Green Options - Outstanding in the Field a Farm to Table Cookbook by Jim Denevan

As part of Eco-Libris' ongoing content partnership with Green Options Media, we feature a post that was originally published by Beth Bader on July 31 on Eat.Drink.Better. Today's post is a review of a new green cookbook of chef and artist Jim Denevan. Yummy!


If buying local is the way to lower your carbon footprint and enjoy foods at their peak, then you likely can’t get any more local than chef and artist Jim Denevan’s “farm-to-table” dinners. You see, for Denevan’s events, the table is usually just a few feet from the very crops that are being served.

Denevan’s unique concept, dubbed Ouststanding in the Field, began with a few such on the farm dinners and has expanded over the last nine years into a country-wide tour of dinners. Denevan and his team travel in a 1953 bus dubbed “Outstanding.” They follow the harvest season, hosting dinners at farms, and even in sea caves, anywhere that the best of ingredients can be sourced — just feet away from the table. The dinners feature the farmers, fisherman or local food artisans whose harvest comprises the menu, alongside the efforts of local chefs.

The dinners themselves are set up like works of art, arching tables, candles in the earth, each diner’s plate brought from home to give him or her a way to add a personal touch to the event. The events, held for one night only, then whisked away to being anew in another locale have a fleeting beauty to them, not unlike Denevan’s own sand sculptures, some of which stretch for miles, and last only hours.

Monday's Green Book Reviews: Welcome to Shirley by Kelly MacMasters (+ free book giveaway)

It's been a while since we reviewed here a book that was not a how-to guide, a children's book, a manifesto or an investigative tract about corn, oil or paper. This not a surprise, and illustrates well what Bill McKibben was saying in a grist essay more than three years ago, bemoaning the lack of suitably inspiring art for the green movement (thanks to Jeff McIntire-Strasburg for turning me onto this essay.)

Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong about how-to guides, and in fact they are crucial right now, but art, which I consider the writing of a novel to be, has this special way of inspiring people in the right place and in the right time, in a way that not many how-to guides can ever aspire to.

From this perspective, Welcome to Shirley: A Memoir from an Atomic Town by Kelly McMasters is a hybrid of a book. Part memoir, part historic and part investigative, it oscillating between three different narratives.

The first narrative is a personal memoir of the author growing up in Shirley, a small dead-end town on the South Shore of Long Island, New York. When her father, a down on his luck pro-golfer and ski coach, relocated their family yet again for a new job at a nearby Hamptons golf club, five years old Kelly was thrilled. McMasters' writing is very personal, sensitive and catchy, especially when describing her childhood. Her enthusiasm to the new town, neighborhood and people is easy to get into. Life for her are walks in the woods in the wildlife preserve just around the corner with her new best girlfriends, and discovering for the first time a sense of community in the tight knit mostly Italian neighborhood, with their perfectly normal quirky way of living. All things she never had before while on the road following her father's jobs. Especially endearing is her recalling of the community's celebration of 4^th of July, with the tipsy dads setting off fireworks, and the kids crashing on the lawn after a day romping around the neighborhood's backyard swimming pools. This part is actually my favorite in the book, and I wish her telling of her older selves was quite as patient in its unfolding.

The other thread woven into the tale is the history of the town itself. It starts from the life of its founder, Walter T. Shirley, a young man in the city who gave up his dreams of show business on the New York vaudeville stage for a successful career as a real estate tycoon. Shirley was promoted by him as the “City of Flowers”, an affordable community close to nature with lots starting as low as $295. It was marketed to the urban working class as a dream within reach, with ads in Italian bringing in many buyers. However, similarly to the developer's stage dreams, Shirley's promise was never fulfilled. Lack of planning in the rush to build more and more left the town without a center and proper sewage, while the lack of easy beach access or any other visitor's attractions left the town undeveloped, neglected eventually and with a bad reputation.

The tension between the town's apparent lack of appeal, and McMasters' childlike fascination and inexplicable love for it is probably the most interesting aspect of the book. This tension is reinforced and multiplied once the third thread of story is introduced, and that is of the cancerous radioactive pollution emanating from the nearby Brookhaven National Laboratories complex, just 6 miles up the road. It was built in the 50's while the area was still considered remote from habitation, yet close enough from the leading research universities. However with the building of Shirley and other communities nearby, the laboratory's nuclear waster is now endangering the water resources of the whole region. And thus Cancer begins to play a major and constant role in the lives and deaths of the people of Shirley.

