The contest is closed. Please check back again when we announce the winners!!
What happens when four friends with blogs want to do a giveaway?
Inspired by the culture of giving and gifting which permaculture embodies, we decided to give away some books that have taught and inspired us.
The catch? None, really. For a chance to win, just go to EACH of the blog links and leave a comment. Profound and witty life-changing comments are appreciated but not required. Your comment can be as simple as “hi” or as interesting as a remark about what you’re doing, or are pondering. This is a chance to get to know us and make some connections, with the potential for free books. What could be better?
We are four eco-friends who come from different backgrounds, live in very disparate places on the planet, and have unique approaches to our personal sustainability goals. Our blogs reflect our varied projects and communities.
So leave a comment below, and here are the links to the other blogs where you can leave comments. Remember to comment on all four blogs by Friday, July 22, 2011.
Highly Uncivilized Brad Rowland gets the dirt back under his fingernails for a more Sustainable Suburbia – sometimes raw, fermenting, DIY, organic gardening, composting, yarden juicing, suburban homesteading, and he’s got worms.
Openly Balanced Jess Lundie writes about sustainable conscious living at Openly Balanced, and helps people incorporate mindfulness and sustainable choices into their busy modern lives.
Eco-Friendly Link Eco-Expert Clare has loads of free hints and tips on small, easy changes to make for a lifestyle that is kinder to the environment. Lots of information, discussion and advice on all aspects of being green and eco-friendly. PLUS there’s a free gift when you sign up for the weekly newsletter!
1st book. Urban Homesteading, Heirloom Skills for Sustainable Living, by Rachel Kaplan and Ruby Blume,
The co-author, Ruby Blume, was a teacher of mine and I mentioned her in some of my posts. She has been running an urban homesteading school for the past couple of years and is well known in the Bay Area as one of the leaders of the local urban homesteading movement.
Urban Homesteading covers every practical aspect (and then some) of turning your home into an oasis of sustainability, from goats to gardening, mulch to mushrooms, saving seeds, and (eek) even creating “humanure.” This book is filled with beautiful color photos, thought-provoking ideas, and absolutely practical wisdom.
2nd book. Edible Estates, by Fritz Haeg
Eric Schlosser the author of Fast Food Nation says, “The best ideas are usually the simplest ones. Fritz Haeg deserves a genius award for his wonderfully subversive plan. Instead of mowing your lawn, you should eat it.”
This book documents eight projects where people tore up their front lawns and planted awesome gardens. I loved this book—it inspired me and gave me a visual image of what I want my own neighborhood to become. In some ways, this is more of a book about ideas than a reference tome, but it has also got a lot of great information, including planning advice, and “how-to”s.
3rd book. Getting Started in Permaculture, Ross and Jenny Mars
This is a really practical little handbook of over 50 DIY projects for house and garden using recycled materials. Topics include sheetmulch, shade houses, how to make soap, and the ever-popular use of recycled tires for planters. If you’re really serious, there is even a short chapter on finding the slope of a hill so you can properly design a swale. I’ve always thought this book looked really interesting because I love the idea of re-using instead of discarding.
Hi! I just posted a comment, is there a bit of a lapse between “post comment” and appearance? Such is life… perhaps it’s part of the lesson of being part of a new movement: you educate, educate, post, post – and finally it catches on! Thanks for the contest, I’d love to own one of these books.
Just built my first compost bin last summer, my first raised bed this summer, next comes… bees? Thanks for the book giveaway!
I love your site! What a fabulous giveaway! I hope I am able to snag one of these great books for my library. Im really starting to learn so much about Permaculture! Good luck to all!
Really interesting books. Great contest.
I’d love to win and read the book, then share the knowledge!
Great idea this, great way to draw more attention to the importance of re-establishing a sense of immediacy with our surroundings. As an urban farmer of sorts in Brooklyn NY, so happy to see how many of us care.
Great idea this, great way to draw more attention to the importance of re-establishing a sense of immediacy with our surroundings. As an urban farmer of sorts in Brooklyn NY, so happy to see how many of us care.
Right on! Glad you did that. I had to stop my mom from cutting down all the trees that “bothered” her. We’ve on the same wavelength. Thanks for stopping by.
I just had to stop my mom from throwing all kinds of chemicals all over everything in her garden. We have a long way to go but I’d like to help her and my Dad learn more about permaculture and organic growing. Thanks for your help!
Hi again,
I do hope to mentor other new beekeepers for sure and currently work with a couple of brand new apiarists…one day I’d love to mentor beekeepers in developing countries as well. There seem to be a variety of opportunities to spend a few weeks supporting beekeepers in developing countries for Canadian beekeepers through various NGOs here; just wondering if the situation is similar in the US?
Also we haven’t got marked queens and I worry that we may inadvertently kill one during an inspection, any tips on avoiding this or are we just worrying too much?
Thanks again for your great site and info!
I would love any of the books listed. I’ve been making a lot of changes in my life…books that have inspired me include The Soil and Health by Sir Albert Howard, The One-Straw Revolution by Masanobu Fukuoka, and The Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey. I am always looking for the next good book–so thank you for sharing not only these titles, but an opportunity to win the books themselves!
Just curious, are you now living in Hawaii?
Most certainly!
Good luck!
Yes! After we put in our front yard edible garden, others started doing the same.
I am glad you are in the planning stages. That’s a very fun part. Here’s to your hoemstead!
Thanks for stopping by. I would love to hear what you are doing sustainable with your motoring lifestyle.
I just hit the three month mark in a new place, in a new state, in a new time zone, in a new climate!! (I could go on
)
I would love to check out these resources and continue my ‘inspired’ nesting…
Hi, I love your site, and would love to be considered in the giveaway!
These look like really interesting books.
Growing your own organic food will help self-sustainability. It will start a food revolution in your own organic garden.
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I stumbled across your blog and the other hosts while doing some searching for resources. I have urban homestead dreams of my own and am just in the planning stages. Would love some help in the form of a book! Thanks for hosting!
I am interested in greater sustainability in a mobile lifestyle, and I’m always looking for small ideas that can help. We live in a motorhome, which is wonderful in many ways, but makes many traditional sustainability ideas impractical.
Thanks for the giveaway! I came over from Highly Uncivilized.
Thanks! Some day I hope you will mentor new beekeepers also. If you ever have questions, please feel free to ask.
Hi Karen,
You are here! I will make sure you are included in the contest. I might have been doing some edits, hence the glitch.
Hi there, I just tried posting here but there seems to have been a glitch in posting…anyway I had written that I really enjoy visiting your site for information for my own 2 hives (first year!!). Also I am excited about the contest; what a bunch of great books-thank you for the resources and also the contest opportunity.
Great contest! I often check out your blog through facebook, and as a new beekeeper this year I have found the info here very helpful. Thank you for your virtual mentorship!
Hi,
I am going thru the “Life Changing” experience of moving to another country….I am moving to Costa Rica on Aug 1….and learning more about simplifying life as I go along….all of the books you are giving away look great !!!I would love to own any of them..
Sonya Lenzo
http://WWW.oldbooksmarket.com/thekindledebatecontinues/
Yay! I’ve been looking for more books to add to my permaculture/urban farming bookshelf.
Hi Beth,
Went by to check out your site. I like the article about Love Drop, and that’s a very extensive article about silver! Thanks for stopping by.
Mil
How exciting! I would love to add one of these books to my library. Thank you for the opportunity!
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These books look great! I’d love to learn more about permaculture. It’s been fun to find your blog through this giveaway as well.