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bex_knighthunterbooks's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
Inspiring and hopeful, I loved hearing about all the ways regenerative ecology is improving things around the world. It worked well that the author had a personal connection to each of the stories, having visited locations or interviewed key people herself. For my taste, it did occassionally shift into including a little too much detail on the logistics of her travels and the people she met and worked with along the way. The writing was reasonably dry and journalistic, but the subject matter was so interesting I still had a good reading experience. So many of these examples will stick with me - I felt myself moved, at times both hopeful and angry at injustice. At a few times I stopped to look into something a bit further, and I've made a few notes on topics I'd love to research in the future. The structure has chapters each exploring quite separate examples and ideas without a strong narrative thread - not my favourite set up for non-fiction. I personally found the last couple of chapters were the weakest (Women in ranching and Ecology camps), maybe because they were less focussed on the science (although the consensus work chapter wasn't very related to natural sciences and was really inspiring!).
teenytardigrade's review against another edition
1.0
I don’t know how far I ultimately got into the book but it became increasingly shame-y and ableist; (eg, paraphrasing) ‘you don’t want to be the person talking about their medication all the time’.
It’s going on my abandoned/DNF list. There are way better books out there about how to cope with chronic illness and finding community.
It’s going on my abandoned/DNF list. There are way better books out there about how to cope with chronic illness and finding community.
sawyerbell's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this hopeful book detailing how humans can regenerate our earth--not just preserve it--through taking actions on our own, with others in our community, and not waiting for governments to take action.
The author shows us how we can act together to regenerate the soil, replenish water tables, slow climate change and create healthy ecosystems for ourselves and the other beings on the planet.
Each clearly written and interesting chapter focuses on successful actions taken by people all over the planet, showing how we can change our thinking from gloom and doom to thinking beyond the impossible, challenging our assumptions about what can't-and CAN--be done to bring ourselves back into alignment with the earth's natural processes.
Highly recommended for anyone interested in creating a healthier planet.
The author shows us how we can act together to regenerate the soil, replenish water tables, slow climate change and create healthy ecosystems for ourselves and the other beings on the planet.
Each clearly written and interesting chapter focuses on successful actions taken by people all over the planet, showing how we can change our thinking from gloom and doom to thinking beyond the impossible, challenging our assumptions about what can't-and CAN--be done to bring ourselves back into alignment with the earth's natural processes.
Highly recommended for anyone interested in creating a healthier planet.
journeyrooted's review
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
A fascinating look at the impacts of climate change on communities around the world and the varied approaches that people are taking to offer solutions. Schwartz speaks with experts from a variety of fields, and the insights that result are, in many cases, delightfully unexpected and awe-inspiring.
She ultimately settles into the acknowledgement that the presentation of facts alone isn't enough to change behavior, and leaves space for the humanness that conversations around earth stewardship necessitate. Overall a beautiful and intriguing read!
She ultimately settles into the acknowledgement that the presentation of facts alone isn't enough to change behavior, and leaves space for the humanness that conversations around earth stewardship necessitate. Overall a beautiful and intriguing read!
sandini's review against another edition
4.0
The structure of this book centers on a few examples of ecosystems management:
1. The book begins with an impressive story of how China was able to reverse centuries of desertification through smart, dare I say, "hacked", agriculture based on ecosystems management. All organized by the Chinese government on a grand scale in the Loess Plateau in midwestern China. Don't say communism never gave you nothin'. Anyway very cool, dramatic example.
2. Reversal of desertification in the Middle East. Schwartz begins to make the case that warmer local microclimate i.e. literally weather is changed by loss of fertile land to desertification.
3. In my opinion, the most important point in this book: consensus work- a framework for mobilizing people to both 1. give a shit and 2. do something about X, in this case, deforested, deconditioned desertified land. It involves 1. having people express their feelings on the shittiness of the current situation 2. having them express their fears about continuing along the same shitty trajectory 3. Asking them to wildly spitball best possible outcomes to improve shittiness of said situation. Gives a great example of New Mexico water hoarding.
4. Ecosystems need ruminants. Reindeer and pasturing animals improve land quality by packing down ice to prevent early thaw and fertilizing soil with... you guessed it, their poo. However, in order to be net positives for the land, they need to be actively managed and grazing should be rotated to different pastures so all the plants don't die at once. Should be simple, but actually wildly difficult to convince people to do in real life, according to book.