With active nuclear reactors on site up from the 50's and up to 2000 and a complete lack of proper community education and outreach until very recently, it is not a surprise that the laboratory dedicates a whole section of its website to contradicting and refuting McMasters book, and their the lab's role in the increased number of cancer cases in the communities around their laboratory site. They're still not really reaching out. For example, this is the best “apology” the book can get out of them:

“The Laboratory acknowledges that its environmental stewardship in the past was very different from what it is today. During the last decade, Brookhaven has made great strides in cleaning up the environment and keeping it clean, and we work hard to be a good neighbor.” (From the Brookhaven website, Aug 4 2008)

The lab's communications department's choice of words and this use of inane speech makes me doubt very much their sincerity in being a good neighbor. Unfortunately for McMasters' circle of friends and acquaintances from the town, this “very different” environmental stewardship in the past may have caused deaths, broken up families, and broken up entire neighborhoods.

And that what makes her continuous love to the broken town a real surprise. At some point, she even considers seriously moving back there with her husband to start a family, but apparently and inexplicably (at least in the book) decides on Pennsylvania instead.

So does Welcome to Shirley qualify to McKibben's artistic eco call to arms? I sincerely think it does. McMasters is a gifted writer and I hope to read more of her work, and that her next book will continue to draw on ecological themes, while maybe being a work of fiction.

About the Book

Book's name: Welcome to Shirley

Author: Kelly McMasters

Publisher: Public Affairs (April, 2008)

Note: Back in April, Kelly McMasters worked with us balance out the books at her book launch event. Read her thoughts about working with Eco-Libris. We hope to have the pleasure of collaborating with her again in the future.

GIVEAWAY ALERT!!!

I'll be giving away my review copy, with a tree planted for it of course. How can you win? Suggest inspirational eco-themed fiction novels for people to read, and for me to review at the Eco-Libris blog. Also explain why do you think these books are suitable, and if you want to add your own mini-review, go ahead :). Submissions are accepted until Saturday, August 9,12PM EST. The winner will be announced the following day.

All the best,
Eylon Israely
eylon@ecolibris.net

“Plant a Tree for every Book you Read!”

BlogHer's first book "Sleep is for the Weak" is going green with Eco-Libris

Today I'm happy to announce on a new collaboration of Eco-Libris with a very special book. It's BlogHer's first book "Sleep is for the Weak," edited by Rita Arens and starring 23 bloggers.

Eco-Libris is collaborating with editor Rita Arens to offer those who will purchase the book during the book tour (see details below) the opportunity to balance out their new copy by planting one tree for it with us. All buyers will also receive with the book our sticker (made of recycled paper) saying "One tree planted for this book".

When I first heard about the book's name 'Sleep is for the Weak' and learned it's an anthology of superb blogging by parents, I thought to myself that I should be the poster boy for this book. With all my sleepless nights as a new father to a two-month old adorable baby, I often say to myself that sleep is for the weak, but oh boy, I miss it! I guess I'll need to wait for another book to become a poster boy, but I am very happy we have the opportunity to partner with this joint effort that generated this great book.

So what's this book is all about?, here's the book's description: Seeking advice and a sense of camaraderie, more than half a million readers per month turn to the "mommyblogs" featured in this collection, which brings together their best and brightest essays, ranging in style from snort-Diet-Coke-out-the-nose funny to poignant and bittersweet. Written to be read during the mind-bogglingly short breaks parents get during their busy days, these pieces will help moms find solace through a wide range of viewpoints and issues not often discussed in mainstream magazines and parenting books—from dealing with rage to negotiating sleeping arrangements to experiencing the frustrations and joys of parenting a special-needs child.

Here are the dates and the places where you can come and meet Rita Arens and some of the authors, receive a signed copy and have the opportunity to plant a tree with us for the new copy (and to receive our "one tree planted for this book" sticker with it):

Thursday, Sept. 4 - Rita Arens and Kelli Oliver George give a signing at Barnes and Noble in Kansas City at 6 p.m. (420 W 47th Street Kansas City, MO 64112)

Saturday, Sept. 6 - Rita Arens, Risa Green, Kristen Chase and Mir Kamin give a signing at Beehive Co-Op in Atlanta from 4-7 p.m. (1831-A Peachtree Road, Atlanta, GA 30309).

Friday, Sept. 12 - Rita Arens, Lisa Stone, Stacy Morrison, Alice Bradley, Laid-Off Dad Doug, Liz Gumbinner and Joanna Polyn give a signing at The Tea Lounge in Brooklyn from 4-7 p.m. (837 Union, Brooklyn, NY 11215) Sponsored by Graco

Saturday, Sept. 27 - Rita Arens, Tracey Gaughran-Perez and Amy Corbett Storch give a signing at Vinoteca from 5-7 p.m. in Washington, DC. Wine cash bar. (1940 11th St. NW, DC 20001) Sponsored by Graco.

