OK, I just gotta say that sometimes the buying part of this job gets old quick. Looking through 3 foot high stacks of book catalogs - not my favorite way to spend a week. However, the seed catalogs are different!
I love 'em. We're going with a new seed vendor this year... Seed Savers Exchange. For those of you who are seed savers, you probably already know them - they're deep into protecting genetic diversity of garden plants. They're a non-profit, membership organization, and they've got a fantastic collection.
I think I may have to become a gardener this year. I just need to find myself some dirt. So - if you have any dirt that you're not using (ie. your yard... in berkeley) give me a call, maybe we can work something out!
Spring - just around the corner when you start looking at seed catalogs!
js
Friday, December 17, 2004
Sunday, December 12, 2004
Holidays
Hey!
We're having tons of fun around here this holiday season. We've passed our big outside events. We were at the San Francisco Green Festival again this year, and had fun talking to THOUSANDS! of people. We also got to go to Bioneers, which was inspiring in spite of the rain.
We've also had a couple of wonderful authors around - Starhawk was here a few weeks ago for a wonderfully uplifting discussion about her new book, politics, activism, and life in a complicated world. Also, just last friday, Michael Nagler, a professor of peace and conflict studies at UC Berkeley came to speak with a very involved crowd about non-violence, and his new book.
Our glass, as expected has been a huge hit with holiday gift buyers. We have a large selection of 100% recycled glass, and also a selection of glass that's even better. It's re-used. Bottles have been cut to form the goblets and tumbler, the necks of the bottles are heated and re-shaped, and both are decorated. They're beautiful and have a wonderfully minimal impact on the planet.
thanks for listening!
Happy Holidays!
jill
We're having tons of fun around here this holiday season. We've passed our big outside events. We were at the San Francisco Green Festival again this year, and had fun talking to THOUSANDS! of people. We also got to go to Bioneers, which was inspiring in spite of the rain.
We've also had a couple of wonderful authors around - Starhawk was here a few weeks ago for a wonderfully uplifting discussion about her new book, politics, activism, and life in a complicated world. Also, just last friday, Michael Nagler, a professor of peace and conflict studies at UC Berkeley came to speak with a very involved crowd about non-violence, and his new book.
Our glass, as expected has been a huge hit with holiday gift buyers. We have a large selection of 100% recycled glass, and also a selection of glass that's even better. It's re-used. Bottles have been cut to form the goblets and tumbler, the necks of the bottles are heated and re-shaped, and both are decorated. They're beautiful and have a wonderfully minimal impact on the planet.
thanks for listening!
Happy Holidays!
jill
Saturday, October 23, 2004
New Handmade Journals
I got the coolest new journals in yesterday.
They're handmade by a local crafter. She uses old book covers, and hand binds in found re-used paper to create them. They're georgeous, and one of a kind. I love them!
They take her about 2 hours each to make, so they're not cheap - $30 each, but if you have any writers or artists on your holiday gift list, come in and check these out!
It's a cold and rainy saturday, so I don't actually expect you to come in today...
stay warm!
jill
They're handmade by a local crafter. She uses old book covers, and hand binds in found re-used paper to create them. They're georgeous, and one of a kind. I love them!
They take her about 2 hours each to make, so they're not cheap - $30 each, but if you have any writers or artists on your holiday gift list, come in and check these out!
It's a cold and rainy saturday, so I don't actually expect you to come in today...
stay warm!
jill
Thursday, October 21, 2004
I love Magazines!
Hello out there!
I do love magazines, and every once in a while one of them has an issue that rises above... you know what I mean? Everything in it works for you. Well, National Geographic did that for me this month. Excellent articles, very ecologically focused.
You want to know the surprising effect of Wolves on the riverside ecosystem of Yellowstone? And did you know that the Sahara desert used to be home to that water loving giant - hippopotamuses?
Check out the article on Hawi"i Volcanoes Natural park, for inspiration and a description of the plants that thrive on barren lava fields.
Most spectacular, I thought, was an article on a ingenous community in Columbia. Their care for their mountainous home with a sacred respect and believe that "if this mountain is not cared for, the entire world will get sick." What a different state we would be in if we all cared for the land we inhabit with that thought in mind.
The Arctic foxes, in addition to the spectacular photography you'd expect of NG, discusses the boom and bust nature of Arctic fox populations.
