Ways to Live in Harmony with Nature


Book Description

Have you ever wondered how you can maintain your current lifestyle, but not exhaust our planet's resources? In modern times, many of us have environmental knowledge but we lack an understanding of how to apply that knowledge to our everyday lives. Bridging this gap is what has motivated ecological economist Dr Kamaljit Sangha to write this book. Dr Sangha examines how people can make a difference to the environment by proposing little actions at the household scale that can contribute towards saving our planet. This book examines how to:- Minimise the gap between scientific knowledge and public awareness- Reduce the impact of our actions on our natural environment- Maintain our earth's natural resources- Be happier and healthier by recognising our reliance on Mother Nature and re-establishing our connections with nature. Dr Sangha believes there are a few, very easy steps that everyone - whether they reside in the city or the country - can take to save money, their mental and physical health, and ultimately our planet.




Disaster Resilience


Book Description

Events such as the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the Japanese earthquakes and tsunamis in 2011 have provided unfortunate reminders of the susceptibility of many communities to devastating losses from natural hazards. These events provided graphic illustrations of how extreme hazard events adversely impact on people, affect communities and disrupt the community and societal mechanisms that serve to organize and sustain community capacities and functions. However, there is much that communities can do to mitigate their risk and manage disaster consequences. The construct that epitomizes how this is done is resilience. The contents of this volume provide valuable insights into how societal resilience can be developed and sustained. This considerably expanded new edition presents major topics of: Coexisting with Natural Hazards; Urban Resilience in Asia; Lifelines and Urban Resilience; Business Continuity in Disaster; Hazard Mitigation in Communities; Hazard Readiness and Resilience; Child Citizenship in Disaster Risk; Old Age and Resilience; Gender and Disaster Resilience; Impact of High Functionality on Resilience; Art and Resilience; Cross-Cultural Perspectives and Coping with Hazards; Religious Practices and Resilience; Living in Harmony with our Environment; Critical Incidence Response; Governance; Heat Wave Resilience; Wildfire Disaster Resilience; and Progress and Challenges to Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience. This exceptional book brings together contributions from international experts in core areas and includes chapters that provide and overarching framework within which the need for interrelationships between levels to be developed is discussed. The book will be an outstanding resource for those researching or teaching courses in emergency management, disaster management, community development, environmental planning and urban development. In addition, it will serve law enforcement and emergency agencies, welfare agencies, and professionals in applied psychology.




Earth Joy Writing


Book Description

A seasonal journey to creative and joyful writing In Earth Joy Writing, Cassie Premo Steele draws upon her life’s work as a teacher of writing, literature, and mindfulness to help writers foster a greater connection between the natural world and their own creativity. Earth Joy Writing is a writer’s guide to reconnecting to the earth. In chapters divided by seasons and months of the year, this book will guide you through reflections, exercises, meditations, and journaling prompts—all designed to help you connect more deeply with yourself, others, and your natural surroundings. Weaving together poetry, stories, and cultural wisdom, Earth Joy Writing invites us to consider our connection to the earth and offers hands-on exercises that will help us meaningfully reconnect with our creative selves and with the planet we all share.




The Jewels of Happiness


Book Description

The Jewels of Happiness is a treasure chest of wisdom and joy - a compilation of succinct and insightful pieces of prose, practical exercises and uplifting aphorisms and verse, many of them published here for the first time. Addressing themes such as peace, enthusiasm and love, the self-contained chapters combine to create a wonderful tapestry of inspiration. Sri Chinmoy's easy-to-follow exercises, based on perennial ancient wisdom, are truly pertinent for the modern era and perfectly suited to our fast-paced lives - his amazing ability to offer positive help and insight speaks to each reader as if the words were written just for them.




Harmony


Book Description

For the first time, His Royal Highness Charles, the Prince of Wales, shares his views on how mankind’s most pressing modern challenges are rooted in our disharmony with nature. In the vein of Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth and Van Jones’ Green Collar Economy, Prince Charles presents the compelling case that solutions to our most dire crises—from climate change to poverty—lie in regaining a balance with the world around us.




Redesigning the American Lawn


Book Description

This new edition, which is being reissued in a more artistic format and with many additional illustrations, updates the original text and adds a chapter showing what progress has been made in the ecological management of landscapes over the past decade."--BOOK JACKET.




Aikido and the Harmony of Nature


Book Description

A study of the ethical and philosophical principles of Aikido, as envisioned by its founder Morihei Ueshiba, and how this unique martial art can deepen our connection to nature Here is a unique approach to the teachings of the Founder of Aikido, Morihei Ueshiba, as interpreted by his direct student of fifteen years. Mitsugi Saotome examines the spiritual philosophy of the Founder, the warrior ideals of feudal Japan as the basis of his martial arts philosophy, and the scientific principles underlying the philosophy of Aikido technique. The author shows that the physical movement of Aikido is the embodiment of principles of the spirit. Negative force is not countered with aggression but is controlled and redirected through the power and balance of spiral movement. This is the shape of Aikido and the dynamic shape at the foundation of all energies of existence. Aikido movement can only be understood from its roots in universal law and the processes of nature. The sincere practice and study of Aikido deepens our appreciation for the perfection of nature's balance and brings us back into harmony with our environment, other people, and ourselves. Abundantly illustrated with the author's drawings, diagrams, and calligraphies, as well as photographs demonstrating Aikido techniques, the book also offers a history of Aikido, personal anecdotes about the Founder, and translations of several of his lectures.




