Environment

In the past two years of serving on this book award committee I have read enough environmental nonfiction to convince me that we are bad, bad people who are killing the planet.

So, I have been making a conscious effort to start taking baby steps toward living in a more environmentally responsible way. To help me with this I have been reading several environmental blogs and have signed up for several newsletters. The Sierra Club http://sierraclub.typepad.com/ puts out a newsletter/blog that you can either subscribe to or do as an RSS feed. Yesterday, the tip was something I can do on my cell phone (now permanently attached to me) and since I thought it was interesting I decided to share.


Be an informed eater: If you're torn between the trout and the halibut, text 30644 with the message "FISH" and the type you're considering to learn which is the more sustainable choice (fishphone.org).

The World Without Us by Alan Weisman

What would happen if people suddenly vanished off the face of the earth? How long would it take the world to "recover" from the human virus? In this book, Weisman tries to answer these questions. As he takes us through the process in which our structures, creations and newly invented substances biodegrade over years (often as few as ten or as much as millions plus) it is clear that what will seemingly last forever is plastic.

On a positive note, while it is true that we are bad, bad people who are killing the planet, it is equally true that evolution is surprisingly adaptable and will hopefully be able to create all new creatures who can do things to process and break down the many newly introduced man-made substances. Interesting, well-written and readable. I couldn't put this one down.

A blog recommendation

This recommendation came from one of my customers at the library. The blog is called No Impact Man and in the blogger's own words... "For one year, my wife, my 2-year-old daughter, my dog and I, while living in the middle of New York City, are attempting to live without making any net impact on the environment. In other words, no trash, no carbon emissions, no toxins in the water, no elevators, no subway, no products in packaging, no plastics, no air conditioning, no TV, no toilets… "

After reading so many books on the subject in the past year or so, I have been increasingly concerned about the environment. I am not ready to make the kind of commitment that the author does but I really admire his dedication.

You can find his blog at http://noimpactman.typepad.com/blog/

Field Notes from a Catastrophe by Elizabeth Kolbert

Field Notes From A Catastrophe is an interesting book that calmly lays out the evidence to support the fact that the earth is now the warmest it has been in the past 420,000 years. She then goes on to talk about differing scientists viewpoints of what this might mean. At the core, all of the important scientists in the field agree that the warming means that the planet is on the edge of a major climate change. The main point of contention seems to be the time frame in which that will happen and how much longer we have before that outcome is irreversible.

Very nicely done without the alarmist tone that many writers on the subject develop (probably because the potential outcomes are alarming.)