Finally, an article on Louisiana's wetlands stunned me. Read it!
js
I do love magazines, and every once in a while one of them has an issue that rises above... you know what I mean? Everything in it works for you. Well, National Geographic did that for me this month. Excellent articles, very ecologically focused.
You want to know the surprising effect of Wolves on the riverside ecosystem of Yellowstone? And did you know that the Sahara desert used to be home to that water loving giant - hippopotamuses?
Check out the article on Hawi"i Volcanoes Natural park, for inspiration and a description of the plants that thrive on barren lava fields.
Most spectacular, I thought, was an article on a ingenous community in Columbia. Their care for their mountainous home with a sacred respect and believe that "if this mountain is not cared for, the entire world will get sick." What a different state we would be in if we all cared for the land we inhabit with that thought in mind.
The Arctic foxes, in addition to the spectacular photography you'd expect of NG, discusses the boom and bust nature of Arctic fox populations.
Finally, an article on Louisiana's wetlands stunned me. Read it!
js
Wednesday, October 13, 2004
Miscellaneous thoughts
Hello everyone, it's another hot dry day here in the Bay Area, and our fire danger is super high - we've already had several fires start this week, and yesterday, the entire Bay was covered in a thick layer of smoke. So be careful!
A few interesting things just arrived on my desk. On is Crude: the Story of Oil by Sonia Shah, and the other is the Earth Path: Grounding Your Spirit in The Rhythms of Nature by Starhawk. We're lucky to have Starhawk in the area, and extremely excited that she's going to be at the Ecology Center for a book signing later this year!
Expect some thoughts on these two soon!
jill
A few interesting things just arrived on my desk. On is Crude: the Story of Oil by Sonia Shah, and the other is the Earth Path: Grounding Your Spirit in The Rhythms of Nature by Starhawk. We're lucky to have Starhawk in the area, and extremely excited that she's going to be at the Ecology Center for a book signing later this year!
Expect some thoughts on these two soon!
jill
State of the World 2004
Sate of the World 2004 - Special Focus: the Consumer Society. The WorldWatch Institute. Norton. 2004.
The WorldWatch Institute is one of my favorite organizations. The accessibility, timeliness, and wide-ranging nature of their research and statistical information was invaluable to me as an academic. Now, the easy to understand basic application of that data to lifestyle choices makes WorldWatch writing an invaluable tool that I can offer my customers, whether they are new to trying to live sustainable lives, or they’ve been working toward sustainability for a while.
So, I love reading and recommending WorldWatch products, and this year’s State of the World is no exception. With topics that range from water and energy to computers, antibacterial soap and shrimp, writing that starts generally for the neophyte, and quickly but logically gets quite detailed, and a proactive, here’s-what-we-can-do-about-it sort of emphasis, this book is at the top of my list for the newly environmentally interested. With all of the above and more than 50 pages of notes, new and synthesized statistical analysis, and an accessible style, it’s also going to be a favorite for those teaching sustainable living (either to friends and relatives, or in open community workshops).
Read it! Then pass it on! This is one of those books that you don’t want sitting on your bookshelf – spread it around…
jill
The WorldWatch Institute is one of my favorite organizations. The accessibility, timeliness, and wide-ranging nature of their research and statistical information was invaluable to me as an academic. Now, the easy to understand basic application of that data to lifestyle choices makes WorldWatch writing an invaluable tool that I can offer my customers, whether they are new to trying to live sustainable lives, or they’ve been working toward sustainability for a while.
So, I love reading and recommending WorldWatch products, and this year’s State of the World is no exception. With topics that range from water and energy to computers, antibacterial soap and shrimp, writing that starts generally for the neophyte, and quickly but logically gets quite detailed, and a proactive, here’s-what-we-can-do-about-it sort of emphasis, this book is at the top of my list for the newly environmentally interested. With all of the above and more than 50 pages of notes, new and synthesized statistical analysis, and an accessible style, it’s also going to be a favorite for those teaching sustainable living (either to friends and relatives, or in open community workshops).
Read it! Then pass it on! This is one of those books that you don’t want sitting on your bookshelf – spread it around…
jill
Friday, October 08, 2004
Other stuff on the Ecology Center
Hello and good morning.
I'm afraid one of the things you're going to get for a while on my new blog is some experimentation - I'm playing with some features, trying to figure out how to link to things. Whatever. So, below is my first attempt to get content from another page to show up here. Of course, I chose some info about the Ecology Center - which is where I work.
