"DeMYSTiFieD fuels your knowledge of tricky subjects like alternative energyIf you think a Maglev train is a child's toy, or learning about fusion makes your brain reach critical mass, Alternative Energy DeMYSTiFieD, Second Editionwill power up your knowledge of this topic's fundamental concepts and theories at your own pace. This practical guide eases you into this field of science, starting at primitive heating sources such ascoal and wood. As...

"This pathbreaking book explores how life can begin, taking us from cosmic clouds of stardust, to volcanoes on Earth, to the modern chemistry laboratory. Seeking to understand life's connection to the stars, David Deamer introduces astrobiology, a new scientific discipline that studies the origin and evolution of life on Earth and relates it to the birth and death of stars, planet formation, interfaces between minerals, water, and atmosphere, and...

"Coral reefs are on track to become the first ecosystem actually eliminated from the planet. So says leading ecologist Peter F. Sale in this crash course on the state of the planet. Sale draws from his own extensive work on coral reefs, and from recent research by other ecologists, to explore the many ways we are changing the earth and to explain why it matters. Weaving into the narrative his own firsthand field experiences around the world, Sale...

"We spend a good amount of time in our lives managing waste: washing ourselves, taking out the trash, sorting recyclables, going to the toilet, deleting e-mail, picking out old clothes to give to charity, filling the compost bin, multitasking to save time, clipping coupons to save money. But waste is much more than what we want to get rid of or avoid. Far beyond terms like rubbish, trash, or litter, the idea of waste can provoke a minefield of emotions...

"In Be the Change You Want to See in the World, Julie Fisher-McGarry speaks to the burgeoning eco-conscious-consumer market on how to dwell well on a daily basis. Organized by month, she includes tips on living green, where to purchase organic and fair-trade products, how to unplug from the grid, supporting local economies, and nourishing the earth and creating a sustainable lifestyle."--

"Written in the best tradition of literary travel logs, Illig's narrative weaves a rich tapestry of trail culture, the people he meets and the Herculean efforts of Illig's own hiking accomplishment. We not only get the details of how one begins and executes a four-month-long through-hike, but we get a sense of the author through the strong voice that runs throughout the book." --Peter Laurie."--

"It's Not About Politics. It's About Caring--And What Every Family Can Do! Written by a passionately concerned couple--David Seligman is an active duty U.S. serviceman and Melissa is a devoted stay-at-home mom--this is the first book about going green that won't scare you with statistics, overwhelm you with science, or make you feel guilty about your SUV. Instead, this indispensable guide will help families everywhere to take simple, practical steps,...

"This exciting new reader in environmental history provides a framework for understanding the relations between ecosystems and world-systems over time. Alf Hornborg, J. R. McNeill, and Joan Martinez-Alier have brought together a group of the prominent social scientists, historians, and geographical scientists to provide a historical overview of the ecological dimension of global economic processes. Readers are challenged to integrate studies of the...

"Make leaf rubbings, learn the neighborhood bird songs together, turn an aquarium into a worm hotel, create a firefly lantern. There are garden projects, both for the outdoors-grow a container snacking garden, a pumpkin patch in a pot-and the indoors, i.e., how to use something called "indoor garbage gardens" to grow pineapple tops, sweet potato vines, peanuts, and more. Cooking projects, both in the sunshine-baking in a solar oven-and in the kitchen-what...

The 'mighty totara' is one of New Zealand's most extraordinary trees. Among the biggest and oldest trees in the New Zealand forest, the heart of Maori carving and culture, trailing numbers 8 wire as fence posts on settler farms, clambered up in the Pureora protests of the 1980s: the story of New Zealand can be told through totara. Simpson tells that story like nobody else could. In words and pictures, through waka and leaves, farmers and carvers,...