Agriculture

The Transition Companion book review A\J AlternativesJournal.ca

The Transition Companion

Being an environmentalist isn’t for sissies – the statistics are depressing and they turn people off, and the problems often seem to have no end. Anyone feeling this way should read The Transition Companion, which mixes knowledge, action and inspiration to address a range of areas that are central to […]

Urban Homesteading book review A\J AlternativesJournal.ca

Urban Homesteading

Concerns for our unsustainable, fossil-fuelled lifestyle underlie Rachel Kaplan and K. Ruby Blume’s book, Urban Homesteading: Heirloom Skills for Sustainable Living. The book provides a colourful overview of what each of us can do to build a more self-sufficient future. It explains the principles of homesteading and permaculture, and provides a […]

Food Security and Global Environmental Change book review AlternativesJournal.ca

Food Security and Global Environmental Change

Irrigation accounts for 70 per cent of the world’s fresh water use, so it has been evident for many years that food security is considered a greater issue, if less immediately critical, than drinking water. Add climate change into the mix, and what was already a difficult global problem becomes […]

The War in the Country book review A\J AlternativesJournal.ca

The War in the Country: How the Fight to Save Rural Life Will Shape Our Future

In The War in the Country, Thomas Pawlick has done a great service. He documents recent tensions and traumas that have battered every rural commun­ity across Ontario. Moreover, he reports in the voice of family farmers, small businesses, native people and back-to-the-landers. These stories are worth keeping in your library to […]

The Transition Handbook book review A\J AlternativesJournal.ca

The Transition Handbook: From Oil Dependency to Local Resilience

At last, here is a book about our common future that we don’t have to be afraid to read. Written by “transition movement” founder Rob Hopkins, The Transition Handbook offers an inspiring and practical blueprint for community-based action in response to the challenges of climate change and peak oil.