Think Like An Ecosystem

Start a peaceful revolution by planting an edible ecosystem and sharing the experience with your neighbors Humans have always thrived in rich, diverse, edible ecosystems. Yet most cities and suburbs are blanketed by lawns, ornamentals, and a lack of biodiversity, let alone anything edible. It is within these sterile landscapes that seeds of an edible ecosystem lie. The Edible Ecosystem Solution is a comprehensive, practical guidebook that looks at underutilized spaces to reveal the many opportunities for landscape transformation that are both far-reaching and immediately beneficial and enjoyable. Contents include: Hundreds of full-color infographics, illustrations, and photographs that clearly outline the principles and concepts of edible landscape design and benefits How to get started with as little as 25 square feet of land How to transition a garden plot into a place of edible abundance and an edible biodiversity hot spot, living laboratory, and a source point for transitioning and transforming community and culture Choosing appropriate plants for insects, wildlife, and food production Scaling up and networking backyard edible ecosystems at the neighborhood level and beyond to build community food security and resilience. The Edible Ecosystem Solution is for everyone with access to a bit of yard, a desire for food security, biodiversity, and a beautiful and resilient community, and for anyone who wants to reclaim humanity's place in a rich, abundant, edible ecosystem.

Permaculture makes the most use of what nature provides for us by using specific designs strategies to maximize nature's gifts such as food, energy, and shelter. A counter to heavy industrial farming, permaculture is all about conscious planning that caters to the human needs while also respecting and healing the natural environment. At its core, it involves drawing inspiration from nature to build an ecosystem that thrives just like a natural forest, grassland, or any other such ecosystem. Sounds great on paper, but you must have questions along the lines of: "Where do I start?" "What tools does it require?" "How much space do I need to begin?" Look no further for the answers to all these questions. All you have to do is follow 9 steps to practice permaculture... And you can start right from your backyard. In Think Like An Ecosystem, you'll discover: A comprehensive 9-step guide to practicing and implementing permaculture (curated for beginners) The 12 crucial principles of permaculture-observe and replicate nature's finest solutions to maximize efficiency How to plan and design your backyard's landscape-from zones and water resources to soil types and more A beginner-friendly guide to water management, including rainwater harvesting and irrigation systems for water conservation How to create living nutrient-rich soil-command the power of simple composting and mulching methods The many benefits of no-till gardening-preserve your soil and improve its quality How to build your own garden beds-from popular raised-bed and in-ground methods to exotic methods like hügelkultur and herb spirals The A-Z of plant guilds and companion planting-a comprehensive list of plants to grow together to maximize your output Integrated pest management-100% natural, organic and eco-friendly And much more.

Ingram Spark Version

This extensively revised and expanded edition broadens the reach and depth of the permaculture approach for urban and suburban gardeners. The text's message is that working with nature, not against it, results in more beautiful, abundant, and forgiving gardens.

The need for cooperation among government agencies as well as an interdisciplinary approach to the increasingly challenging and complicated problem of managing park and wilderness areas prompted the University of Washington College of Forest Resources, the National Park Service, and the Forest Service to sponsor an ecosystem management workshop for scientists, planners, and managers. To develop an improved conceptual approach to managing change in ecosystems crossing natural and political boundaries, the workshop focused on defining terms, uncovering areas of misunderstanding and barriers to cooperation, and developing methods to determine the most important problems and issues. Three needs emerged from the prioritization process: a precise definition of the management objectives for park and wilderness lands and how to integrate them with objectives for surrounding lands, nationally as well as site-specific; more information about physical, biological, and social components of park and wilderness ecosystems from both sides of political boundaries; and key indicators of ecosystem condition as well as methods for evaluating management effectiveness. All of these common themes point to a need for more precise direction in management goal setting and more accurate assessment of progress toward goals. The book includes an introductory chapter by the editors and summary in which they outline a direction for ecosystem management in the next critical decades. The other chapters by individual contributors include studies on laws governing park and wilderness lands, paleoecological records that reveal the historic effects of climatic variations on vegetation change, succession and natural disturbance in relation to the problems of what can and should be preserved, managing ecosystems for large populations of vertebrates, the management of large carnivores, effects of air pollution, lake acidification, human ecology and environmental management, the role of economics, cooperation in ecosystem management, and management challenges in Yellowstone National Park.

What do Tyra Banks, Ev Williams, and Richard Branson have in common? If you answered that they’re all extremely wealthy, you’d be right. But you’d also be missing a big part of the story. James Altucher, the noted entrepreneur, venture capitalist, bestselling author of Choose Yourself, and host of the podcast The James Altucher Show — which has over 40 million downloads — has interviewed 15 of the most successful people in the world to figure out just what makes them tick. And the conclusions might surprise you. For each of these people, money wasn't their ultimate goal — it was a natural byproduct of following their passions and developing good habits that enabled them to take advantage of their successes, and to learn from their failures. From the founder of Spanx to the entrepreneur behind Home Depot, from a craft beer aficionado to the investors on Shark Tank, these visionaries honed their ideas and creativity, and used what they loved as a compass to guide their curiosity. That curiosity gave them the insights they needed to skip the line, to try new things, to diversify, and to hit the accelerator on their successes. This isn’t some lofty self-help book. This is about real people who achieved their dreams and gained wealth and influence as a result. As Altucher notes, ultimately it’s not the number in the bank account that defines anyone — it’s asking if you’re living life to the best of your ability.