Bringing the Biosphere Home
This book shows how to make global environmental problems more tangible, so that they become an integral part of everyday awareness. At its core is a simple assumption: that the best way to learn to perceive the biosphere is to pay close attention to our immediate surroundings. Through local natural history observations, imagination and memory, and spiritual contemplation, we develop a place-based environmental view that can be expanded to encompass the biosphere. Interweaving global change science, personal narrative, and commentary on a wide range of scientific and literary works, the book explores both the ecological and existential aspects of urgent issues such as the loss of biodiversity and global climate change. Written in a warm, engaging style, Bringing the Biosphere Home considers the perceptual connections between the local and global, how the ecological news of the community is of interest to the world, and how the global movement of people, species, and weather systems affects the local community. It shows how global environmental change can become the province of numerous educational initiatives—from the classroom to the Internet, from community forums to international conferences, from the backyard to the biosphere. It explains important scientific concepts in clear, nontechnical language and provides dozens of ideas for learning how to practice biospheric perception.
What people are saying
“This book opens up the doors of ecological perception with a unique integration of scientific knowledge, creative imagery, and compassionate insight. Mitchell Thomashow gives us the lenses to see what is essential for our collective future—the intrinsic connection between the local and the global. We are all in his debt.”
“It’s all about connections, and Mitchell Thomashow shows us how to connect the global and the local, both intellectually and practically. Bringing the Biosphere Home is must reading for people wanting to build a coherent world that honors place and planet.”
“Mitchell Thomashow knows that we can take care of the planet only by taking care of our home places, so he teaches us how to become fully awake to nature nearby. It would be illuminating to stroll with him around one’s own neighborhood, learning to read global patterns in the local landscape. Since he can’t be everywhere in person, we’re fortunate to have this sturdy, generous book.”