Intentional Communities Newsletter: September 12, 2009

There are two aspects to this book. One is a thoughtful economic analysis and a practical way of dealing with diminishing energy sources. If, as the author claims, alternative energy sources will not make up for dwindling use of fossil fuels (Plan B), then it makes sense that we can no longer live in sprawling suburbs and commute large distances to work. We will have to spend more time living, working and playing near home and will have to relinquish some of our more costly consumer toys.

The other aspect of the book is a critique of our current consumption oriented society. I should say that emotionally I am totally in agreement with what the author says, but some may feel otherwise. The book says that there is something wrong with a stressful and competitive society where people do not know their neighbors and spend inordinate amounts of time engaged with electronic devices of one sort or another. Although the book stops short of explicitly saying it, one gets the feeling that, to the author, the coming downshift in resources is something of a blessing in disguise that will return us to community living where people spend time with and look out for the interests of their neighbors.

Pat Murphy, who is the Executive Director of Community Solutions and the co-author and co-producer of the documentary The Power of Community, goes a long way in this book toward providing ideas and resources for those who see a renewal of community as a necessity in both the present and the future. Highly recommended.

This month we are also featuring special sale prices on the following two titles:

Ecological Design And Building Schools: Green Guide to Educational
Opportunities in the United States and Canada
by Sandra Leibowitz Earley
2005; 160 pages; 10" x 6.5"; paperback; ISBN: 0-97660-541-4

Ecological Design and Building Schools offers a current and comprehensive resource covering the scope of offerings available for those wanting to further their education in the areas of natural and green building. It covers every type of course from hands on workshops to more formal college and university programs.

This well-organized book fills a real need for those with a serious interest in natural building. It is an excellent guidebook to workshops, programs and schools that offer training for those wanting to build using ecological methods. It is helpful whether one is curious about the subject, an owner-builder, community member, or someone interested in pursuing a career path. It is also an excellent resource for those teaching such courses as well as potential students, helping to provide context for current developments. The author provides a comprehensive recent history of this developing field and offers insights into its future.

Regular price $20.00    Special price $13.00

The End Of Oil: On the Edge of a Perilous New World
by Paul Roberts
2005; 416 pages; 5.5" x 8.25", paperback; ISBN: 0618562117

In this frank and balanced book, the author delves deeply into the economics and politic s of oil and the effect they have on all of us and our future. He considers in a clear-eyed manner the potential of alternative energy systems such as wind power, hybrid cars and hydrogen. Brisk, immediate and accessible, this is essential reading for anyone who uses oil, which is to say every one of us.

The End of Oil centers around one primary fact: the global supply of oil is being depleted at an accelerating rate. Precisely how much accessible oil remains is debatable, but even conservative estimates lean more toward decades rather than centuries. Which energy sources will replace oil, who will control them and how disruptive the transition from one system to the next will be are just a few of the big questions that Paul Roberts attempts to answer in this timely book. No one book can cover every aspect of this complex subject, but the End of Oil is a remarkably informative and balanced introduction for those wanting to know the story behind the headlines.

Regular price $15.00    Special price $11.00

A Brief Personal Note:

This is my last monthly review for the FIC email newsletter. I am stepping down this month as the manager of Community Bookshelf and from the other areas I work in at the Fellowship for Intentional Community business office in Missouri.

It has been a lot of fun the past four years managing the bookstore and I have enjoyed being able to provide a great selection of titles for your consideration as readers of the newsletter. I look forward myself to reading future reviews of good books and lots of of FIC news when I get my own copy each week.

My special thanks to McCune Porter, the editor of the FIC online news,
Catherine Nicosia

S/H prices shown are for Standard Mail postal delivery within US.

  Community Bookshelf
  RR 1 Box 156
  Rutledge MO 63563 
  800-995-8342
 
Shop online for lower shipping rates, more shipping options, and more sale items.

Information, catalog, ordering
http://store.ic.org/bookshelf