New Documentaries: The Greening of Southie & The Return of The Cuyahoga

Set your remotes to Green. Two new documentaries are being broadcasted on TV in the next few days, and they are both worth watching.

The Return of The Cuyahoga

Produced and directed by Lawrence R. Hott and Diane Garey, The Return of The Cuyahoga, follows the history of the Cuyahoga river, which means "crooked river" in the Iroquois language, from it's pristine pre-western settlement. It follows its transformation by the hands of man, becoming an incredibly polluted waterway as part of Cleveland's industrial glory, and to it's slow and on-going rehabilitation in recent decades.

In the collective environmental memory, the Cuyahoga is remembered as “The River that Burned” in 1969, and is often mentioned as one of the strong symbols that helped birth the environmental movement in the United States. It was back then that a collection of industrial debris at the foot of a bridge was sparked into fire by a passing train carrying molten steel, and the national outcry brought about eventually the federal Clean Water Act of 1972.

The film follows that history and outlines present day restoration efforts and is truly a hopeful picture overall.

The Return of The Cuyahoga airs on PBS nationally tomorrow April 18th, 10pm (check your local listings)

The Greening of Southie

Yes, we mentioned this documentary already but now that I've watched it I just can't help recommending it again.

This is one FUN film to watch! The content grin begins from the first few sequences that show bewildered construction workers grappling the idea of a green building, and the smile just broadens when the music kicks in. I have to say that green or no green, this is one well made film. The soundtrack is excellent, the editing is smart, and the shots are just gorgeous. And I don't think it is usually an easy feat to make a gorgeous film about a construction site. Yes, The Greening of Southie is essentially a documentation of the four year building process of a certified green luxury condominium complex called the Macallan Building.

The building's developer decided to go for the “Gold” LEED standard of green building, the first green certified building in Boston. The film is a subtle critique of what happens when such a luxurious, expensive and ambitious green project is started top-down at the heart of an old working class Boston neighborhood. Many local working class union members are on site, and they will never be able to afford a condo... green or not. There's a lot of goodwill, good works, confusion and a steep learning curve for all involved.

So what happens when the non toxic floor boards glue is not strong enough and the sustainably grown bamboo floorboards, imported from mainland China, become unglued? Why transport bamboo from China anyway and is it the right thing to do from a green point of view? Is this green building bringing gentrification to southie? All these questions and more are being dealt with in the film.

The film's subtlety is its strength, but also its only weakness. It shows all angles but delves into none. Yet the variety of points of view highlights the complexity and challenges of “going green” in a real life mainstream development setting. Overall a great green documentary you should not miss.

The Greening of Southie airs first on Earth Day, Tuesday April 22, 9:35 PM on the Sundance Channel.

Mooch a Green Book - Wednesday's Book

Today's green book giveaway is The Ovum Factor, an eco-thriller by Marvin L. Zimmerman

This is part of our special Earth Day celebration with BookMooch.com and some of our fabulous partners and friends in the world of books.

How does that work?

Every day until Earth Day, we will publicize, and make available five (5) free copies of a new green-related book or two on the BookMooch.com online book swapping community. Each of these copies will be balanced out by Eco-Libris - one tree will be planted for each copy, which will also come with our sticker (made of recycled paper) saying 'One tree planted for this book'.

All you need to do is join BookMooch and add The Ovum Factor on your wishlist. Once a copy becomes available you will be able to receive it from another user.

Direct links:

Book detail page

Mooch this book

Add this book to your wishlist

Amazon info page

Here is a short description of the book:

David Rose, a young investment banker from New York, becomes swept up in a whirlwind of international espionage, assassination, and sabotage. David finds himself on a journey that takes him to the unexplored depths of the Amazon in order to fulfill two ancient prophecies for saving mankind and at the same time to realize his own destiny. “

Yours,
Eylon @ Eco-Libris
Plant a Tree for Every Book you Read!

