Book: “Climate Action is a campaign manual that draws upon positive case studies of successful grass-roots social movements from the last few decades, and presents a menu of strategies for activists and citizens who want to pressure governments and businesses to create a framework for big and rapid reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.”
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Book: “Civilian Ally: A Guide to Organizing with Veterans and Servicemembers to Build a GI Resistance Movement is a manual for peace activists who are organizing alongside veterans, servicemembers and conscientious objectors to end war or organizers who want to build those working relationships.”
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Book: “City Creatures introduces readers to an astonishing diversity of urban wildlife with a unique and accessible mix of essays, poetry, paintings, and photographs.”
Read MoreBook: “For the first time, the startling full story of the disastrous war on drugs–propelled by moving human stories, revolutionary insight into addiction, and fearless international reporting. What if everything you think you know about addiction is wrong? One of Johann Hari’s earliest memories is of trying to wake up one of his relatives and not be able to. As he grew older, he realized he had addiction in his family. Confused, unable to know what to do, he set out on a three-year, 30,000-mile journey to discover what really causes addiction–and what really solves it. He uncovered a range of remarkable human stories–of how the war on drugs began with Billie Holiday, the great jazz singer, being stalked and killed by a racist policeman; of the scientist who discovered the surprising key to addiction; and of the countries that ended their war on drugs–with extraordinary results. His discoveries led him to give a TED talk and animation which have now been viewed more than 25 million times. This is the story of a life-changing journey that showed the world the opposite of addiction is connection.”
Read More“Think about the last time you tried to change someone’s mind about something important: a voter’s political beliefs; a customer’s favorite brand; a spouse’s decorating taste. Chances are you weren’t successful in shifting that person’s beliefs in any way. In his book, Changing Minds, Harvard psychologist Howard Gardner explains what happens during the course of changing a mind – and offers ways to influence that process. Remember that we don’t change our minds overnight, it happens in gradual stages that can be powerfully influenced along the way. This book provides insights that can broaden our horizons and shape our lives.”
Read More“Norm Phelps has long been one of the leading theoreticians, historians, and strategists of the animal advocacy movement. His new book collects his recent writings on this subject, as well as offers in print for the first time a fully revised and updated version of the e-book he published with Lantern in 2013 (978-1-59056-379-3). Phelps argues that faced with the overwhelming wealth and power of the animal exploitation industries, animal activists are like David trying to stand up to Goliath. But rather than following the unsuccessful strategies of the past, Phelps proposes that we change the game by adopting David’s strategy of refusing to play by Goliath’s rules. Additional essays explore class and race in animal advocacy, the place of public policy vs. private morality in creating social change, and the unyielding barrier of human exceptionalism. Trenchant, wise, and deeply committed to the reduction of suffering and the liberation of animals, Changing the Game is sure to offer animal advocates much food for thought as the movement charts a way forward for all sentient beings. “
Read More Book: “Should anti-war protesters use graphic images to get public support for their cause, or will such images turn the public off? In encouraging the public to adopt sustainable behaviors, should environmental organizations ask for small changes like using fluorescent light bulbs or big changes like giving up cars? Why do most Americans say they oppose the cruel practices of factory farms and sweatshops yet still buy products from these places? And how can non-profits get more people to say yes to their requests to volunteer, donate, recycle, write a letter to a political prisoner, support gay rights, go vegetarian, conserve energy or make other positive changes? Scientific research has generated a wealth of information on how people can be persuaded to alter their behaviors, yet this body of knowledge has been largely ignored by those working to improve society. Change of Heart: What Psychology Can Teach Us About Spreading Social Change brings this information to light so that non-profits, community organizers and others can make science-driven decisions in their advocacy work. The book examines more than eighty years of empirical research in areas including social psychology, communication studies, diffusion studies, network systems and social marketing, distilling the highlights into easy-to-use advice and serving as a psychology primer for anyone wanting to spread progressive social change.”
Read More Book: “Our current story is about Sacred Money and Markets. Money, it tells us, is the measure of all worth and the source of all happiness. The market is omniscient. Earth is simply a source of raw materials. Inequality and environmental destruction are unfortunate but unavoidable. Although many recognize this story promotes bad ethics, bad science, and bad economics, it will remain our guiding story until replaced by a more compelling story that aligns with our deepest understanding of the universe and our relationship to it. A Sacred Life and Living Earth story is grounded in a cosmology that affirms we are living beings born of a living Earth itself born of a living universe. Our health and well-being depend on an economy that works in co-productive partnership with the processes by which Earth’s community of life maintains the conditions of its own existence—and ours. Offering a hopeful vision, this book lays out the transformative impact adopting this story will have on every aspect of human life and society.” PDF discussion guide available.
Read More Book: “We are in the midst of a monumental transformation in human civilization, akin to a metamorphosis. Just as in Nature where the caterpillar gorges itself before forcibly undergoing a metamorphosis in the chrysalis, we over-consuming humans are reaching a point of being forcibly transformed within the cocoon of our finite planet into compassionate, life-affirming butterflies. Vegan life-affirming butterflies.”
Read More Book: “Using the metaphor of metamorphosis, Carbon Dharma calls for our occupation of the Earth as Butterflies, to undo the damage done by the human species in its present Caterpillar stage of existence. It diagnoses the reasons for our Caterpillar stage of existence as the misinterpretation of the fundamental principles that underlie our democracy and our industrial civilization.”
Read More Book: “The Campaign Strategy Guide is the first instalment of the People Power Manual, a resource created for organisers, activist educators and facilitators. Campaign strategy needn’t be mystifying, lonely or stressful. Social movements become more powerful as more people are equipped to analyse their political context, consider paths to change and mindfully plan tactics. This Campaign Strategy Guide equips activist educators to facilitate a range of participatory exercises with activists, organisers and citizens. It can also be used as a do-it-yourself guide for campaigners. The guide incorporates 16 handouts, several workshop schedules and process guides for 24 strategising processes that have been tried and tested by thousands of campaigners.”
Read MoreBook: “Cure Your Food Cravings Once and For All. If sweets and high-fat foods are sabotaging your efforts to lose weight and get healthy, Dr. Neal Barnard has the solution to conquering your food addictions. Backed up by scientific research, Breaking the Food Seduction explains that your biochemistry, not your lack of willpower, is the problem. Dr. Barnard reveals the simple dietary and lifestyle changes that can break the stubborn cycle of cravings and make you free to choose healthy and tasty foods that can help to you lose weight, lower cholesterol, and improve your overall health. Featuring a 3-week kickstart plan and 100 delicious, satisfying recipes”
Read More “How the Largest Movement in the World Came Into Being and Why No One Saw it Coming. A leading environmentalist and social activist’s examination of the worldwide movement for social and environmental change. Paul Hawken has spent over a decade researching organizations dedicated to restoring the environment and fostering social justice. From billion-dollar nonprofits to single-person dot.causes, these groups collectively comprise the largest movement on earth, a movement that has no name, leader, or location, and that has gone largely ignored by politicians and the media. Like nature itself, it is organizing from the bottom up, in every city, town, and culture. and is emerging to be an extraordinary and creative expression of people’s needs worldwide. Blessed Unrest explores the diversity of the movement, its brilliant ideas, innovative strategies, and hidden history, which date back many centuries. A culmination of Hawken’s many years of leadership in the environmental and social justice fields, it will inspire and delight any and all who despair of the world’s fate, and its conclusions will surprise even those within the movement itself. Fundamentally, it is a description of humanity’s collective genius, and the unstoppable movement to reimagine our relationship to the environment and one another.”
Read More “As part of our mission to spread breakthrough solutions for people and planet, we collaborated with the education experts at Trio to create Bioneers Study Guides. Bioneers Study Guides leverage 26 years of actionable intelligence represented in our extensive media archive. The wide range of topics are relevant for inclusion in many different curricula—from science to civics, economics to art—and are easily integrated into any type of classroom. We’re making these guides freely available for download to ensure everyone, especially future generations, are learning in ways that engage the challenges and opportunities facing humanity today.”
Read More “As part of our mission to spread breakthrough solutions for people and planet, we collaborated with the education experts at Trio to create Bioneers Study Guides. Bioneers Study Guides leverage 26 years of actionable intelligence represented in our extensive media archive. The wide range of topics are relevant for inclusion in many different curricula—from science to civics, economics to art—and are easily integrated into any type of classroom. We’re making these guides freely available for download to ensure everyone, especially future generations, are learning in ways that engage the challenges and opportunities facing humanity today.”
