The reindeer chronicles : and other inspiring stories of working with nature to heal the earth

"Compelling, Fascinating, sometimes unexpectedly moving, this vitally important book is, above all, a springboard for hope and transformation."—Isabella Tree "A lucid and compelling look at the global movement of ecological rehabilitation."— The Boston Globe In a time of uncertainty about our environmental future—an eye-opening global tour of some of the most wounded places on earth, and stories of how a passionate group of eco-restorers is leading the way to their revitalization. Award-winning science journalist Judith D. Schwartz takes us first to China’s Loess Plateau, where a landmark project has successfully restored a blighted region the size of Belgium, lifting millions of people out of poverty. She journeys on to Norway, where a young indigenous reindeer herder challenges the most powerful orthodoxies of conservation—and his own government. And in the Middle East, she follows the visionary work of an ambitious young American as he attempts to re-engineer the desert ecosystem, using plants as his most sophisticated technology. Schwartz explores regenerative solutions across a range of landscapes: deserts, grasslands, tropics, tundra, Mediterranean. She also highlights various human landscapes, the legacy of colonialism and industrial agriculture, and the endurance of indigenous knowledge. The Reindeer Chronicles demonstrates how solutions to seemingly intractable problems can come from the unlikeliest of places, and how the restoration of local water, carbon, nutrient, and energy cycles can play a dramatic role in stabilizing the global climate. Ultimately, it reveals how much is in our hands if we can find a way to work together and follow nature’s lead. "Grassroots Rising is a wake-up call, an agronomic and political blueprint, and a call to action for America and the global body politic to address the challenge of climate change. The best-kept secret in the world today is that the solution to the global climate emergency and related crises lies right beneath our feet and at the end of our forks and knives. The book is based on the premise that business as usual-profligate fossil fuel use; degenerative food, farming, and land use; hyper-consumerism; and the status-quo focus of the US and global elite-can and must be reversed over the next decade and beyond. The economic system of late-stage capitalism and the biological carrying capacity of the planet have reached points of implosion. Unfettered greenhouse gas emissions have brought us to the brink of runaway climate catastrophe, while out-of-control corporate greed, militarism, and elite rule have devastated public health, the environment, and the "natural capital" and democratic ethos that sustain the global economy and political system. To survive and thrive in catastrophic times, Grassroots Rising calls for building a world-changing, grassroots Regeneration Movement, one based on consumer awareness, farmer innovation, political change, and regenerative finance, embodied most recently by the proposed Green New Deal in the US. This Regeneration Movement will enable us to not only mitigate and slow down climate change, but actually reverse global warming by regenerating our soils and our food system and converting to renewable energy. With these methods, we will be able to address and resolve the interrelated crises of environmental destruction, deteriorating public health, rural poverty, endless war, and political degeneration. Regenerative food, farming, and land use can provide a new outlook on life, a therapeutic vision and daily practice that demonstrates that we the people, the global grassroots, can begin to turn away from disaster, solve our most pressing crises, and meet our most important needs"-- Provided by publisher "A global tour of earth repair and some of the unsung heroes pushing the boundaries of ecological restoration to show how even the world's most wounded places can be revived The book begins in China's Loess Plateau, where a landmark project successfully restored a blighted region the size of Belgium, lifting millions of people out of poverty. Journalist Judith D. Schwartz shows how solutions to seemingly intractable problems can be, in the words of permaculture pioneer Bill Mollison, "embarrassingly simple." And surprisingly inexpensive, as the chief tools are keen observation and a desire to follow nature's lead. Schwartz introduces us to people around the world who are restoring degraded lands at any scale, in any climate, and often at minimal cost by embracing an understanding of how a given landscape "works" and allying with nature's inherent inclination to heal. The Reindeer Chronicles also challenges orthodoxies of conservation, such as that culling semi-wild animals like wild donkeys, reindeer, or dingoes is beneficial to the environment. Schwartz explores regenerative solutions in different landscapes: deserts, grasslands, tropics, tundra, Mediterranean. She also highlights various human landscapes, which may involve the legacy of colonialism and industrial agriculture, and the endurance of indigenous knowledge. These stories show that land restoration needn't simply mean returning to a previous state but to the renewal of ecological function: restoring the water, carbon, nutrient, and energy cycles. And how this renewal can play an important role in stabilizing the Earth's climate. Ultimately, The Reindeer Chronicles reveals how much is in our hands. It provides a roadmap to help us reorient ourselves during a time of uncertainty toward productive, empowering work on behalf of the home we all share and cherish"-- Provided by publisher This book tackles an increasingly crucial question: What can we do about the seemingly intractable challenges confronting all of humanity today, including climate change, global hunger, water scarcity, environmental stress, and economic instability? The quick answers are: Build topsoil. Fix creeks. Eat meat from pasture-raised animals. Soil scientists maintain that a mere 2 percent increase in the carbon content of the planet's soils could offset 100 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions going into the atmosphere. But how could this be accomplished? What would it cost? Is it even possible? Yes, says author Courtney White, it is not only possible, but essential for the long-term health and sustainability of our environment and our economy. Right now, the only possibility of large-scale removal of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere is through plant photosynthesis and related land-based carbon sequestration activities. These include a range of already existing, low-tech, and proven practices: composting, no-till farming, climate-friendly livestock practices, conserving natural habitat, restoring degraded watersheds and rangelands, increasing biodiversity, and producing local food. In Grass, Soil, Hope, the author shows how all these practical strategies can be bundled together into an economic and ecological whole, with the aim of reducing atmospheric CO2 while producing substantial co-benefits for all living things. Soil is a huge natural sink for carbon dioxide. If we can draw increasing amounts carbon out of the atmosphere and store it safely in the soil then we can significantly address all the multiple challenges that now appear so intractable. "Charles Massy has written a definitive masterpiece that takes its place along with the writings of Aldo Leopold, Wendell Berry, Masanobu Fukuoka, Humberto Maturana, and Michael Pollan. No work has more brilliantly defined regenerative agriculture and the breadth of its restorative impact upon human health, biodiversity, climate, and ecological intelligence." --Paul Hawken In Call of the Reed Warbler, Charles Massy explores regenerative agriculture and the vital connection between our soil and our health. It is the story of how a grassroots revolution--a true underground insurgency--can save the planet, help reduce and reverse climate change, and build healthy people and healthy communities, pivoting significantly on our relationship with growing and consuming food. Using his personal experience as a touchstone--from an unknowing, chemical-using farmer with dead soils to a radical ecologist farmer carefully regenerating a 2000-hectare property to a state of natural health--Massy tells the real story behind industrial agriculture and the global profit-obsessed corporations driving it. With evocative stories, he shows how other innovative and courageous farmers are finding a new way. At stake is not only a revolution in human health and in our communities, but the very survival of the planet. For farmers, backyard gardeners, food buyers, health workers, policy makers, and public leaders alike, Call of the Reed Warbler offers a tangible path forward and a powerful and moving paean of hope. It's not too late to regenerate the earth. Call of the Reed Warbler shows the way forward for the future of our food supply, our planet, and our health This book tackles an increasingly crucial What can we do about the seemingly intractable challenges confronting all of humanity today, including climate change, global hunger, water scarcity, environmental stress, and economic instability? The quick answers Build topsoil. Fix creeks. Eat meat from pasture-raised animals. Scientists maintain that a mere 2 percent increase in the carbon content of the planets soils could offset 100 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions going into the atmosphere. But how could this be accomplished? What would it cost? Is it even possible? Yes, says author Courtney White, it is not only possible, but essential for the long-term health and sustainability of our environment and our economy. Right now, the only possibility of large-scale removal of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere is through plant photosynthesis and related land-based carbon sequestration activities. These include a range of already existing, low-tech, and proven composting, no-till farming, climate-friendly livestock practices, conserving natural habitat, restoring degraded watersheds and rangelands, increasing biodiversity, and producing local food. In Grass, Soil, Hope , the author shows how all these practical strategies can be bundled together into an economic and ecological whole, with the aim of reducing atmospheric CO 2 while producing substantial co-benefits for all living things. Soil is a huge natural sink for carbon dioxide. If we can draw increasing amounts carbon out of the atmosphere and store it safely in the soil then we can significantly address all the multiple challenges that now appear so intractable. Is it too late to regenerate the earth? *Call of the Reed Warbler* shows the way forward for the future of our food supply, our Australian landscape and our planet. This ground-breaking book will change the way we think of, farm and grow food. Author and radical farmer Charles Massy explores transformative and regenerative agriculture and the vital connection between our soil and our health. It is a story of how a grassroots revolution – a true underground insurgency – can save the planet, help turn climate change around, and build healthy people and healthy communities, pivoting significantly on our relationship with growing and consuming food. Using his personal experience as a touchstone – from an unknowing, chemical-using farmer with dead soils to a radical ecologist farmer carefully regenerating a 2000-hectare property to a state of natural health – Massy tells the real story behind industrial agriculture and the global profit-obsessed corporations driving it. He shows – through evocative stories – how innovative farmers are finding a new way and interweaves his own local landscape, its seasons and biological richness. At stake is not only a revolution in human health and our communities but the very survival of the planet. For farmer, backyard gardener, food buyer, health worker, policy maker and public leader alike, *Call of the Reed Warbler* offers a tangible path forward for the future of our food supply, our Australian landscape and our earth. It comprises a powerful and moving paean of hope. Pen/e.o. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award (longlisted) Washington Post 50 Notable Works Of Nonfiction Science News Favorite Science Books Of 2018 Booklist Top Ten Science/technology Book Of 2018 A Marvelously Humor-laced Page-turner About The Science Of Semi-aquatic Rodents.... A Masterpiece Of A Treatise On The Natural World.--the Washington Post In Eager, Environmental Journalist Ben Goldfarb Reveals That Our Modern Idea Of What A Healthy Landscape Looks Like And How It Functions Is Wrong, Distorted By The Fur Trade That Once Trapped Out Millions Of Beavers From North America's Lakes And Rivers. The Consequences Of Losing Beavers Were Profound: Streams Eroded, Wetlands Dried Up, And Species From Salmon To Swans Lost Vital Habitat. Today, A Growing Coalition Of Beaver Believers--including Scientists, Ranchers, And Passionate Citizens--recognizes That Ecosystems With Beavers Are Far Healthier, For Humans And Non-humans Alike, Than Those Without Them. From The Nevada Deserts To The Scottish Highlands, Believers Are Now Hard At Work Restoring These Industrious Rodents To Their Former Haunts. Eager Is A Powerful Story About One Of The World's Most Influential Species, How North America Was Colonized, How Our Landscapes Have Changed Over The Centuries, And How Beavers Can Help Us Fight Drought, Flooding, Wildfire, Extinction, And The Ravages Of Climate Change. Ultimately, It's About How We Can Learn To Coexist, Harmoniously And Even Beneficially, With Our Fellow Travelers On This Planet. In Cows Save the Planet, journalist Judith D. Schwartz looks at soil as a crucible for our many overlapping environmental, economic, and social crises. Schwartz reveals that for many of these problems--climate change, desertification, biodiversity loss, droughts, floods, wildfires, rural poverty, malnutrition, and obesity--there are positive, alternative scenarios to the degradation and devastation we face. In each case, our ability to turn these crises into opportunities depends on how we treat the soil. Drawing on the work of thinkers and doers, renegade scientists and institutional whistleblowers from around the world, Schwartz challenges much of the conventional thinking about global warming and other problems. For example, land can suffer from undergrazing as well as overgrazing, since certain landscapes, such as grasslands, require the disturbance from livestock to thrive. Regarding climate, when we focus on carbon dioxide, we neglect the central role of water in soil--"green water"--in temperature regulation. And much of the carbon dioxide that burdens the atmosphere is not the result of fuel emissions, but from agriculture; returning carbon to the soil not only reduces carbon dioxide levels but also enhances soil fertility. Cows Save the Planet is at once a primer on soil's pivotal role in our ecology and economy, a call to action, and an antidote to the despair that environmental news so often leaves us with. "Is it too late to regenerate the earth? This groundbreaking book will change the way we think of, farm and grow food. Author and radical farmer Charles Massy explores transformative and regenerative agriculture and the vital connection between our soil and our health. It is a story of how a grassroots revolution, a true underground insurgency, can save the planet, help turn climate change around, and build healthy people and healthy communities, pivoting significantly on our relationship with growing and consuming food. Using his personal experience as a touchstone from an unknowing, chemical-using farmer with dead soils to a radical ecologist farmer carefully regenerating a 2000-hectare property to a state of natural health. Massy tells the real story behind industrial agriculture and the global profit-obsessed corporations driving it. He shows, through evocative stories, how innovative farmers are finding a new way and interweaves his own local landscape, its seasons and biological richness. At stake is not only a revolution in human health and our communities but the very survival of the planet. For farmer, backyard gardener, food buyer, health worker, policy maker and public leader alike, Call of the Reed Warbler offers a tangible path forward for the future of our food supply, our Australian landscape and our earth. It comprises a powerful and moving paean of hope."-- Provided by publisher "In Eager, environmental journalist Ben Goldfarb reveals that our modern idea of what a healthy landscape looks like and how it functions is wrong, distorted by the fur trade that once trapped out millions of beavers from North America's lakes and rivers. The consequences of losing beavers were profound: streams eroded, wetlands dried up, and species from salmon to swans lost vital habitat. Today, a growing coalition of 'Beaver Believers'--including scientists, ranchers, and passionate citizens--recognizes that ecosystems with beavers are far healthier, for humans and non-humans alike, than those without them. From the Nevada deserts to the Scottish highlands, Believers are now hard at work restoring these industrious rodents to their former haunts. Eager is a powerful story about one of the world's most influential species, how North America was colonized, how our landscapes have changed over the centuries, and how beavers can help us fight drought, flooding, wildfire, extinction, and the ravages of climate change. Ultimately, it's about how we can learn to coexist, harmoniously and even beneficially, with our fellow travelers on this planet"--Publisher's website In Cows Save the Planet, journalist Judith D. Schwartz looks at soil as a crucible for our many overlapping environmental, economic, and social crises. Drawing on the work of thinkers and doers, renegade scientists and institutional whistleblowers, Schwartz challenges much of the conventional thinking about global warming and other problems. For example, land can suffer from undergrazing as well as overgrazing, since certain landscapes, such as grasslands, require the disturbance from livestock to thrive. Regarding climate, when we focus on carbon dioxide, we neglect the central role of water in soil - "green water"--In temperature regulation. And much of the carbon dioxide that burdens the atmosphere is not the result of fuel emissions, but from agriculture; returning carbon to the soil not only reduces carbon dioxide levels but also enhances soil fertility. Cows Save the Planet is at once a primer on soil's pivotal role in our ecology and economy, a call to action, and an antidote to the despair that environmental news so often leaves us with. "Gonzo journalist-turned-farmer Doug Fine shares a ground-level view of the burgeoning hemp industry. Hemp is the non-psychoactive variant of cannabis, one of humanity's oldest plant allies, and the industry surrounding it has quietly become the fastest ever to generate a billion dollars of annual revenue in North America. From fiber to seed to oil to the currently ubiquitous cannabinoid CBD, hemp could lead the way toward a new, regenerative economy-but only if we do it right. Following the success of his first book, Hemp Bound, journalist, author, and "neo-rugged individualist goat herder" Doug Fine put his money where his mouth was, getting his hands dirty with healthy soil and sticky with terpenes en route to growing his own hemp crop and creating his own hemp product. In American Hemp Farmer, Doug shares his adventures and misadventures as a farmer and entrepreneur, all the while laying out a vision for how hemp can help right the wrongs of twentieth-century agriculture, and how you can be a part of it"-- Provided by publisher Our modern idea of what a healthy landscape looks like and how it functions is distorted by the fur trade that once trapped out millions of beavers from North America's lakes and rivers. Goldfarb shares the powerful story about one of the world's most influential species. He explains how North America was colonized, how our landscapes have changed over the centuries, and how beavers can help us fight drought, flooding, wildfire, extinction, and the ravages of climate change. -- adapted from jacket Ground zero for carbon dioxide reduction is the ground -- Carbon trading: nature's version -- The making and unmaking of deserts: the grazing paradox -- The return of lost water -- Beyond eat your vegetables -- The more the merrier: biodiversity starts in the soil -- The soil grab -- Floods, drought, and the Grasslands, LLC, experiment -- The soil standard. Explains soil's role in ecology and the economy, and reveals how treating soil in an environmentally sensitive way can bring about positive changes with respect to climate change, biodiversity loss, obesity, and other crises Grassroots Rising is a passionate call to action for the global body politic; providing practical solutions for how to survive - and thrive - in catastrophic times. An homage to the useful and idiosyncratic mesquite tree