstein's inspiring story offers a successful model for large-mammal conservation that can be applied throughout Asia and across the globe.
Return of the Wild: 20 of Nature's Greatest Success Stories
by Helen ScalesDiscover the extraordinary ways nature has come back from the brink in this collection of 20 environmental success stories from around the world, written by Dr Helen Scales and beautifully illustrated by Good Wives and Warriors. From humpback whale populations thriving again in the freezing seas of Alaska and the recovery of kiwi populations in New Zealand, to the setting up of tiger sanctuaries and reserves in India and return of elephant seals from 'extinction', this book plants a message of hope and shows children that positive change is possible.As well as the 20 recovery stories, Return of the Wild teaches children about the different habitats that animals and plants around the world call home - oceans, forests, deserts and more - and introduces them to the real people supporting endangered species. Finishing off with small tips on what children at home can do to help the wild world, from wearing eco-friendly suncream while swimming in the sea to using less single use plastic, this book reassures children that there are many ways to protect and save our planet from environmental harm.
Return To Ghost Camp (Goosebumps Series 2000 #19)
by R. L. StineA big yellow bus roared to a stop in front of our house. The bus doors opened. "Going to Camp Full Moon?" the driver snarled. I raised my eyes to his face -- and screamed. His face was red and swollen -- and covered with fleas. Angry, dark blotches swelled on his forehead -- raw, fresh flea bites, dripping with yellow gunk.
Return to Nature: The New Science of How Natural Landscapes Restore Us
by Emma LoeweDiscover the new science and ancient wisdom on why nature makes us healthier and happier in body and soul from the co-author of The Spirit Almanac and mindbodygreen’s Senior Sustainability Editor.For centuries, we have known that getting outside is good for us. Yet we have become increasingly disconnected from the earth that nourishes us, with most of us spending 87% of our days indoors. In response, writer and environmentalist Emma Loewe demonstrates the power of nature’s healing properties in a guidebook organized by eight landscapes. In each chapter, you'll find research-backed ways to explore that landscape right now and protect it in the future, so that it can be healthy and nurturing for generations to come. Drawing off modern science and innate wisdom, she uncovers: Why being by the ocean makes you measurably happierHow living near greenery helps you lives longerThe staggering, illuminating statistic that forests can make you more relaxed within 90 seconds of walking among trees.Alongside beautiful four-color illustrations that inspire us all to get outside in big and small ways, this stunning book—more urgent than ever—will appeal to anyone looking to connect with the world around them, whether in their neighborhood park or on a backpacking getaway.
Return to the Olive Farm (The Olive Farm Series)
by Carol DrinkwaterAt a small farm in Provence, a woman tries to do her part to save the bees—and the planet—in this stirring, entertaining memoir. After a long research trip, Carol Drinkwater is back home with her husband, Michel, on their olive farm in the south of France. She&’s overjoyed, but also has something serious on her mind: the ecological threats to their own farm—and countless others. The die-off of honey bees has reached crisis levels globally, and Carol is concerned about the state of their hives. Some farmers and scientists believe urgent change is needed to address agricultural techniques that are destroying the planet. But when Carol joins their chorus, it may put their beloved farm in jeopardy. It&’s time for a true commitment—but running an organic farm, the couple soon discovers, is not as simple as it sounds . . .Praise for the Olive Farm series &“Vibrant, intoxicating and heartwarming.&” —Sunday Express &“Spellbinding . . . a must for anyone who dreams of moving to a kinder climate and starting a new life.&” —Choice
Return to the Sky: The Surprising Story of How One Woman and Seven Eaglets Helped Restore the Bald Eagle
by Tina Morris“Three cheers for this splendid, surprising, inspiring book!”—Sy Montgomery, author of The Soul of an Octopus Alone in a vast wildlife refuge with little direction and no experience, a Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology student found herself responsible for a project of historical importance—to bring the Bald Eagle back from near extinction. In Return to the Sky, Tina Morris, one of the first women to engage in a raptor reintroduction program, shares her remarkable story that is as much about the human spirit as it is about birds of prey. In the spring of 1975, on the eve of the US Bicentennial, Tina was selected to reintroduce Bald Eagles into New York State in the hope that the species could eventually repopulate eastern North America. Young and female in a male-dominated field, Tina was handed an assignment to rehabilitate a population that had been devastated by the effects of DDT. The challenges were prodigious—there was no model to emulate for a bird of the eagle’s size, for one—but Tina soon found that her own path to self-discovery and confidence-building was deeply connected with the survival of the species she was chosen to protect. Ultimately, Tina spent two years playing “mother” to seven eaglets at Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge, east of Seneca Falls in New York. Driven by her passion, she discovered unknown reserves of patience, determination, and grit. At a time when the mass extinction of bird species is a critical global topic, Return to the Sky reminds us how, with a mix of common sense, resilience, and resolve, humans can be effective stewards of the natural world. “This is more than an account of environmental triumph; it is a call to action. At a time of urgent climate and biodiversity crises, this book challenges each of us to examine our surroundings and consider how we can contribute to the sustainability of our planet.”—Dr. Elizabeth Gray, CEO, National Audubon Society, from the foreword "Emotional and inspiring proof that one person can make a difference."—Kirkus Reviews "Inspiring . . . the writing is clear and eloquent . . . Morris expertly blends moving memoir and scientific research in this remarkable and affecting story."—Booklist