Read More “13 of California’s top climate leaders illuminate why the state’s game-changing climate policies are serving as models for local, regional, and national policy change worldwide. This is a must-read for climate activists, policymakers, citizen advocates, sustainable tech and design professionals—anyone with an interest in what it takes to advance visionary and practical solutions to climate disruption. Over the past decade, California has managed to decouple the growth of greenhouse gas emissions and the economy, reducing per capita emissions by 17% while maintaining one of the most robust economies in the U.S. With nearly 200,000 clean energy jobs, a vibrant economy, and poised to invest literally hundreds of billions of dollars into a low carbon economy, the world’s eighth largest economic engine is positioning itself as a model for the world. In the fall of 2014, as part of the 25th annual Bioneers Conference, Bioneers convened a very special gathering of key leaders to help start a conversation that seemed long overdue: California’s leadership role in the global effort to combat climate change. This volume, taken from talks given at the 2014 event, is both an accessible and detailed look at some of the key areas where California is particularly out in front.”
Read More Book: “Big Ideas: Linking Food, Culture, Health, and the Environment, written by the Center for Ecoliteracy with a foreword by bestselling author Michael Pollan, provides a conceptual framework for integrated learning in these important areas in K–12 classrooms…In a style that is both positive and accessible, Big Ideas helps students and educators explore questions, such as: Where does our food come from and how it is produced? How does culture shape our food choices and behavior? What is the relationship between food choices and health? And what are the links between our food and the environment?”
Read More “As part of our mission to spread breakthrough solutions for people and planet, we collaborated with the education experts at Trio to create Bioneers Study Guides. Bioneers Study Guides leverage 26 years of actionable intelligence represented in our extensive media archive. The wide range of topics are relevant for inclusion in many different curricula—from science to civics, economics to art—and are easily integrated into any type of classroom. We’re making these guides freely available for download to ensure everyone, especially future generations, are learning in ways that engage the challenges and opportunities facing humanity today.”
Read MoreBook: “Ten years ago, in the best-selling Ethics for a New Millennium, His Holiness the Dalai Lama first proposed an approach to ethics based on universal rather than religious principles. With Beyond Relgion, he returns to the conversation at his most outspoken, elaborating and deepening his vision for the nonreligious way—a path to lead an ethical, happy, and spiritual life. Transcending the religion wars, he outlines a system of ethics for our shared world, one that makes a stirring appeal for a deep appreciation of our common humanity, offering us all a road map for improving human life on individual, community, and global levels. “
Read MoreBook: “Vegans, vegetarians, and meat eaters can feel like they’re living in different worlds. Many vegans and vegetarians struggle to feel understood and respected in a meat-eating culture, where some of their most pressing concerns and cherished beliefs are invisible, and where they are often met with defensiveness when they try to talk about the issue. They can become frustrated and struggle to feel connected with meat eaters. And meat eaters can feel disconnected from vegans and vegetarians whose beliefs they don’t fully understand and whose frustration may spill over into their interactions. The good news is that relationship and communication breakdown among vegans, vegetarians, and meat eaters is not inevitable, and it is reversible. With the right tools, healthy connections can be cultivated, repaired, and even strengthened. In Beyond Beliefs, internationally recognized food psychology expert and longtime relationship coach Dr. Melanie Joy provides easy-to-understand, actionable advice so you can: • Learn the principles and tools for creating healthy relationships • Understand how to communicate about even the most challenging topics effectively • Recognize how the psychology of being vegan/vegetarian or of being a meat eater affects your relationships with others, and with yourself”
Read MoreBook: “Beyond Forgiveness shows how acts of atonement—making amends, providing restitution, restoring balance—can relieve us of the pain of the past and give us a hopeful future. The book contains fifteen thoughtful contributions from high-profile thinkers and activists including, among others, Huston Smith, Michael Bernard Beckwith, Jacob Needleman, Arun Gandhi, Diane Hennacy Powell, Azim Noordin Khamisa, Rabbi Michael Lerner, James O’Dea, Reverend Heng Sure, Kate Dahlstedt, and Edward Tick.”
Read MoreBook: “Classroom management is traditionally a matter of encouraging good behavior and discouraging bad by doling out rewards and punishments. But studies show that when educators empower students to address and correct misbehavior among themselves, positive results are longer lasting and more wide reaching. In Better Than Carrots or Sticks, longtime educators and best-selling authors Dominique Smith, Douglas Fisher, and Nancy Frey provide a practical blueprint for creating a cooperative and respectful classroom climate in which students and teachers work through behavioral issues together….Rewards and punishments may help to maintain order in the short term, but they’re at best superficially effective and at worst counterproductive. This book will prepare teachers at all levels to ensure that their classrooms are welcoming, enriching, and constructive environments built on collective respect and focused on student achievement. “
Read MoreBook: “America’s leadership expert teaches that if your life in any way connects with other people, you are an influencer. Whatever your vocation or aspiration is, you can increase your impact with Maxwell’s simple, insightful ways to interact more positively with others. Watch your personal and organizational success go off the charts!”
Read More Book: “The authors of Becoming Vegetarian explore the benefits of a vegan diet (eating without meat, eggs or dairy products). More and more people are being motivated to become vegans because of the impactof their nutritional choices on their health, the environment, animal rights, and human hunger. As registered dietitians, Davis and Melina are well-qualified to provide the latest information on: -how a vegan diet can protect against cancer, heart disease, and other chronic illnesses -getting all the protein you need without meat -meeting your needs for calcium without dairy products -what vegans need to know about B12 -why good fats are vital to health and how to get them -balanced diets for infants, children, and seniors -pregnancy and breast-feeding tips for vegan moms -considerations for overweight, underweight, and eating disorders -achieving peak performance as a vegan athlete -how to deal gracefully with a non vegan world”
Read More Book: “From Cairo to cyberspace, from Main Street to Wall Street, today’s social movements have a creative new edge that’s blurring the boundaries between artist and activist, hacker and dreamer. But the principles that make for successful creative action rarely get hashed out or written down. Until now. Beautiful Trouble brings together ten grassroots groups and dozens of seasoned artists and activists from around the world to distill their best practices into a toolbox for creative action. Among the groups included are Agit-Pop/The Other 98%, The Yes Men/Yes Labs, Code Pink, SmartMeme, The Ruckus Society, Beyond the Choir, The Center for Artistic Activism, Waging Nonviolence, Alliance of Community Trainers and Nonviolence International…Beautiful Trouble puts the accumulated wisdom of decades of creative protest into the hands of the next generation of change-makers.”
Read More “This is a book about social change practices from many countries. It contains a variety of stories, analyses, and ideas, with many poems and illustrations to illuminate and enhance the text.”
Read More Book: “Mission Inclusion Stories and Practices of Building a World where All Belong…Everyone agrees that inclusion is hard, that reaching the poorest and most marginalised is difficult. The layers and reinforcing cycles of exclusion defy the conventional development project approach. Something else, something qualitatively different is needed. Many organisations, large and small, are tackling the deep challenges of exclusion and coming up with creative, innovative and workable solutions that are putting into practice the policies and strategies that everyone is talking about. This Barefoot Guide, written by 34 practitioners from 16 different countries on all continents makes many of these successful approaches and solutions more visible. We will be releasing five translations (French, Spanish, Swahili, Arabic and Viet) and three audio translations (Hausa, Arabic and Swahili) over the next several months.” A dyslexic version available too.
Read MoreBook: “”Pain is pain, irrespective of the race, sex, or species of the victim, ” states William M. Kunstler in the Foreword. This moral concern for the suffering of animals and their legal status is the basis for Gary L. Francione’s profound book, which asks, Why has the law failed to protect animals from exploitation? Exploring every facet of this heated issue, Francione discusses the history of the treatment of animals, anticruelty statutes, vivisection, the Federal Animal Welfare Act, and specific cases such as the controversial injury of unanesthetized baboons at the University of Pennsylvania. He thoroughly documents the paradoxical gap between our professed concern with humane treatment of animals and the overriding practice of abuse permitted by the law.”
Read MoreBook: “A prominent and respected philosopher of animal rights law and ethical theory, Gary L. Francione is known for his criticism of animal welfare laws and regulations, his abolitionist theory of animal rights, and his promotion of veganism and nonviolence as the baseline principles of the abolitionist movement. In this collection, Francione advances the most radical theory of animal rights to date. Unlike Peter Singer, Francione maintains that we cannot morally justify using animals under any circumstances, and unlike Tom Regan, Francione’s theory applies to all sentient beings, not only to those who have more sophisticated cognitive abilities.”
