Posts Tagged ‘book’
Thinking In Systems: A Primer
Posted in Movements by Kate Archdeacon on November 19th, 2009
From “Straight Talk for the Planetary Era: A Trio of Book Reviews” by Edward Wolf
Thinking in Systems reflects Prof. Donella Meadows’ lifelong effort to understand systems at all scales – their resilience, their pathologies, their response to perturbations, their capacity to defy prediction. “A system,” Meadows writes, “is a set of things – people, cells, molecules, or whatever – interconnected in such a way that they produce their own pattern of behavior over time.” Systems thinking can reveal interconnections, explain behavior, and anticipate outcomes. Changing outcomes – slowing climate disruption, spreading new crop varieties, containing an epidemic – requires action to change a system’s elements, the interconnections among them, or (more likely) both. A reader seeking to understand the anomalies of our time and to prepare mentally for the likelihood of disruptive change needs this book.
The book’s final section, “Creating Change – in Systems and in our Philosophy,” sheds welcome light on topics covered in The End of the Long Summer and Whole Earth Discipline. Chapter 6, “Leverage Points – Places to Intervene in a System” (first published in essay form in Brand’s Whole Earth Review) outlines twelve points of influence over the behavior of complex systems. Chapter 7, “Living in a World of Systems,” takes a step toward an ethics for a new human story, offering a humble acknowledgment that the systems view entails new responsibilities exercised in unfamiliar ways.
“Systems thinking by itself cannot bridge that gap (between understanding and action), but it can lead us to the edge of what analysis can do and then point beyond – to what can and must be done by the human spirit.” Just past that edge is where the activism, politics, diplomacy – and innovation – of this century really begins.
Read the full article by Edward Wolf.
REVIEW: Challenging “politics as usual” – Climate Code Red
Posted in Research by Ferne Edwards on November 19th, 2008
This review was recently published on Australian Policy Online. To see the original document visit REVIEW: Challenging “politics as usual” .
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Climate Code Red: The Case for Emergency Action |
SEEKING: BOOKSHOP VOLUNTEERS
Posted in Seeking by foemelb on September 1st, 2008
Friends of the Earth Melbourne is currently seeking weekday volunteers for the Bookshop Collective.
*Are you a retiree, part-time worker, unemployed or a student?
*Do you want to help promote environmentally sustainable and ethically made products?
*Do you have experience or are you looking for experience in a retail environment?
We are currently seeking volunteers for Monday – Friday shifts
if interested, stop by the shop to fill out an application at:
312 Smith Street, Collingwood
~or contact~
(03) 9417 4564 bookshop@foe.org.au
(and ask to speak with Sarah or Meagen)
* * * * *
View Volunteer Ad Poster
* * * * *
The bookshop is run by volunteers, and there are two volunteer shifts each day:
10am-2pm, and 2pm-6pm Monday to Friday, and 10am-1pm and 1pm-4pm on Saturdays.
(currently we are only seeking volunteers for Monday through Friday shifts)
About the Volunteer Position:
In this volunteer position, you will be supporting an internationally known grassroots organization
by selling environmentally sustainable and ethically made products and by providing friendly customer
service to the Melbourne community.
During your 4 hour morning or afternoon shift, duties will include (but are not limited to), operational
activities in the bookshop such as: sorting and displaying stock, housekeeping, some light computer work,
customer service & sales and assisting the food co-op with minor cleaning tasks. Training will be provided.
Skills and Experience:
Required:
Good computer skills (email checking, entering stock, etc.)
Good customer service skills
Desired/Preferred:
Previous retail experience
Knowledge of Friends of the Earth campaigns and collectives
Benefits of Volunteering with Friends of the Earth:
Complimentary organic, vegetarian lunch on the day of your shift
10% bookshop discount
Knowing that you are helping a progressive grassroots organization achieve its goals.
“The Conscious Cook” cookbook by Giselle Wilkinson
Posted in Models by Ferne Edwards on April 3rd, 2008
“The Conscious Cook” is a cookbook written by Giselle Wilkinson which takes us on a journey into the breadth of food-associated issues, helping to connect the issues and demonstrate the complexity of sustainability and the simplicity of many of the actions involved in achieving it. As remarked on the website, http://consciouscook.org/, Wilkinson’s recipe book “is completely different from other cookbooks. It looks at food, not only from the point of health and taste, but also through the lens of the global sustainability movement working to reduce our impact on our very stressed planet. The Conscious Cook raises awareness of the interconnections that link human health and wellbeing with that of the health of the planet”.
For more information about this book and how to buy a copy visit http://consciouscook.org/.
‘Water Not Down the Drain’ book by the ATA
Posted in Models by Ferne Edwards on January 11th, 2008
Although Christmas is over a book that provides a guide to using rainwater and greywater at home is a good gift all round – especially in our drought-stricken climate. This book recently released by the Alternative Technology Association (ATA) has over 150 pages of comprehensive information and diagrams on how you can sustainably use water around the home.
Topics include:
* Choosing rainwater tanks and harvesting rainwater
* Supplying rainwater to the house and garden
* Setting up a greywater diversion system for the garden
* Greywater treatment systems for the house and gardens
* Health and environmental concerns with greywater
* Creating a raingarden to capture stormwater
* Cutting greenhouse emissions while saving water
The author, Stuart McQuire, has reduced his familys mains water use by 96%, using just two and a half buckets of mains water per day, but still has a thriving garden full of fresh produce.
Published by the Alternative Technology Association and supported by the Smart Water Fund. To find out how to get a copy visit the ATA website at http://www.ata.org.au/home-page-items/new-book-from-ata-water-not-down-the-drain/.