Return to the Wilds: A Novel
by Cindy C.Return to the Wilds is a dystopian fantasy with environmental and spiritual overtones that contrasts the unintended effects of urbanization and development with the simplicity and healing of the natural world.Keren, a pre-teen activist and biologist, and Caleb, Kerens mystic sidekick, seek to save the last remnants of nature in a world focused on progress, prosperity, and conformity. When the gates slide open on Purity Mountain Wild, Keren is shocked. No Automated Elevation Systems whisking people to individually keyed destinations; they hike a trail into forested mountains. No Hearing Enhancement Audio Devices (HEADs) to block machine screams and voices; her ears fill with bird calls, thumping feet and breathy wind in the tall overhead pines. Guided by a mysterious Keeper and helped by Wildlings, Keren, Caleb, and their friends must use wit and geek skills to outwit underlings of the ominous Dominion and make a powerful pitch for changing the story of human progress.Return to the Wilds offers a unique world view on institutional forces, security and development, the courage and clarity of youth, and the intangible power of the wild and natural. At a somewhat dismal time when young people again are questioning failed institutions of their elders and contending for the planet, it offers new perspective on whats broken, what to do, and where hope and help can be found.
Return to Wild America: A Yearlong Search for the Continent's Natural Soul
by Scott WeidensaulIn 1953, birding guru Roger Tory Peterson and noted British naturalist James Fisher set out on what became a legendary journey-a one hundred day trek over 30,000 miles around North America. They traveled from Newfoundland to Florida, deep into the heart of Mexico, through the Southwest, the Pacific Northwest, and into Alaska's Pribilof Islands. Two years later, Wild America, their classic account of the trip, was published. On the eve of that book's fiftieth anniversary, naturalist Scott Weidensaul retraces Peterson and Fisher's steps to tell the story of wild America today. How has the continent's natural landscape changed over the past fifty years? How have the wildlife, the rivers, and the rugged, untouched terrain fared? The journey takes Weidensaul to the coastal communities of Newfoundland, where he examines the devastating impact of the Atlantic cod fishery's collapse on the ecosystem; to Florida, where he charts the virtual extinction of the great wading bird colonies that Peterson and Fisher once documented; to the Mexican tropics of Xilitla, which have become a growing center of ecotourism since Fisher and Peterson's exposition. And perhaps most surprising of all, Weidensaul finds that much of what Peterson and Fisher discovered remains untouched by the industrial developments of the last fifty years. Poised to become a classic in its own right, Return to Wild America is a sweeping survey of the natural soul of North America today.
Returning Light: Thirty Years on the Island of Skellig Michael
by Robert L. HarrisThe Acclaimed International Bestseller "Reading Returning Light is a spiritual experience." —Irish ExaminerBy the lighthouse keeper on the remote, otherworldly Irish island of Skellig Michael, a "profound memoir about the importance of place and what it really means to belong" (Belfast Telegraph)“On Skellig Michael, thousands of birds appear and disappear, erecting towers, coming together in wings of movement which build and unravel over the empty sea. Often, no one else is there to stand beside me on the island. The mind wanders; links with the past are easily made; ancient ways of viewing things come alive.”In 1987, Robert Harris happened upon an unusual job posting in the local paper—a new warden service was being set up on the island of Skellig Michael, and the deadline was imminent. Just weeks later he was on his way to set up camp in one of Ireland’s most remote locations, unaware that he would be making that same journey every May for the next 30 years.Here he transports us to the otherworldly island, a place that is teeming with natural life, including curious puffins that like to visit his hut. From the precipice he has observed a coastline that is relatively unchanged for the last thousand years—a beacon of equilibrium in an ever-changing world.But the island can be fierce too. It’s inhabitable for only five months of the year, and solitude can quickly become isolation as bad weather rolls in to create a veil between Skellig Michael and the rest of the world, when the dizzying terrain can become a very real threat to life.A beautiful and evocative work of nature writing, Returning Light is an extraordinary memoir about the profound effect a place can have on us, and how a remote location can bring with it a great sense of belonging.
