Diane Ackerman Wins The 2008 Orion Book Award

The Orion Book Award was for one of those great finds you sometimes stumble upon while doing research on-line. It is given annually by the Orion Magazine “to a book that has achieved excellence in addressing a growing ecological awareness and the need for a healthier relationship between humans and the natural world.” This goal and focus gets a big thumbs up from Eco-Libris!

Out of the 43 books that have been nominated for the 2008 Orion Book Award (which goes to a book published in 2007), the top prize went to Diane Ackerman's The Zookeeper's Wife.

Diane Ackerman was born in Waukegan, Illinois. She received an M.A., M.F.A. and Ph.D. from Cornell University. The Zookeeper's Wife, published by W. W. Norton, is a narrative nonfiction about one of the most successful hideouts of World War II, the Warsaw Zoo, and is a tale of people, animals, and subversive acts of compassion.

Here are some of the judges' reasons for awarding the prize:

"The Zookeepers Wife is a groundbreaking work of nonfiction," said selection committee member Mark Kurlansky, "in which the human relationship to nature is explored in an absolutely original way through looking at the Holocaust." Kathleen Dean Moore, the committee's chairperson, said: "A few years ago, 'nature' writers were asking themselves, How can a book be at the same time a work of art, an act of conscientious objection to the destruction of the world, and an affirmation of hope and human decency? The Zookeeper's Wife answers this question."

Ackerman published several nonfiction and poetry books , including the best-selling A Natural History of the Senses. Here is a tidbit from the introduction of her children's poetry collection, Animal Sense:

“A stapler with its tiny fangs
Cannot outwit orangutangs.
Rocks are very good at sitting,
but never walk or take up knitting.
Living things all feel and sense
their way through every happenstance.“

The following books were finalists for the award: Strange as This Weather Has Been: A Novel, by Ann Pancake (Counterpoint); The Wild Trees: A Story of Passion and Daring, by Richard Preston (Random House); Sky Time in Gray's River: Living for Keeps in a Forgotten Place, by Robert Michael Pyle (Houghton Mifflin); The World Without Us, by Alan Weisman (St. Martin's Press/Thomas Dunne Books). Each of these authors will receive $500.

Found by way of Fred Bortz's science blog.

Yours,
Eylon @ Eco-Libris

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Take a short sharp shower on April

After asking to eat less meat on March, Do The Green Thing gets into the bathroom and ask us to take a short sharp shower on April.

What's the big deal with long showers? They explain: The planet’s supply of water is running out and showers use bucket-loads of it. They also use a lot of energy turning cold H2O into nice, hot H2O. So by trimming just a few minutes off your showering time, you’ll use less water and save CO2 whilst getting rid of your BO(2). If everyone in the UK cut their showering time in half, we’d save 3.6 billion litres every single day.

So take some short, sharp showers this month and save some precious water. But don't forget to get clean while getting green :-)

And of course, the recommendation comes with cool videos, like this one - Tom William's Short Sharp Shower Deck.


Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

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The first book on Million Tree-A-Thon is out there!

Many green books for kids are going to be published this month (well, Earth Day is coming), but the only one that not only will be printed on 100% recycled post-consumer waste paper, but will also have a new tree planted (see our logo on the cover?) for every copy of it, is 'The Green Parent: A Kid-Friendly Guide to Earth-Friendly Living' by Jenn Savedge.

And today, April 1, is the official publication date of 'The Green Parent', which is the first book to be published under the Kedzie Press' Million Tree-A-Thon initiative. Just a short reminder - in collaboration with Eco-Libris, Kedzie Press has launched last February the Kedzie Million Tree-A-Thon. For each book sold, Kedzie Press will plant one tree, with the goal of planting one million trees by December 2009.

We will review the book next Monday on our Monday's green books series, but in the meantime here's a short description of the book (from Kedzie Press' website):

The Green Parent is the perfect book for parents who would like to teach their children about living green. From how to save energy, to how to reuse and recycle everything, this resource offers advice for getting children involved in conservation, as well as products and services that can help parents raise more environmentally conscious children. Through a series of fun activities such as how to start a “light patrol,” how to make a “waste-free” school lunch, and how to build a “green” bird house—parents and kids will learn ways to make the biggest impact, save the most money, and discover how making even the smallest of changes can make a big difference.

Want to learn more? check out Jenn Savedge's blog: http://thegreenparent.blogspot.com/ and also watch her on NBC 4, Virginia: http://video.nbc4.com/player/?id=235603.