It's actually an uber cool place - if you don't know us, we're community based, non profit, environmental organization. I'll try to refrain from blatant bragging... but it's hard. The feature below is about our information program - offering free and low cost classes, events, information, referrals, all sorts of cool stuff.
Anyway, I picked up a new book this morning... State of the World 2004. Put out each year by another uber cool environmental org - the world watch institute. I'll have some things to say about it soon.
jill
I'm afraid one of the things you're going to get for a while on my new blog is some experimentation - I'm playing with some features, trying to figure out how to link to things. Whatever. So, below is my first attempt to get content from another page to show up here. Of course, I chose some info about the Ecology Center - which is where I work.
It's actually an uber cool place - if you don't know us, we're community based, non profit, environmental organization. I'll try to refrain from blatant bragging... but it's hard. The feature below is about our information program - offering free and low cost classes, events, information, referrals, all sorts of cool stuff.
Anyway, I picked up a new book this morning... State of the World 2004. Put out each year by another uber cool environmental org - the world watch institute. I'll have some things to say about it soon.
jill
Ecology Center .:. Berkeley, CA
Ecology Center .:. Berkeley, CA: "Ecology Center Free, public library includes garden, building, solar, greywater, design, permaculture, biodiesel books, videos, magazines and more. Sustainable Living classes cover such topics as permaculture, hands-on biodiesel, native plants, chicken keeping, more. Eco-calendar lists Bay Area eco classes, workshops, events, grant deadlines (see www.ecologycenter.org.) Free info hotline can help locate resources, answer questions. Store carries eco garden and house supplies, ecopaper, books on sustainable living. Open Tues %u2013 Sat, 11am-6pm. At 2530 San Pablo Ave @Dwight, Berkeley. Info: 510-548-2220 x233."
Thursday, October 07, 2004
All I Did Was Ask, Terry Gross
All I Did Was Ask: conversations with Writers, Actors, Musicians, and Artists, Terry Gross. Hyperion. 2004.
Terry Gross’ voice is calming: Whenever I hear, “I’m Terry Gross and this is Fresh Air,” I take a mental deep breath. I know that I’m about to be engaged, entertained, and perhaps challenged for a little while, and I’m happy to send my attention to that radio place where my own preoccupations go away and I listen to other people’s. Her introduction the this book was much the same for me. It was quiet, engaging, and filled with interesting and revealing commentary about herself, her show, and her guests. The introduction was actually my favorite part of the book.
While I listen to the show frequently, there were many interviews in this book that I hadn’t heard. The style, however, is such that I could hear the words in the voices of the subjects.
One of my favorites is the interview with John Updike, who among other things discusses writing as an aggressive act, and the greedyness of fiction, “the appetite of the blank page for ever more information, ever more data. An empty book is a greedy thing.” As expected, the Johnny Cash interview was another of my favorites. I heard this one when Fresh Air replayed it shortly after Cash’s death in 2003. Somehow, the interviews seem longer when you’re listening on the radio. I guess I read too fast, but this chapter was over too quick for me. Another highlight was Mary Karr, in an interview that was much more personal than others in the book, but then, Karr’s righting is intensively personal as well.
Well, I’ve been writing a line or two every once and a while… and what it really boils down to is: they’re all fantastic. There are 39 interviews documented here, and they're all well worth reading. The book’s a bestseller because it’s great. Read it.
jill
Terry Gross’ voice is calming: Whenever I hear, “I’m Terry Gross and this is Fresh Air,” I take a mental deep breath. I know that I’m about to be engaged, entertained, and perhaps challenged for a little while, and I’m happy to send my attention to that radio place where my own preoccupations go away and I listen to other people’s. Her introduction the this book was much the same for me. It was quiet, engaging, and filled with interesting and revealing commentary about herself, her show, and her guests. The introduction was actually my favorite part of the book.
While I listen to the show frequently, there were many interviews in this book that I hadn’t heard. The style, however, is such that I could hear the words in the voices of the subjects.
One of my favorites is the interview with John Updike, who among other things discusses writing as an aggressive act, and the greedyness of fiction, “the appetite of the blank page for ever more information, ever more data. An empty book is a greedy thing.” As expected, the Johnny Cash interview was another of my favorites. I heard this one when Fresh Air replayed it shortly after Cash’s death in 2003. Somehow, the interviews seem longer when you’re listening on the radio. I guess I read too fast, but this chapter was over too quick for me. Another highlight was Mary Karr, in an interview that was much more personal than others in the book, but then, Karr’s righting is intensively personal as well.