Returning North with the Spring
by John R HarrisAt winter's end in 1947, driven by the devastating loss of a son killed in World War II, naturalist Edwin Way Teale followed the dawning spring season northward in an amazing 17,000-mile odyssey from the Everglades to Maine. He wrote about the adventure in North with the Spring. Its sequel Wandering Through Winter won the Pulitzer Prize.Retracing Teale's route, writer John Harris reveals a vastly changed natural world. In Returning North with the Spring, he stops at the very places where Teale once stood, trekking through the Okefenokee wetland, the Great Smoky Mountains, the Great Dismal Swamp, the New Jersey Pine Barrens, and Cape Cod. He is stunned to see how climate change, invasive species, and other factors have affected the landscapes and wildlife. Yet he also discovers that many of the sites Teale described have been newly "rewilded" or permanently protected by the government.Homage to the past, report on the present, glimpse into the future--this book honors what has been lost in the years since Teale's famous journey and finds hope in the small tenacities of nature.
Returning to Shore
by Corinne DemasHer mother's third marriage is only hours old when all hope for Clare's fifteenth summer fades. Before she knows it, Clare is whisked away to some ancient cottage on a tiny marsh island on Cape Cod to spend the summer with her father—a man she hasn't seen since she was three. Clare's biological father barely talks, and when he does, he obsesses about endangered turtles. The first teenager Clare meets on the Cape confirms that her father is known as the town crazy person. But there's something undeniably magical about the marsh and the island—a connection to Clare’s past that runs deeper than memory. Even her father's beloved turtles hold unexpected surprises. As Clare's father begins to reveal more about himself and his own struggle, Clare's summer becomes less of an exile and more of a return.
Returning to the Yakoun River (Sk'ad'a Stories Series)
by Sara Florence Davidson Robert DavidsonBased on author Sara Florence Davidson&’s childhood memories, this illustrated story captures the joy and adventure of a Haida fish camp.Every summer, a Haida girl and her family travel up the Yakoun River on Haida Gwaii, following the salmon. While their father fishes, the girl and her brother spend their time on the land playing and learning from Tsinii (Grandfather).
Returning to the Yakoun River (Sk'ad'a Stories Series)
by Sara Florence Davidson Robert DavidsonBased on author Sara Florence Davidson&’s childhood memories, this illustrated story captures the joy and adventure of a Haida fish camp.Every summer, a Haida girl and her family travel up the Yakoun River on Haida Gwaii, following the salmon. While their father fishes, the girl and her brother spend their time on the land playing and learning from Tsinii (Grandfather).
Reuniting Economy and Ecology in Sustainable Development (Sustainable Community Development Ser. #7)
by Charles R. BeatonReuniting Economy and Ecology in Sustainable Development is part of a series on the various aspects of sustainable development, where "community" focuses on the primacy and quality of relationships among people sharing a particular place and between people and their environment. "Development" means personal and social transformation to a higher level of consciousness and a greater responsibility to be one anothers keepers, and "sustainability" is the act whereby one generation saves options by passing them to the next generation, which saves options by passing them onto the next and so on. The vision put forth in this book is one of melding ecology and economy into a unifying concept of social-environmental sustainability. The author suggests that dividing ecology and economy conceptually will destroy society as we know it. Our task as adults is to repair the environment for the children who must inherit it.The link between economics and ecology and the immense potential of that connection to influence the process of change within communities is the focus of this book. The authors theorize that in a healthy, future-oriented community there is a dominant role for sustainability. Each of these four concepts - economics, ecology, community and sustainability - are intimidating on their own. There has been volumes written on each topic separately but very little written on how they are connected in relation to the environment. Reuniting Economy and Ecology makes those connections and provides a base for finding solutions to achieving sustainable communities.
Reuse of Materials and Byproducts in Construction
by Alan RichardsonThe construction industry is the largest single waste producing industry in the UK. Ensuring a supply chain of recycled materials affords many potential gains, achieved through: reducing the material volume transported to already over-burdened landfill sites, possible cost reductions to the contractor/client when considering the landfill tax saved and the potential for lower cost material replacements, a reduction in the environmental impact of quarrying and the saving of depleting natural material resources. Reuse of Materials and Byproducts in Construction: Waste Minimization and Recycling addresses use of waste and by products in the construction industry. An over view of new "green" design guides to encourage best practice will be examined and current legislation that channels on site practices, such as site waste management plans. Fundamental individual construction materials are discussed and the process of reforming by products and waste products into new construction materials is investigated, examining the material performance, energy required to convert waste into new products and viability of recycling. The main range of constructional materials will be examined. Aimed at postgraduate students, lecturers and researchers in construction and civil engineering, the book will also be of interest to professional design practices.
Reusing Things (Making a Difference)
by Sue BarracloughDiscover how to make a difference to the planet by reusing things, reducing garbage, recycling materials, and respecting our world. Find out how you can play an active part, from repairing things, to giving unwanted items away.