What do you think?
Rate this book
Healing Earth: An Ecologist's Journey of Innovation and Environmental Stewardship
A true pioneer and respected elder in ecological recovery and sustainability shares effective solutions he has designed and implemented.A stand-out from the sea of despairing messages about climate change, well-known sustainability elder John Todd, who has taught, mentored, and inspired such well-known names in the field as Janine Benyus, Bill McKibben, and Paul Hawken, chronicles the different ecological interventions he has created over the course of his career. Each chapter offers a workable engineering solution to an existing environmental healing the aftermath of mountain-top removal and valley-fill coal mining in Appalachia, using windmills and injections of bacteria to restore the health of a polluted New England pond, working with community members in a South African village to protect an important river. A mix of both success stories and concrete suggestions for solutions to tackle as yet unresolved issues, Todd's narrative provides an important addition to the conversation about specific ways we can address the planetary crisis. Eighty-five color photos and images illustrate Todd's concepts. This is a refreshingly hopeful, proactive book and also a personal story that covers a known practitioner's groundbreaking career.
177 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 29, 2019
33 people are currently reading
1232 people want to read
About the author
John Todd
1 book12 followersOne of the pioneers in ecological design, John Todd has been active in shaping the discipline for over forty years. He has taught, mentored, and inspired such well-known names in the field as Janine Benyus, Bill McKibben, and Paul Hawken.
He has been named with his wife Nancy Jack Todd as a Visionary of the 20th Century by the British organization, Resurgence, and has been featured in "The Genius Issue" of Esquire Magazine. Dr. Todd was named one of the 20th Century's top thirty-five inventors by the Lemelson-MIT Program for Invention and Innovation.
In 2010 his Eco-Machine, at the Center for Sustainable Living, the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY, was recognized as a significant design breakthrough by the Smithsonian Institution. The drawings and film of the project were displayed in the Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt Museum of Design in NYC.
Co-founder of the New Alchemy Institute in 1969, Todd is now founder and president of John Todd Ecological Design, and president of Ocean Arks International, an NGO dedicated to publishing, and to healing the inshore oceans.
Dr. Todd is widely published and is the author of over two hundred scientific, technical, and popular articles. He is the author or co-author of seven books, including North Atlantic Books' From Ecocities to Living Machine. He is the inventor of Eco-Machines (TM) and holds five patents. His passion and his work revolve around the broad field of planetary healing and regeneration.
He is an Emeritus Research Professor and Distinguished Lecturer at the University of Vermont, and a Fellow at the Gund Institute for Ecological Economics. He holds a bachelor's degree in agriculture and a master's degree in parasitology from McGill University and a doctorate in fisheries and oceanography from the University of Michigan. He has also received two honorary doctorates.
He has been named with his wife Nancy Jack Todd as a Visionary of the 20th Century by the British organization, Resurgence, and has been featured in "The Genius Issue" of Esquire Magazine. Dr. Todd was named one of the 20th Century's top thirty-five inventors by the Lemelson-MIT Program for Invention and Innovation.
In 2010 his Eco-Machine, at the Center for Sustainable Living, the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY, was recognized as a significant design breakthrough by the Smithsonian Institution. The drawings and film of the project were displayed in the Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt Museum of Design in NYC.
Co-founder of the New Alchemy Institute in 1969, Todd is now founder and president of John Todd Ecological Design, and president of Ocean Arks International, an NGO dedicated to publishing, and to healing the inshore oceans.
Dr. Todd is widely published and is the author of over two hundred scientific, technical, and popular articles. He is the author or co-author of seven books, including North Atlantic Books' From Ecocities to Living Machine. He is the inventor of Eco-Machines (TM) and holds five patents. His passion and his work revolve around the broad field of planetary healing and regeneration.
He is an Emeritus Research Professor and Distinguished Lecturer at the University of Vermont, and a Fellow at the Gund Institute for Ecological Economics. He holds a bachelor's degree in agriculture and a master's degree in parasitology from McGill University and a doctorate in fisheries and oceanography from the University of Michigan. He has also received two honorary doctorates.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
physical_to-read_stack
January 12, 2019I received my copy free through Goodreads Giveaways.
