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Books

The Natural House

The Solar House

The New Ecological Home

The Natural Plaster Book

Superbia!

EcoKids: Raising Children Who Care for the Earth

The Homeowner's Guide to Renewable Energy

Here Stands Marshall

Book Ordering Information

The Natural House: A Complete Guide to Healthy, Energy-Efficient, Environmental Homes
This exciting new book, written by a veteran author who himself lives in a straw-bale and rammed-tire home, examines fourteen natural building methods, including straw bale, rammed earth, cordwood, adobe, earthbags, papercrete, Earthships, and more. You'll learn how these homes are built, how much they cost, and the pros and cons of each. A resource guide at the end of the book offers a wealth of information for those who want to learn more.

The Solar House-- Passive solar heating and passive cooling--approaches known as natural conditioning--provide comfort throughout the year by reducing, or eliminating, the need for fossil fuel and mechanical heating and cooling systems. Yet while heat from sunlight and ventilation from breezes is free for the taking, few modern architects or builders really understand the principles involved.

The New Ecological Home: A Complete Guide to Green Building Options-- Shelter, like many other elements of human existence, comes at an extraordinary cost to our planet and its inhabitants. In the U.S. alone, construction of 1.2 million new homes a year results in a massive drain on Earth's natural resource base. Today, nearly 60 percent of all timber cut in the U.S. is used in building houses. New home building and remodeling also generates huge amounts of construction waste. Maintaining our homes and their day-to-day operation also requires huge amounts of resources that put a strain on our already taxed environment. In addition to environmental costs, there are the personal economic costs--the thousands of dollars each homeowner spends each year to heat, cool, and power our homes.

The Natural Plaster Book--For builders of natural homes (straw bale, cob, adobe, rammed earth, and other natural materials), this unique step-by-step guide takes the confusion out of choosing, mixing, and applying natural plasters. From principles to practicalities, and with every stage of the process illustrated, The Natural Plaster Book details the entire process of plastering with earth, lime, and gypsum for a long-lasting and durable finish.

Superbia! 31 Ways to Create Sustainable Communities
A book of promising and imminently practical ideas for creating more socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable neighborhoods. It is about remaking suburban and urban neighborhoods to serve people better and to reduce human impact on the environment. The authors first trace the history of the suburbs, showing how they fail to meet many peoples' needs. They then describe how existing neighborhoods can be transformed, offering cohousing and new urbanist communities as examples.

EcoKids: Raising Children Who Care for the Earth: A guide written primarily for parents, but also useful for
teachers and youth leaders, this book offers a wealth of practical ideas on ways to instill a love for nature, a deeper understanding of the importance of the environment (ecoliteracy), and sound environmental values in our children. This book also discusses the importance of parents walking their talk and offers many ideas on ways to help children understand the pernicious nature of modern television advertising and the all-consuming passion to consume. Case studies highlight children who are making a difference in their lives as well as important actions taken by businesses and entire nations to help build a sustainable future.

The Homeowner's Guide to Renewable Energy: Achieving Energy Independence from Wind, Solar, Biomass and Hydropower: Dan's newest book offers a wealth of information on ways we can thrive in an era of ever-more-costly oil, gasoline, and natural gas. This book highlights the important role of energy efficiency and outlines ways homeowners can make their homes much more efficient and more comfortable.  It then outlines reliable and economical ways to meet our needs for energy renewably through solar hot water, passive solar heating, passive cooling, solar electricity, wind energy, microhydroelectricity, solar hot air systems, and more. This book ends with an examination of fuels to meet our transportation needs.

Here Stands Marshall -- Dan's first novel is gripping tale of a man on the edge of self-destruction. A medical doctor who leaves medicine during his residency, the main character, Marshall Rhodes, struggles to find peace, happiness, and love for himself and others in a world ravaged by civil unrest, war, and injustice.

   

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