Nature and the Environment in Amish Life


Book Description

The Amish relationship to the environment is much more complicated than you might think. The pastoral image of Amish communities living simply and in touch with the land strikes a deep chord with many Americans. Environmentalists have lauded the Amish as iconic models for a way of life that is local, self-sufficient, and in harmony with nature. But the Amish themselves do not always embrace their ecological reputation, and critics have long questioned the portrayal of the Amish as models of environmental stewardship. In Nature and the Environment in Amish Life, David L. McConnell and Marilyn D. Loveless examine how this prevailing notion of the environmentally conscious Amish fits with the changing realities of their lives. Drawing on 150 interviews conducted over the course of 7 years, as well as a survey of household resource use among Amish and non-Amish people, they explore how the Amish understand nature in their daily lives and how their actions impact the natural world. Arguing that there is considerable diversity in Amish engagements with nature at home, at school, at work, and outdoors, McConnell and Loveless show how the Amish response to regional and global environmental issues, such as watershed pollution and climate change, reveals their deep skepticism of environmentalists. They also demonstrate that Amish households are not uniformly lower in resource use compared to their rural, non-Amish neighbors, though aspects of their home economy are relatively self-sufficient. The first comprehensive study of Amish understandings of the natural world, this compelling book complicates the image of the Amish and provides a more realistic understanding of the Amish relationship with the environment.




The Second World Ocean Assessment


Book Description

"In its resolutions 57/141 and 58/240, the General Assembly decided to establish a regular process under the United Nations for global reporting and assessment of the state of the marine environment, including socioeconomic aspects, both current and foreseeable, building on existing regional assessments. In its resolution 71/257, the Assembly recalled that the scope of the first cycle of the Regular Process focused on establishing a baseline and decided that the scope of the second cycle would extend to evaluating trends and identifying gaps. The programme of work for the period 2017-2020 of the second cycle of the Regular Process includes the preparation by the Group of Experts of the Regular Process for Global Reporting and Assessment of the State of the Marine Environment, including Socioeconomic Aspects, of the second World Ocean Assessment, building on the baselines established by the First Global Integrated Marine Assessment (first World Ocean Assessment). In its resolution 72/73, the Assembly decided that the Group of Experts should proceed on the basis of a single comprehensive assessment. The present document was prepared by the Group of Experts in accordance with those decisions"--Summary.




Native Americans in Harmony with Nature


Book Description

There is a lot that we are able to focus on when it comes to working with and understanding the Native American people. This is a group that was once in harmony with nature, who had an order that is different than what we see with many of our modern times, and who would be able to live peacefully with the world for many years. When the white settlers came from Europe and started to take over, this spelled trouble for the native tribes, as we will explore in more detail as we go through this guidebook and learn about these fascinating groups that are known as the Native Americans. Even though the U.S. government was able to take over these people fairly effectively, this group of people was able to share a lot of values and believes with us that we can benefit from today. This guidebook is going to spend some time talking about the Native people, from all of the different tribes that are out there, and so much more. We will walk right from the beginning of these people, with a look at where they originally came from and how they got to America, all the way through some of their legends, their music, their artwork, their main leaders, and more. While we are on this, we can even take a look at some of the ways that the white settlers took over, how they were able to gain the trust or the power to do all of this, and some of the many wars that resulted in the process. And we will follow the process through until our modern times with a look at how many of the Native tribes that survived are doing today. There are so many topics that we are able to explore when it comes to these varied and diverse tribes, and so much that we can learn as well. some of the topics that we need to look through here include: -Origin and some of the theories about how the native people made it through North and South America. -Some of the different tribes that populated the continent, including how they lived and some of the things that made them unique. -What happened as settlers started to expand out and take over the Americas. -After settling in the area, we take a look at how the settlers began their own country against England and then turned their sights towards conquering the West. -Some of the popular Indian chiefs and celebrities who fought on their side. -Some of the cultural aspects that we need to know about these people, including some of the art, myths, and more. -A look at some of the social characteristics that we can learn from the native tribes, including their organization, music, medicine, and more. -How the native people handled the environment around them, including the current teachings and myths about how to go with nature. -How the native tribes are fairing in our modern world today. There is so much that we can glean and learn from people who have not stood a fighting chance in many years. And this guidebook is going to walk us through all of that and how we can benefit from using some of their beliefs and more. When you are ready to learn more about respecting and loving the earth in a manner that is as reverent as the Native Americans, make sure to check out this guidebook to get started.