Saturday, Oct. 4 - Rita Arens, Eden Marriott Kennedy, Stefania Pomponi Butler, Lisa Stone, Grace Davis, Jen Scharpen and Jenny Lauck give a signing at Swig in San Francisco from 5-7 p.m. (561 Geary St, San Francisco, CA 94102). Sponsored by Graco.

Saturday, Oct. 11 - Rita Arens and Amy Jo Jones give a signing at The Book Cellar in Chicago at from 4-6 p.m. (4736-38 North Lincoln Avenue, Chicago, IL 60625)

Saturday, Oct. 25 - Rita Arens and Kelli Oliver George give a signing at Borders in Omaha at 11:30 a.m. (13105 Birch Drive, Omaha, NE)

Book details:

Book's name: Sleep Is for the Weak: The Best of the Mommybloggers Including Amalah, Finslippy, Fussy, Woulda Coulda Shoulda, Mom-101, and More! (Blogher Book)

Author: Stacy Morrison (Foreword), Rita Arens (Editor)

Publisher: Chicago Review Press

Publication Date: September 1, 2008

Enjoy the book!
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: plant a tree for every book you read!

And the winner is...

Thank you for all the participants in our giveaway of the new chilren's book 'Templeton Turtle Goes Exploring' by Ron Pridmore and Michele-lee Phelan we reviewed last Monday.

We got many great ideas on how to connect children to nature and make them excited about the outdoors, and as a new father of a two month old baby I wrote many of them down for the near future (I guess it's never too early to start connecting you kids to mother nature..).

The winning offer is the one of the reader Bender House who suggested the following: I love taking my son to the local public garden (Olbrich Gardens) in our city. They have great classes for toddlers where they read a story about nature and then we talk a walk around the gardens where they point out things I never noticed before. It is a great way to have my so connect with nature so early.

Congratulations Bender House and thank you to all the other participants for the great advice! I hope your kids will like nature and help to conserve it no matter what way you choose to follow.

And don't forget to keep following our giveaways. We have many more green books to review and give away so stay tuned.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: plant a tree for every book you read!

Will the new international fund save the Amazon?

Interesting news from Brazil (Thanks to Treehugger for the update): yesterday President Lula has launched in Rio De Janeiro an international fund to fight deforestation of the Amazon and support conservation and sustainable development.

The fund will seek donations worldwide with the goal of raising 21 billion dollars by 2021. There's also a cap for contributions in the first year - 1 billion dollars. The first contribution was already made last September by Norway that pledged to donate 100 million dollars.

Is this good news? in a way it is. Firstly, as reported by the BBC, Greenpeace in Brazil said that the country was accepting the link between global warming and preserving the forest for the first time. "For a long time, Brazil was violently opposed to this, insisting fossil fuel was to blame," said Sergio Leitao, director of public policies for Greenpeace Brazil. "That's true, historically speaking, but today forests play an important role." I think it's important as even it's only on a declarative level, it indicates that Brazil understands it can no longer play the denial game. This era is over.

Also, I hope there's going to be a good use for the money. According to Yahoo! news, the fund will promote alternatives to forest-clearing for people living in the Amazon and will finance conservation and durable development projects proposed by the environment ministry. The donations will be administered and projects monitored by a state bank, the National Economic and Social Development Banks (BNDES).

What's not so good about this initiative? well, we talked a couple of times in the past about the situation in the Amazon and about the need in a new economic model that will give living trees a value and will make it worthwhile to keep them alive. This initiative is definitely looking for the right amount of money, but the question is: is this the right way to do it? my reply: I doubt.

How can you base the effort to save the Amazon, the green heart of planet earth, on donations? what will they do if other countries won't be as generous as Norway? and my guess is that they won't be, especially when Brazil asks for the money, but don't give donors the opportunity to be part of the decision making process regarding the uses of the money.

This is an important point - Brazil is very concerned about interference with what it sees as internal affairs and wants to make sure the world will know that it will accept the money but not interference. "Donations are voluntary and donors have no say over the use of the resources," BNDES environment director Eduardo de Mello told reporters. Roberto Mangabeira Unger, the minister for strategic affairs, added that "the fund is a vehicle by which foreign governments can help support our initiatives without exerting any influence over our national policy."

At the same time, Brazil understands that it can no longer ignore worldwide concerns about the destruction of the Amazon rainforest, and it understands that it needs a lot of money to do something about it. The result is this fund, which is kind of compromise: We (the Brazilian government) admit there's a problem and will be willing to accept money to solve it, but it will be done the way we want to do it and there's nothing you can do about it.