Read More Book: “Since its original publication in 1975, this groundbreaking work has awakened millions of people to the existence of “speciesism”—our systematic disregard of nonhuman animals—inspiring a worldwide movement to transform our attitudes to animals and eliminate the cruelty we inflict on them. In Animal Liberation, author Peter Singer exposes the chilling realities of today’s “factory farms” and product-testing procedures—destroying the spurious justifications behind them, and offering alternatives to what has become a profound environmental and social as well as moral issue. An important and persuasive appeal to conscience, fairness, decency, and justice, it is essential reading for the supporter and the skeptic alike.”
Read MoreBook: “Why do some animal protection efforts succeed while others fail? Discover how more than 80 leading advocates create change for animals. You’ll learn a seven-step system with techniques that are transforming advocacy… and the world. Find out what it takes to be effective personally and in organizations from grassroots to global. Engaging stories and practical how-tos make Animal Impact a must-read for anyone who cares deeply about helping animals. You’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at how some of today’s most respected animal advocates are making a difference. An innovative, easy-to-remember framework summarizes key points for action. Newcomers can get a fast start to high-impact advocacy. Veterans in the field will benefit from fresh ways of thinking, as well as new methods to apply. The lessons are useful for individual advocates, volunteers, frontline staff, program and campaign managers, executive directors, board members, and funders. Though written for people seeking to influence others, the insight on what separates winning efforts from disappointments will also interest movement observers and students of social change.”
Read MoreBook: “This work presents the Dalai Lama’s prescription for the spiritual expansion of humankind. Addressing what he sees as the spiritual void in modern society, the Dalai Lama calls for the necessity of virtue and greater compassion. Besides discussing ways in which we may care for the environment, he gives guidance in the techniques of contemplation. Written as a form of spiritual handbook, this work is also a complement to “Freedom in Exile”, the Dalai Lama’s autobiography.”
Read More Book: ““An Action A Day Keeps Global Capitalism Away,” according to Mike Hudema, describing his action guide for the 21st century. This lively, challenging, and decidedly fun book is designed for activists and concerned citizens who want to change the world. Hudema introduces readers to a variety of issues, including social action, organizing, theatrical action, civil disobedience, and using the media.The book contains fifty-two tried and tested actions, one for every week. Each action includes a rationale–what you need to pull it off, and examples of where it could be used. From Radical Cheerleading, to Fishing in the Sewers, and Gas Mask Car Shopping, there’s something for everybody.”
Read More Book: “Written by a premier group of 21 thinkers from around the world, the second edition of Alternatives to Economic Globalization lays out democratic, ecologically sound, socially just alternatives to corporate globalization more fully, specifically, and thoughtfully than has ever been done before. Focusing on constructive, achievable goals, the authors present ten governing principles for establishing truly sustainable societies and describe alternatives to the World Bank, the IMF, and the WTO that would better serve the needs of the planet. They offer detailed proposals for protecting vital goods and services from corporate exploitation, limiting corporate privileges and power, rebuilding economies to make them more responsive to human needs, and more. This revised and expanded edition features a new opening chapter on the global balance of power, a new section on the media and globalization, and a new final chapter on what ordinary citizens can do to fight the injustices of globalization. It also includes many new charts, sidebars, and other updated information.”
Read MoreBook: “Aftershock is about the real war against terror―the struggle for a world in which nobody lives in fear of atrocities perpetrated by human beings. Every day, people who push against violence and injustice or pull for peace and freedom must face their own fears. Many activists also must struggle with “aftershock,” the physical and emotional reverberations of frightening, horrifying, or otherwise traumatizing experiences endured in the course of their activism. This book is for aftershocked activists and their allies, as well as for people and organizations that practice high-risk activism. It includes practical tips for individuals, organizations, and communities, as well as information about how traumatic events affect our bodies and abilities. Aftershock explores the culture of trauma that people have created through our violent exploitation of the Earth, other animals, and one another. As long as we continue to perpetrate such violations, we will never fully heal our own traumatic injuries. This book, therefore, is for survivors of all kinds of trauma, for therapists who treat trauma, and for anyone who hopes to reduce the amount of terror in the world.”
Read MoreBook: “Classic Quaker arguments why Christians should neither fight in wars nor pay others to fight in their place by paying taxes that sustain the military.”
Read More Book: “Nearly two years after the economic meltdown, joblessness and foreclosures are still endemic, Wall Street executives are once again getting massive bonuses, and our leaders in Washington lack the will to make desperately needed fundamental changes to the economy. Change will have to come from below. Agenda for a New Economy is the handbook for that revolution. In this revised and updated edition David Korten has fleshed out his vision of the alternative to the corporate Wall Street economy: a Main Street economy based on locally owned, community-oriented “living enterprises” whose success is measured as much by their positive impact on people and the environment as by their positive balance sheet. We will lose nothing in the process because, as Korten ably demonstrates, the supposed services Wall Street offers are simply a con game. And Korten now offers more in-depth advice on how to mount a grassroots campaign to bring about an economy based on shared prosperity, ecological stewardship, and citizen democracy.”
Read More“This book is a call to action. Since the beginning of time, there have been—in total—about 110 billion humans who have lived and died. We kill more nonhuman animals than that every single year. Think about that for a second. Our exploitation of nonhumans represents violence on a scale that is unparalleled. The largest number of animals we kill is for food—about 60 billion land animals and at least one trillion sea animals killed annually. And there are many billions more killed every year for various other reasons, including biomedical research, entertainment, and sport….In Advocate for Animals! – An Abolitionist Vegan Handbook, Gary Francione and Anna Charlton, two of the original pioneers of this Abolitionist movement, provide a practical guide about how you can become an effective voice in this most important movement for justice. They give you all sorts of ideas of how to advocate, and provide many examples of actual discussions so that you can see the sorts of approaches you can use in your own discussions with others.”
Read More Book: “Sarah and Sean identify and explore eight themes that both define and catalyse Australian activism. Their potted history of social movement theory is accessible and informative. The authors’ analysis is informed in equal part by their personal activist experience, their intimate knowledge of social movement theory and interviews with nineteen activists from several social movements. A captivating book you’ll find yourself reflecting on for months.”
Read More Book: “The challenges we face can be difficult even to think about. Climate change, the depletion of oil, economic upheaval, and mass extinction together create a planetary emergency of overwhelming proportions. Active Hope shows us how to strengthen our capacity to face this crisis so that we can respond with unexpected resilience and creative power. Drawing on decades of teaching an empowerment approach known as the Work That Reconnects, the authors guide us through a transformational process informed by mythic journeys, modern psychology, spirituality, and holistic science. This process equips us with tools to face the mess we’re in and play our role in the collective transition, or Great Turning, to a life-sustaining society.”
Read More Book: “Pollution, overcrowding, global warming, species extinction — everyone knows the Earth is in trouble. Is there anything we can do? Our book Acting for Nature tells the remarkable stories of 15 young people from around the world who didn’t get discouraged. They saw environmental problems in their communities and found ways to solve them.”
Read More “The practical and philosophical basis for ecological veganism – that we can feed the world healthily and compassionately and protect the planet with a diverse, mostly home grown, plant-based diet that includes tree crops…We are faced with the challenge of providing for the needs of a rapidly increasing world population from the diminishing resources of a finite and endangered planet. Fundamental changes in the values and practices of the dominant world system, which has created a situation in which millions of people and animals already suffer extreme deprivation and die prematurely, is essential. What is needed is a trend towards compassionate living the vegan way, with the emphasis on the use of trees and their products. As people face the challenge of environmental crises, as the supreme importance of using awesome intellectual powers with compassion for all sentient beings is realised, an evolutionary leap will be achieved. An era of truly abundant living will dawn in which humans, at peace with themselves, with each other and with all living creatures, will reach heights of creativity as yet unimagined.”
Read MoreBook: “This completely revised version of the classic Labor Notes book is required reading for union activists, stewards, officers, and educators.”
Read More Book: “In A Theory of Nonviolent Action, Stellan Vinthagen draws on these examples as well as a rich collection of other historical social events that represent nonviolence movements that combined resistance and constructive change. With this groundbreaking book, Vinthagen provides the first major systematic attempt to develop a theory of nonviolent action in decades, making this essential reading for anyone involved in the study of nonviolence movements.”