Well, I’ve been writing a line or two every once and a while… and what it really boils down to is: they’re all fantastic. There are 39 interviews documented here, and they're all well worth reading. The book’s a bestseller because it’s great. Read it.
jill
Wednesday, October 06, 2004
NCIBA Book Fair
So I spent part of last weekend at the Northern California Independent Booksellers Association (NCIBA) trade show in Oakland. It's amazing. For book lovers, it's like all the candy you can eat, all day, for free. I met a bunch of new publisher reps, and some new book buyers. Saw tons of great new books, and I'm sort of overwhelmed at the moment.
My bedside collection has exploded. I had four books stacked up there on friday. Now I have about 10 books on the table that I want to read first, and a couple of shopping bags full on the floor, that I want to read second. Talk about taking work home with you!
I think I'm going with Terry Gross first. I love her NPR program Fresh Air, and I love that her interview with Johnny Cash is in the book. I've been a fan of his since I was tiny. My family is tecnologically challenged - we never had a TV, and didn't have a stereo until I was about 12, but my dad did have a reel to reel casset player that I'm pretty sure had been my grandfathers. So, I think I'm the only 30 something around who grew up listening to Johnny Cash on reel to reel cassetts.
I'll let you know what I think of the book soon. Have you read it? What did you think?
My bedside collection has exploded. I had four books stacked up there on friday. Now I have about 10 books on the table that I want to read first, and a couple of shopping bags full on the floor, that I want to read second. Talk about taking work home with you!
I think I'm going with Terry Gross first. I love her NPR program Fresh Air, and I love that her interview with Johnny Cash is in the book. I've been a fan of his since I was tiny. My family is tecnologically challenged - we never had a TV, and didn't have a stereo until I was about 12, but my dad did have a reel to reel casset player that I'm pretty sure had been my grandfathers. So, I think I'm the only 30 something around who grew up listening to Johnny Cash on reel to reel cassetts.
I'll let you know what I think of the book soon. Have you read it? What did you think?
Watershed Environmental Poetry Festival
Also this weekend: I spent Saturday in the park a the Watershed Environmental Poetry Festival. This year's lineup was great, with Robert Hass, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Pattiann Rogers, George Keithley, Lucille Lang Day, Marc Bamuthi Joseph, Peter Warshall, and musical entertainment from Bekka's Frogland Orchestra.
It was a great day - perfect temperature, started out cold and dewey, but turned into a beautiful, sunny, not too hot, excellent for a day outside sort of day. I thought the break out crowd favorite (and definitely my favorite) poet was Marc Bamuthi Joseph. He's part of a great program called youth speaks. Check it out at http://www.youthspeaks.org/ and if you're interested in supporting a great program - you can do it through that website too.
Jill
It was a great day - perfect temperature, started out cold and dewey, but turned into a beautiful, sunny, not too hot, excellent for a day outside sort of day. I thought the break out crowd favorite (and definitely my favorite) poet was Marc Bamuthi Joseph. He's part of a great program called youth speaks. Check it out at http://www.youthspeaks.org/ and if you're interested in supporting a great program - you can do it through that website too.
Jill
Introductions
Hello World!
Welcome to my blog. I run a fantastically cool little green store in Berkeley, California, and I was looking for a forum to talk about books, environment, and knowing me, many random things that just happen to come up into my brain and flow out my fingers to the keyboard.
This will be part reader journal, part soapbox, part confessional (maybe) and all fun. I hope you enjoy it. I hope you'll discuss books with me. I hope you'll be nice. I hope I'll convince you (if you're not already convinced) to shop at local independent stores rather than chains or mega e-commerce sites.
Thanks for reading! come back soon!
Jill
Welcome to my blog. I run a fantastically cool little green store in Berkeley, California, and I was looking for a forum to talk about books, environment, and knowing me, many random things that just happen to come up into my brain and flow out my fingers to the keyboard.
This will be part reader journal, part soapbox, part confessional (maybe) and all fun. I hope you enjoy it. I hope you'll discuss books with me. I hope you'll be nice. I hope I'll convince you (if you're not already convinced) to shop at local independent stores rather than chains or mega e-commerce sites.
Thanks for reading! come back soon!
Jill
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