Naked in the Woods : A Book Review

A man walks completely naked into the wilderness to survive for two months without any food, human contact, tools or ready made shelter. Sounds like the latest episode of Survivorman? Well, almost. While Survivorman's Les Stroud is performing quite impressive feats, and is “One man – alone in the wilderness... no food, no shelter, no fresh water, no tools... no camera crew”, he is in some ways merely writing another page in the book that Joseph Knowles, the infamous “Nature Man” of Maine, started writing already back in 1913. Upon emerging from his ordeal after two months, Knowles became a sensation and triumphantly toured the nation, lecturing about and demonstrating his woodsman survival skills.

In Naked in the Woods, environmental author and journalist Jim Motavalli not only portrays faithfully the life and times of Knowles, and the enthusiasm and controversy around his wilderness exploits, but also opens a window to the era. The author travels with Knowles from the forests of Maine to the Oregon coasts, the newsrooms of Boston to an artists' driftwood cottage in the Pacific Northwest. Motavalli contextualizes the events in the relationship of Man and Nature, Knowles' life, and the media's exploitation of popular trends, then and now.

Knowles was quite a character, that's for sure. Born in 1869, he grew up in Wilton in rural Maine, and by the time he walked naked into the forest in front of the clicks of the newspaper cameras he already manged to travel the seas with the navy, learn woodcraft with Native Americans, and establish himself as an artist living in a studio in Boston. Like Les Stroud the survivorman, Knowles did not need a camera crew with him, but sent dispatches and drawings to the media written with his cookfire charcoal on birch bark. But did he really spent all this time in the wilderness? Or did he retire to a luxurious cabin for two months, courtesy of a newspaper looking to boost its circulation? The book investigates these claims in detail.

Motavalli also explores the reasons for Knowles' story becoming such a media sensation at the time. Why then? He concludes that the main reason was the American anxiety over losing its frontier at the turn of the century, and transitioning from a rural to an urban society. Nature was slipping away from day to day life of the average American in a matter of a generation or two. Knowles the “Nature Man” was there to show the American public that the wilderness and the frontier were still there to face and conquer.

This is not only a strict academic study, and Motavalli does not present us with a dense cultural theory. He does however flesh out existing cultural history theories about Frontier, Nature, Wilderness and American culture, by using this particular instance to show us how it all played out.

There's no doubt “Nature Man” loved the forests and the beaches where he lived, but would he be called an environmentalist today? Probably not. When he went into the woods he wanted to demonstrate that modern man could best nature, hardly part and parcel of today's green ethos with its more harmonious undertones. But I am sure that he would have a thing or two to say about the bona fide-ness of today's armchair environmentalists with their cozy REI gear and Coleman gas stoves, and can inspire some of us to follow his lead and go naked into the woods one day. Well, if he really did it, that is.

Title: Naked in the Woods – Joseph Knowles and the Legacy of Frontier Fakery

Link: http://www.perseusbooksgroup.com/dacapo/book_detail.jsp?isbn=0786720085

Author: Jim Motavalli

Publisher: Da Capo

Publication Date: January 28, 2008

Pages: 352

Mooch a Green Book - an Earth Day Giveaway

Earth Day is just around the corner, coming up on April 22, and it's going to be a merry season indeed for everything green! Eco-Libris, BookMooch.com and some of our fabulous partners and friends in the world of books, have teamed up to give away, recycle and promote a bundle of wonderful green books.

How does that work?

Every day from now until Earth Day, we will publicize, and make available five (5) free copies of a new green-related book on the BookMooch.com online book swapping community. Each of these copies will be balanced out by Eco-Libris - one tree will be planted for each copy, which will also come with our sticker (made of recycled paper) saying 'One tree planted for this book'.

We've mentioned BookMooch in the past, and been working for a while now together in promoting the ideas of book recycling and tree planting to book lovers. In order to be able to accept the generosity of these authors and publishers you will need to have an account on BookMooch.com.

