About BC Books Online
BC Books Online was created for anyone interested in BC-published books, and with librarians especially in mind. We'd like to make it easy for library staff to learn about books from BC publishers - both new releases and backlist titles - so you can inform your patrons and keep your collections up to date.
Our site features print books and ebooks - both new releases and backlist titles - all of which are available to order through regular trade channels. Browse our subject categories to find books of interest or create and export lists by category to cross-reference with your library's current collection.
A quick tip: When reviewing the "Browse by Category" listings, please note that these are based on standardized BISAC Subject Codes supplied by the books' publishers. You will find additional selections, grouped by theme or region, in our "BC Reading Lists."
Description
Terra preta is the Portuguese name of a type of soil which is thought to have almost miraculous properties. The newspapers are flooded with reports about black gold,” scientists believe that two of the greatest problems facing the world climate change and the hunger crisis can be solved by it. The beauty of it is that everyone can do something about it because since 2005 the secret of producing this black soil has been revealed and it is a secret that seemed to have been lost forever with the downfall of the once thriving Indian culture of the Amazon basin. The recipe is astonishingly simple as all you need are kitchen or garden wastes, charcoal and earthworms, so it can be produced on every balcony or on the smallest of garden plots.
The authors set off on a treasure hunt and condensed all the knowledge about the world’s most fertile soil into a convenient guidebook. In addition to a sound instruction manual on producing terra preta and organic charcoal (biochar), the handbook covers fundamental principles from climate farming to closed-loop economy. It makes a passionate plea against synthetic fertilizers and genetic technology
Published in Partnership with the David Suzuki Institute.
Contributor Notes
Ute Scheub is a journalist, political scientist and author.
Haiko Pieplow is a soil scientist and pioneer of the Terra Preta movement. He works at the German Federal Ministry for the Environment.
Hans-Peter Schmidt s the director of the Ithaka Institute for Carbon Intelligence in Switzerland.
Kathleen Draper is the U.S. director of the Ithaka Institute for Carbon Intelligence. She sits on the board of directors for the International Biochar Initiative and the U.S. Biochar Initiative.
Tim Flannery is an internationally acclaimed scientist, explorer, conservationist, and author of numerous ground-breaking books, including The Weather Makers and Atmosphere of Hope: Searching for Solutions to the Climate Crisis. He lives in Melbourne, Australia.
Editorial Review
"This is the kind of creative thinking the world needs, in a practical guide that combines historical examples with cutting-edge ideas."
Foreword Reviews
"A fine account of one of the steps we need to take on an overheating planet. Useful and inspiring!"
Bill McKibben, author Deep Economy.
"A fiery modern take on an ancient solution to humanity’s oldest problemand most pressing new one.”
David R. Montgomery, author of Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations and co-author of The Hidden Half of Nature.
