I am lucky I get to think about clean energy solutions on a daily basis with my role at the Marion Institute, working with the SouthCoast Energy Challenge but as I work with the community around me I see a lot of need for more dialogue on the subject. Now more than ever we need to educate ourselves about what a positive future for all of us looks like. Clean energy will play a prominent role in that future. These three books satisfy my yearning to know more; one deals with the history of energy, one weaves a very human story of the consequences of our changing climate and one offers solutions in a refreshing way.
Nicole Morris-McLaughlin
Program Coordinator – Southcoast Energy Challenge
PS: To purchase any of the books, please click on the cover image and you will be redirected to a retailer.
Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming
by Paul Hawken
This book puts things into perspective for people who want to work on the most impactful ways to reverse Climate Change. It lists in order the most important contributing factors to Climate change and then offers solutions. The solutions are constantly being updated and curated online and are accessible by everyone. It is a labor of love by hundreds of scientists and change makers. The book is a beautiful introduction to each of the solutions and is very surprising in its findings sometimes.
Energy and Civilization: A History
by Vaclav Smil
Bill Gates is a huge fan of Smil and I can see why in this book. This book recommendation is a dense read but fascinating! A comprehensive account of how energy has shaped society throughout history, from pre-agricultural foraging societies through today’s fossil fuel–driven civilization. It is not shocking to discover that whoever controls energy, has the most power in society, in every sense of the word “power”. It is an interesting reminder that as we go forward with new innovations in energy it might be best to make sure the ownership of that power does not end up with a small group of people resulting in more concentrated wealth as it has in the last couple of centuries.
Flight Behavior
by Barbara Kingsolver
Set in Appalachia, its suspenseful narrative traces the unforeseen impact of global concerns on the ordinary citizens of a rural community. As environmental, economic, and political issues converge, the residents of Feathertown, Tennessee, are forced to come to terms with their changing place in the larger world. Kingsolver brings a complex subject down home and reminds us that people and nature are intricately woven in a dance for survival.
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