Read MoreBook: “In undertaking a spiritual life, we must make certain that our path is connected with our heart. Since 1974 (long before it gained popularity in the 1990s), Jack has been teaching westerners how to integrate Eastern teaching into their daily lives. Through generous storytelling and unmitigated warmth, Jack offers this guidebook on living with attentiveness, meditation, and full-tilt compassion. Part of what makes this book so accessible is Jack’s use of everyday metaphors to describe the elusive lessons of spiritual transformation. For example, he opens with “the one seat” lesson taught to him by his esteemed teacher. Literally it means sitting in the center of a room and not being swayed or moved by all the people and dramas happening around you. On a spiritual level it means sticking “with one practice and teacher among all of the possibilities,” he writes; “inwardly it means having the determination to stick with that practice through whatever difficulties and doubts arise until you have come to true clarity and understanding.” The same could be said for this “one book.” Among all the spiritual self-help books, this is a classic worth sticking with and returning to–a highly approachable teacher that can only lead to greater clarity and understanding.”
Read More “With a new introduction by Anthony Arnove, this edition of the classic national bestseller chronicles American history from the bottom up, throwing out the official narrative taught in schools—with its emphasis on great men in high places—to focus on the street, the home and the workplace. Known for its lively, clear prose as well as its scholarly research, A People’s History of the United States is the only volume to tell America’s story from the point of view of—and in the words of—America’s women, factory workers, African-Americans, Native Americans, the working poor, and immigrant laborers. As historian Howard Zinn shows, many of our country’s greatest battles—the fights for a fair wage, an eight-hour workday, child-labor laws, health and safety standards, universal suffrage, women’s rights, racial equality—were carried out at the grassroots level, against bloody resistance. Covering Christopher Columbus’s arrival through President Clinton’s first term, A People’s History of the United States features insightful analysis of the most important events in our history. “
Read More“Though Gandhi is one of the most written-about figures of the twentieth century, this is the first book to apply lessons from his life to the practical tasks faced by contemporary leaders-from corporate managers and executives to government administrators, nonprofit professionals, educators, and others…A lifelong student of Gandhi’s teachings and a businessman with more than 25 years of experience in corporate and governmental leadership development, Nair is uniquely positioned to bridge the two worlds. Using illustrative examples from Gandhi’s life and writings, he identifies commitments-to conscience, openness, service, values, and reduced attachments-and describes the courage and determination necessary to work and lead by them. In simple and direct language, he explores the process of making decisions, setting goals, and implementing actions guided by the spirit of service and commitment to values that is essential to the realization of a higher standard of leadership in our workplaces and communities.”
Read More Book: “Are you worried you’ll go hungry while traveling because you just won’t find any vegan food to eat? Are you embarrassed to ask for what you really want when dining out in restaurants? Do you wonder how you could ever communicate your needs to a waiter who doesn’t speak your language? If you think travel as a vegan is just too difficult, stressful or intimidating, well…it doesn’t have to be! The truth is, being a vegan traveler will allow you to delve deeper into the culture of the places you visit and experience them in a way you never would have before. Being vegan can make your travels better, not worse! Download this free mini e-book today.”
Read More Book: “”Nonviolence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind” The words of Mahatma Gandhi are guiding spirit behind the essays in this Eshort, all exploring the deep and powerful promise of nonviolence as a tool for social change. Professor Michael Nagler offers stories of nonviolence in history and today, of hope, and of our bright future.”
Read MoreBook: Age Range: 5 – 8 years “More than anything, Mable Jean wants to go to school. She has to walk five miles to get there, though, and her papa told her that if she can’t keep up, she’ll have to wait another year. She hurts her foot and misses some school days, but Mable Jean doesn’t give up. When the white children on their bus pass Mable Jean and her friends, laughing and taunting them, it’s almost more than Mable Jean can take. Finally, Mable Jean asks her parents why the black children don’t have a bus, too.”
Read MoreBook: “A Landmark Message from His Holiness the Dalai Lama: Are we ready to hear it? Are we ready to act? I call on you to confront the challenges of our era by rising up and embarking upon a revolution that has no precedent in human history. This eloquent, urgent manifesto is possibly the most important message the Dalai Lama can give us about the future of our world. It’s his rallying cry, full of solutions for our chaotic, aggressive, divided times: no less than A CALL FOR REVOLUTION.”
Read MoreBook by Leo Tolstoy
Read More “Written in 1986, but still a fountain of commonsense tips, theory, and practice for getting organized. Whether its settling up a literature table, batting through the courts, contacting the media, or staging a sit-down protest, this is a great place to start.”
Read More Book: “A visionary ahead of her time, Joanna Macy sounds the call for us to wake up to a deeper relationship with the Earth or risk its destruction. In renewing our commitment to the natural world, she writes, we can nourish and replenish our spirits as well. ‘World as Lover, World as Self’ is a love poem to the planet, a story of personal journey, and a blueprint for social change.”
Read MoreBook: “Food is our most intimate and telling connection both with the living natural order and with our living cultural heritage. By eating the plants and animals of our earth, we literally incorporate them. It is also through this act of eating that we partake of our culture’s values and paradigms at the most primal levels. It is becoming increasingly obvious, however, that the choices we make about our food are leading to environmental degradation, enormous human health problems, and unimaginable cruelty toward our fellow creatures. Incorporating systems theory, teachings from mythology and religions, and the human sciences, The World Peace Diet presents the outlines of a more empowering understanding of our world, based on a comprehension of the far-reaching implications of our food choices and the worldview those choices reflect and mandate. The author offers a set of universal principles for all people of conscience, from any religious tradition, that they can follow to reconnect with what we are eating, what was required to get it on our plate, and what happens after it leaves our plates. The World Peace Diet suggests how we as a species might move our consciousness forward so that we can be more free, more intelligent, more loving, and happier in the choices we make.”
Read More Book: “Whether referring to a place, a nonhuman animal or plant, or a state of mind, wild indicates autonomy and agency, a will to be, a unique expression of life. Yet two contrasting ideas about wild nature permeate contemporary discussions: either that nature is most wild in the absence of a defiling human presence, or that nature is completely humanized and nothing is truly wild. Wildness, edited by Gavin Van Horn and John Hausdoerffer, charts a different path. Exploring how people can become attuned to the wild community of life and also contribute to the well-being of the wild places in which we live, work, and play, Wildness brings together esteemed authors from a variety of landscapes, cultures, and backgrounds to share their stories about the interdependence of everyday human lifeways and wildness.”
Read MoreBook: “Martin Luther King’s classic exploration of the events and forces behind the Civil Rights Movement—including his Letter from Birmingham Jail, April 16, 1963. “There comes a time when the cup of endurance runs over, and men are no longer willing to be plunged into the abyss of despair.” In 1963, Birmingham, Alabama, was perhaps the most racially segregated city in the United States. The campaign launched by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Civil Rights movement on the segregated streets of Birmingham demonstrated to the world the power of nonviolent direct action. In this remarkable book—winner of the Nobel Peace Prize—Dr. King recounts the story of Birmingham in vivid detail, tracing the history of the struggle for civil rights back to its beginnings three centuries ago and looking to the future, assessing the work to be done beyond Birmingham to bring about full equality for African Americans. Above all, Dr. King offers an eloquent and penetrating analysis of the events and pressures that propelled the Civil Rights movement from lunch counter sit-ins and prayer marches to the forefront of American consciousness. Since its publication in the 1960s, Why We Can’t Wait has become an indisputable classic. Now, more than ever, it is an enduring testament to the wise and courageous vision of Martin Luther King, Jr.”
Read More Book: “In this absorbing and sometimes thrilling memoir, well-known eco-philosopher, Buddhist scholar, and deep ecology activist /teacher Joanna Macy recounts her adventures of mind and spirit in the key social movements of our era. Macy’s autobiography reads like a novel as she relates her multifaceted life experiences and reflects on how her marriage and family life enriched her service to the world.”
Read MoreBook: “In this paperback edition is a foreword by activist and author John Robbins and a reader’s group study guide. This ground-breaking work, voted one of the top ten books of 2010 by VegNews Magazine, offers an absorbing look at why and how humans can so wholeheartedly devote ourselves to certain animals and then allow others to suffer needlessly, especially those slaughtered for our consumption. Social psychologist Melanie Joy explores the many ways we numb ourselves and disconnect from our natural empathy for farmed animals. She coins the term “carnism” to describe the belief system that has conditioned us to eat certain animals and not others. In Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows Joy investigates factory farming, exposing how cruelly the animals are treated, the hazards that meatpacking workers face, and the environmental impact of raising 10 billion animals for food each year. Controversial and challenging, this book will change the way you think about food forever.”
Read MoreBook: “For more than a century, from 1900 to 2006, campaigns of nonviolent resistance were more than twice as effective as their violent counterparts in achieving their stated goals. By attracting impressive support from citizens, whose activism takes the form of protests, boycotts, civil disobedience, and other forms of nonviolent noncooperation, these efforts help separate regimes from their main sources of power and produce remarkable results, even in Iran, Burma, the Philippines, and the Palestinian Territories. Combining statistical analysis with case studies of specific countries and territories, Erica Chenoweth and Maria J. Stephan detail the factors enabling such campaigns to succeed and, sometimes, causing them to fail. They find that nonviolent resistance presents fewer obstacles to moral and physical involvement and commitment, and that higher levels of participation contribute to enhanced resilience, greater opportunities for tactical innovation and civic disruption (and therefore less incentive for a regime to maintain its status quo), and shifts in loyalty among opponents’ erstwhile supporters, including members of the military establishment. Chenoweth and Stephan conclude that successful nonviolent resistance ushers in more durable and internally peaceful democracies, which are less likely to regress into civil war. Presenting a rich, evidentiary argument, they originally and systematically compare violent and nonviolent outcomes in different historical periods and geographical contexts, debunking the myth that violence occurs because of structural and environmental factors and that it is necessary to achieve certain political goals. Instead, the authors discover, violent insurgency is rarely justifiable on strategic grounds.”
Read More Book: “Our Choice: Democracy or Corporate Rule. A handful of corporations and financial institutions command an ever-greater concentration of economic and political power in an assault against markets, democracy, and life. It’s a “suicide economy,” says David Korten, that destroys the very foundations of its own existence. The bestselling 1995 edition of When Corporations Rule the World helped launch a global resistance against corporate domination. In this twentieth-anniversary edition, Korten shares insights from his personal experience as a participant in the growing movement for a New Economy. A new introduction documents the further concentration of wealth and corporate power since 1995 and explores why our institutions resolutely resist even modest reform. A new conclusion chapter outlines high-leverage opportunities for breakthrough change.”
Read More Monograph: “Why do some nonviolent revolutions lead to successful democratization while others fail to consolidate democratic change? And what can activists do to push toward a victory over dictatorship that results in long-term political freedom? Several studies show that nonviolent revolutions are generally a more positive force for democratization than violent revolutions and top-down political transitions. However, some nonviolent revolutions, such as the Arab Spring revolution in Egypt, do not seem to fit this pattern. This study takes on this puzzle and reveals that the answer lies in large part in the actions of civil society prior to and during transition. Democracy is most likely when activists can keep their social bases mobilized for positive political change while directing that mobilization toward building new political institutions.” 104 page pdf
Read MoreBook: “This national bestseller exploring the complex emotional lives of animals was hailed as “a masterpiece” by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas and as “marvelous” by Jane Goodall. The popularity of When Elephants Weep has swept the nation, as author Jeffrey Masson appeared on Dateline NBC, Good Morning America, and was profiled in People for his ground-breaking and fascinating study. Not since Darwin’s The Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals has a book so thoroughly and effectively explored the full range of emotions that exist throughout the animal kingdom. From dancing squirrels to bashful gorillas to spiteful killer whales, Masson and coauthor Susan McCarthy bring forth fascinating anecdotes and illuminating insights that offer powerful proof of the existence of animal emotion. Chapters on love, joy, anger, fear, shame, compassion, and loneliness are framed by a provocative re-evaluation of how we treat animals, from hunting and eating them to scientific experimentation. Forming a complete and compelling picture of the inner lives of animals, When Elephants Weep assures that we will never look at animals in the same way again.”
Read MoreBook: “Harry Hoxsey claimed to cure cancer using herbal remedies, and thousands of patients swore that he healed them. His Texas clinic became the world’s largest privately owned cancer center with branches in seventeen states, and the value of its therapeutic treatments was upheld by two federal courts. Even his arch-nemesis, the AMA, admitted his treatment was effective against some forms of cancer. But the medical establishment refused an investigation, branding Hoxsey the worst cancer quack of the century and forcing his clinic to Tijuana, Mexico, where it continues to claim very high success rates. Modern laboratory tests have confirmed the anticancer properties of Hoxsey’s herbs, and a federal govenment-sponsored report is now calling for a major reconsideration of the Hoxsey therapy. When Healing Becomes a Crime exposes the overall failure of the War on Cancer, while revealing how yesterday’s “unorthodox” treatments are emerging as tomorrow’s medicine. It probes other promising unconventional cancer treatments that have also been condemned without investigation, delving deeply into the corrosive medical politics and powerful economic forces behind this suppression. As alternative medicine finally regains its rightful place in mainstream practice, this compelling book will not only forever change the way you see medicine, but could also save your life.”
Read More Book: “Chris Rose’ powerful guide to values mapping is a ‘must-read’ for campaigners. If you want to communicate effectively with people – especially if you want to persuade them to act – you need to start from where they are, not from where you are. The failure to do this lies at the root of many communications damp squibs, disasters and social conflicts. Knowing about the Three Worlds gives you a head start in getting it right. These invisible ‘Worlds’ can only be truly revealed by large scale detailed surveys which identify the connections and correlations between attitudes and beliefs. These sets of attitudes and beliefs create three different versions of ‘common sense’, three distinct ways of seeing the world and of evaluating any offer or ask, any campaign or political idea, any past-time, hobby, social opportunity, any purchase, product or service. Because our place in one world or another is determined by meeting, or not yet having met, unconscious needs – of safety and security or identity, or for esteem of others or self esteem, or for things beyond that such as new ideas, innovations or ethics – we are not ordinarily aware that these worlds exist.”
Read More Book: “Since her arrest and five-day jail stay during the Seattle anti-WTO protests in November 1999, Starhawk has poured her energy into the global justice movement, participating in direct actions, leading nonviolence training workshops, and writing, always writing. Webs of Power is the outcome: an account from the front lines of that movement as it migrated from Seattle to Prague, then Brazil, Quebec City, and Genoa. As well as reporting the actions on the street, it includes a privileged glimpse behind the scenes, too, at the fierce discussion of the issues, strategies, and tactics of an always-evolving social movement. The book is also a personal vision of what an alternative future might look and feel like beyond the version offered up to us by the promoters of corporate globalization. Webs of Power is a unique contribution to our understanding of one of the most pivotal struggles of our time.”
Read More Book: “While draught and desertification are intensifying around the world, corporations are aggressively converting free-flowing water into bottled profits. The water wars of the twenty-first century may match or even surpass the oil wars of the twentieth. In Water Wars: Privatization, Pollution and Profit -Vandana Shiva, the world’s most prominent radical scientist ( the Guardian) , shines a light on activists who are fighting corporate maneuvers to convert this life-sustaining resource into more gold for the elites. In Water Wars, Shiva uses her remarkable knowledge of science and society to outline the emergence of corporate culture and the historical erosion of communal water rights. Using the international water trade and industrial activities such as damming, mining and aquafarming as her lens, Shiva exposes the destruction of the earth and the disenfranchisement of the world’s poor as they are stripped of rights to a precious common good. In her passionate, feminist style, Shiva celebrates the spiritual and traditional role water has played in communities throughout history, and warns that water privatization threatens cultures and livelihoods worldwide. Shiva calls for a movement to preserve water access for all, and offers a blueprint for global resistance based on examples of successful campaigns.”
Read More “The most comprehensive book available on war tax resistance, covering everything from legal issues to the history of war tax resistance, to the hows and whys.”