January 13, 2019
Received as a GoodReads giveaway. Total layperson's view here - I'm a concerned citizen with no special biological or environmental background. I found the book pretty easy to read, and the many photos and illustrations were very helpful. I was impressed by the range of situations and solutions that were covered, but I admit I skimmed through many of the details. For me, it was a little overwhelming.
January 25, 2019
I won this book. Thank you so much. I probably would not have read this book any other way. But, oh wow, we should all be reading and learning from this. I want to stand on the highest hill and yell. WHY AREN'T WE DOING THIS? The possibilities are unimaginable. Thank you, John Todd, for spending your life taking this journey.
January 12, 2019
This book chronicles different interventions concerning the environment and how to heal our surroundings. The author faces environmental changes realistically, through details like reminiscing about a whip-poor-will that used to frequent his home and disappeared. There are images throughout to illustrate such fascinating topics as aquaculture eco-machines. Having studied environmental science and biology when I was younger, I was afraid to read much more about environmental concerns, since so much of the information about environmental change is dismal and depressing. This book, however, was one of optimism and renewed hope in how changing the world, environmentally, is not just a hypothetical or impossibility. I absolutely recommend this book to everyone. It is well-written and clear, while also being understandable to those of us who are not scientists.
January 12, 2019
So many books about the state of the environment are depressing. They tell us about what it once was and describes the destruction that has taken place. Fortunately, Healing Earth: An Ecologist's Journey of Innovation and Environmental Stewardship has a more optimistic feel. John Todd describes specific environmental problems and outlines his detailed techniques to remediate the land. I’m impressed with his multiple kingdom approach to solving biological challenges. After all, ecosystems are interdependent so why shouldn’t the solutions be interdependent as well.
I do have some questions after reading the book. It wasn’t always clear if native or exotic species were used in the eco-machine designs. Using exotic species will likely add challenges. Were the toxins metabolized during the process or stored in the biomass? Are those plants and fish truly safe to eat? When re-greening the desert, how are the plants able to get enough water after the domes are removed? There were also a few places where I expected to see citations, but did not. Finally, where did the money come from to support these projects?
Overall, I enjoyed the book. I feel more optimistic about the future of our planet. I am grateful to know that people are working on designs to fix environmental damage.
I received a copy of this book from a goodreads giveaway.
I do have some questions after reading the book. It wasn’t always clear if native or exotic species were used in the eco-machine designs. Using exotic species will likely add challenges. Were the toxins metabolized during the process or stored in the biomass? Are those plants and fish truly safe to eat? When re-greening the desert, how are the plants able to get enough water after the domes are removed? There were also a few places where I expected to see citations, but did not. Finally, where did the money come from to support these projects?
Overall, I enjoyed the book. I feel more optimistic about the future of our planet. I am grateful to know that people are working on designs to fix environmental damage.
I received a copy of this book from a goodreads giveaway.
May 16, 2020
My fear diving into a booking discussing the current state of the environment is the typical depressing tone the author takes. This is not the case with John Todd. Using a variety of case studies, located all over the globe, John explains the methodology behind eco machines and other sustainable technologies in layman terms. The illustrations provide amazing visual representations of his ideas and he's able to bring personal connection into the chapters without taking away from the scientific basis of the book. Overall, it was refreshing to read about feasible solutions to some of the environmental challenges we are currently facing.
March 19, 2019
John Todd, author of Healing Earth: An Ecologist’s Journey of Innovation and Environmental Stewardship (Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books, 2019 ISBN 9781623172985) (https://www.northatlanticbooks.com/sh...), has spent his professional life building living technologies, eco-machines and eco-restorers, biological systems which "contain representative species from all the kingdoms of life ranging from bacteria and viruses at the lower end of the size scale to fungi, animals, and woody plants at the macro scale. Working together as a biological team, these assemblages of organisms help us transform polluted water into clean water. In return, we provide them with extra air and water circulation as well as appropriate substrates to live on or in.” He works on the basis of “that which has been damaged can be healed” and “do good things in bad places,” showing that the field of applied ecology is practical and can solve problems, exploring the myriad ways that informed stewardship can help heal and transform the Earth.
