Leaf Through These Books on Earth Day

Giving Compass Apr 18, 2018
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Leaf Through These Books on Earth Day Giving Compass

The Giving Compass family put together this book list as a starting point for readers looking to learn more about environmental problems and solutions. From informative nonfiction to inspiring fiction, this list has something for everyone. Get a hard copy or an ebook from your local library to enjoy these books without consuming natural resources.

Nonfiction:

The Botany of Desire: A Plant’s-Eye View of the World by Michael Pollan
Pollan explores the relationship between humans and nature through four crops that have suffered and benefited from cultivation by humans.

Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water by Marc Reisner
Originally published in 1986, this book examines the history of western water management – a topic fraught with controversy that persists to this day.

The Elephant Whisperer: My Life with the Herd in the African Wild by Lawrence Anthony with Graham Spence
The true story of Anthony’s work to save a herd of elephants from poachers in South Africa. An animal conservation must-read.

Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv
Louv explains the connection between children raised indoors on screens and the rise of concerning health trends.

The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative by Florence Williams
Williams investigates current research on the health benefits of spending time in nature.

Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
Carson’s 1962 book on the harmful effects of DDT brought environmental concerns to the fore of American political discussion. No history of environmentalism is complete without mention of this pivotal book.

The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert
Kolbert introduces species that have already been driven extinct by human activity, and many more that are currently endangered.

World Without Us by Alan Weisman
What would the world look like if all humans disappeared? Weisman paints a compelling picture of what would crumble to dust and what would be preserved for long time periods.

Fiction:

Annihilation: A Novel (The Southern Reach Trilogy) by Jeff VanderMeer
An exploration of Area X – a twisted, natural landscape inhospitable to humans – by researchers attempting to uncover the truths buried there.

The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
A classic children’s book with an environmental message about extractive capitalism that is relevant to all age groups.

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind by Hayao Miyazaki
This graphic novel follows the story of a princess in a post-apocalyptic world attempting to protect her people both from an invading kingdom and the creep of the toxic forest that is taking over the earth.

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
In a future where society is in partial collapse due to climate change, Lauren Oya Olamina is forced from her relatively comfortable gated community to journey on foot to look for a safe and habitable refuge.

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Original contribution by Clarissa Coburn with input from the Giving Compass family. 

Interested in learning more about Arts and Culture? Other readers at Giving Compass found the following articles helpful for impact giving related to Arts and Culture.

  • This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators.
    Click here for more.
    Connoisseur Sells Art With Philanthropy In Focus

    After earning a doctorate from Brown University, studying at Oxford and establishing himself [Frederick Mulder] in London as an art dealer specializing in European printmaking from 1470 to 1970, particularly the works of Picasso and Munch, he never forgot the importance of philanthropy – or his Prairie roots. Today he continues to sell art, but Dr. Mulder, 73, is also chair of the Frederick Mulder Foundation, an £7-million ($11.6-million) charitable trust he runs with his three children that finances organizations focusing on climate change, global poverty and social causes. There’s a growth of giving circles, and crowdfunding, either online or in person, because I think we’ve realized that the really wealthy were always well catered for, they could hire staff and charities paid them a lot of attention. But there’s a whole class of people below that who aren’t very wealthy, and who sometimes aren’t giving at the level that they could be because they’re not privy to the right amount of information or the right stimulus. It’s really helpful to have a peer group, because giving money to social causes is still kind of countercultural. It runs against the grain of capitalist culture, particularly to give to rather unpopular causes like prisoners or refugees or to the developing world, not to the symphony or the local art museum. First, join a giving circle if you can find one, a network of givers. The other piece of advice is to do a philanthropy training, something that teaches you how to do strategic philanthropy. You visit charities, you do case studies with them, and you learn how to develop your own vision of philanthropy. It’s really useful to treat it like a skill. There are things to learn. Read the source article at Home - The Globe and Mail

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