Read MoreBook: “The son of an Alabama sharecropper, and now a sixth-term United States Congressman, John Lewis has led an extraordinary life, one that found him at the epicenter of the civil rights movement in the late ’50s and ’60s. As Chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Lewis was present at all the major battlefields of the movement. Arrested more than forty times and severely beaten on several occasions, he was one of the youngest yet most courageous leaders. Written with charm, warmth, and honesty, Walking with the Wind offers rare insight into the movement and the personalities of all the civil rights leaders-what was happening behind the scenes, the infighting, struggles, and triumphs. Lewis takes us from the Nashville lunch counter sit-ins to the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, where he led more than five hundred marchers on what became known as “Bloody Sunday.” While there have been exceptional books on the movement, there has never been a front-line account by a man like John Lewis. A true American hero, his story is “destined to become a classic in civil rights literature.” (Los Angeles Times)”
Read MoreBook: “Instructs how to strategically plan nonviolent action, a technique of waging conflict that uses protest, noncooperation and intervention. Draws parallels between nonviolent and military strategy. Documents twenty-three cases showing how nonviolent action has been applied to conflicts throughout the world in the twentieth century”
Read MoreBook: “Did you know that: -More than 80% of the foods you eat in restaurants and buy at supermarkets contain genetically engineered ingredients, and that these ingredients have been linked to toxic and allergic reactions in people; sickness, sterility, and fatalities in livestock; and damage to virtually every organ studied in lab animals? -If you don’t count French fries, ketchup or pizza as vegetables, more than half of Americans eat no vegetables at all? -Cows raised for meat are impacting our climate more than cars? -It’s possible to be a positive food revolutionary without sounding like a self-righteous nag? Join John and Ocean Robbins for 21 intimate, game-changing conversations with some of the world’s leading “food revolutionaries”: scientists, doctors, teachers, farmers, economists, activists, and nutritionists working on food issues today…Each contributor discusses his or her work in depth, but together they make one rallying cry: for a healthy, sustainable, humane, and delicious revolution in how we and the world are fed. Over twenty-five years ago John Robbins started a revolution. This book is proof of how far we’ve come, a fascinating look behind the scenes of the multi-faceted food movement, and a call to join in the work of ensuring our health and food future.”
Read MoreBook: “Federal and state law provide important protections to students who have a conscientious objection to harming animals in an educational context. This book is an important tool, with over 130 pages of practical and theoretical assistance on the issue of students rights at every education level. THIS BOOK OFFERS: -A general introduction to the students rights issue, explaining the legal concepts that form the basis of a student’s right under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and related federal and state doctrines in a clear manner that will be easily accessible to the non-lawyer. -Basic information and assistance to lawyers who wish to advise students on resisting vivisection or dissection requirements, but who may not be knowledgeable about this area of the law. -Important practical advice on resolving a students rights problem before a law suit has to be filed, with strategies for approaching and negotiating with administrators, sample letters, and ways of documenting events to protect the student. -Sample legal pleadings as a reference tool.”
Read MoreBook: “Visionary Plant Consciousness explores how the “vegetable mind” can affect the human condition. Twenty-three leading ethnobotanists, anthropologists, medical researchers and cultural and religious figures present their understandings, including the late Terence McKenna, Dr. Andrew Weil, Wade Davis, Michael Pollan, Alex Grey, Jeremy Narby and Kat Harrison. They reveal that these plants may help us access the profound intelligence in nature—the “mind of nature”—that we must learn to understand in order to survive our eco-logically destructive way of life.”
Read MoreBook: “Flip through a magazine, turn on the TV, or browse around online, and it quickly becomes clear: vegetarian eating is on the rise. But just who are vegetarians? How do they make the transition? And what really drives them to take the meat off their plates? Vegetarians differ from omnivores not just in their eating habits but also in their psychology, personalities, friendship choices, even their sex lives. Extensive studies from around the world show that they vote differently, take different jobs, and have brains that fire differently. This research also provides insight into why people who consider themselves vegetarian may not really be vegetarian at all, and why so many fall off the vegetarian wagon. Veganomics is a fascinating journey through the science on vegetarians and vegetarian eating, shedding new light on how and why people eat the way they do, and what impact their dietary choices can have on the world around us. Be forewarned: after reading this book, you may never look at vegetarians the same way again!”
Read MoreBook: “In this informative and practical guide, two seasoned vegans offer tips and advice for thriving without animal by-products. Sometimes funny and irreverent yet always aware of its serious message, this resource for being vegan in a world that doesn’t always understand or have sympathy for the lifestyle illustrates how to go vegan in three weeks or less by employing a “cold tofu method;” convince family, friends, and others that there is no such thing as a vegan cult; and survive restaurants, grocery stores, and meals with omnivores. Also offering answers to questions such as “Do you, like, live on apples and twigs?” this reference dispels myths and explains the arguments for ethical, abolitionist veganism, encouraging everyone to embrace their inner vegan.”
Read MoreBook: “Going vegan? Here’s the go-to-guide, with a six-step transition plan to a plant-based diet, with detailed nutritional information for everyone from athletes to kids to pregnant women. Whether you’re considering going vegan or just want to learn more about plant-based nutrition, Vegan for Life is your comprehensive, go-to guide for optimal healthy eating. Registered dietitians and long-time vegans Jack Norris and Virginia Messina debunk some of the most persistent myths about vegan nutrition and provide essential information about getting enough calcium and protein, finding the best supplements, and understanding the “real deal” about soy. Covering everything from a six-step transition plan to meeting protein requirements and even calorie and nutrient needs during pregnancy and breastfeeding, Vegan for Life is the guide for aspiring and veteran vegans alike, complete with an easy-to-use food chart, tasty substitutions, sample menus, and expansive resources.”
Read MoreBook: “Vegan for Her, a blueprint for optimal health and wellness at any age, will show you how to: lower your risk for breast cancer and heart disease; manage conditions like arthritis and migraines; diminish PMs and cramps; build strong bones for life; enhance fertility; make an easy transition to a vegan diet; and incorporate principles of both fashion and compassion into your home and wardrobe.”
Read MoreBook: “One of the world’s most recognized vegan body builders presents a comprehensive guide to building a fit body while eating a plant-based diet. Author Robert Cheeke inspires people to develop magnificent bodies. His passion for doing the most amount of good while causing the least amount of harm has inspired athletes, trainers, and anyone interested in a strong, healthy body. This title includes information on the most important things to consider in order to be a successful vegan bodybuilder including the best way to put together vegan meal programs and training regimens, how to find sponsorship and make bodybuilding a career, and where to find access to vegan products, services, and equipment. There is also advice on how to take bodybuilding beyond a personal endeavor and use it for activism and outreach.”
Read MoreBook: “Utilitarianism may well be the most influential secular ethical theory in the world today. It is also one of the most controversial. It clashes, or is widely thought to clash, with many conventional moral views, and with human rights when they are seen as inviolable. Would it, for example, be right to torture a suspected terrorist in order to prevent an attack that could kill and injure a large number of innocent people? In this Very Short Introduction Katarzyna de Lazari-Radek and Peter Singer provide an authoritative account of the nature of utilitarianism, from its nineteenth-century origins, to its justification and its varieties. Considering how utilitarians can respond to objections that are often regarded as devastating, they explore the utilitarian answer to the question of whether torture can ever be justified. They also discuss what it is that utilitarians should seek to maximize, paying special attention to the classical utilitarian view that only pleasure or happiness is of intrinsic value. Katarzyna de Lazari-Radek and Peter Singer conclude by analyzing the continuing importance of utilitarianism in the world, indicating how it is a force for new thinking on contemporary moral challenges like global poverty, the treatment of animals, climate change, reducing the risk of human extinction, end-of-life decisions for terminally-ill patients, and the shift towards assessing the success of government policies in terms of their impact on happiness. “
Read More Book: “In True Wealth (titled Plenitude in hardcover), economist and New Dream board co-chair Juliet Schor offers a groundbreaking intellectual statement about the economics and sociology of ecological decline, suggesting a radical change in how we think about consumer goods, value, and ways to live: a plenitude economy. Responding to our current moment, True Wealth puts sustainability at its core. But it is not a paradigm of sacrifice. Instead it’s an argument that through a major shift to new sources of wealth, green technologies, and different ways of living, individuals and the country as a whole can actually be better off and more economically secure. As Schor observes, plenitude is already emerging. In pockets around the country and the world, people are busy creating lifestyles that offer a way out of the work-and-spend cycle. These pioneers’ lives are scarce in conventional consumer goods and rich in the newly abundant resources of time, information, creativity, and community. Urban farmers, D.I.Y renovators, Craigslist users, cob builders—all are spreading their risk and establishing novel sources of income and outlets for procuring consumer goods. Taken together, these trends represent a movement away from the conventional market and offer a way toward an efficient, rewarding life in an era of high prices and traditional resource scarcity.”
Read More “Trauma Healing: Advanced Workshop Manual is designed for Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) volunteer facilitators and includes complete descriptions for:
Workshop Routines – schedule, agenda, methods, evaluations and closings. Workshop Sessions – safety, remembering, mourning and reconnecting. Workshop Threads – companions, grounding techniques and self care.”
