The Saturday Book Shop – December 26, 2020
It’s a glorious blue-sky, warm-sun and briskly BEAUTIFUL day-after-Christmas here in the warm-winter tropics of South Florida. Far too fine to be doing anything but masking up and being out enjoying all this not-too-hot, not-too-cold kinda bliss. Whether you’re reading this in the midst of a magical snowy wonderland up north or grabbing a sweater for a walk along breezy island shores, this is the sort of moment to really celebrate the complex blessings of our environment. And this book, The Nature of Nature: Why We Need the Wild, does that so well …
In an excerpt from the flyleaf:
“In this impassioned and inspiring book, world-renowned marine ecologist Enric Sala illuminates the many reasons why preserving Earth’s biodiversity makes logical, emotional, and economic sense.
Using key moments from his own scientific awakening (and introducing us to a colorful cast of teachers and colleagues along the way), Sala reveals that out survival depends on all species. From microbes to mammals, from seaweed to sharks, every living thing plays a crucial role in our interwoven biosphere. The natural world, he explains, is a perfect circular economy, where every species, in life and in death, sustains everything else.
Sala also builds a cogent argument for the practical value of preserving our planet’s wild places, demonstrating the long-lasting economic benefits of establishing wilderness preserves on land and no-catch zones in the ocean. And, in a timely epilogue, Sala shows how saving nature can save us all, by reversingcondiqtions that led to the coronavirus pandemic and preventing other global catastrophes.”
I am enjoying his mantra for re-wilding our planet and the myriad bio habitat examples Sala provides underscoring how we truly are—all of us—in this together. It will be more important than ever in the new year to move forward with innovative ways of preserving our precious planet. Read the first chapter of the Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson if you have any doubt about that. Or watch the newly released George Clooney-directed The Midnight Sky Netflix movie for a touching and beautifully poignant tale that opens our hearts more fully to the urgency of saving the earth.
Wishing you a blessed New Year. And if you feel like chiming in here in the comments with where and what you’re reading (or looking forward to reading!), I’d love to hear it. Now back out to enjoy this gorgeous day …
Explore posts in the same categories: Books, cool stuff, inspiration, making a difference, nature, Sunday Inspiration, wonderful ideas, writing
Tags: Books, Enric Sala, movie, nature, netflix, novel, saturday book shop, save the earth, save the planet, The Midnight Sky, The Ministry for the Future, the nature of nature
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Paula's Paradise 
December 27, 2020 at 12:08 pm
Hi Paula, I also enjoy reading books and articles about rewilding because they are full of hope, along with practical examples, as to what can be done to heal the planet.
I recently read Wilding by Isabella Tree. She and her husband had a dairy farm in England that wasn’t making money, so they decided to let the land revert to nature. They sold the dairy cattle and equipment, replacing them with free-roaming beef cattle and other livestock. The land attracted many rare species of birds, butterflies, etc., as time went by. It ended up being more profitable because organic pasture-fed beef sold for high prices, visitors were excited about nature safari tours, and the former dairy buildings were rented to local businesses.
January 4, 2021 at 3:02 pm
Meg–thanks so much; your comments are so appreciated (and I’m just finding this one!). Thank you too for sharing the “Wilding” book by Isabella Tree … sounds like a wonderful story (and so real-world innovative and inspiring!). I’m going to look for it .., thank you, thank you and Blessed New Year smiles!!