I believe this compromise is not the worst solution, but it's definitely not the best one. You can't base it on donations and even if you agree that the Brazilians will have the final word about the use of the funds, I believe they must accept consultancy from other experts, and I also think there should be some measures of control to make sure the money is used properly.

I think the only way to do it right is by making the Amazon part of any post-Kyoto agreement that will be created, taking into consideration the urgent need for an action there, as well as the necessary funding and the issue of the Brazilian sovereignty.

One thing that encouraged me while reading on the new fund was the new Brazilian Environment Minister Carlos Minc, who was quoted in the BBC report saying: "We are committed to reducing the destruction of the rainforest, to eliminating illegal burning and to guaranteeing a better quality of life for all. "Our war is not won by simply reducing illegal burning in one month, it will be won once this environmental model that is destroying our communities and biodiversity is history." Amen!

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: plant a tree for every book you read!

Little Green Books are coming soon!

We love green children's books and always happy to update you when there's a new one around. Now we're even more excited with a new series of them coming soon from Simon & Schuster: Little Green Books.

In exactly 39 days (I counted..) Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing will be launching 'Little Green Books', which will be the first eco-friendly line of children’s novelty and storybooks.

The theme of Little Green Books focuses on improving the environment and preserving habitats, aiming to get kids and their parents interested in going green. From recycling and replanting to creating an awareness of endangered animals and much more, the series is looking to plant the seeds for earth-friendly living at an early age.

Do they also walk the talk? Definitely! Each book in the series will be made out of recycled materials and printed with soy ink.

One more thing I like about these books is their beautiful illustrations (from what I can see on the covers) - I always recommend that if you go green, do in in an attractive way, so customers or readers in this case won't feel like there's a trade-off and they're losing something for the extra green they get.

Here's more information about the first four books on the series that will be launched on September 9 (from the Little Green Books' website):

Little Monkey

Author: Kimberly Ainsworth

Illustrated by: Michelle Berg

Ages: 3 and under
Description: Meet Little Monkey and his friend Little Panda as they spend their day eating their favorite foods and playing together! Little ones will love to cuddle with this supersoft fleece cloth book that's made out of cotton and recycled Polartec® fleece.

This book is machine-washable and comes packaged in a chipboard box that's made from 100% recycled material.

The Polar Bears' Home: A Story About Global Warming

Author: Lara Bergen

Illustrated by: Vincent Nguyen

Ages: 4 - 6

Description: Come along on an Arctic adventure with a little girl and her father and learn all about polar bears! This 8 x 8 storybook shows how global warming affects two baby polar bear cubs and their family. Includes tips for kids on what they can do to help slow down global warming. This 8 x 8 paperback book is perfect-bound and will be printed on 100% post-consumer waste recycled paper with soy-ink. The paper is FSC certified.

Little Panda

Author: Kimberly Ainsworth

Illustrated by: Michelle Berg

Ages: 3 and under

Description: Meet Little Panda and his friend Little Monkey as they spend their day eating their favorite foods and playing together. Little ones will love to cuddle with this supersoft fleece cloth book that's made out of cotton and recycled Polartec® fleece. This book is machine-washable and comes packaged in a chipboard box that's made from 100% recycled material. It's the perfect gift for a baby!

I Can Save the Earth!: One Little Monster Learns to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle

Author: Alison Inches

Illustrated by: Viviana Garofoli

Ages: 4 - 6
Description: Meet Max the Little Monster. He is a cute, furry green monster who is an environmental nightmare. Among other things, he leaves on all the lights, keeps his computer plugged in, blasts the TV, hoards his old toys and uses so much toilet paper it clogs the toilet until finally, his excessive ways cause a power outage. With no TV to watch, computer to play on, video games to play with, Max finds there is a whole big world outside that he can make a difference in the environment. A kid-friendly glossary of terms is included in the back of the book.This 8x8 paperback is perfect bound and will be printed on 100% post-consumer waste recycled paper with soy-ink. The paper is FSC certified.

Kudos to Simon and Schuster for their efforts to go green and provide children with these great books. It follows the new environmental initiative and paper policy they announced on last November, and I hope we'll see more series like these one in the future, maybe even for the grown-ups!

We will review the books once they're published so stay tuned. In the meantime you can look for more information on the Little Green Books website - www.SimonSaysKids.com/LittleGreenBooks.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: plant a tree for every book you read!

Eco-Libris' Bookstores Series: interview with Erin Thompson of Black Bear Books

Eco-Libris' bookstores program keeps growing and currently includes 24 bookstores in the U.S., Ireland and Canada. On our bookstores' series we present you with the bookstores that are taking part in the program and the people behind them.

Today we have the pleasure to present you with Black Bear Books of Boone, NC and Erin Thompson, the store's owner, whom we interviewed here.

When Black Bear Books was established? Where’s the name coming from?

Black Bear Books has been around since 2004, when we moved to our current location. Prior to that the store was called The Book Warehouse, a name given to it by a previous owner. Moving to our present location really gave us the opportunity to make the store into what we wanted it to be, and we thought it deserved a new name. The name Black Bear Books came from all of the Black Bears that live in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and in particular from the bear that lives on the mountain where my parents live.

What's the most special characteristic of Black Bear Books?

Definitely our customers! We get a really great mix of locals, people who live here in the spring and summer months, and visitors to the area. There’s nothing better that having a job where you get to talk about books and authors all day to all sorts of different people. Outside of our customers, I would say that a really great feature of our store is how eclectic it is. We’ve got sections dedicated to regional literature, a re-vamped kids section, and of course our green living section, which is always a big hit!

How long you are with the store?

I’ve been with the store for just over a year, when I moved to the area to pursue a master’s degree. Moving from a big city to Boone was a big change, but definitely a positive one. The High Country is so eco-conscious and they do a great job of making local living a priority, which for small stores like ours, is really important. The great outdoor activities and amazing views don’t hurt either!

Your store is a family business and I'm sure it has seen and went through changes over the years - can you mention the ones you find most interesting?

My dad is the head-honcho at the store, and I’ve loved being able to work with him and learn from him – he’s a pretty smart guy, despite what I thought when I was a teenager! There have been a lot of changes at the store; probably one of the biggest has been adding the espresso bar and the wireless café. We get quite a few people to stop by to check their e-mail or study and have a cup of coffee. Owning an independent bookstore is a tough business to be in – even though people love to comment on how having a bookstore in the mountains is their dream job (it’s definitely mine!), so we try to change things often to draw people back into the store.

What do people like most about the store?

I think people really enjoy the hunt for the perfect book. We carry a lot of remainders and our booksellers have great taste, so you never know what you’re going to find. We’ve got a staff that has superhero powers when it comes to finding the next book you want to read, even if you’re not sure what that is.

Can you tell me a bit about the events in the store?

We host a lot of local and regional authors, although attendance is always disappointingly low, so I try not to schedule people unless I know they’ll be a big draw. We have an exciting event coming up though! Diana Gabaldon, the author of the NYT best-selling “Outlander” series is visiting the store during the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games, so we’re having an evening reception and also a booth out at the Games.

Are there any relationship between the store and the local library/ies?

Somewhat. We give people directions to the library a lot! We work pretty closely with a local writing group, who is based out of the library, so we support them indirectly through that. We also work with them on prizes that they give to their different contest winners.

What is the best selling book right now? What is the all times best-selling book?

Actually, our best-selling book right now (outside of the High School’s summer reading) is Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. I was so excited when I looked it up and it was a green book! Kingsolver is a regional author as well, and has a restaurant based on the book’s principles about an hour away in Abingdon, VA. This book has been on my Staff Rec’s shelf for about two months now, and I guess it shows! The all-time best selling book is a children’s book by another regional author, Jan Karon, called “Miss Fannie’s Hat”.

What would be your favorite book in the store?

That’s a tough question – I don’t think I can answer that one! Probably the book I recommend most (and my copy is certainly well-read) is “March” by Geraldine Brooks, about John March from “Little Women”. Brooks does a fantastic job of taking some of literature’s most beloved characters and telling the rest of their story.

Any special message you want to send to book lovers in Boone, NC?

I want to thank them! I know it’s always easier to jump online to order a book, but by staying loyal they’ve taken advantage of our special-ordering discounts, reduced their carbon footprint, and kept us in business!

So if you're anywhere near Boone, NC you're invited to visit the store. You won't regret it! And of course, if you're purchasing a book from the 25,000 quality hand picked new and discount books at the store, don't forget to check at the counter the opportunity to balance it out by planting a tree with Eco-Libris and you'll also receive our sticker on spot.

Black Bear Books
Address: 2146 Blowing Rock Rd., Boone, NC 28607
Tel.: 828.264.4636

Past guests on our series:

Marva Allen of the Hue-Man Bookstore and Cafe (New York, NY)

James “Surendra” Conti of East West Bookstore (Mountain View, CA)

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: plant a tree for every book you read!