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An Earth Literacy
Resource Center Serving MDC Administrators, Faculty, Staff,
and Students as well as the South Florida Community
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Recommended Books
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Earth Literacy |
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Biopiracy
The Plunder of Nature and Knowledge
by Vandana Shiva
Book Description
In her latest book, award-winning scientist and activist Dr. Vandana
Shiva argues that genetic engineering and the cloning of organisms,
far from being socially useful, are "the ultimate expression of the
commercialization of science and the commodification of nature."
"In the era of genetic engineering and patents, life
itself is being colonized," says Shiva. She describes the hidden
history of genetically engineered organisms, from Herman the
transgenic dairy bull, to Tracy, the genetically engineered sheep
that "lays golden eggs."--This
text refers to the
Paperback
edition. |
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Developing Ecological Consciousness
Path to a Sustainable World
by Christopher Uhl
Addressing the
question, What do students need to know to become more
environmentally literate and ecologically conscious?, Christopher
Uhl offers an ecological, wonder-filled initiation to the universe
and the planet Earth. He examines the ways in which people are
damaging the earth and, in the process, their own bodies and
spirits, then presents the essential tools necessary for both
planetary and personal transformation. |
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The Divine Milieu
by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
(Author), Sion Cowell (Author)
The essential
companion to Pierre Teilhard de Chardin's The Phenomenom of Man, The
Divine Milieu expands on the spiritual message so basic to his
thought. He shows how man's spiritual life can become a
participation in the destiny of the universe.
Teilhard de Chardin -- geologist,
priest, and major voice in twentieth-century Christianity -- probes
the ultimate meaning of all physical exploration and the fruit of
his own inner life. The Divine Milieu is a spiritual treasure for
every religion bookshelf. |
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The Dream of the Earth
by Thomas Berry
From Publishers Weekly
This first volume in a new series, the Sierra Club Nature and
Natural Philosophy Library, explores human-earth relations and seeks
a new, non-anthropocentric approach to the natural world. According
to cultural historian Berry, our immediate danger is not nuclear war
but industrial plundering; our entire society, he argues, is trapped
in a closed cycle of production and consumption. Berry points out
that our perception of the earth is the product of cultural
conditioning, and that most of us fail to think of ourselves as a
species but rather as national, ethnic, religious or economic
groups. Describing education as "a process of cultural coding
somewhat parallel to genetic coding," he proposes a curriculum based
on awareness of the earth. He discusses "patriarchy" as a new
interpretation of Western historical development, naming four
patriachies that have controlled Western history, becoming
progressively destructive: the classical empires, the ecclesiastical
establishment, the nation-state and the modern corporation. We must
reject partial solutions and embrace profound changes toward a "biocracy"
that will heal the earth, urges the author who defines problems and
causes with eloquence.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This
text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title
h
Florida at St. Petersburg Lib. Copyright 2003 Reed Business
Information |
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Ecological Literacy
Education and the Transition to a Postmodern World
By David Orr
"David Orr's Ecological Literacy
outlines brillianly and succinctly the changes that must occur in
our educational systems if we are to avoid ecological disasters." |
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The Great Work
Our Way into the Future
By Thomas Berry
The
future can exist only if humans understand how to commune with the
natural world rather than exploit it, explains author and renowned
ecologist Thomas Berry (The Dream of the Earth, The
Universe Story). "Already the planet is so damaged and the
future is so challenged by its rising human population that the
terms of survival will be severe beyond anything we have known in
the past." |
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The Hidden Heart of the
Cosmos
by Brian Swimme
From the Publisher
What
does it mean to be human, to live on planet Earth, in the universe
as it is now understood? In The Hidden Heart of the Cosmos
best-selling author and mathematical cosmologist Brian Swimme takes
us on a journey through the cosmos in search of the "new story" that
is developing in answer to this age-old question. The Hidden Heart
of the Cosmos opens up not only the exhilarating truths that science
reveals of the birth of the universe, but how these truths can
transform our lives. In such a view the cosmos appears as awesome
and meaningful, its dynamics revelatory, and in this revelation can
be found the wisdom humanity needs to face and overcome its present
crises, particularly the soul-numbing consumerism that threatens to
overwhelm not only individuals, families or societies, but the Earth
itself. The Hidden Heart of the Cosmos helps us to grasp the larger
significance of the human enterprise in this evolving university.
Upon meeting that challenge rests much of the vitality of Earth
community, and the future quality of life, for ourselves and our
children. |
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The Home Planet
by Kevin W. Kelley (Editor)
From Library Journal
This is an oversized browsing book filled with magnificent pictures
taken from space. As can be guessed from its title, most of the
photographs are of portions of the earth's surface. The concise text
consists of short quotations from astronauts and cosmonauts
describing the emotional impact of being in space. Naturally, the
comments are predominantly from Americans and Soviets, but among the
18 nations represented are France, Germany, Syria, and India. Each
commentary is given in the speaker's native language with an English
translation. A truly beautiful book. Harold D. Shane. Baruch Coll.,
CUNY
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. |
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Humanity's Environmental Future
Making Sense in a Troubled World
By William Ross McCluney
“We Are Taking
Apart the Life-support System of Planet Earth!” So writes Dr. Ross
McCluney in his new book published this year, Humanity’s
Environmental Future. “Without a major change in direction, we may
be the first species to extinguish itself,” he says.
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Nature of Design
Ecology, Culture, and Human Intention
By David W. Orr
From the Publisher
The environmental movement has often been accused of being overly
negative-trying to stop "progress". The Nature of Design, on the
other hand, is about starting things, specifically an ecological
design revolution that changes how we provide food, shelter, energy,
materials, livelihood, and deal with waste. Ecological design is an
emerging field aiming to recalibrate what humans do in the world
with how the world works as a biophysical system. Design in this
sense is a large concept having to do as much with politics and
ethics as with buildings and technology. This is a book that
combines theory, practicality, and action.
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The Phenomenon of Man
by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
(Author)
Bernard Towers, Blackfriars
"Marks the most significant achievement in synthetic thinking since
that of Aquinas."
Abraham J. Heschel
"A most extraordinary book, of far-reaching significance for the
understanding of man's place in the universe." |
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The
Rebirth of Nature
The Greening of Science and God
by Rupert Sheldrake
From the Publisher
One of
the world's foremost biologists revolutionizes scientific thinking
with his vision of a living, developing universe with its own
inherent memory. In THE REBIRTH OF NATURE, Rupert Sheldrake urges us
to move beyond the centuries-old mechanistic view of nature,
explaining why we can no longer regard the world as inanimate and
purposeless. |
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The Scared Balance
Rediscovering Our Place in Nature
by David Suzuki
From the Publisher
This
powerful, deeply felt book gives concrete suggestions for how we can
meet our basic needs and create a way of life that is ecologically
sustainable, fulfilling and just. It offers the seeds of a new
direction for us all, one in which we can rediscover our place in
nature and live in balance with our surroundings. |
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The Sacred Depths of Nature
by Ursula Goodenough
From
Publishers Weekly
In eloquent prose, Goodenough, a noted molecular biologist, offers a
scientist's insight into the dialogue between science and religion.
The book's structure is similar to the Daily Devotionals found in
some Protestant denominations, but with a decidedly broader approach
to the vast ontological questions being pursued. Beginning with an
autobiographical sketch, Goodenough moves resolutely through the
major questions of being. Her inquiries cut across the boundaries of
cosmology, astrophysics, cell biology, evolutionary theory,
sexuality and death, moving into the realms of philosophy and
theology. The author, while no theist, recognizes the eternal human
quest for meaning engendered by the essentially non-quantifiable
mystery of consciousness. Displaying open-mindedness to
non-scientific approaches in her search for ultimate understanding,
she writes with equal respect of Taoism's enigmatic, ironical credo
and of 19th-century Transcendentalists' humanistic vision. This
spiritual diversity, accompanied by scientific observations drawn
from such authorities as Stephen Hawking and Edward O. Wilson, makes
for a stirring, enlightening read. In part a reverential memoir by a
dedicated scientist, this book provides a meeting place for the
revelations of advanced science and technology and the universal,
unanswerable questions of humanity. 18 line drawings.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This
text refers to the Hardcover edition
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Small Wonder
by
Barbara Kingsolver (Author)
In
this collection of essays, the author of High Tide in Tucson brings
to us (out of one of history's darker moments) an extended love song
to the world we still have. From its opening parable gleaned from
recent news about a lost child saved in an astonishing way, the book
moves on to consider a world of surprising and hopeful prospects
ranging from an inventive conservation scheme in a remote jungle to
the backyard flock of chickens tended by the author's small
daughter.
