|
Home
About
Earth Ethics
Institute
Mission
Statement
Courses
for
MDC Faculty and Staff
Green
Your Curriculum
MDC Institute for
Ethics In Health Care
Audio
Lectures
Outdoor
Immersions
Programs
for Students
Challenge
Grants
For Students
Community
Education
Organic Gardens
In the Community
Recommended
Film Viewing
Recommended
Reading
Earth Musings
Related
Websites
Earth
Literacy
Centers
Earth Ethics Institute
Council
Advisory
Board
Staff
Past Programs
|
|
|
An Earth Literacy
Resource Center Serving MDC Administrators, Faculty, Staff,
and Students as well as the South Florida Community
|
|
Recommended Books
-
Health and the Environment |
|
|
| |
8 Weeks to Optimum Health
A Proven Program for Taking Full
Advantage of
Your Body's Natural Healing Power
by
Andrew Weil, M.D.
Book
Description
In Eight Weeks to Optimum Health, Dr. Andrew Weil translates the
brilliant insights and discoveries he outlined in his acclaimed
bestseller, Spontaneous Healing, into a practical plan of action: a
week-by-week, step-by-step program for enhancing and protecting
present and lifelong health. The Eight-Week Program sets up a
foundation for healthy living that will keep your body's natural
healing system in peak working order. With clearly defined and
authoritatively informed recommendations, Dr. Weil explains how to
¸ Build a lifestyle that protects you from premature illness and
disability
¸ Fine-tune your current eating habits so that your diet is more
nutritious
¸ Walk and stretch in regimens that satisfy weekly exercise
requirements
¸ Safeguard your healing system by adding four antioxidant
supplements--vitamin C and E, selenium, and mixed carotenes--to your
diet
¸ Incorporate five basic breathing exercises for greater relaxation
and energy
¸ Benefit from visualization, overcome sleeping problems, and test
and filter your water supply
¸ Make art, music, and the natural world more important parts of
your life
|
 |
|
|
|
| |
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
A Year of Food Life
by Barbara
Kingsolver, Camille Kingsolver, Steven L. Hopp
From Bookmarks Magazine
In this very topical memoir, Kingsolver has penned a "heroic story"
that demonstrates how "growing your own fruits and vegetables, with
people you love, can be as rewarding an experience as any on the
face of the earth" (San
Francisco Chronicle).
It also may mark the first time fresh asparagus has been documented
with such rapture. The author's passion and narrative prowess make
Animal an entertaining, often page-turning read. Her biologist
husband Steven offers pithy sidebars about the politics of
sustainable agriculture, as well as advice on how to make a change
at home. Eldest daughter Camille supplies simple, nutritious
recipes. Their combined efforts resulted in nearly universal praise
from the critics.
Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson
Media, Inc. |
 |
|
|
| |
Energy
Medicine
The Scientific Basis of Bioenergy Therapies
Forward by Candace, Ph.D. Pert
Book Description
There is growing interest world wide in the field of mind-body
medicine and the effect which the natural "energy forces" within the
body play in the maintenance of normal health and wellbeing. This in
turn has led to interest in how these energies or forces may be
channelled to assist in healing and restoration to health. This
book, written by a well known scientist with a degree in biophysics
and a PhD in biology, brings together for the first time evidence
from a wide range of disciplines which is beginning to provide an
acceptable explanation for the energetic exchanges that take place
in all therapies. |
 |
|
|
| |
Fast Food
Nation
by Eric Schlosser
From Booklist
Everyone frets about the nutritional implications of excessive
dining at America's fast-food emporia, but few grasp the
significance of how fast-food restaurants have fundamentally changed
the way Americans eat. Schlosser documents the effects of fast food
on America's economy, its youth culture, and allied industries, such
as meatpacking, that serve this vast food production empire.