So what can you do to show your support for this generosity? Here are some ideas John Buckman of Bookmooch already suggested on his blog. We will also add a few of our own.

1) Mooch the book, read it, and then pass it on to someone else by re-listing it on BookMooch. This is about reuse, and the power of book trading to lessen the number of trees felled to reach an audience.

2) Leave your comments, reviews, ie on the BookMooch page for each book, but also on each book’s amazon page. That’ll help the publisher sell more copies, and help them see that helping book trading and being green can help their goals too

3) Blog, blog, blog about the book, the publisher’s gift, and give your encouragement of this

4) Mention book trading to your friends both in person, and in the online forums you participate in

5) Mention Eco-Libris to your friends and make a point of discussing responsible use of wood, paper, and recycling this Earth Day season, and beyond.

6) Plant trees for your books.

Today’s book is When “Santa Turned Green”, by Victoria Perla (Author), Mirna Kantarevic (Illustrator).

It’s November up in the North Pole. Everything’s going along smoothly at Santa’s workshop until he discovers a leak in his roof. Santa soon learns that this little leak is connected to a far bigger problem. The North Pole is melting because of something called global warming! Faced with the reality of what this could mean for Christmas, not to mention the planet and the future, Santa is determined to turn things around. To do so, he calls upon the people he knows better than any other–the children. Much to Santa’s joy, they respond in a way that makes all the difference…in the world.

Direct links:

• Book detail page

• Mooch this book

• Add this book to your wishlist

• Amazon info page

Please leave comments on the Amazon info page for this book once you read the book. You can also buy a copy from Amazon, if you’d rather not pass the book onto someone else after mooching it.

Yours,
Eylon @ Eco-Libris

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

Green Options - An Interview with Bryant Terry, Eco-Chef, Author and Food Justice Activist

As part of Eco-Libris' ongoing content partnership with Green Options Media, we feature a post that was originally published by Beth Bader on April 9th on Eat. Drink. Better. Today's post include an interview with one of the most impressive figures in the field of local and sustainable food - Bryant Terry (and don't forget to check the Eco-Soul Food recipe).



Bryant Terry is described as an “eco-chef” is the co-author of Grub: Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen, He has appeared on television as guest chef on three episodes of the BET series “My Two Cents,” and the Sundance Channel’s original series “Big Ideas for a Small Planet.” Bryant is also a host on “The Endless Feast,” a 13-episode PBS series that explores the connection between the earth and the food on our plates. Online, Terry contributes blog posts on Eco-Soul Food on TheRoot.com where he pairs locally-sourced soul food recipes with soundtracks.

While Terry’s eco-chef work is impressive, his role as an activist for “Food Justice” is truly compelling. Terry founded b-healthy! (Build Healthy Eating and Lifestyles to Help Youth) in 2001. The program is a five-year initiative created to raise awareness about food justice issues. It aims to empower youth to be active in creating a more just and sustainable food system.

Terry also initiated the Black and Green Food Justice Fund. Terry, along with three other activists, seeks out community-based projects that promote food justice and offers grants and support.

This year, Terry has started a third effort, the Southern Organic Kitchen Project. With the help of a Kellogg Foundation Food and Society Policy Fellowship, Terry’s program will educate primarily African-Americans living in the Southern United States about the connections between diet and health. The goal is to empower them to make educated choices about healthy foods and community food sources, as well as help participants understand their ability to influence local and state food policies. The project serves an important need as this specific population experiences a high proportion of hypertension, diabetes, and other obesity-related illnesses.

Bryant Terry managed to make some time to do an interview for Eat. Drink. Better. on his current projects just as he started major work on his next book due out in 2009, Organic Soul. Interview after the jump.

How did you learn to cook? Who inspires you as a chef?

Growing up in Memphis, I spent a lot of time in the kitchen with my grandparents observing them and helping out as much as possible. From early I was picky about what I ate (and everything else), so I started preparing my own meals with fastidious attention, teaching myself as I went along. Studying at the Natural Gourmet Institute refined my culinary skills.