If you want to order the book, you can do it online at Kedzie Press website.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

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

Green Options - NoSweat Clothing Made By Palestinians, Distributed By A Jewish Entrepreneur

As part of Eco-Libris' ongoing content partnership with Green Options Media, we bring you today a post that was originally published by Angelique van Engelen on March 27th on Ecopreneurist. Though today's post is not directly related to books, I find it very interesting and inspiring to anyone who is from the Middle East and believes both in sustainable living and in peace.

Peace in the Middle East might be a near impossible dream but on-the-ground-efforts are all the more impressive for it. Take the initiative by Adam Neiman, a Boston-based Jewish entrepreneur partnering with a Palestinian clothing factory. Neiman's NoSweatApparel.com makes a ton of difference for dozens of Palestinians working the looms of an organic clothing factory in Bethlehem on the West Bank.

An important part of the Palestinian economy consists of organic cotton manufacturing but the conflict in the Middle East has badly impacted the industry. Neiman signed a deal with the organic cotton manufacturing company in Bethlehem after it had been forced to ax 30% of its workers. Many of the laid off workers returned to the Bethlehem factory after he stepped in. The deal included the creation of a trade union.

"We’ve found a rare piece of common ground -- more good jobs for Palestinians on the West Bank will help," the Boston entrepreneur was quoted as saying in a recent interview. "Economic development is no substitute for a diplomatic settlement but no settlement can survive without a sustainable Palestinian economy," Neiman added.

The press attention for Neiman itself alone underscores that he's achieving something; both Al Jezeera and the Jewish Advocate are raving about the initiative.

The company manufactures organically made, wholesale, teeshirts, shoes and trousers which are shipped out and marketed to the US, Canada and Israel. And NoSweatApparel.com is seeking distributors in Europe and Japan.

Neiman's business is a runner up winner of this month's Ideablob.com, a crowdsourcing site which awards $10,000 funding each month to a top voted business idea. Neiman says he's intent on using the money to purchase a batch of wholesale t-shirts from Bethlehem, "so our burgeoning network of high school distributors have a competitively priced product to sell to camps this summer and schools in the fall."

Monday's green books series: Farewell, My Subaru

Today we're having for our green books series a funny and inspiring story of Doug Fine, who "grew up on concrete eating pizza" in American suburbia, and his attempts to kick oil while still living like an American in a small farm in New Mexico.

Our book for today is:

Farewell, My Subaru: An Epic Adventure in Local Living

Author: Doug Fine

Adventure journalist, NPR contributor and Cosmos-nudger Doug Fine speaks several languages, including suburban American, rural American and Alaskan American. He has reported and sent panicky emails from Rwanda to the Arctic Ocean. At last sighting he was living in New Mexico with too much livestock and just the right smear of stars.

Publisher: Villard

Published in: March 2008

What it is about (from the book's page on Amazon.com): Like many Americans, Doug Fine enjoys his creature comforts, but he also knows full well they keep him addicted to oil. So he wonders: Is it possible to keep his Netflix and his car, his Wi-Fi and his subwoofers, and still reduce his carbon footprint?

In an attempt to find out, Fine up and moves to a remote ranch in New Mexico, where he brazenly vows to grow his own food, use sunlight to power his world, and drive on restaurant grease. Never mind that he’s never raised so much as a chicken or a bean. Or that he has no mechanical or electrical skills.

Whether installing Japanese solar panels, defending the goats he found on Craigslist against coyotes, or co-opting waste oil from the local Chinese restaurant to try and fill the new “veggie oil” tank in his ROAT (short for Ridiculously Oversized American Truck), Fine’s extraordinary undertaking makes one thing clear: It ain’t easy being green. In fact, his journey uncovers a slew of surprising facts about alternative energy, organic and locally grown food, and climate change.

Both a hilarious romp and an inspiring call to action, Farewell, My Subaru makes a profound statement about trading today’s instant gratifications for a deeper, more enduring kind of satisfaction.

Why you should get it:
1. Nothing like a good story about experiencing green living with a self-deprecation sense of humor.

Need an example? just read Doug's description of the book: "Farewell, My Subaru is the account of everything that can go wrong (and then right) when a regular guy tries to get oil out of his life. It details, among other embarrassing (but, my editor insists, inspiring) realities: coyotes eating my chickens, my near-death due to clumsiness during solar panel installation, and my suffering from Extreme Munchies thanks to the exhaust of my new carbon-neutral, vegetable oil-powered R.O.A.T. (Ridiculously Oversized American Truck)."

2. I like the fact that he connects the ideas of being greener with being more happy. We hear too often about the hurdles of getting green, but not too much about the happiness it brings to people's life.

3. Although Doug lives in a farm in New Mexico in a way that most people won't find a good fit for themselves, his ideas about combining the digital age with green living, when you don't need to give up amenities like Netflix or ice cream, can be relevant for many people who are looking to find the right path.