Starting with a young woman who makes minimum wage working at a
Colorado fast-food restaurant, Schlosser relates the oft-told story
of Ray Kroc's founding of McDonald's. The author also tells about
the development of the franchise method of business ownership and
the health and nutrition implications of fast-food consumption. In a
striking chapter, Schlosser gives a glimpse into the little-known
world of chemically engineered flavorings, both natural and
artificial. The coming together of so many diverse social,
scientific, and economic trends in a single industry makes this book
a relevant, compelling read and a cautionary tale of the many risks
generated by this ubiquitous industry. Mark Knoblauch
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
--This text refers to
the Hardcover edition. |
 |
|
|
| |
Molecules
of Emotion
The Science Behind
Mind-Body Medicine
by Candace, Ph.D. Pert
Book Description
There is growing interest world wide in the field of mind-body
medicine and the effect which the natural "energy forces" within the
body play in the maintenance of normal health and wellbeing. This in
turn has led to interest in how these energies or forces may be
channelled to assist in healing and restoration to health. This
book, written by a well known scientist with a degree in biophysics
and a PhD in biology, brings together for the first time evidence
from a wide range of disciplines which is beginning to provide an
acceptable explanation for the energetic exchanges that take place
in all therapies. |
 |
|
|
|
| |
A Movable Feast
Ten Millennia
of Food Globalization
by Kenneth F. Kiple (Author)
From Publishers Weekly
Recycling much historical material from the magisterial Cambridge
World History of Food (which the author co-edited), this slender
volume distills 10,000 years of food history into just 300 pages.
While the first work was notable for its rich multiplicity of voices
and deeply informed scholarship, this one is a bit of a hash, owing
to its author's insistence on squeezing a far-ranging narrative into
the narrow framework of globalism. Far from being a new economic
concept, the globalization of food, asserts Kiple, is as old as
agriculture itself (globalization being murkily defined as "a
process of homogenization whereby the cuisines of the world have
been increasingly untied from regional food production, and one that
promises to make the foods of the world available to everyone in the
world"). The strongest material examines the spread of agriculture
and its ramifications: it's a paradox of civilization that increased
food production encourages population growth, which invariably
creates food shortages and disease. That said, gastronomes will find
scraps to nibble on here and there—who knew, for example, that the
Egyptians trained their monkeys to harvest grapes? (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier
Inc. All rights reserved. |
 |
|
|
|
| |
Food Not Lawns
How to Turn Your Yard
into a Garden And Your Neighborhood into a Community
by Heather C. Flores
From Publishers Weekly
For Flores, "practicing ecological living is a deeply subversive
act," and while most gardening books do not include warnings that
COINTELPRO "can and will...rape you," it is only because most
gardening books do not encourage "guerilla gardening" after
describing the basics of garden planning and pruning. More advanced
topics range from integrating barnyard birds into a garden to
getting more mileage out of the home water cycle to the benefits of
a balanced insect population. The illustrations are amusing as well
as helpful, and though the index is not extensive, the book,
overall, is a much better read than the average gardening book, both
in terms of range and entertainment value.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier
Inc. All rights reserved. |
 |
|
|
| |
Omnivore's
Dilemma
by Michael Pollan
From Bookmarks Magazine
In The Botany of Desire (2001), about how people and plants
coevolve, Michael Pollan teased greater issues from speciously small
phenomena. The Omnivore's Dilemma exhibits this same gift; a
Chicken McNugget, for example, illustrates our consumption of corn
and, in turn, agribusiness's oil dependency. In a journey that takes
us from an "organic" California chicken farm to Vermont, Pollan asks
basic questions about the moral and ecological consequences of our
food. Critics agree it's a wake-up call and, written in clear,
informative prose, also entertaining. Most found Pollan's quest for
his foraged meal the highlight, though the Los Angeles Times
faulted Pollan's hypocritical method of "living off the land." Many
also voiced a desire for a more concrete vision for the future. But
if the book doesn't outline a diet plan, it's nonetheless a loud,
convincing call for change.<BR>Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson
Media, Inc.
--This
text refers to the Hardcover edition. |
 |
|
|
| |
Plenty
One Man, One
Woman, and a Raucous Year of Eating Locally
by Alisa Smith, J.B. Mackinnon
From Booklist
Smith and MacKinnon revolt against the industrial model of food
distribution and determine to spend a year eating nothing raised or
cultivated beyond a 100-mile radius of their British Columbia home.
They seek not just health benefits and fuel efficiencies but they
also want to reconnect with small, local growers, millers,
fishermen, and ranchers to create a community where the consumer
knows both where the food comes from and who has produced it.