As far as chefs that inspire me, I continue to be moved by mentors such as Alice Waters, Peter Berley, and Myra Kornfeld. Dan Barber’s food is top notch. And you have not truly eaten until you’ve had Marcus Samuelson’s 7-course Vegetarian Tasting Menu at Aquavit. I also read a lot of cookbooks and try new restaurants to keep my game tight.

How did you come to embrace local and sustainable foods?

Alongside my social, economic, and environmental analysis about the need to embrace local and sustainable foods developed a more selfish pull—flavor. I value the sensual pleasures of eating, and food that is local and grown without chemicals tastes better than food that has been shipped across the globe and/or sprayed with poisons. The fact that choosing these foods is good for our health, local economies, and the earth makes them that much more delicious.

The local food movement has been labeled “elitist” for many reasons, what are the things we can all do to change this and help make healthy, local and sustainable food available to everyone?

I don’t necessarily think that the local foods movement is elitist, I simply think that communities are self-interested. In order to ensure that historically-excluded communities have access to grub members of those communities need to ask/cajole/pressure/demand that existing institutions in the communities (i.e., places of worship, community-based organizations, and the like) take the lead in creating locally-driven and community owned food systems.

In addition to people, many of these institutions have financial capital, land, and other resources. By creating community gardens, rooftop gardens, urban farms, Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs), value added businesses, food buying clubs, food coops, local restaurants, and independently owned grocery stores, these institutions would not only address food injustice but also spur economic development, community beautification, youth empowerment, and a host of actions that would strengthen marginalized communities.
We all can ask/cajole/pressure/demand our elected officials to reform our Farm Bill so that it restores fairness to America’s food and farm policy; improves access to healthy, affordable foods in low-income and underserved communities; and expands market opportunities for small and mid-sized farms.

What is one of the greatest barriers to attaining “food justice?”

The unfair and wasteful commodity programs that benefit agribusiness with multi-million dollar payouts.

Tell me what’s happening with your Southern Organic Kitchen project? How is it going?

Right now I am partnering with some churches and community-based organizations in the South to create replicable models that illustrate the powerful role that similar institutions can play in creating community-based food systems. 2009 is going to be BIG!

The “local” food label sounds homogenous, I love that you are showing how foods reflect a culture and really define what is “local.” Can you share a favorite Eco-Soul Food recipe?

Sure:

Sweet Cornmeal-Coconut Butter Drop Biscuits
Yield: about 24

Soundtrack: “Turn Left” by Little Dragon from Little Dragon

3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup unbleached white flour
1/2 cup medium grind cornmeal
2 tablespoons raw organic sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
6 tablespoons chilled coconut butter
3/4 cup rice milk
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

• Preheat the oven to 425°F.

• In a large bowl sift together the flours, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Rub the coconut butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips until the mixture resembles sand with pebbles.

• Combine the rice milk, maple syrup, and apple cider vinegar and mix well. Then, make a well in the center of the flour pebbles, add the rice milk, and stir just until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl.

• Drop walnut-sized balls of dough from a spoon onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly browned.

So, TV series and appearances, a second cookbook, The Root and your other blogs, food justice projects and a Kellogg Foundation fellowship, how do you have time to cook?

It’s funny. I was thinking the other day maybe this whole cloning thing is not such a bad idea after all. I can create a Bryant who only focuses on writing. One who focuses on recipe testing. Another Bryant can make public appearances. Of course there has to be a Bryant who calls my parents every single day, lest they not think that I’m being a bad son. Then the original Bryant would have time to read pop culture blogs, watch YouTube videos, and eat Red Hot Blue Chips all day.

