Book Shelf: Ecotopia

I recently finished reading Ecotopia, by Ernest Callenbach. Been hearing about this book for a while now, mostly from people deep in the trenches of the sustainability movement. Now I see why there was so much talk about it. Ecotopia’s namesake is a fictional country formed, in 1980, after America’s Northwest secedes from the United…

Published
Categorized as Book Shelf

Book Shelf: William Coperthwaite’s A Handmade Life

I’ve been out of the loop for a while. Life has kept me busy. Just got back from a trip across the southern part of the country and back. I am feeling revived and inspired to get many new projects ready in 2014. Now for the William Coperthwaite post: In recent days I’ve come across…

Book Shelf: The Hand Sculpted House

I got this book in preparation for a week long natural building workshop I’ll be attending in early August. This is written by pioneers of the American cob renaissance Ianto Evans, Michael G. Smith, and Linda Smiley. Just getting into the meat of it, but could not help but post about it. So far it’s…

Book Shelf: Growing Plants From Seed

Growing plants from seed

Soviet agronomist Trofim Lysenko coined the term Jarovization in 1928. This translates to Venalization, vernum being the latin word for spring. This study left my head spinning. What it boils down to is that plants know when to flower in spring because of sensors telling them it’s been cold for a prolonged period of time.…

Book Shelf: Omnivore’s Dilemma

Omnivores Dilemma

I just finished reading Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan (OK I really just listened to the audio book, thanks Los Angeles Public Library). It is a very insight full and well written book. In it, he goes into detail about three types of meals. One from industrial food, organic, and foraged/hunted. First he talks about…