Book: “Working to make the world a more hopeful and sustainable place often means having to confront pain, suffering, crisis, and trauma head-on, day in and day out. Over months and years this takes an enormous emotional, psychological, and physical toll, one that we’re often not even fully aware of until the day we feel like we just can’t go on anymore. And our well-being and the work we’re doing are too important to risk that happening. This book is for all those who notice that they are not the people they once were or who are being told that by their families, friends, colleagues, or pets. Laura van Dernoot Lipsky takes a deep and sympathetic look at the many ways the stress of dealing with trauma manifests itself: feelings of helplessness and hopelessness, diminished creativity, chronic exhaustion, cynicism, and a dozen more. To keep from being overwhelmed, we need to respond to suffering in a thoughtful, intentional way—not by hardening our hearts or by internalizing others’ struggles as our own but by developing a quality of compassionate presence. This is trauma stewardship. To help achieve this, Lipsky offers a variety of simple and profound practices, drawn from modern psychology and a range of spiritual traditions, that enable us to look carefully at our reactions and motivations and discover new sources of energy and renewal. She includes interviews with successful trauma stewards from different walks of life and even uses New Yorker cartoons to illustrate her points.”
Read MoreBook: “In perhaps his most important book, the Dalai Lama shares his hopeful yet realistic views on how humanity must step into the future. In our daily lives today no one is untouched by what happens in the rest of the world. New technology, environmental problems, economic gain and loss, nuclear weapons, and instant communication have all created unprecedented familiarity among the world’s many cultures. With this historic development, the Dalai Lama understands that the essential task of humanity in the twenty-first century is to cultivate peaceful coexistence…In Toward a True Kinship of Faiths, the Dalai Lama also explores where differences between religions can be genuinely appreciated instead of becoming sources of conflict. Creating genuine harmony does not depend on accepting that all religions are fundamentally the same or that they lead to the same place. Many fear that recognizing the value of another faith is incompatible with having devotion to the truth of one’s own. Nevertheless, the Dalai Lama shows how a sincere believer can, with integrity, be a pluralist in relation to other religions without compromising commitment to the essence of the doctrinal teachings of their own faith. An issue of central importance for the Dalai Lama personally and for the entire world in general, Toward a True Kinship of Faiths offers a hopeful yet realistic look at how humanity must step into the future. “
Read MoreBook: “In his eye-opening work, Dye explodes the myth that public policy represents the “demands of the people” and that the making of public policy flows upward from the masses. In reality, Dye argues, public policy in America, as in all nations, reflects the values, interests, and preferences of a governing elite. Top Down Policymaking is a close examination of the process by which the nation’s elite goes about the task of making public policy. Focusing on the behind-the-scenes activities of money foundations, policy planning organizations, think tanks, political campaign contributors, special-interest groups, lobbyists, law firms, influence-peddlers, and the national news media, Dye concludes that public policy is made from the top down.”
Read More “Tools for Radical Democracy is an essential resource for grassroots organizers and leaders, students of activism and advocacy, and anyone trying to increase the civic participation of ordinary people. Authors Joan Minieri and Paul Getsos share stories and tools from their nationally recognized and award-winning work of building a community-led organization, training community leaders, and conducting campaigns that changed public policy and delivered concrete results to tens of thousands of people. This how-to manual includes: · In-depth analysis of how to launch and win a campaign. · Tools and guidelines for training people to lead their own campaigns and organizations. · Insights for using technology effectively, building more powerful alliances, and engaging in the social justice movement. “
Read MoreBook: “Thug Kitchen started their wildly popular website to inspire people to eatsome goddamn vegetables and adopt a healthier lifestyle. Beloved byGwyneth Paltrow (‘This might be my favorite thing ever’) and with half a million Facebook fans and counting, Thug Kitchen wants to show everyone how to take charge of their plates and cook up some real f*cking food. Yeah, plenty of blogs and cookbooks preach about how to eat more kale, whyginger fights inflammation, and how to cook with microgreens andnettles. But they are dull or pretentious as hell -and most people can’t afford the hype. Thug Kitchen lives in the real world. Intheir first cookbook, they’re throwing down more than 100 recipes fortheir best-loved meals, snacks and sides for beginning cooks to homechefs. (Roasted Beer and Lime Cauliflower Tacos? Pumpkin Chili? GrilledPeach Salsa? Believe that sh*t.) Plus they’re going to arm you with allthe info and techniques you need to shop on a budget and go and kick abunch of ass on your own. This book is an invitation toeveryone who wants to do better to elevate their kitchen game. No moreketchup and pizza counting as vegetables. No more drive-thru lines. Nomore avoiding the produce corner of the supermarket. Sh*t is about toget real.”
Read MoreBook: “There is a craft to uprising—and this craft can change the world. From protests around climate change and immigrant rights, to Occupy, the Arab Spring, and #BlackLivesMatter, a new generation is unleashing strategic nonviolent action to shape public debate and force political change. When mass movements erupt onto our television screens, the media consistently portrays them as being spontaneous and unpredictable. Yet, in this book, Mark and Paul Engler look at the hidden art behind such outbursts of protest, examining core principles that have been used to spark and guide moments of transformative unrest. With incisive insights from contemporary activists, as well as fresh revelations about the work of groundbreaking figures such as Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Gene Sharp, and Frances Fox Piven, the Englers show how people with few resources and little conventional influence are engineering the upheavals that are reshaping contemporary politics. Nonviolence is usually seen simply as a philosophy or moral code. This Is an Uprising shows how it can instead be deployed as a method of political conflict, disruption, and escalation. It argues that if we are always taken by surprise by dramatic outbreaks of revolt, we pass up the chance to truly understand how social transformation happens.”
Read More “This Is Hope is a crossover book for self-identified environmentalists, species rights advocates, vegans and vegetarians, those dedicated to true sustainability, fish and wildlife “management” professionals, students of deep ecology, and those who want to know the biocentric solutions for our dietary, consumer, and reproductive choices.”
Read MoreBook: “The most important book yet from the author of the international bestseller The Shock Doctrine, a brilliant explanation of why the climate crisis challenges us to abandon the core “free market” ideology of our time, restructure the global economy, and remake our political systems. In short, either we embrace radical change ourselves or radical changes will be visited upon our physical world. The status quo is no longer an option. In This Changes Everything Naomi Klein argues that climate change isn’t just another issue to be neatly filed between taxes and health care. It’s an alarm that calls us to fix an economic system that is already failing us in many ways. Klein meticulously builds the case for how massively reducing our greenhouse emissions is our best chance to simultaneously reduce gaping inequalities, re-imagine our broken democracies, and rebuild our gutted local economies. She exposes the ideological desperation of the climate-change deniers, the messianic delusions of the would-be geoengineers, and the tragic defeatism of too many mainstream green initiatives. And she demonstrates precisely why the market has not—and cannot—fix the climate crisis but will instead make things worse, with ever more extreme and ecologically damaging extraction methods, accompanied by rampant disaster capitalism. Klein argues that the changes to our relationship with nature and one another that are required to respond to the climate crisis humanely should not be viewed as grim penance, but rather as a kind of gift—a catalyst to transform broken economic and cultural priorities and to heal long-festering historical wounds. And she documents the inspiring movements that have already begun this process: communities that are not just refusing to be sites of further fossil fuel extraction but are building the next, regeneration-based economies right now. Can we pull off these changes in time? Nothing is certain. Nothing except that climate change changes everything. And for a very brief time, the nature of that change is still up to us.”
Read MoreBook: “In their debut cookbook, The Plantpower Way, Julie Piatt and her ultra-endurance athlete husband, Rich Roll, inspired thousands to embrace a plant-fueled lifestyle, and through their advocacy efforts, podcasts, and talks, countless people are now enjoying healthier and more vibrant lives. In This Cheese is Nuts, Julie is bringing that message to the forefront once more, with a stunning collection of flavorful nut-based cheeses. Julie has always been known for her dairy-free cheeses, and here she shares seventy-five recipes using almonds, cashews, and other nuts to create cheeses anyone can make right at home. Nut-based cheeses are on the cutting edge in the world of vegan cuisine. They’re remarkably simple to prepare (all you need are a few simple ingredients and a basic dehydrator), and in as little as twenty minutes, you can have an assortment of tasty fresh cheeses fit for any occasion. Even creating aged cheeses is easy—they require only a day or two in the dehydrator, so making “fancier” cheeses, like Aged Almond Cheddar, is an almost entirely hands-off process. And though they’re delectable on their own, Julie’s nut-based cheeses are a terrific component in her recipes for Raw Beet Ravioli with Cashew Truffle Cream, Country Veggie Lasagna with Fennel and Brazil Nut Pesto, French Onion Soup with Cashew Camembert, and more. Filled with the essential tips, tools, and mouth-watering recipes home cooks need to immerse themselves in the world of nut-based cheese-making, This Cheese is Nuts will demonstrate why nut cheeses should be part of any healthy, sustainable diet.”