He started with a greenhouse full of transparent water tanks for the treatment of septage in Harwich, MA in the 1980s and, “more by accident than design,” included representative species of all the kingdoms of life in the system. Over years of experimentation, he learned "that a diversity of organisms from a variety of parent ecosystems could produce systems with a meta-intelligence that had a highly specific ability to self-organize, self-design, and self-replicate. They were capable, in fact, of surviving through long periods of times, possibly centuries, with minimal human support.”
His installations are ecologically engineered, "they are designed with the attributes of natural ecosystems like marshes, ponds, and streams,” borrowing their designs, life forms, and progressions from natural ecosystems. For John Todd "natural history is not an old-fashioned form of knowing; it comprises the narratives of living entities that provide the alphabet of the design vocabulary.”
In this book, he provides a pattern language, the human grammar for that design vocabulary, a baker’s dozen of design principles for constructing living technologies and eco-machines based upon his decades of experience with projects that treat sewage, septage, petroleum wastes and other toxics, producing improved water quality at both household and community scales.
Todd considers such individual projects as First Order Ecological Design, techniques and technologies applied to the landscape. Second Order Design is the linking together of processes and practices into new associations and entities, industrial ecologies and agricultural eco-parks for example. Third Order Ecological Design addresses larger economic and social structures and their evolution over time. He writes, "It is my belief that durable and sustainable economies, in an age of resource limits and information richness, can replace the extractive and environmentally destructive technologies and infrastructures of today.” For an example of a Third Order Ecological Design see John Todd’s ecological plan for Appalachia, the winner of the first Buckminster Fuller Challenge Award at https://www.bfi.org/ideaindex/project...
In Healing Earth, John Todd has given us practical, working examples of how to think like nature itself, in ever expanding systems which repair the damage we homo sap sap (the sap) have already done. We must learn to live in our ecological niche or risk extinction. John Todd’s report of his lifetime of observation and experimentation teaches us not only how to live within that niche but expand it.
Projects from Todd Ecological
http://www.toddecological.com/index.p...
Providence, RI living machine treating sewage and septage with ecological systems design and without chemicals (1990)
https://youtu.be/wC-uqy2qJH0
Canal Restorer to River Restorer (2013)
https://solarray.blogspot.com/2013/09...
Gaian Design of Ecological Alchemy: notes from A Safe, Sustainable World (2005)
http://solarray.blogspot.com/2005/05/...
He started with a greenhouse full of transparent water tanks for the treatment of septage in Harwich, MA in the 1980s and, “more by accident than design,” included representative species of all the kingdoms of life in the system. Over years of experimentation, he learned "that a diversity of organisms from a variety of parent ecosystems could produce systems with a meta-intelligence that had a highly specific ability to self-organize, self-design, and self-replicate. They were capable, in fact, of surviving through long periods of times, possibly centuries, with minimal human support.”
His installations are ecologically engineered, "they are designed with the attributes of natural ecosystems like marshes, ponds, and streams,” borrowing their designs, life forms, and progressions from natural ecosystems. For John Todd "natural history is not an old-fashioned form of knowing; it comprises the narratives of living entities that provide the alphabet of the design vocabulary.”
In this book, he provides a pattern language, the human grammar for that design vocabulary, a baker’s dozen of design principles for constructing living technologies and eco-machines based upon his decades of experience with projects that treat sewage, septage, petroleum wastes and other toxics, producing improved water quality at both household and community scales.
Todd considers such individual projects as First Order Ecological Design, techniques and technologies applied to the landscape. Second Order Design is the linking together of processes and practices into new associations and entities, industrial ecologies and agricultural eco-parks for example. Third Order Ecological Design addresses larger economic and social structures and their evolution over time. He writes, "It is my belief that durable and sustainable economies, in an age of resource limits and information richness, can replace the extractive and environmentally destructive technologies and infrastructures of today.” For an example of a Third Order Ecological Design see John Todd’s ecological plan for Appalachia, the winner of the first Buckminster Fuller Challenge Award at https://www.bfi.org/ideaindex/project...
