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Now Featuring recent books designed to help us prepare for Peak Oil

Click Here to BUY NOW: The Long Descent: A User's Guide to the End of the Industrial Age(Trade Paperback)
by Greer, John Michael

Americans are expressing deep concern about US dependence on petroleum, rising energy prices, and the threat of climate change. Unlike the energy crisis of the 1970s, however, there is a lurking fear that now the times are different and the crisis may not easily be resolved.

"The Long Descent" examines the basis of such fear through three core themes: Industrial society is following the same well-worn path that has led other civilizations into decline, a path involving a much slower and more complex transformation than the sudden catastrophes imagined by so many social critics today.The roots of the crisis lie in the cultural stories that shape the way we understand the world. Since problems cannot be solved with the same thinking that created them, these ways of thinking need to be replaced with others better suited to the needs of our time.It is too late for massive programs for top-down change; the change must come from individuals.

Hope exists in actions that range from taking up a handicraft or adopting an "obsolete" technology, through planting an organic vegetable garden, taking charge of your own health care or spirituality, and building community.

Focusing eloquently on constructive adaptation to massive change, this book will have wide appeal.

John Michael Greer is a certified Master Conserver, organic gardener, and scholar of ecological history. The current Grand Archdruid of the Ancient Order of Druids in America (AODA), his widely-cited blog, The Archdruid Report (thearchdruidreport.blogspot.com) deals with peak oil, among other issues. He is a graduate of WWU and lives in Ashland, Oregon.

Review by Frank Kaminiski: "The Long Descent is one of the most highly anticipated peak oil books of the year, and it lives up to every ounce of hype. Greer is a captivating, brilliantly inventive writer with a deep knowledge of history, an impressive amount of mechanical savvy, a flair for storytelling and a gift for drawing apt analogies. He is perhaps the most spiritual out of all the current thinkers on peak oil, as well as one of the most eclectic and wryly humorous. No other peak oil writer possesses his same blend of aptitudes, and only a few approach his cunning.

	Click Here to BUY NOW: The Transition Handbook: From Oil Dependency to Local Resilience (Trade Paperback) by Hopkins, Rob, Heinberg, Richard (forward)

We live in an oil-dependent world, arriving at this level of dependency in a very short space of time by treating petroleum as if it were in infinite supply. Most of us avoid thinking about what happens when oil runs out (or becomes prohibitively expensive), but "The Transition Handbook" shows how the inevitable and profound changes ahead can have a positive outcome. These changes can lead to the rebirth of local communities that will grow more of their own food, generate their own power, and build their own houses using local materials. They can also encourage the development of local currencies to keep money in the local area.
There are now over 30 "transition towns" in the UK, Australia and New Zealand with more joining as the idea takes off. They provide valuable experience and lessons-learned for those of us on this side of the Atlantic. With little proactive thinking at the governmental level, communities are taking matters into their own hands and acting locally. If your town is not a transition town, this upbeat guide offers you the tools for starting the process.

Review by Graham Strouts: "The publication of the much anticipated Transition Handbook marks the latest landmark in what has become the fastest growing environmental movement since CND in the 1960s: the phenomenon that is sweeping the UK, the Transition Towns movement...Primarily it is a handbook for inspiring and guiding communities into a new sustainable future with less dependency on fossil fuels....What makes it unique is that this is not merely aspirational, but also documents the meteoric rise of the transition movement. Its advice and exercises have been hewn on the workbench of real local communities making the first steps of a radical transformation that the whole of the developed world will have to confront over the coming years."


Click Here to BUY NOW: Plan C: Community Survival Strategies for Peak Oil and Climate Change(Trade Paperback)
by Murphy, Pat

For anyone interested in living a lower-energy, saner, and more sustainable lifestyle, "Plan C" shows how each person's individual choices can dramatically reduce carbon dioxide emissions, and offers specific strategies in the areas of food, transportation, and housing. Read Murhpy's original article which inspired this book: Community and Curtailment.

Review by Frank Kaminsi: "Plan C is a luminous book. Whereas so many other books on curtailing energy usage simply describe ways to cut consumption, Plan C goes way beyond mere description to take a truly penetrating look at how our individual choices make a difference. Author Pat Murphy’s sharp analysis, which draws on hard numbers from the Department of Energy and other sources, allows us to truly quantify the impact of our everyday habits, and to realize that we’re capable of making far more of a difference than many believe...Plan C is an astounding achievement, and one with an enormous potential readership. It’s certainly essential reading for any self-respecting peak oil or climate change activist. But it also serves as a rich treasury of real, quantifiable answers for anyone still wondering what he or she can do to help mitigate the multiple world crises now facing us. In Plan C, one finds not platitudes, pontifications or vague suggestions—but a wealth of actual, concrete things that can be done right now. Thus, the book’s lasting impression is one of a radiant optimism that is miles away from the cul-de-sac of cynicism that can so easily represent the extent of peak oil commentary."

Click here to BUY NOW: Reinventing Collapse: The Soviet Example and American Prospects (Trade Paperback)
by Orlov, Dmitry

Orlov draws comparisons to an American system mired in political crises and the demise of the former Soviet Union. Rather than focusing on doom and gloom, this work suggests there is room for optimism by focusing efforts on personal and cultural transformation.

Review by Graham Strouts: “Reinventing Collapse” is perhaps the most important and disturbing- as well as amusing- peak oil book you will read. A Russian emigre who had the opportunity to observe the collapse of the former Soviet Union from the vantage point of someone living in America, Orlov sees a similar process unfolding in an America all but oblivious to how quickly things may change there. Peak oil will result very soon in the vast nation beginning to fall apart at the seams as the lifeblood of its economy drains away with no backup available. Big systems like agriculture are so energy intensive that they will quickly collapse and there is barely any resilient, self-reliant communities left....Written with the satirical wit of modern Voltaire, Orlov goes where few other peak oil writers have dared to go, and his sardonic Russian humor allows a stark look at American prospects through the eyes of someone who has witnessed collapse first hand. Snapshots and stories of what he witnessed in post-Soviet Russia make for colorful reading and help fill in some of the gaps in our imagination in thinking of what may happen as the oil begins to run short."

Two important online articles by Dimitri Orlov: The Five Stages of Collapse, and Closing the Collapse Gap: The USSR Was Better Prepared for Collapse than the U.S.

Click Here to BUY NOW: Depletion and Abundance: Life on the New Home Front (Trade Paperback)
by Astyk, Sharon

Climate change, peak oil, and economic instability aren't just future social problems-they jeopardize our homes and families right now. Our once-abundant food supply is being threatened by toxic chemical agriculture, rising food prices, and crop shortages brought on by climate change. Funding for education and health care is strained to the limit, and safe and affordable housing is disappearing.

"Depletion and Abundance" explains how we are living beyond our means with or without a peak oil/climate change crisis, and that, either way, we must learn to place our families and local communities at the center of our thinking once again. The author presents strategies to create stronger homes, better health, and a richer family life and to: live comfortably with an uncertain energy supply; prepare children for a hotter, lower energy, less secure world; survive and thrive in an economy in crisis; maintain a kitchen garden to supply basic food needs. Most importantly, readers will discover that depletion can lead to abundance, and the anxiety of these uncertain times can be turned into a gift of hope and action. (Check out her blog-www.sharonastyk.com.)

Book Review by Carolyn Baker: "When I realized that everything was going to change, I was at first afraid. Because I thought, if my government or public policy or other choices weren't going to fix everything, what could I possibly do? What hope was there, if I had to take care of myself, if my community had to take care of itself?

But when I began looking for solutions that could be applied on the level of ordinary human lives, that involved changes in perspectives and pulling together, the reclamation of abandoned ideas and the restoration of strong communities, I began to feel hopeful, even excited. Because I realized that when large institutions cease to be powerful, sometimes that means that people start being powerful again."

I consider the above quote by Sharon Astyk the absolute crux of her extraordinary book...Depletion and Abundance is not a feel-good book, but it is intensely human, compassionate, supportive, practical, alarming, enlivening, and astonishingly accurate...Sharon and I have sometimes been thought of as "doomer girls", but for all our insistence that our readers face reality, we both endeavor to empower them with opportunities, not for saving a world which may now be un-saveable, but for protecting and preparing on a variety of levels-and finding meaning in doing so. I've personally bought and sent Depletion and Abundance to several friends, suggesting that we all do the work that is in front of us in order to protect ourselves and those we love and trust. It is my pleasure to recommend the same to you, dear reader, and to encourage you to run, not walk, to read this book and circulate it far and wide.