British Columbia, with its Marine West Coast climate, its rivers
full of salmon, and its proximity to the sea, offers unique
opportunities to pursue this resolve. Along the way, the authors
learn a lot about nutrition and uncommon varieties of fruits,
vegetables, and herbs, and all the data is shared with the reader.
Satisfying all their family's hungers proves daunting but scarcely
impossible. Entries for each month conclude with a recipe reflecting
use of seasonal ingredients. Knoblauch, Mark
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved |
 |
|
|
| |
Seeds of Deception
Exposing Industry and
Government Lies About the Safety of the Genetically Engineered Foods
You're Eating
by
Jeffrey M. Smith
From Publishers Weekly
Recent news headlines have focused on the disagreement between the
U.S. and Europe over genetically modified foods: the U.S. exports
them, but the European Union doesn't want to import them, believing
their safety remains unproven. Are genetically modified foods safe?
Longtime anti-GM foods campaigner Smith presents the "opposing"
case. He offers cases where GM produced results that were at best
unexpected (increased starch content in potatoes), at worst
grotesque (pigs without genitals). He describes how one corporation
reportedly tried to bribe Canadian government scientists into
approving genetically engineered bovine growth hormones they deemed
unsafe; how some scientists have reported their careers were
threatened as a result of their refusal to approve certain GM
products in the U.S.; and how "conflicts of interest, sloppy
science, and industry influence" can distort the approval process.
The cases Smith presents are scary and timely, but he explores only
one side of the story. Readers looking for a balance consideration
of genetically modified foods will want to look elsewhere.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to the Hardcover edition |
 |
|
|
| |
Spontaneous Healing
How to Discover and Enhance Your
Body's
Natural Ability to Maintain and Heal Itself
By Andrew Weil, M.D.
From the Publisher
In
this book, Dr. Andrew Weil, one of the most authoritative, and
important voices in the field of health and healing, makes clear the
reality of spontaneous healing. He illuminates the mechanisms and
processes of the body's healing system, delineates the ways in which
an individual can optimize the functioning of his or her own system,
and outlines the alternative medicines and treatments available to
aid the healing system, not only in the remission of
life-threatening diseases but also in response to everyday illnesses
and in day-to-day upkeep of basic health. In clear, concise
language, Dr. Weil explains how the healing system operates, its
interactions with the mind, its biological organization, its systems
of self-diagnosis, self-repair, and regeneration.
|
 |
|
|
| |
The Wisdom of Menopause
Creating Physical and
Emotional Health and Healing During the Change
By Christiane Northrup, M.D.
Publishers Weekly
Northrup (Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom), cofounder of the Women to
Women health-care center in Maine, offers a celebratory, "psychospiritual"
approach in her comprehensive guide to menopausal health and
well-being. Beginning with the premise that, though difficult, the
"hormone-driven changes that affect the brain... give a woman a
sharper eye for inequity... and a voice that insists on speaking
up," Northrup details hormonal imbalances, mood swings, serious
illnesses, treatment options and all the other symptoms, side
effects and decisions women face in midlife. Middle-aged herself,
Northrup writes from experience and, more important, from her
professional expertise as a physician who has treated many women and
researched menopause. While much of the health-care material here is
available in other sources, Northrup's approach a description of
symptoms, followed by both traditional and alternative treatment
options along with some anecdotes is particularly useful.
Occasionally she veers off into New Age jargon, but she is a firm
believer in the relevance of tangential influences on physical
health, including emotional and financial well-being. The specific
medical advice on sleep, diet, breast health and the empowerment
motif will bring insight, comfort and confidence to women embarked
on "the change." Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
|
 |
|
|
| |
Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom
Creating Physical and Emotional
Health and Healing
By Christiane Northrup, M.D.
From the Publisher
Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom powerfully demonstrates that when women change the basic
conditions of their lives that lead to health problems, they heal
faster, more completely, and with far fewer medical interventions.
Now Dr. Northrup brings us vital new information about the best
techniques of Western medicine and the best alternative therapies,
showing how to incorporate both into a complementary whole. She
guides readers through the entire range of women's health problems,
and offers strikingly new, positive perspectives on normal
processes, such as menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause. |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|