What others say about it:
“The details of Doug Fine’s experiment in green living are great fun…what we are built for. It’ll make you want to move!” –Bill McKibben, author of Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future

“This is Green Acres for the smart set–– a witty and educational look at sustainable living. Buy it, read it, compost it.” –AJ Jacobs, author of The Year of Living Biblically

Want to learn more about Doug and his green living experience, with the goats, chickens, solar panels and his veggie oil truck? check out this short film from YouTube (and don't miss the sign in Hebrew he has in his farm..). You are also welcome to check out the book's website - http://www.dougfine.com.



And if you're looking for other interesting green books, you are invited to check out our green books page on our website's green resources section.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

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

Five green recommendations for the weekend

What are you doing this weekend? if you're still looking for ideas, we have few green recommendations for you:

1. Go to a party - if you're anywhere near by Long Beach in California, come to the DIY issue release party of ISM magazine.The party will take place between 7-10 p.m. in ISM: gallery at the Koos Art Center - 540 East Broadway Long Beach, California 90802.

What's green about it? well, the new issue includes an article on Eco-Libris! Anyway, it should be a great party so don't miss it. You can find more details on ISM website.

The DIY issue release party will coincide with "Shudder", ISM's celebrity portrait/personal project exhibition. “Shudder” is highlighting the words and works of five relevant and prolific photographers (Jeremy & Claire Weiss, Patrick Fraser, Dan Monick and Michael Lavine) that train their lenses on the world of celebrity, lending their vision to the commissioned portrait.

2. Check out the Lazarus Corporation - great website, which is "an eclectic collection of artists working in assemblage, collage, painting, drawing, photography, mixed media, text, music, and any other art form we can think of."

I got to know the site after I was referred to an excellent article of Paul Watson ('The future for Publishers'), where he discusses the future of the publishing industry in a world of digital and free content (thanks to publishing talk for the tip!).

3. Watch 'Into the Wild' - This beautiful film directed by Sean Penn is available on DVD. It brings you the story of 22 year-old Christopher McCandless (Emile Hirsch), who just graduated college and instead of continuing a regular career path chose to walk out of his privileged life and into the wild in search of adventure.

Sean Penn also wrote the screenplay, based on Jon Krakauer's acclaimed bestseller 'Into the Wild'. You can check the movie's trailer here.

4. Take part in Earth Hour - Today, from 8 to 9 pm, local time, millions of people around the world will be turning off their lights to save a little electricity and show some solidarity for the planet. Here are some ideas from Daily Green what you can do when you turn the lights off - http://www.greendaily.com/2008/03/29/earth-hour-what-will-you-be-doing/.

5. Read a green book - need ideas for a good one? check our recommendations on these pages: http://www.ecolibris.net/holiday_guide.asp and http://www.ecolibris.net/greenbooks.asp.

Enjoy your weekend,

Raz @ Eco-Libris

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

The story of Don Cheyo

We bring you from time to time stories and updates from our great planting partners, and today we have a mini-documentary about Honduran farmer Don Cheyo, who grows organic crops and lives sustainably thanks to help from our planting partner, Sustainable Harvest International (SHI).

SHI works in developing countries in Central America - Nicaragua, Honduras, Belize, Panama. Central America has lost more than half of its rainforests in the last 50 years, contributing to mass extinctions and global warming. Rainforest destruction also wreaks havoc on local populations who depend on the rainforest for their survival.

SHI helps many farmers like Don Cheyo in nearly 100 struggling communities across Central America to reverse rainforest destruction with sustainable land-use practices that allow them to take control of their environmental and economic destinies. SHI is involved in many activities - from trees planting and restoration and preservation of degraded land to educational programs and community loan funds.

Here are some of SHI's achievements within 11 years of operations:

-Planted more than 2,000,000 trees.
- Converted 6,000 acres to sustainable uses, thereby saving 30,000 acres from slash-and-burn destruction.
- Improved nutrition through the establishment of more than 200 organic vegetable gardens.
- Increased farm income up to 800%.
- Built 165 wood-conserving stoves (saving 1,650 trees per year)

SHI is proud in the fact that it works only in communities where we have been invited by local people. One of their main strengths is that their projects are locally initiated and supported by in-country organizations, which helps to ensure that the work will continue long after they left an area.

So, now that you know them a little better, you can lay back and enjoy this video clip. The story of Don Cheyon demonstrates the important work SHI do in few areas - promotion of sustainable agriculture, planting trees, provision of wood-conserving stoves, etc. It was filmed and edited by a media company that is currently producing a documentary on SHI's work (we'll update you as soon as this documentary will be released):



If you like to know more about SHI, please check their website - http://www.sustainableharvest.org/.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

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