Read More “This book of readings, meditations, rituals and workshop notes prepared on three continents helps us remember that environmental defense is nothing less than “Self” defense. Including magnificent illustrations of Australia’s rainforests, ‘Thinking Like a Mountain’ provides a context for ritual identification with the natural environment, inviting us to begin a process of “community therapy” in defense of Mother Earth. It helps us experience our place in the web of life, rather than on the apex of some human-centered pyramid. An important deep ecology educational tool for activist, school and religious groups, ‘Thinking Like a Mountain’ can also be used for personal reflection.”
Read More Book and website: “Welcome to The World Peace Diet: a best-selling book by Dr. Will Tuttle that has become a movement. The evolution to a more conscious society begins with each one of us. As Gandhi emphasized, there can be no positive social change without positive personal change. The World Peace Diet, now translated and published worldwide in 16 languages, connects many dots–culturally, historically, nutritionally, ecologically, psychologically, and spiritually–to reveal how our routine exploitation of animals for food and other products boomerangs in countless ways, affecting both our outer world and the inner landscape of our daily experience. A more conscious way of living is beckoning, and the World Peace Diet approach blends mindfulness with kindness and respect for each other and all expressions of life, creating a practical foundation for harmony and freedom for ourselves and our world.”
Read More Book: “With The Way of Coyote, Gavin Van Horn reveals the stupendous diversity of species that can flourish in urban landscapes like Chicago. That isn’t to say city living is without its challenges. Chicago has been altered dramatically over a relatively short timespan—its soils covered by concrete, its wetlands drained and refilled, its river diverted and made to flow in the opposite direction. The stories in The Way of Coyote occasionally lament lost abundance, but they also point toward incredible adaptability and resilience, such as that displayed by beavers plying the waters of human-constructed canals or peregrine falcons raising their young atop towering skyscrapers. Van Horn populates his stories with a remarkable range of urban wildlife and probes the philosophical and religious dimensions of what it means to coexist, drawing frequently from the wisdom of three unconventional guides—wildlife ecologist Aldo Leopold, Taoist philosopher Lao Tzu, and the North American trickster figure Coyote. Ultimately, Van Horn sees vast potential for a more vibrant collective of ecological citizens as we take our cues from landscapes past and present. Part urban nature travelogue, part philosophical reflection on the role wildlife can play in waking us to a shared sense of place and fate, The Way of Coyote is a deeply personal journey that questions how we might best reconcile our own needs with the needs of other creatures in our shared urban habitats.”
Read More Book: “Human dependence on technology has increased exponentially over the past several centuries, and so too has the notion that we can fix environmental problems with scientific applications. The Virtues of Ignorance: Complexity, Sustainability, and the Limits of Knowledge proposes an alternative to this hubristic, shortsighted, and dangerous worldview. The contributors argue that uncritical faith in scientific knowledge has created many of the problems now threatening the planet and that our wholesale reliance on scientific progress is both untenable and myopic. Bill Vitek, Wes Jackson, and a diverse group of thinkers, including Wendell Berry, Anna Peterson, and Robert Root-Bernstein, offer profound arguments for the advantages of an ignorance-based worldview. Their essays explore this philosophy from numerous perspectives, including its origins, its essence, and how its implementation can preserve vital natural resources for posterity. All conclude that we must simply accept the proposition that our ignorance far exceeds our knowledge and always will. Rejecting the belief that science and technology are benignly at the service of society, the authors argue that recognizing ignorance might be the only path to reliable knowledge. They also uncover an interesting paradox: knowledge and insight accumulate fastest in the minds of those who hold an ignorance-based worldview, for by examining the alternatives to a technology-based culture, they expand their imaginations. Demonstrating that knowledge-based worldviews are more dangerous than useful, The Virtues of Ignorance looks closely at the relationship between the land and the future generations who will depend on it. The authors argue that we can never improve upon nature but that we can, by putting this new perspective to work in our professional and personal lives, live sustainably on Earth.”
Read More The contents, introduction and chapter 1 (Permaculture and Veganism – The Basics). 32 page pdf
Read MoreBook: “The Trajectory of Change charts a course for the growing, international movement against corporate globalization. Michael Albert, a longtime activist and analyst of popular struggles, challenges the movement to reach out to “ordinary people” by demonstrating how their lives are negatively affected by creeping corporatism. Albert connects issues confronting working people in the United States (such as access to health care, workplace rights and safety, declining wages, and unemployment) to a critique of institutions that currently dominate the global economy. And he offers a compelling argument for a strategy based on civil disobedience and protest rather than individual acts of vandalism or violence. Albert also suggests reasons for the recent revival of political protest, from the Battle in Seattle to the demonstrations in Quebec, Canada, and Genoa, Italy. At the same time, he argues that it isn’t enough for protesters to stand against global economic injustice. To be effective, Albert argues that we need to develop a clear vision of what we stand for. He makes the case for collectively creating a vision of a participatory, democratic, and egalitarian society.”
Read More “I’ve made the first edition of my Ultimate Vegan Guide available for free reading right from this page, since I would hate to think that anyone interested in eating fewer animal products might be hindered by the cost of learning how to do it.” Book: “You could be the world’s next vegan. It’s easy if you know how, and this uniquely helpful book tells you everything you need to know. Every topic related to vegan living is covered including cooking, nutrition, food shopping, travel, dining out, and much more. You’ll get clear and straightforward guidance from Erik Marcus, a vegan of thirty years and counting. Join the thousands of people who’ve used this book to easily and successfully transition to a vegan lifestyle.”
Read MoreBook: “Is There No Other Way? is the mature work of one of the world’s most widely respected peace scholars and activists. Beginning with the achievements of Mahatma Gandhi, and following the legacy of nonviolence through the struggles against Nazism in Europe, racism in America, oppression in China and Latin America, and ethnic conflicts in Africa and Bosnia, Nagler unveils a hidden history. Nonviolence, he proposes, has proven its power against arms and social injustice wherever it has been correctly understood and applied. Nagler’s approach is not only historical, but also spiritual. He argues, drawing upon the experience of Gandhi and other activists, that the shift to nonviolence begins within the individual, through the reshaping and re-visioning of how one understands the world. He then shows how from changes in the individual, changes in the larger community follow. Is There No Other Way? is a provocative and emotionally powerful document that challenges readers’ assumptions about the workings of power in their homes and communities, as well as the larger political arena.”
Read More Book: “The shock doctrine is the unofficial story of how the “free market” came to dominate the world, from Chile to Russia, China to Iraq, South Africa to Canada. But it is a story radically different from the one usually told. It is a story about violence and shock perpetrated on people, on countries, on economies. About a program of social and economic engineering that is driving our world, that Naomi Klein calls “disaster capitalism.” Based on breakthrough historical research and four years of on-the-ground reporting in disaster zones, Klein explodes the myth that the global free market triumphed democratically, and that unfettered capitalism goes hand-in-hand with democracy. Instead, she argues it has consistently relied on violence and shock, and reveals the puppet strings behind the critical events of the last four decades. “The shock doctrine” is the influential but little understood theory that in order to push through profoundly unpopular policies that enrich the few and impoverish the many, there needs to be some kind of collective crisis or disaster – either real or manufactured. A crisis that opens up a “window of opportunity” – when people and societies are too disoriented to protect their own interests – for radically remaking countries using the trademark tactic of rapid-fire economic shock therapy and, all too often, less metaphorical forms of shock: the shock of the police truncheon, the Taser gun or the electric prod in the prison cell… Naomi Klein has once again written a book that will change the way we see the world.”
Read MoreBook: “Discover the Real Revolution Unfolding across America. America faces huge challenges—climate change, social injustice, racist violence, economic insecurity. Journalist Sarah van Gelder suspected that there were solutions, and she went looking for them, not in the centers of power, where people are richly rewarded for their allegiance to the status quo, but off the beaten track, in rural communities, small towns, and neglected urban neighborhoods. She bought a used pickup truck and camper and set off on a 12,000-mile journey through eighteen states, dozens of cities and towns, and five Indian reservations. From the ranches of Montana to the coalfields of Kentucky to the urban cores of Chicago and Detroit, van Gelder discovered people and communities who are remaking America from the ground up. Join her as she meets the quirky and the committed, the local heroes and the healers who, under the mass media’s radar, are getting stuff done. The common thread running through their work was best summed up by a phrase she saw on a mural in Newark: “We the People LOVE This Place.” That connection we each have to our physical and ecological place, and to our human community, is where we find our power and our best hopes for a new America.”
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