Green Group discussion

Although, The Green group has a book club with books' choices, readings and discussions voted at the seasonal's polls, Sustainable, Eco-friendly Literature and Science (Environmental Science, Life Science, Natural history and their subdisciplines- ecology, climate change,biology, molecular biology, biodiversity, botany, ...) propose a large choices of books. I read three or four books a time and I'm currently reading The Emerald Planet: How Plants Changed Earth's History which is a georgeous book about plants and the fantastically complex way they can be used to deduce past climatic events. The evolution of plants is an important chapter of the history of life.

We have also different themes developed in the group, like Food/Nutrition, Energy, Water, Gardening... I'm really interested to read the members' books choices. Have you some good books to propose in these differents themes for our general book club?

The Real Global Warming Disaster: Is the Obsession with "Climate Change" Turning Out to Be the Most Costly Scientific Blunder in History? I know I shouldn't be reading this, but I want to get a handle on both sides of the argument. I want to know the pros and cons. Previously I read Jim Hansens book so trust me I mean to get both sides !!

Thanks for your post, Jason. I'm looking forward to read your arguments and comments about The Real Global Warming Disaster: Is the Obsession with "Climate Change" Turning Out to Be the Most Costly Scientific Blunder in History? when we will start the discussion and debate about climate change with Michael Crichton's book State of Fear. In a few days!

I'm on the last chapter of Life in the Undergrowth by David Attenborough, who is a childhood hero of mine!

Could you tell us more about Life in the Undergrowth, Larry, its plot, characters? Is it a fiction or non-fiction's book? Who's the hero of this story? Which genre of Environmental Literature is it? Can you tell us more about the author, too?

Well if you click on the picture it will tell you more but basically it is a non fiction about the natural history of the little creatures we share our world with. Bugs,spiders,snails,butterflies,that kind of thing and how they interact with their environment.

Thanks Larry, I'll do it. Why do you like this book ?

Michelle wrote: "Thanks Larry, I'll do it. Why do you like this book ?"
Well I love natural history books and David Attenborough is very good at presenting the ideas in his books. I have all his books and he defined natural history programmes on TV

Larry wrote: "Michelle wrote: "Thanks Larry, I'll do it. Why do you like this book ?"
Well I love natural history books and David Attenborough is very good at presenting the ideas in his books. I have all his bo..."

I have read the summary of Life in the Undergrowth . This book is a great recommendation on natural history. Will you recommend it for the summer book club? Have you other David Attenborough books' recommendations and readings for us?

Here's a link from BBC TV to explore David Attenborough's extraordinary career, from his passion for fossils to his amazing contribution to natural history film-making.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/programme...

Yes I have been a fan of Mr Attenborough since I was a young boy,and have all his books,two of which are signed copies. As for recommendations well that is tricky,as he has a book on every subject of natural history. If you are interested in birds then there is his book Life of Birds. If like me you love plants then read his Private Life of Plants. Likewise for Mammals, Reptiles, The North and South Poles and the Oceans. He has covered every aspect of natural history! His groundbreaking book though is Life on Earth (1979) , the first book to chronicle the history of life on our planet and like all his books it accompanies an equally groundbreaking TV series.
The man is in his 80s and still he does what he does. Mr Attenborough you are a living legend and I salute you sir!

Thank you, Larry. We love living legend here at The Ever-Green group ! I'll add all your David Attenborough books' recommendations for nominating and voting at our summer book club's poll.

Next I'll be reading Blind White Fish in Persia by Anthony Smith (1953),Blind White Fish in Persia a book about an expedition to find the little-known blind cave fish in the Persian Gulf and Iran in 1950. The follow up is A Persian Quarter century published 25 years later and the book I found first. I then spent years trying to find the earlier book, and finally I did!

Hi all! I'm a member of this group and I've long been involved in worldwide television programs that have an ecological focus (especially preservation). I'm also an author - and your Moderator Michelle kindly nominated my book, Teeth - The Epic Novel with Bite, as a Group Read.

I'd like to tell you a little more about it, but I'll let others do the talking:

Another Goodreads' moderator, Rick raves: "TEETH is an unforgettably gripping adventure...impossible to put this soon to be classic down!!! DON'T MISS THIS GEM!!!"
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Author Donnie Light enthuses: I "was absolutely overwhelmed by the scope of this story...This book now ranks among my very favorites of all time!"
http://www.amazon.com/gp/cdp/member-r...

Julie Alexander says, "I laughed, I cried, but most of all I just couldn't put this novel down! When is the movie coming out?"
http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/...

Author-signed 1st Editions running out fast! Limited time only $9.99 on amazon - and chewed-to-the-bone Kindle version: $2.99. http://amzn.com/0982539800

Thanks for "listening!"

Timothy wrote: "Hi all! I'm a member of this group and I've long been involved in worldwide television programs that have an ecological focus (especially preservation). I'm also an author - and your Moderator Mich..."

Timothy....Thanks for " your post "

I have a zillion book suggestions, but I'll just name a couple I read recently that I have loved.

I thought this book was a really nice introduction into some environmental issues. I'm trying to get it introduced as a colloquium book at my alma matter.

I also read and loved The author is a teacher and it shows. He explains some tough concepts very well and it's a nice background into how some of Earth's systems work. Focuses primarily on ice, but not entirely.

I shouldn't be allowed to post here, I'll go on for days.

Kirsten wrote: "I have a zillion book suggestions, but I'll just name a couple I read recently that I have loved.

I thought this book ..."

hi kirsten, please DO go on for days. December is upon us and so it's time to start considering how we want to do group reads from here on out. I do not think i can do them the same way that Michelle had...so i need to ask for ideas about how we want to do it and also what books we'd like to read and discuss together. i'll try to get that thread set up later this morning. i would love for this group to become more active...

Well if I can help, please let me know. Like I said, I have a degree in this field, so I read A LOT of books related to the themes of this group. If it's not specifically books you're after, I can also provide topics, articles, essays, whatever. I loved several of the group reads, so I hope we can continue. :)

I am not sure if what I am posting will fit here or not (interesting or not) ?
Some books
Big and Green: Sustainable Skyscrapers for the Twenty-First Century
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11...
Architecture Now! Green Architecture
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62...
My favorite online website :
http://inhabitat.com/

Oceans, Seas were important themes we have talked at The Green group in 2010 ( biodiversity, marine life, oil spill, storms, etc....)

Here's a book recommendation for the upcoming book club

http://www.worldwithoutice.com/events...

Much has been written about global warming, but the crucial relationship between people and ice has received little focus-until now. As one of the world's leading experts on climate change, Henry Pollack provides an accessible, comprehensive survey of ice as a force of nature, and the potential consequences as we face the possibility of a world without ice.

A World Without Ice traces the effect of mountain glaciers on supplies of drinking water and agricultural irrigation, as well as the current results of melting permafrost and shrinking Arctic sea ice-a situation that has degraded the habitat of numerous animals and sparked an international race for seabed oil and minerals. Catastrophic possibilities loom, including rising sea levels and subsequent flooding of lowlying regions worldwide, and the ultimate displacement of millions of coastal residents. A World Without Ice answers our most urgent questions about this pending crisis, laying out the necessary steps for managing the unavoidable and avoiding the unmanageable

An another book's recommendation



For centuries, mariners have spun tales of gargantuan waves, 100-feet high or taller. Until recently scientists dis missed these stories—waves that high would seem to violate the laws of physics. But in the past few decades, as a startling number of ships vanished and new evidence has emerged, oceanographers realized something scary was brewing in the planet’s waters. They found their proof in February 2000, when a British research vessel was trapped in a vortex of impossibly mammoth waves in the North Sea—including several that approached 100 feet.

As scientists scramble to understand this phenomenon, others view the giant waves as the ultimate challenge. These are extreme surfers who fly around the world trying to ride the ocean’s most destructive monsters. The pioneer of extreme surfing is the legendary Laird Hamilton, who, with a group of friends in Hawaii, figured out how to board suicidally large waves of 70 and 80 feet. Casey follows this unique tribe of peo ple as they seek to conquer the holy grail of their sport, a 100 foot wave.

In this mesmerizing account, the exploits of Hamilton and his fellow surfers are juxtaposed against scientists’ urgent efforts to understand the destructive powers of waves—from the tsunami that wiped out 250,000 people in the Pacific in 2004 to the 1,740-foot-wave that recently leveled part of the Alaskan coast.

I just finished a couple more books, several of them are policy related.
by Eric Pooley
I really liked this book, I thought it was a nice, fast paced look behind the scenes of the wheeling and dealing that is needed to get the climate bill passed. It also shows how the left struggles to come to an agreement about how to best proceed. It's long, but worth it. (Also, it's pretty funny at times.)

by Marc Reisner
I read this book twice for school, and it's a great look at the American West and how we came to have the water infrastructure that we do. This book and topic are REALLY important given that climate change is projected to make dry regions drier and hotter. Highly recommended by students and professors alike, and it's actually quite amusing.

by Alan Weisman
I LOVE this book. I think it's a well researched and creative look at what could happen, and it's also scary to think exactly what kind of impact plastic has on our world. Quick read, one of the more fun environmental books out there.

by Heidi Cullen
I like this book in that it shows how the sea level rising will change coastlines all around the world, not just western nations. Who knows if her predictions are correct, but her credentials are very good. It's another good book for thinking and projecting what could happen, and it has very real implications for everyone in the world, not just people living in the places that are written about.

As the Earth is changing so must we. One of the biggest is how to feed a exploding population. Wasteful consumption of irreplaceable resoures and overpopulation underlie every environmental problem we face today .
The bookAquaponic Gardening: A Step-By-Step Guide to Raising Vegetables and Fish Together is a new way of looking at how we might be able to grow are food in a organic way. What is aquaponics? "Aquaponics is the cultivation of fish and plants together in a constructed,recirculated ecosystem utilizing natural bacterial cycles to convert fish waste to plant nutrients. This is an environmentally friendly,natural food-growing method that harnesses the best attributes of aquaculture and hydroponics without the need to discard any water or filtrate or add chemical fertilizers.
- Aquaponics Gardening Community,November 2010
I am half way threw this book and I can't wait to get started on my own aquaponics system!