Solviva: How to grow $500,000 on one acre, and Peace on Earth

by Anna Edey

This book is about one woman's vision and commitment to learning to live sustainably and in harmony with life on Earth. Since 1976 Anna Edey has made one astonishing discovery after another, developing methods of sustainable living under the name Solviva Solar-Dynamic, Bio-Benign Design. The results of her experiments and methods have again and again exceeded highest hopes and expectations. Solviva describes the exciting trials and triumphs of her journey and offers convincing proof that we can, with today's technology and knowledge, live in ways that reduce pollution and depletion of resources by 80 percent or more, and at the same time reduce the cost of living and improve the quality of life in urban and rural locations. Solviva contains 155 color illustrations and detailed instructions and recommendations to help others along their own journeys toward living sustainably.

Genres: Nonfiction, Gardening, Agriculture

232 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1998

Reviews

[Moonlit M · Rating 5 out of 5]

enlightening!!!!! will explain everything

[M D · Rating 4 out of 5]

It has some great ideas about sustainable greenhouses that are more and more relevant everyday.

If you can get over the "caped crusader/save the world" bits--she can get a bit preachy at times, but in a sincere sort of way--there are some solid principles and brilliant ideas.

[Scott Lupo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, entertaining, and informative book that outlines the journey of the author to create a living space that is earth-conscious. Very inspiring indeed. It makes me want to quit what I'm doing right now and get to work on a homestead that incorporates all the ideas in this book.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

She has some great ideas and glad I read this tho it is dated a bit. Read recently she sold the property probably due to her age.

[Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anna Edey writes in an accessible, friendly way about issues that concern anyone who has a mind for the future. She writes about her experience creating the "Solviva Farm," where tomatoes and lettuce grow all year round in a gigantic greenhouse, their energy comes from the sun and from the warmth of the animals, and human wastes are safely digested by plants and earthworms, all while improving upon comfort, convenience, efficiency, and capital. It is a story about what's possible today once we choose to make a change.

I found the story and descriptions (and included illustrations) to be delightful, and the book doubles as a how-to for serious gardeners and green-thinkers. The extras and unessential details are mostly toward the back of the book.

Favorite parts:
Comparison of possible world energy sources, their feasibility and real costs.
A simple system for household heating made of glass over a black surface, with a fan.
The description of a composting flush toilet. (The book hits hard on the high nitrogen pollution of most modern sewage systems.)

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book about how to integrate productive plant life directly into our living spaces. This book primarily discusses the author's year-round partially house-integrated salad farming operation on Martha's Vineyard. She talks about some of the difficulties in creating a balanced ecosystem that can produce food year-round through the harsh winters on the Vineyard. Another common theme in this book is that we could produce much more food and have healthier living spaces if greenhouses were incorporated into more buildings. While this may be true, designing buildings with incorporated greenhouses is not trivial and several volumes can probably be written on this topic alone. Peace on Earth is a noble concept but living in harmony with more plants in our buildings is probably not going to get us there. All that being said, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone considering designing a new home.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, a must read in order to save this insanity we call civilization.

I usually don't buy books, but I bought this one so that my kiddos will read it. This type of materials should be standard in our education system.

What a great example of how to be a leader and change the world by being the change you want to see. I hope to some day be as aspiring as Anna.

[Willow · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my most favorite earth/growing books! Anna has so many excellent ideas on how to use the sun's energy to create a better environment and what it would look like if communities started to use it.

[Jen Lighty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually cried a lot when I read this book! I was so moved by what Anna Eadey created and long so much to live the way she does. A heroine of mine.

[Darryl]

check out her greening models with old & new technologies

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book on growing our food in a good way and caring for our earth at the same time. Deep (as opposed to casual) reading.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book. Just amazing how you can grow so much and live SOOOOO sustainably and simply and live with all the amenities with simple, low-tech materials.