In Healing Earth, John Todd has given us practical, working examples of how to think like nature itself, in ever expanding systems which repair the damage we homo sap sap (the sap) have already done. We must learn to live in our ecological niche or risk extinction. John Todd’s report of his lifetime of observation and experimentation teaches us not only how to live within that niche but expand it.
Projects from Todd Ecological
http://www.toddecological.com/index.p...
Providence, RI living machine treating sewage and septage with ecological systems design and without chemicals (1990)
https://youtu.be/wC-uqy2qJH0
Canal Restorer to River Restorer (2013)
https://solarray.blogspot.com/2013/09...
Gaian Design of Ecological Alchemy: notes from A Safe, Sustainable World (2005)
http://solarray.blogspot.com/2005/05/...
March 6, 2019
*I received this book as a Goodreads Giveaway*
In his book Healing Earth: An Ecologist's Journey of Innovation and Environmental Stewardship, John Todd discusses the history of eco-machines and other technologies used to clean up pollutants from water and the Earth. Inspiration for these "machines" and technologies are based off of nature and ecosystems. Todd shares his and others developments and contributions to the restoration of the Earth. This book has a very positive message while not blaming a specific group of people or place for the Earth's pollution.
To be honest I would not have read this book if I hadn't received it as a giveaway. I will say that it is well written and organized, and is incredibly optimistic for the future of the Earth. At times it was hard to determine Todd's audience. Was this meant for the general public or for other scientists who share the field? I would've appreciated a more conclusive section or chapter to thoroughly wrap up Todd's ideas. Some application for the general reader (non-scientists) would've been appreciated as well.
I could see this book (or chapters) being used in secondary science classes to go along with a unit on restoring the Earth to a healthy state.
In his book Healing Earth: An Ecologist's Journey of Innovation and Environmental Stewardship, John Todd discusses the history of eco-machines and other technologies used to clean up pollutants from water and the Earth. Inspiration for these "machines" and technologies are based off of nature and ecosystems. Todd shares his and others developments and contributions to the restoration of the Earth. This book has a very positive message while not blaming a specific group of people or place for the Earth's pollution.
To be honest I would not have read this book if I hadn't received it as a giveaway. I will say that it is well written and organized, and is incredibly optimistic for the future of the Earth. At times it was hard to determine Todd's audience. Was this meant for the general public or for other scientists who share the field? I would've appreciated a more conclusive section or chapter to thoroughly wrap up Todd's ideas. Some application for the general reader (non-scientists) would've been appreciated as well.
I could see this book (or chapters) being used in secondary science classes to go along with a unit on restoring the Earth to a healthy state.
February 16, 2021
Restoration ecology is to me, a necessary complement to traditional conservation of wildlife and wildlands. Conservation is about preventing things from getting worse, and is absolutely essential. Restoration ecology might be more inspiring, though; it’s about putting human creativity and our understanding of ecology to use, not just to mitigate harm, but to make things better.
John Todd is a seminal figure in this field. I’ve come across his name in many previous books, but this was my first time hearing about his designs firsthand. In plainspoken language and attractive diagrams, Todd describes his functioning projects and conceptual designs in several areas of restoration ecology, largely focused on improving water quality through ecological treatment, and improving the productivity of degraded terrestrial areas, primarily through soil building. On the latter subject, I highly recommend watching the John Liu documentary “Green Gold” (on YouTube) that Todd mentions as well. I would have liked more details on the ecology and chemistry that makes some of Todd’s projects work, but this book is a great read that will hopefully inspire the next generation of ecological designers.
John Todd is a seminal figure in this field. I’ve come across his name in many previous books, but this was my first time hearing about his designs firsthand. In plainspoken language and attractive diagrams, Todd describes his functioning projects and conceptual designs in several areas of restoration ecology, largely focused on improving water quality through ecological treatment, and improving the productivity of degraded terrestrial areas, primarily through soil building. On the latter subject, I highly recommend watching the John Liu documentary “Green Gold” (on YouTube) that Todd mentions as well. I would have liked more details on the ecology and chemistry that makes some of Todd’s projects work, but this book is a great read that will hopefully inspire the next generation of ecological designers.
April 8, 2019
I received this book through a Goodreads giveaway! This is not the type of book I would typically pick up and read but when I received it I was intrigued. And this was an eye-opening experience. This book not only outlines the ecological issues in our environment worldwide but offers the solutions on how to fix them. John Todd has innovative plans and ideas to bring back a solid and stable environment in so many ways. He is offering leveled plans and shows the succession of those plans throughout the entire book. Along with great writing he provides color photos and drawings showing what can be done and what to expect from the outcome.
February 21, 2019
Healing Earth: An Ecologist's Journey of Innovation and Environmental Stewardship
by John Todd, and is illustrated by Matt Beam is an unusual book. John Todd gives solution to the problems. He explains things in such a way as a novice can understand. This is well written.
I received a copy thru a Goodreads Giveaway.
by John Todd, and is illustrated by Matt Beam is an unusual book. John Todd gives solution to the problems. He explains things in such a way as a novice can understand. This is well written.
I received a copy thru a Goodreads Giveaway.
October 7, 2019
Incredibly inspiring book by John Todd, ecologist, biologist, inventor and all around genius. He writes about his eco-machines, which are plant and animal (microbes, small invertebrates, small fish and mollusks) that remediate polluted waters. He writes about clean energy boats he has built and projects he has done around the world. Fascinating work!
February 3, 2020
Found this book to be remarkably fascinating. John Todd provides a wide range of "eco-machine" solutions to environmental degradation, from small scale ponds, to country size swaths of land. The inclusion of illustrations and simple explanations of how these restoration processes function made it nearly impossible for me to put down.
May 2, 2020
This is a lovely, easy book which is full of hope and possibility for our world. John talks about projects he's worked on around the world which helped reduce pollution and heal ecosystems.
If you want a practical, feel good book which can inspire you about how much *can* be done to help regenerate our planet's ecosystems ... this is a good choice.
If you want a practical, feel good book which can inspire you about how much *can* be done to help regenerate our planet's ecosystems ... this is a good choice.
July 20, 2020
This is the perfect book for the right audience. Those who are seriously interested in knowing how to heal our broken terra firma after being ravaged by "progress" will appreciate the various approaches to turning barren, poisoned land into healthy land. There is a bit of science involved. I am betting that my watershed friends will embrace this book.
August 25, 2020
Many examples (case studies) of
(a) how to use natural systems combined into 'living machines' to clear out polluted waters, and
(b) how to convert wasteland into healthy ecosystems using natural soil restoration processed.
Easy enough to read for a layman; not much technical knowledge required, just enthusiasm to learn about making a cleaner earth.
(a) how to use natural systems combined into 'living machines' to clear out polluted waters, and
(b) how to convert wasteland into healthy ecosystems using natural soil restoration processed.
Easy enough to read for a layman; not much technical knowledge required, just enthusiasm to learn about making a cleaner earth.
Read
August 20, 2021A wonderful and optimistic exploration of how humans and plants can work together to help heal Earth. I loved the combination of past and future project plans, the illustrations and photos, and all the advice on how to design ecomachines. I loved the combined focus on both ecological and humanitarian improvement.
March 2, 2019
This book was a Best of the Best for the month of March, 2019, as selected by Stevo's Book Reviews on the Internet. http://forums.delphiforums.com/stevo1.... Search for me on Google for many more reviews and recommendations.
May 4, 2022
I enjoyed reading this book. John Todd has come up with a way to clean up our waterways using real plants and animals. It is brilliant. I loved learning about his great ideas. It was very interesting.
Thank you to John Todd and Goodreads for this book.
Thank you to John Todd and Goodreads for this book.
February 21, 2019
Great book
September 16, 2019
We need more solutions like this
March 27, 2021
Brilliant! Inspiring solution driven possibilities. Accessible and engaging.
July 15, 2021
Excellent ideas for treating water and bettering the environment
March 28, 2019
Such an important topic to consider.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews