Home
 About Us
What We Do
        Courses
      Other Programs
Join Us
Links
News & Events
Contact Us
What Can I Do?
Learn More
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LEARN MORE

Books, Films, Journals and Web Sites

 

 


"Environmentally friendly cars will soon cease to be an option...they will become a necessity."

 

 -Fujio Cho (President of Toyota Motors, North American International Auto Show, 2004)

 


 

    General

 

   Business and Investment

 

   Consumption

 

   Energy and Transportation

 

   Food and Water

 

   Global Warming

 

   Kids and Family

 

   New Jersey  Environmental Organization

     

 

  General

   

Books

 

Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet (2010)

Bill McKibben

 

EcoMind: Changing the Way We Think, to Create the World We Want (2011)

Frances Moore Lappe

 

Plan B 4.0: Mobilizing To Save Civilization (2009)

Lester R. Brown

 

Take Back Your Time: Fighting Overwork and Time Poverty In America (2003)

John de Graaf, ed. (Voluntary Simplicity)

 

Last Child in the Woods (2005)

Richard Louv (Healthy Children, Healthy Planet)

 

The Bridge At The End of The World  (2008)

 James Gustave Speth,

 

The Sacred Balance (2007 Edition)

 David Suzuki (Deep Ecology)

 

Green Living: The "E" Magazine Handbook for Living Lightly on the Earth (2005)

(Voluntary Simplicity)

 

Journals and Web Sites

 

Odewire.com: News for Intelligent Optimists         ( formerly Ode) an international news magazine. Publishes stories of people and ideas that are making a difference  www.odewire.com

 

Orion,  This journal explores an emerging world view. Informed by a growing ecological awareness and the need for cultural change, it is a forum for thoughtful and creative ideas and practical examples of how we might live justly, wisely and artfully on earth. www.orionmagazine.org

 

Yes Magazine, Mission is to support you and other people in building a just, sustainable and compassionate world. www.yesmagazine.org

 

Additional Resources are listed with specific topics.

 

back to top


 

     Business and Investment

 

  Books

Socially Responsible Investing: Making a Difference and Making Money, Amy Domini

The Challenge to Power, John C. Harrington

 new The Green Collar Economy: How one solution can fix our two biggest problems, Van Jones, social justice and environmental activist. 2008.  

 "The Green Collar Economy is a both a rallying call and a road map for how we can save the planet, reduce our dependency on budget-busting fossil fuels, and bring millions of new jobs to America." -- Fred Krupp, Environmental Defense Fund President and New York Times best-selling co-author of "Earth: The Sequel"

Journals and Web Sites

www.eco-bank.com ShoreBank Pacific, a Washington State chartered, FDIC insured bank, is the first commercial bank in the United States with a commitment to environmentally sustainable community development

www.greenatworkmag.com At the forefront of the Greening of America.

www.greenbiz.com, Business, the environment, the bottom line

www.newalternativesfund.com New Alternatives Fund is a Socially Responsible Mutual Fund Emphasizing Alternative Energy and the Environment.

www.realmoney.org published by Co-op America www.coopamerica.org/pubs/realmoney/

back to top


   Consumption

Books

 

No Logo, Naomi Klein

 

The Overspent American: Why We Want What We Don't Need, Juliet Schor

 

 

Journals and Web Sites

Co-op America: www.coopamerica.org

Consumers Reports, Greener Choices: Products for a Better Planet. www.GreenerChoices.org

Energy Star, www.energystar.gov,  is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy helping us all save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products (saves about 1/3 energy)  and practices. Strict guidelines for appliances, electronics, business partnerships, homes, congregations.  Look for the energy star logo whenever you shop.

Green Pages: A directory of products and services for people and the planet,  www.coopamerica.org/pubs/greenpages/

Real Money: www.realmoney.org

Responsible Shopper: www.responsibleshopper.org

The Story of Stuff: www.storyofstuff.org  Annie Leonard – a 20 minute powerhouse DV D of everything you ever need to know about Stuff.

World Watch: Good Stuff? - A Behind-the-Scenes Guide to the Things We Buy,  www.worldwatch.org click on publications

 

back to top


 

 

 

   Energy and Transportation

 

Books

The Consumer's Guide to Effective Environmental Choices: Practical Advice from the Union of Concerned Scientists by Michael Brower, Warren Leon

Consumers Guide to Home Energy Savings.  8th ed.  Alex Wilson, Jennifer Thorne, and John Morrill. A publication of American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy          

Journals and Web Sites

www.aceee.org: American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy: dedicated to advancing energy efficiency as a means of promoting both economic prosperity and environmental protection.

www.ase.org: Alliance to Save Energy promotes energy efficiency worldwide to achieve a healthier economy, a cleaner environment, and greater energy security.

www.eere.energy.gov The US Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable

www.theoildrum.com - The Oil Drum: Mission is to facilitate civil, evidence-based discussions about energy and its impact on our future.

Energy – home

Journals and Web Sites

www.energystar.gov Products in more than 40 categories are eligible for the ENERGY STAR including appliances, heating and cooling, home envelope, electronics, office equipment, lighting, etc.  They use less energy, save money, and help protect the environment.

 ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs use 66% less energy than a standard incandescent bulb and last up to 10 times longer. Replacing a 100- watt incandescent with a 32-watt CFL can save you at least   $30 in energy costs over the life of the bulb.

www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/tips/heating_cooling.html - Adjusting the thermometer. Heating and cooling your home uses more energy and drains more energy dollars than any other system in your home. Typically, 45% of your utility bill goes for heating and cooling. Heating and cooling systems in the United States together emit 150 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year, adding to global climate change. They also generate about 12% of the nation's sulfur dioxide and 4% of the nitrogen oxides, the chief ingredients in acid rain.  Adjusting your thermostat seasonally up or down from 72deg. saves 1-3%  of your energy bill.

www.usgbc.org click on LEED: A voluntary, consensus-based national standard  for developing high-performance sustainable building.

Insulate and weather strip - Adding insulation, plugging leaks and weather stripping will reduce the amount of energy needed to heat and cool your house which saves both money and helps keep the planet cool. Your local hardware store is the place to visit for materials and information.

 

Energy – transportation

Books

Divorce Your Car! : Ending the Love Affair with the Automobile by Katie Alvord. In this affable history-cum-how-to, she tracks the dramatic, negative impact of automobiles from the early days of the 1900s to the present. Among the evils are severe pollution levels, high rates of death and injury in car accidents, a decline in other modes of transport and sprawling highway development. By Katie Alvord

Asphalt Nation: How the Automobile Took Over America and How We Can Take It Back   (1997)(Paperback) by Jane Holtz Kay

Journals and Web Sites

www.epa.gov/greenvehicles  for information that will help you identify clean and fuel efficient vehicles in any part of the country.

www.fueleconomy.gov A wealth of information including car comparisons, gas prices, gas mileage tips.  Each five mpg over 60 is like paying 20cents more per gallon.  Slow down.

Film

Who Stole the Electric Car

back to top


 

   Food and Water

Books

The Newman's Own Organics Guide to a Good Life: Simple Measures That Benefit You and the Place You Live, Nell Newman, Joseph D'Agnese

Meal by Meal: 365 Meditations Finding Balance Through Mindful Eating, Donald Altman. Available at  www.innerocean.com

Taste Life!: Organic Recipes, Leslie Cerier, Ed., 132 pgs.

The Organic Cooks Bible, Jeff Cox. 560 pgs.

Eat Here: Reclaiming Homegrown Pleasures in a Global Supermarket, Brian Halweil, a World Watch Book available at www.worldwatch.org

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle,  Barbara Kingsolver, 2007 

The Earth Knows My Name,  Patricia Klindienst, 2006

Hope’s Edge: The Next Diet for a Small Planet, Frances Moore Lappe and Anna Lappe, 448 pgs.

In Defense of Food,  Michael Pollan, 2008 

The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals, Michael Pollan, 450 pgs.

Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the all American Meal,  Eric Schlosser 288 pgs.

Chew on This: Everything You Don’t Want to Know about Fast Food, Eric Schlosser, 316 pgs.

Journals and Web Sites

www.100milechallenge.com Now that’s local.

www.buyfreshnj.org   Buy Fresh, Buy Local, Farmshed Alliance located in north west New Jersey.

www.eatwellguide.org  Easy to use directory by category, product, production methods.

www.ediblejersey.com  Edible Jersey," Celebrating Local Foods of the Garden State, Season by Season. Published quarterly, by subscription and at selective food stores.

www.foodroutes.org is dedicated to reintroducing Americans to their food – the seeds it grows from, the farmers who produce it, and the routes that carry it from the fields to their tables. January 2008 features Feedability Study started in New Jersey.

www.foodandwaterwatch.org : Food & Water Watch works to ensure clean water and safe food. Empowers  people to take action and by transforming the public consciousness about what we eat and drink. To Take Back the Tap Pledge!  go to Action, then Water Only, then scroll down to pledge.

www.localharvest.org: Enter you zip code to find organic farms, farmers markets, restaurants.

www.mbayaq.org: Click on “Seafood Watch” for a printable pocket size guide to overfished and high mercury containing seafood. pdf format

www.slowfood.com Slow Food, An international Organization whose aim is to protect the pleasures of the table from the homogenization of modern fast food and life.

www.state.nj.us/jerseyfresh/searches/urban.htm Farmers Markets: For a listing of farmers markets in your neighborhood.  Unique feature is Harvest Dates Availability Chart

 Film

The Future of Food, (2 disc DVD) Deborah Koons Garcia.

Thirst: Privatization of the Water Supply (DVD), Alan Snitow and Deborah Kaufman, 62 min. Bullfrog Films           

 back to top


 

   Global Warming

Books

 

new Hot, Flat, and Crowded, Thomas L. Friedman, 2008

Boiling Point, Ross Gelbspan

An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore (also a full length movie)

Notes from a Catastrophe, Elizabeth Kolbert

Red Sky at Morning, Gustave Speth

Hot: Living Through the Next Fifty Years On Earth, Mark Hertsgaard

The Worst Hard Time, Timothy Egan

Storms of My Grandchildren, James Hansen

Journals and Web Sites

www.climatecentral.org  - Research and reporting the science and impacts of climate change

www.350.org - Building a global movement to solve the climate crisis.

www.edf.org - Environmental Defense Fund - Grounded in science, we forge partnersips and harness the power of market incentives. 

www.climatecrisiscoalition.org Keep up to date with a daily or weekly  “Newsfeed” of global warming news.

www.nrdc.org/globalWarming National Resources Defense Council, Up to date reports, how-to lists, actions.

www.realclimate.org  Real Climate: A commentary site on climate science by working climate scientists for the interested public and journalists.  

www.sierraclub.org/globalwarming: Promotes solutions to global warming using current and cutting-edge technology that will reduce our use of fossil fuels.

www.ucsusa.org/global_warming.org:  Union of Concern Scientists, Outstanding organization. Various issues, overviews, solutions, actions.

Films 

"Chasing Ice" (2012, 78 minutes) - the story of one man's mission to change the tide of history by gathering undeniable evidence of climate change. 

"Creating a Climate for Change" (2012, 32 minutes) - Locally driven projects that are helpng people adapt to climate change in southern Africa.

Sourlands: (2012, 78 minutes) - Akiij at he effects of climate change and human-created imbalances on the central New Jersey forest known as the "Sourlands."

"The Island President"  (2011, 101 minutes) The Maldives under threat of global warming.

An Inconvenient Truth: Al Gore

Rutgers Cooperative Extension Service.” Pamphlets, guides, expert advice for planting the right tree for your property.

 

"When the well's dry, we know the worth of water."

-Benjamin Franklin ( 1706-1790), from Poor Richard's Almanac

Organizations          

American Forests is the nation's oldest nonprofit citizen conservation organization, founded in 1875. Their efforts helped create the National Park and National Forest systems in the U.S. Through the Global ReLeaf program, American Forests plants millions of trees each year and advocates the benefits of both rural and urban trees, good science, and sound policy. They make wonderful celebratory gifts.  www.americanforests.org  

Trees and Forests are the earth’s best friend.  They:

  • Sequester CO2 (takes it out of the air)
  • Holds the soil in place
  • Temper the climate
  • Prevent flooding
  • Add beauty and value to your home and neighborhood
  • Are a natural air-conditioner
  • Provide food
  • Provide products i.e., rubber, shellac, cork, lumber, etc.
  • Provide home for birds and small animals.
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is a non-profit organization devoted to encouraging the responsible management of the world’s forests. FSC sets high standards that ensure forestry is practiced in an environmentally responsible, socially beneficial, and economically viable way. Look for the FSC logo when buying new furniture and other wood products. www.fscus.org

back to top


 

   Kids and Family

Books

Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder, Richard  Louv, 2006.  Connecting to nature is essential to a child’s development and well being. Unfortunately today’s children are spending more time at the computer than romping around outdoors. (Healthy Children, Healthy Planet)

Born to Buy: The Commercialized Child and the New Consumer Culture, Juliet B. Schortarget young kids directly and consistently, appeal to them and not the adults in their lives and get your product name in their heads from as early an age as possible… Schor exposes what she believes to be a huge cesspool of materialism, consumerism and commercialization that could be, and perhaps already is, leading to a generation of kids with no concept of what is important and truly necessary in life.”  from the Publishers Weekly review.

Recycled Crafts: Earth Friendly Projects and Activities You Can Create, Laura Martin, 2004. This how – to book transforms trash to treasure is also filled with easy to understand ‘facts’ and fun-filled ideas on how to make a difference.

Kids Book of Awesome Stuff: “You are part of a wonderful web of life.” So starts this unusual book. It explains the interrelated workings of the things that makes life possible and beautiful.  The puzzles, games, stories and activities will keep the youngster coming back for more.  It is most suitable for grades 3-6.

Tips for Parenting in a Commercial Culture, Center for the New American Dream: This booklet offers parents, educators, and concerned citizens a wealth of info that will provide a broader understanding of what children face today, and offers tips and resources to help parents and others band together to protect children from intrusive and harmful advertising.

The Motherhood Manifesto: What American Moms Want and What to do About it, Joan Blades, Kristen Rowe-Finkbeiner, 2006  From professional women who hit the maternal wall, to childcare workers who can't afford quality care for their own children, this book captures what it means to be a mother in America today.

 

Journals and Web Sites

 American Museum of Natural History www.amnh.org click on “ology” for a most interesting and entertaining site for kids. Eight categories to investigate with a special section for educators, a secret club, collect cards and creative projects. What a treasure.

Blue Butterfly: Creating a Healthier Future for Children. Five Easy Steps 1. Avoid the use of Pesticides and insecticides, 2. Use non-toxic household cleaners and products, 3. Clean up indoor air, 4. Eat more organic food. 5. Use plastics wisely. The reasons and steps to take are clearly stated.  www.bluebtterfly.org

 

 Film

The Cost of Cool: Youth, Consumption & The Environment
Michael Tobias • 2001 • 27 min   www.videoproject.com

Not Under My Roof: Protecting you Baby from toxins at home. 15 min. www.checnet.org

back to top


 

   New Jersey Environmental Organization

Journals and Web Sites

Clean Ocean Action: www.CleanOceanAction.org - Making Waves to Save Our Seas

Genesis Farm, Ecological Learning Center, N.J.: www.genesisfarm.org - Genesis Farm is a learning center for Earth studies.

New Jersey Audubon Society: http://www.njaudubon.org/ - Fostering environmental awareness and a conservation ethic while preserving wildlife and natural systems since 1897

New Jersey Conservation Foundation: http://www.njconservation.org/  - Preserving New Jersey's land and natural resources for the benefit of all.

New Jersey’s Environmental Center: http://www.njenvironment.org/ -  Focuses on NJ Environmental laws and education.

New Jersey Public Interest Research Group: http://www.njpirg.org/ - Citizen Lobby and Law and Policy Center”

New Jersey Sierra Club: http://newjersey.sierraclub.org/ - Protect America's Environment For Our Families, For Our Future

Passaic River Coalition: www.passaicriver.org - Land and water resource advisory organization offering maps, meeting schedules, current issues, and links.

New Jersey also has many watershed associations, river keepers, and local environmental organizations.

 back to top


 


 

Please fill out form to find out more about Garden State Earth Institute and the programs.

 


 

First Name:    Last Name:  
Address:      
City:                          State:               Zip:
Telephone:                E-mail:

I would like more information on how to:        Offer a course Attend a course

The courses that interest me most are:

Voluntary Simplicity

Choices for Sustainable Living

Discovering a Sense of Place

Reconnecting With Earth

Healthy Children-Healthy Planet

Global Warming

Menu for the Future

A World Of Health

 

I'm interested in attending or offering a course at my:

home workplace  place of worship  neighborhood

 

 

Additional Comments or Questions: