Click here to read Annie's blog on culture, ecology and political thought Click here to see my page called "Thoughts on Creating Culture." Click here to see my page called "Can We Live to Be 100?" It includes documentary videos and wonderful video recipes from great chefs. Below, read the chapters in my book, "To Live Light and Traceless": Industrial Thinking Vs. Ecological Consciousness Read how ecological wisdom stands in sharp contrast to industrial thinking. The Impact of Mountains on Hydrology Learn why we must protect mountains to protect our water supply. Wetlands and Wild, Free-Flowing Rivers Wetlands not only provide critical habitat for a wide diversity of species, they are associated with quality groundwater. But to have good wetlands, we need wild, free-flowing rivers. To Save the Countryside Developers are buying out farmland across the country to build shopping malls and housing. But a diversity of progressive areas such as Vermont, Toronto, Germany, England and Boulder, Colorado, have schemes in place to preserve not only farmland, but also water recharge areas and wildlife habitat. Published in Acres USA. The Horrible Fury of Nature Down through history, when forests have been lost, water supplies have become unstable and some countries have even suffered climate change. How Valuable Are Forests There are numerous ways forests benefit the environment. Preserving Forests Trees are too valuable to be used in making paper, especially when paper can be made from a polymer that can be endlessly recycled. Paper can also be made from hemp, bamboo, kenaf, cotton, flax, banana leaves, seaweed or agricultural residues such as corn stalks, corn leaves, corn sheaths and more. To get the most out of their forest products, Germany led the way in the E.U. with producer responsibility legislation requiring that producers take back and recycle packaging waste. Why We Should Care About the Rainforests Rainforests are part of the global climate system affecting oxygen, rainfall and warmth in far-reaching areas of the globe. And amidst their spectacular diversity we may find new food crops, pharmaceuticals, fibers, dyes, resins, pesticides and more. And globalization is hitting rainforests hard. Can they be saved? Easter Island's Warning When the forests were lost on Easter Island, the environment collapsed. Will modern man follow the same fate? Why a Tree Plantation Is Not a Forest Many of our forests are being transformed into tree plantations. But do tree plantations make adequate wildlife habitats? The Green Prince Prince Charles of Wales, who was named most influential conservationist in the U.K., has created a human-scale walkable village named Poundbury. He also helps small organic farmers stay in business though a business he founded and more. Published in Common Ground Magazine Cuba's Transition to Organic Agriculture Before transitioning to organic agriculture, Fidel Castro read 200 books on agriculture and helped bring about reforms that are a model for other cities or countries. How Farmers of Old Controlled Insects Better, Without Pesticides To farm without pesticides, it helps to have small family farms and to draw birds to the fields. -- Published in Acres USA magazine. Wendell Berry's Vision of Local Economy Wendell Berry is one of the most influential writers in the country defending the small family farm, community, local economics and appropriate technologies as opposed to globalization. How Pesticides Menace Birds Pesticides don't stay put; they're in the fog, wind and rain. Wildlife species such as birds, are suffering from a staggering array of health impacts. Our Dying Earth: How Pollinators Struggle to Survive Wild and managed pollinators are disappearing at alarming rates. Will we have to pollinate the natural world by hand? Is Organic Food More Nutritious? A review of 400 studies explains the nutritional content of organic food in comparison to conventionally grown food. Rachel Carson's Silent Spring When Rachel Carson heard how birds were dropping dead after pesticides were sprayed, she wrote a book that reignited the environmental movement. Say Goodbye to Whales Beluga whales on the St. Lawrence River in Canada have so many chemicals in their tissues that they are like AIDS patients with weak immunity. They are coming down with diseases and ailments whales never had before. To Save the Wild Salmon Runs Will the salmon be able to survive the impact of dams? Find out why it is not enough to use fish ladders Should Predators Be Killed? Wolves and many other predators at the top of the food web are keystone species, which means when they affect the survival and abundance of many other species. When wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park, the ecosystem rebounded. Ten Thousand Bicycles in Portland The state of Oregon and the city of Portland didn?t wait on the federal government to take action on global warming. Actions they have taken mean that 10,000 bicyclers ride the bike to work while public transit has increased 85 percent since 1990. -- Published in Earth Island Journal. What Petroleum Dependency Means to Aquatic Ecosystems Should we drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge? You may say no when you read about the surprising persistence of petroleum in our waterways and its profound toxicity to wildlife. California Drives the Future of the Automobile The state of California is taking aggressive action to bring about zero- emission vehicles, such as cars powered by hydrogen fuel cells. But some in the state are advocating that commuters burn hydrogen in internal combustion engines instead, while a professor with a big following says plug-in hybrids are the vehicles of the future. -- Published in Worldwatch magazine. Sacramento Takes on Climate Change A community owned power company in Sacramento, Calif., is not waiting on the federal government to take action on climate change. Students Build Earth-Friendly Homes Teams of architecture and engineering students built more sustainable homes powered solely by the sun, then transported them to the national mall to form a solar village. Back to Nature in Portland, Oregon Awakened citizens in Portland, Oregon, aren't waiting on nonprofit groups or government agencies to educate the public on environmental issues. "They are getting together with people of like mind and taking their own initiative, finding their own meeting spaces and speakers, and doing their own publicity," says Pam Leitch, who helped organize the Portland Permaculture Guild. "There is a film, discussion group or speaker almost every night of the week." Published in Natural Life Magazine and the website of E Magazine. E.F. Schumacher: Small is Beautiful If environmentalists have a rallying cry, it is "Small is Beautiful," inspired by the book Small is Beautiful: Economics As if People Mattered (1973) by the late E.F. Schumacher. In the book, he promotes simplicity and explained the need for a new lifestyle and economic structure based on ecological and spiritual values. Compost and Sweet Basil in the City The Green Guerillas in New York City sparked a gardening movement that transformed 741 garbage-strewn vacant lots into community gardens overflowing with a profusion of flowers. But when mayor Rudy Giuliani turned them all over to the city's development organization with instructions to sell them off, he sparked a fascinating creative resistance movement where thousands of people spend three months each year preparing for the "Rites of Spring Procession to Save Our Gardens." -- Published in Living Lightly magazine in the U.K. (Click here to see the Rites of Spring slideshow on YouTube.) Aldo Leopold: To Love the Earth Read quotes that demonstrate the brilliance of Aldo Leopold, who is often called the father of the U.S. wilderness system for his work to preserve wild places. Envision Clean Rivers: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and John Cronin In the 1960s, the Hudson River in New York was little more than an open sewer. Today, it's one of the richest water bodies on earth, with more fish per acre than any of the major estuaries in the North Atlantic. Much of this success can be attributed to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a tough environmental attorney, and John Cronin, a Riverkeeper with the Riverkeeper Alliance. To Make the Waters Run Clear Sweden and at least seven other countries are promoting ecological sanitation rather than flush toilets, which endanger the health of aquatic ecosystems. A medical doctor in Portland, Oregon, composts the humanure of his family members, creating rich, black humus that smells like good earth. Published in Acres U.S.A. Awash in Waste While farmland is the right place for composted humanure, sewage sludge is so much more than just humanure; it can contain thousands of chemicals. A soil scientist that studied sewage sludge for 20 years and a chemist who studied lead for 25 years tell how human health can be impacted when humanure is spread on farmland. Published in Acres USA. William McDonough: Re-Designing the World William McDonough, an architect and designer, is redesigning the world. He's designing earth-friendly buildings that connect people with the out of doors and setting out to "eliminate the concept of waste" by transforming manufacturing processes.