In all seriousness, because my book deadline is July 1st I’m pretty busy right now. But personal ecology is the most important thing to me, and if I am not maintaining balance, pacing, and efficiency to sustain my energy over a lifetime of work then I think it’s hypocritical to be working towards sustainability outside of me. So I’m committed to pumping the breaks this summer. My lady and I will be spending long stretches of time at the family cabin away from everything. No work. No computer. Just yoga, long walks, trees, fresh air, and the Yuba River. And cooking. . .

In your book, Grub: Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen, the recipes are organized by seasons and by a complete meal. What’s your favorite season and menu and why?

Summer is my favorite season, simply because Farmer’s Markets are so bountiful. My favorite menu is whatever I freestyle after visiting the farmer’s market.

Monday's green books series: Eco Babies Wear Green

Today on our Monday's green books series, I'm reviewing for the first time a board book for toddlers. If you're looking for a first green book for your young kids, this might be it.

Our book for today is:

Eco Babies Wear Green



Author: Michelle Sinclair Colman. Illustrated by Nathalie Dion.

Michelle Sinclair Colman is the creator of the Urban Babies Wear Black series. She lives in Waccabuc, New York.

Nathalie Dion studied design art at Concordia University. She lives in Montreal, Canada.

Publisher: Tricycle Press (an imprint of Ten Speed Press)

Published in: April 2008

What it is about (from the publisher's website):The urban babies have gone green! Whether living life in the fast-carpool-lane, or eating locally grown produce, you'll find these trendy tots going the extra mile to reduce, reuse, and recycle. It's the fifth book in the best-selling toddler series, which also includes books such as Beach Babies Wear Shades and Urban Babies Wear Black.

Why you should get it:

This board book is for kids 1-3 years old, so I tried to find out a kid in this age that I could read this book to him or her and see if they like it or not. Finally I found Rainy, my friends' daughter who is 2 years old, the perfect age to test book.

Bottom line: Rainy loved the book. She made me read it to her three times and then read it few times by herself. She can't read yet, but she got connected very easily to the beautiful illustrations of Nathalie Dion and memorized easily some of the lines. She didn't understand all the green activities that the eco babies are doing in the book (eco babies save water looked to her as eco babies just get wet..). Some are definitely not easy to explain to young kids, like composting or recycling, but it might be that with few more readings they will be clearer.

I also enjoyed the green ideas brought up in this book and the witty combination of text and illustrations. I think it's a great way to get toddlers connected with green ideas and hopefully they will remember this positive images of of all these green activities, like eating local, saving water, loving nature and others for the rest of their life.

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!

The Green Festival in Seattle

If you're in Seattle today, don't miss the Green Festival there. Seattle became this year the fourth city in the festival circuit and today is the second (and last) day of the event.

Green Festival, a joint project of Global Exchange and Co-op America, is the largest green living event in the U.S. What I like about the festival is that it is also a great opportunity to see and explore so much of the green world, which is concentrated like a green capsule for two days under one roof.

According to its press release, Seattle’s Green Festival is expecting attendance of 30,000 visitors and will 300 local and national green businesses, and dozens of community and non-profit groups. There will be also a local focus to this festival, which was designed with the help of The Seattle Host Committee of nearly 200 community leaders.

The Green Festival is not only a great place to explore the green market, but also to learn. There are many great speakers, such as Summer Rayne Oakes ('Green Gone Wild' at room 3, 1:00 p.m.), Cecile Andrews ('The Slow Life Movement: Living Happier with a Smaller Footprint', room 1, 3:00 p.m.), Richard Heinberg ('Peak Everything: Treating Our Collective Hydrocarbon Addiction', room 1, 4:00 p.m) and many others.

So, here are the details:

Hours: 11AM - 6PM

Address: Washington State Convention & Trade Center 800 Convention Place Seattle, WA

Price: $15 (see more info on pricing at http://www.greenfestivals.org/content/view/991/438/)

How to get there: http://www.greenfestivals.org/content/blogcategory/144/392/

So go and enjoy the festival, and don't forget to check the booth of our friends at Kedzie Press,which are actually based in Seattle.

Yours,

Raz @ Eco-Libris

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