Our friend and colleague Catherine ZHOU kindly translated some introductory sections from Karen Christensen's in-progress book Home Ecology. Versions of these tips were included in some of her previous books, and she is busy compiling and writing a new guide that will focus on preparing for climate change, but also deal with other issues close to
Karin Vaneker, a writer and activist in the Netherlands, has been helping me by tackling subjects that haven’t yet attracted much scholarly research for the second edition of the Encyclopedia of Sustainability. She’s written, for example, on including composting and community gardens - important, relevant, and yet somehow a little too close to home for
Abstract: While the term environmental justice has different nuances of meaning for activists, academics, and politicians, most agree that it encompasses the need for a healthy environment for all with the same degree of protection from environmental risks and with equal access to environmental goods. This is in line with sustainability goals to fulfill the
Last month I wrote about third places ("What is a “third place,” and do you have one?"). Along with some great stories about your favorite third places, I received a few emails blasting me for not mentioning libraries. That was a shock, since Berkshire Publishing has close ties to libraries: we’ve written and published about libraries
When I meet someone Chinese, in Beijing or New York or London, they often exclaim over our name. Publishers tell me how exactly right its meaning - “treasure mountain library” - is, especially for a press known for encyclopedias on global topics. I explain that 宝库山 was carefully crafted by a group of friends who understood
Messenger of Sympathy and Love Servant of Parted Friends Consoler of the Lonely Bond of the Scattered Family Enlarger of the Common Life Carrier of News and Knowledge Instrument of Trade and Industry Promoter of Mutual Acquaintance Of Peace and of Goodwill Among Men and Nations. A business consultant once passed around copies of the poem
We lived through the ‘80s. We lived through the ‘90s. We lived through the ‘00s. We lived through the ‘10s. And we’ve lived through March. Most of us, that is, have lived. I’m still coming to terms with what is happening. It’s like grief. I go about my day, getting absorbed in work, or a book
This Princess and Prince Party is sure to be canceled. I'm delighted to report that the Train Campaign projects were included in the governor's bond bill last week, and the bills I filed by petition (a unique Massachusetts citizen right) have been favorably reported on. Read about A Great Week for Train Advocates in
My son Tom works in healthcare finance, and has lived in China since graduating from college. He was quarantined in Lanzhou during the 2009 swine flu epidemic, and now he's experiencing the semi-quarantine of 2020. In fact, I expected to be there right now and was looking forward to time with him and his wife when
Chinese food, anyone? I'll be co-presenting a program about gastrodiplomacy at Schwarzman College in Beijing next month, and I am looking for stories to share, from history as well as personal experience. Schwarzman College 苏世民书院 is a residential college at Tsinghua University. Schwarzman scholarships are modeled on the Rhodes Scholarships at Oxford. The one-year MA program,
