Reading on green transition does not have to always be serious and scientific-oriented.
This 4 recommendations allow you to discover different approach on biodiversity, ecology and human behaviours.
Diary of a young Naturalist – Dara McAnnulty
This book is the authentic journal of 15-year-old Dara McAnnulty – an explorer by birth.
We recommend reading the book with Google at hand, so that you can immediately imagine a hen harrier, a calocera viscosa or a mermaid’s purse. From the diary you will also learn something about the autistic perception of the world, and how, despite this difference, one can find his place in active conservation. A literature gem not only for young adults.
Martina’s voice : « I felt his excitement at the discovery of butterflies on a flowering buddleia and his anxiety about moving to a new place, lyrical descriptions of Irish scenery and harsh memories of school bullying »
Available in English
The Bird of cottage – Eva Meijer
Dutch writer Eva Meijer has fictionalized the biography of British amateur ornithologist Len Howard. After years spent in bustling London, the talented violinist preferred a country house, which she (literally) opened wide to garden birds. She valued careful, systematic observation of their behavioural patterns and individual differences above almost everything else. The Bird Cottage is a book about a deep respect for the inconspicuous living creatures around us.
Available in many languagues
The Overstory – Richard Powers
Few works can rival The Overstory it in its richness and complexity. Against the backdrop of real historical events, the individual stories converge like roots into a mighty trunk, where some connect and others run parallel to each other, only to branch out in a different composition and send their seeds out into the world. All the characters, at some stage in their lives, are concerned with the well-being of the trees, so that in the end they may perhaps save humanity, which is greedily cutting them down. It is not an easy reading, but it is definitely unforgettable.
Martina’s voice : Author Richard Powers often uses the term primary forests, which I, as a European, did not understand at first; we have been accustomed to the cycle of logging and planting here since time immemorial. On the North American continent, however, the original timber, thanks to late white settlement, still stood (and were rapidly felling) in the mid-20th century, which triggered a powerful, often elemental wave of activism
Available in many languagues
How bad are bananas? – Mike Berners-Lee
The book How bad are bananas? with the subtitle Carbon footprint of everything is proof that even environmental non-fiction can be funny. If you are interested in whether it is a tomato grown in a local greenhouse or an orange imported from overseas that leaves a smaller carbon footprint, you have come to the right place. Perfect comparisons of showering and bathing in a bathtub, cow’s milk and its plant-based substitutes, emissions from the production of cotton jeans and the use of synthetic materials – often not everything is as it seems at first glance. Mike Berners-Lee has dedicated many years to gathering evidence (he also provides references for many of them) and has gradually become a recognized expert in this field. Maybe it will help you change some of your habits.
Available in many languagues
This books selection was created by Martina Marusincova, Green Contact Point at the Slovakian Education & Training Erasmus+ Agency.