5. Schwartz makes the case that current economics is based on scarcity, whereas nature tends towards abundance. This chapter also covers Monsanto and their GMO pesticide experiments in Maui and the fact that they never took accountability for literally spraying pesticides over small indigenous children. By accident of wind, but still. Imagine if this bullshit happened in Westchester? You bet everyone would about lose their goddamn minds... as they should. Fuck them. Fuck them. Fuck them. I'm actually for GMOs, but not ones genetically bred to be resistant to pesticides.
5. Women may lead the way for agriculture and ranching. Gives an example of a cool lady that teaches people how to run a ranch. Lots of women are interested. Not really sure about this one- gives a stat that 30% of farmers are women and 50% of farm in the midwest are owned or co-owned by women. Schwartz also states that half of US farmland is set to change hands in the next 20 years due to old people dying, so basically women can just... swoop right in. I'm paraphrasing but damn. What about the rest of the US? Why selectively report when you could just give all the numbers? I mean, awesome, go women, I agree, but I'm not sure this evidence really clinches the case for me.
6. Restoring ecosystems across the world can be more accessible with the help of ecology camps, which actually, hear me out, sound like a lesser Burning Man meets ecology meets coliving sort of mashup. Maybe I'm overstating, but still, very cool.
So, overall, in retrospect, this is exactly the format of book I loathe: a collection of short stories, with little narrative thread to neatly tie them all together. Knowing next to nothing about ecology, it's a testament to either Schwartz's writing or the absolute awesomeness of the subject that I actually finished this thing.
1. The book begins with an impressive story of how China was able to reverse centuries of desertification through smart, dare I say, "hacked", agriculture based on ecosystems management. All organized by the Chinese government on a grand scale in the Loess Plateau in midwestern China. Don't say communism never gave you nothin'. Anyway very cool, dramatic example.
2. Reversal of desertification in the Middle East. Schwartz begins to make the case that warmer local microclimate i.e. literally weather is changed by loss of fertile land to desertification.
3. In my opinion, the most important point in this book: consensus work- a framework for mobilizing people to both 1. give a shit and 2. do something about X, in this case, deforested, deconditioned desertified land. It involves 1. having people express their feelings on the shittiness of the current situation 2. having them express their fears about continuing along the same shitty trajectory 3. Asking them to wildly spitball best possible outcomes to improve shittiness of said situation. Gives a great example of New Mexico water hoarding.
4. Ecosystems need ruminants. Reindeer and pasturing animals improve land quality by packing down ice to prevent early thaw and fertilizing soil with... you guessed it, their poo. However, in order to be net positives for the land, they need to be actively managed and grazing should be rotated to different pastures so all the plants don't die at once. Should be simple, but actually wildly difficult to convince people to do in real life, according to book.
5. Schwartz makes the case that current economics is based on scarcity, whereas nature tends towards abundance. This chapter also covers Monsanto and their GMO pesticide experiments in Maui and the fact that they never took accountability for literally spraying pesticides over small indigenous children. By accident of wind, but still. Imagine if this bullshit happened in Westchester? You bet everyone would about lose their goddamn minds... as they should. Fuck them. Fuck them. Fuck them. I'm actually for GMOs, but not ones genetically bred to be resistant to pesticides.
5. Women may lead the way for agriculture and ranching. Gives an example of a cool lady that teaches people how to run a ranch. Lots of women are interested. Not really sure about this one- gives a stat that 30% of farmers are women and 50% of farm in the midwest are owned or co-owned by women. Schwartz also states that half of US farmland is set to change hands in the next 20 years due to old people dying, so basically women can just... swoop right in. I'm paraphrasing but damn. What about the rest of the US? Why selectively report when you could just give all the numbers? I mean, awesome, go women, I agree, but I'm not sure this evidence really clinches the case for me.
6. Restoring ecosystems across the world can be more accessible with the help of ecology camps, which actually, hear me out, sound like a lesser Burning Man meets ecology meets coliving sort of mashup. Maybe I'm overstating, but still, very cool.
So, overall, in retrospect, this is exactly the format of book I loathe: a collection of short stories, with little narrative thread to neatly tie them all together. Knowing next to nothing about ecology, it's a testament to either Schwartz's writing or the absolute awesomeness of the subject that I actually finished this thing.
bookwoman37's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.0
I really enjoyed reading this book and I learned a lot. The author has traveled the world to report on ways people are trying to combat climate change. They give hope for the future. It is well written and very informative. Enjoy
nellieh's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0