Whether she is contemplating the Grand Canyon, her vegetable garden,
motherhood, adolescence, genetic engineering, TV-watching, the
history of civil rights, or the future of a nation founded on the
best of all human impulses, these essays are grounded in the
author's belief that our largest problems have grown from the
earth's remotest corners as well as our own backyards, and that
answers may lie in those places, too. In the voice Kingsolver's
readers have come to rely on - sometimes grave, occasionally
hilarious, and ultimately persuasive - Small Wonder is a hopeful
examination of the people we seem to be, and what we might yet make
of ourselves. |
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Teilhard in the 21st Century
The
Emerging Spirit of Earth
by Arthur Fabel
(Editor), Donald P. St. John (Editor)
Almost
fifty years after his death the work of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin,
French Jesuit mystic and scientist continues to shape contemporary
work in spirituality, theology, and the interaction of science and
religion. These essays, drawn from the best of the first twenty-five
years of Teilhard Studies, journal of the American Teilhard
Association, show how this giant of the twentieth century sheds
light on the most urgent spiritual challenges of our time.
The writers represented are a who’s who of scholars: Thomas Berry
offers reflections on Teilhard and ecology. Brian Swimme explores
unsuspected depths of natural selection and its meaning for our age.
Articles by Ursula King, Donald Gray, and Thomas King offer insights
into Teilhard’s friendships with women, the way in which he strove
to articulate the unity of knowledge, and his ever-deepening
creation spirituality. A brief biography by John Grim and Mary
Evelyn Tucker explores the key moments of Teilhard’s development and
offers new readers a superb entrée into his life and thought. Other
authors include William Rees, Arthur Fabel, John Haught, Eulalio
Balthasar, Eleanor Rae, and Joseph Grau. |
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This Sacred Earth
Religion, Nature, Environment
by
Roger S. Gottlieb
(Editor)
Book Description
This Sacred Earth begins with spiritual reflections by naturalists.
Surveying traditional religious myths, creation stories, and
conceptions of nature--with extensive selections from Jewish,
Christian, Native American, Indian, African, Chinese, and indigenous
texts and commentators, the contributors focus on religion in the
age of environmental crisis. We see how individuals and institutions
are reinterpreting and transforming old traditions, and
eco-feminists are challenging patriarchal perspectives.
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Turning to Earth
Stories of Ecological Conversion
by
F. Marina Schauffler
From Book News, Inc.
Schauffler, who holds a PhD in ethics from the U. of New Hampshire,
has written a thought-provoking work on a new understanding of
humans' place in nature, which, she believes, could lead society to
achieve a way of living that no longer hurts the environment.
Following a description of this spiritual state--the attainment of
which she calls "ecological conversion"--Schauffler discusses, in
positive terms, the relationship with nature evinced by the writers
Edward Abbey, Rachel Carson, N. Scott Momaday, Scott Russell
Sanders, Alice Walker, and Terry Tempest Williams.Copyright ©
2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR |
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The Universe Story
From the Primordial
Flaring Forth to the Ecozoic Era- a Celebration of the Unfolding of
the Cosmos
by Brian Swimme
From the Publisher
Grounded in contemporary scientific understanding and inspired by
the world's great wisdom traditions, cosmologist Brian Swimme and
cultural historian Thomas Berry meld the findings of contemporary
science - cosmology, geology, biology, and sociology - with the
human search for meaning. The resulting account articulates fifteen
billion years of existence with awe, delight, and vision. Swimme and
Berry remind us of the importance of story - "story is the only way
of providing, in our times, what the mythic stories of the universe
provided for tribal peoples and for the earlier classical
civilizations in their times." In a richly detailed narrative of
epic sweep, they recount the unfolding of the universe, from the
"primordial flaring forth" and the formation of galaxies and
supernovas to the "human emergence," classical civilizations, and
imminent Ecozoic era. The Universe Story compellingly explores
humanity's place in the evolving cosmos and our ecological
imperative. Crippling the Earth's biodiversity, "we are deciding
what species will live or perish, we are determining the chemical
structure of the soil and the air and the water, we are mapping out
the areas of wilderness that will be allowed to function in their
own natural modalities." This, Swimme and Berry remind us, "is
filled with risk and presumption," for "the story of the Earth is
also the story of the human." Honoring "the special capacity of the
human to enable the universe and the planet Earth to reflect on and
to celebrate...in our music and our art, our dance and our poetry,
and in our religious rituals," Swimme and Berry urge that we honor
the knowledge gained by centuries of scientific inquiry with
reverence, entrancement, and a commitment to renewal. Such joyous
commitment is essential, for "there is eventually only one story,
the story of the universe. Every form of being is integral with this
comprehensive story. Nothing is itself without everything else."
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