How the dirt below our feet can save us from extinction.Conventional agriculture destroys our soils, pollutes our water and is a major contributor to climate change. What if our agricultural practices could stabilize, or even reverse these trends?The Biochar Solution explores the dual function of biochar as a carbon-negative energy source and a potent soil-builder. Created by burning biomass in the absence of oxygen, this material has the unique a...

The scourge of plastic has poisoned our environment and damaged our health. In this timely book, Albert Bates takes a critical look at the magnitude of this ubiquitous problem, and explains that what is needed is mandatory economic and industrial changes so that recycled, bio-sourced, and biodegradable plastic become more cost-effective than plastic made from fossil fuels. He also explores current worldwide efforts for stronger regulations and better waste management, along with exciting n...

New Exclusive Content: Author Albert Bates in conversation with Soil Association’s Head of Horticulture Ben Raskin during the 2019 Hawkwood Seed FestivalAn 800-CEO-READ "Editor's Choice" March 2019How We Can Harness Carbon to Help Solve the Climate CrisisIn order to rescue ourselves from climate catastrophe, we need to radically alter how humans live on Earth. We have to go from spending carbon to banking it. We hav...

Three stories about quirky Boulder, Colorado. The quirks include prairie dogs, the homeless and the occassional case of stalking.

Plastics were created to last forever and that's the problem. It's estimated that by 2050, there will be more pounds of plastic in our oceans than pounds of fish. Young people will be uniquely impacted by environmental pollution in the future. This book describes how plastics are made, explains why they are such an enormous problem for the environment, and examines why this problem has reached a crisis point and what can be done to clean it up. Kids are also informed about the creative sol...

Modern technologies have wreaked havoc on the ocean’s biodiversity, which affects not just sea life but all life on the planet. Environmentalist Albert Bates teaches students about currents and tides, the ocean’s food pyramid, what is meant by “blue acceleration,” and what causes an imbalanced ecosystem. The two biggest changes to the ocean’s health—overfishing and pollution—are explored in-depth. The effects of climate change which include melting ice caps and strong storms may be alarmin...

Universities continue to struggle in their efforts to fully integrate information and communications technology within their activities. Based on examination of current practices in technology integration at 25 universities worldwide, this book argues for a radical approach to the management of technology in higher education. It offers recommendations for improving governance, strategic planning, integration of administrative and teaching services, management of digital resources, and trai...

Pandemics cannot be eliminated, but they can be stopped; the trick is discovering what will curtail any one particular outbreak. Renowned environmentalist and science writer Albert Bates presents an easy-to-understand scientific overview of the global consequences of pandemics and offers a fresh perspective on how we can coexist with them, individually and collectively. Bates recounts the history of deadly pandemics and provides a basic explanation for why diseases can infect and spread qu...

Our oceans face levels of devastation previously unknown in human history--from pollution, from overfishing, and through damage to delicate aquatic ecosystems affected by global warming. Ocean biodiversity is being decimated on par with the fastest rates of rain forest destruction. More than 80 per cent of pollutants in the oceans come from sewage and other land-based runoff (some of it radioactive). The rest is created by waste dumped by commercial and recreational vessels. In many areas ...

Dive into a world of fishy fibs and fantastical feats! "A Fish Story" by Clara Doty Bates is a whimsical poem that will have you chuckling. Join Sir Arthur, a notorious exaggerator, as he boasts of a most peculiar dinner. He claims to have devoured a dozen fish in one sitting, but the tale takes a hilarious turn as each fish he consumed is, in turn, swallowed whole by a bigger one! Will Sir Arthur's whopper of a story hold water? Lend an ear and find out in this delightful, bite-sized poem...

A blend of history, science, philosophy, and environmentalism, The Tree is an engaging and elegant look at the life of the tree and what modern research tells us about their future.There are redwoods in California that were ancient by the time Columbus first landed, and pines still alive that germinated around the time humans invented writing. There are Douglas firs as tall as skyscrapers, and a banyan tree in Calcutta as big as a football field.Fr...

“The pages practically turn themselves” (USA TODAY) in this collection of four “disturbing, fascinating” (The Washington Post) novellas centered around the theme of retribution from the #1 New York Times bestselling author Stephen King.“1922” (also a Netflix original film): A violence awakens inside a man when his wife proposes selling off the family homestead, setting in motion a grisly train of murder and madness.