Top 10 Books in 2005

Top 10 Book list in 2005

I thought it would be fun to publish some top 10 lists – Here’s the first in the series…

Top 10 bestselling books at the Ecology Center Store:

10. Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, by John Perkins. This is a startlingly honest memoir of one of the world’s biggest moneylenders, and an insider’s look at international infrastructure and development financing fraud. It’s also very readable!

9. Ecotopia, by Ernest Callenbach. First published in 1975, the 30-year anniversary edition was very popular last year. It’s a fictional, inspirational vision of an ecologically, politically, and humanly workable future.

8. Biodiesel: Growing a New Energy Economy, by Greg Pahl. This is the first of three biodiesel books on the list. It discusses the history, technology and future prospects of biodiesel.

7. Alternative Urban Futures, by Raquel Pinderhuges. A great book by a local professor, author, and Ecology Center board member, it explores sustainable urban development through appropriate technologies in water, waste, energy, transportation and food systems.

6. Gaia’s Garden: a guide to home scale permaculture, by Toby Hemenway. A great gardening book for those of us interested in permaculture for urban and suburban plots of land.

5. Diet for a Dead Planet: How the Food Industry is Killing Us, by Christopher D. Cook. Another local author who’s produced a fascinating, readable, and intense document exposing the inside of the industry that feeds so many of us.

4. Biodiesel: Home Brewer’s Guide, by Maria “girl Mark” Alovert. A locally produced, home made guide to home brew biodiesel from local biodiesel teacher and activist girl Mark.

3. Earth Art Coloring Book, by Sue Coccia. A series of coloring books with intricate animal drawings based on the traditional artwork of the pacific north west.

2. From the Fryer to the Fuel Tank by Joshua Tickell. Always a favorite, this is a complete guide to using biodiesel or straight vegetable oil in your diesel car or truck.

And…

The number one bestselling book at the Ecology Center Store in 2005 was…

1. Golden Gate Gardening: The Complete Guide to Year-Round Food Gardening in the San Francisco Bay Area and Coastal California, by Pam Pierce. Our perennial bestseller, and the one gardening book you really need to read if you garden in or around the Bay Area.

Now Selling... Bugs

Ecology Center Store: Now Selling Bugs. (Seriously)

Beneficial Nematodes are microscopic critters that prey on a wide variety of insect pests. The Nematodes and bacteria that they bring with them enter and infect the bodies of their hosts and grow and reproduce rapidly, consuming the host as they do so. Because they kill so quickly, they’ve evolved to prey on a wide variety of insects. Most important to a lot of us, they are an effective outdoor control for fleas! In addition, they kill thrips, fungus gnats, weevils and cutworms among many others.

Nematodes do have specific condition needs to survive, with a range of limitations including availability of prey, soil temperature, dampness, light, and others, which means that it’s most effective to replenish their population buy re-introducing them every 4-6 weeks while insect pests are a problem.

The Nematodes are packaged on a refrigerated sponge, so you have to ask for them at the cash register. Use one package per 3,000 square feet, or one per 1,500 square feet for controlling fleas. $13.46 per package.

Cool!