Review by Amanda Kovattana: Think Vandana Shiva meets Barbara Kingsolver meets the Tightwad Gazette...This brings to the peak oil community a different quality of discourse. It robs it of the thrill of big solutions, of high tech wonders or policies imparted by government decree. Local government plays a role, but mostly in changing codes that do not now allow the raising of livestock in your backyard. She brings the solutions down to what ordinary people can do locally. She even argues against the high expense of a solar powered home and suggests going more low tech. Thus her peak oil vision becomes one of frugality and old time homesteading technology, which begins to look a lot like a depression era America.

Click Here to BUY NOW: When Technology Fails: A Manual for Self-Reliance, Sustainability, and Planetary Survival (Trade Paperback)
by Stein, Matthew

If ever there was one book to have when the lights go out, "When Technology Fails" is it. In this revised edition--the first edition was written pre-9/11 when global warming was still considered a fringe idea--author Mat Stein offers readers skills to make them more self-sufficient, sustainable, and prepared for any climatic disaster, as well as simple green building techniques.

No single book can teach all there is to know, so Stein has included a resource guide at the end of each chapter to direct readers toward other resources, including books, web sites, and suppliers of the materials discussed.
The book covers a wide range of topics--everything from green building, renewable energy, and emergency preparations to basic self-healing and self-reliance techniques to survive crises. This new edition also includes a chapter on joining and building sustainable communities, ending the book on a positive proactive note.

Rob Hopkins (The Transition Handbook) List of Five Essential Books to Read

Peak Everything: Waking Up to the Century of Declines, by Richard Heinberg

Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability, by David Holmgren

The Upside of Down: Catastrophe, Creativity, and the Renewal of Civilization, by Thomas Homer Dixon

The Last Oil Shock:A Survival Guide to the Imminent Extinction of Petroleum Man, by David Strahan (www.davidstrahan.com)

Renewable Energy Cannot Sustain A Consumer Society, by Ted Trainer

Books relating to Integral Sustainability and Life Practice

Featured books related to Alan Seid's "Tools for Social Change: Integral Sustainability & Life Practice" workshops (co-sponsored by Sustainable Belilngham). The integral framework was pioneered by American philosopher Ken Wilber, who has been described as "the Einstein of Consciousness."

The Integral Vision: A Very Short Introduction to the Revolutionary Integral Approach to Life, God, the Universe, and Everything
by Ken Wilber

Suppose we took everything that all the various world cultures have to tell us about human potential--about psychological, spiritual, and social growth--and identified the basic patterns that connect these pieces of knowledge. What if we attempted to create an all-inclusive map that touches the most important factors from all of the world's great traditions?
Ken Wilber's Integral Vision provides such a map. Using all the known systems and models of human growth--from the ancient sages to the latest breakthroughs in cognitive science--it distills their major components into five simple elements, and, moreover, ones that readers can verify in their own experience right now.
In any field of interest, such as business, law, science, psychology, health, art, or everyday living and learning--the Integral Vision ensures that we are utilizing the full range of resources for the situation, leading to a greater likelihood of success and fulfillment. With easily understood explanations, exercises, and familiar examples, The Integral Vision shows how we can accelerate growth and development to higher, wider, deeper ways of being, embodied in self, shared in community, and connected to the planet, which can literally help with everything from spiritual enlightenment to business success to personal relationships.

A Theory of Everything: An Integral Vision for Business, Politics, Science and Spirituality
by Ken Wilber

Here is a concise, comprehensive overview of Wilber's revolutionary thought and its application in today's world. In "A Theory of Everything," Wilber uses clear, nontechnical language to present complex, cutting-edge theories that integrate the realms of body, mind, soul, and spirit. He then demonstrates how these theories and models can be applied to real-world problems in areas such as politics, medicine, business, education, and the environment. Wilber also discusses daily practices that readers take up in order to apply this integrative vision to their own everyday lives.

Kosmic Consciousness(Compact Disc)
by Ken Wilber

A landmark recording that invites us to experience a full-length audio learning course with this celebrated thinker. Listeners will be surprised and delighted to discover the Ken Wilber behind the writer's pen--spontaneous, irreverent, and incredibly passionate about how each of us can participate in the unfolding of human consciousness. Through over 12 hours of revelatory insights, "Kosmic Consciousness explores: The integral map of the "Kosmos (the universe that includes the physical cosmos as well as the realms of consciousness and Spirit) - The pursuit of the Good, the True, and the Beautiful - Discovering your "multiple intelligences" - Using altered states - Male and female sexuality - How meditation accelerates personal growth - Prayer, does it work? - Integral perspectives on individuals spanning Jung to Piaget, Baryshnikov to Nietzsche, Jesus to the Buddha, and much more. For Ken Wilber's many avid readers--and those who have been waiting for a highly accessible invitation to his work--here is one of the most creative and significant thinkers of our time offering a feast of ideas and inspiration on our evolution toward "Kosmic Consciousness.

A Brief History of Everything
by Ken Wilber

Wilber examines the course of evolution as the unfolding manifestation of Spirit, from matter to life to mind, including the higher stages of spiritual development where Spirit becomes conscious of itself. In each of these domains, there are recurring patterns, and by looking closely at them, we can learn much about the predicament of our world--and the direction we must take if "global transformation" is to become a reality. Wilber offers a series of striking and original views on many topics of current interest and controversy, including the gender wars, modern liberation movements, multiculturalism, ecology and environmental ethics, and the conflict between this-worldly and otherworldly approaches to spirituality. The result is an extraordinary and exhilarating ride through the Kosmos in the company of one of the great thinkers of our time.

Permaculture: Principles & Pathways Beyond Sustainability(Trade Paperback)
by David Holmgren

David Holmgren brings into sharper focus the powerful Permaculture concept be pioneered with Bill Mollison in the 1970's drawing together 25 years worth of ideas into twelve simple design principles.

Your Money or Your Life: Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence(Trade Paperback)
by Joe Dominguez, Joseph R., and Vicki Robin

In times like these, it's more important than ever to know the difference between making a living and making a life. Your Money or Your Life is even more relevant today than it was when the book first hit the stands.

Transforming Your Relationship with Money(Compact Disc)
by Joe Dominguez

Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life: Create Your Life, Your Relationships, and Your World in Harmony with Your Values(Trade Paperback)
by Marshall Rosenberg

Do you hunger for skills to improve the quality of your relationships, to deepen your sense of personal empowerment or to simply communicate more effectively? Unfortunately, for centuries our culture has taught us to think and speak in ways that can actually perpetuate conflict, internal pain and even violence. Nonviolent Communication partners practical skills with a powerful consciousness and vocabulary to help you get what you want peacefully.
In this internationally acclaimed text, Marshall Rosenberg offers insightful stories, anecdotes, practical exercises and role-plays that will dramatically change your approach to communication for the better. Discover how the language you use can strengthen your relationships, build trust, prevent conflicts and heal pain. Revolutionary, yet simple, NVC offers you the most effective tools to reduce violence and create peace in your life--one interaction at a time.
Over 150,000 copies sold and now available in 20 languages around the world. More than 250,000 people each year from all walks of life are learning these life-changing skills.

We Can Work It Out: Resolving Conflicts Peacefully and Powerfully
(Nonviolent Communication Guides)(Trade Paperback)
by Marshall Rosenberg

The tenets of "Nonviolent Communication are applied to a variety of settings, including the classroom and the home, in these booklets on how to resolve conflict peacefully. Illustrative exercises, sample stories, and role-playing activities offer the opportunity for self-evaluation, discovery, and application.
Applying the Nonviolent Communication (NVe process to conflict resolution inspires peaceful collaboration by focusing on the unmet needs that lie at the root of any given conflict. Practical techniques help mediators and participants to find the heart of the conflict and use genuine cooperation to reach resolutions that meet everyone's needs.

The Heart of Social Change: How to Make a Difference in Your World
(Nonviolent Communication Guides)(Trade Paperback)
by Marshall Rosenberg

The tenets of "Nonviolent Communication" are applied to a variety of settings, including the classroom and the home, in these booklets on how to resolve conflict peacefully. Illustrative exercises, sample stories, and role-playing activities offer the opportunity for self-evaluation, discovery, and application. This insightful perspective on effective social change is illustrated with how-to examples.