A guide for groups seeking to organise with shared power and bottom-up leadership to foster vision, trust, accountability and responsibility. It provides keys to: understanding group dynamics; facilitating communication and collective decision-making; and, dealing effectively with difficult people.
The popularity of natural building has grown by leaps and bounds, spurred by a grassroots desire for housing that is healthy, affordable and environmentally responsible. While there are many books available on specific methods such as straw bale construction, cob or timber framing, few other resources introduce the reader to the entire scope of this burgeoning field.
Fully revised and updated, The Art of Natural Building is the complete and user-friendly introduction to natural building for everyone from do-it-yourselfers to architects and designers. This collection of articles from over 50 leaders in the field is now stunningly illustrated with over 200 full-color photos of natural buildings from around the world. Learn about:
- The case for building with natural materials, from the perspectives of sustainability, lifestyle and health
- What you need to know to plan and design your own beautiful and efficient natural home
- Explanations of thirty versatile materials and techniques, with resources on where to go for further information on each
- How these techniques are being used to address housing crises around the world.
Clearly written, logically organized and beautifully illustrated The Art of Natural Building is the encyclopedia of natural building.
Joseph F. Kennedy is a designer, builder, writer, artist and educator and cofounder of Builders Without Borders . Michael G. Smith is a respected workshop instructor, consultant, and co-author of the best-selling book The Hand-Sculpted House . Catherine Wanek is a cofounder of Builders Without Borders and author/photographer of The Hybrid House and The New Straw Bale Home .
Starhawk has stepped forward to help the 99 percent camped in the streets from Syria and Bahrain to New York and London. To have power one needs to discover the ultimate tools of power - the ability to build friendships and to focus group attention on shared goals. This book provides the real formula for empowerment, in earthy detail, from family to village to culture to global movement. - Albert Bates, author The Biochar Solution: Carbon Farming and Climate Change and The Post-Petroleum Survival Guide and Cookbook: Recipes for Change
It's not easy to meld a sweeping vision with practical steps on how to implement it, but Starhawk has succeeded brilliantly in The Empowerment Manual. Filled with case histories, illustrative stories, and, most importantly, clearly written exercises for honing your collaborative skills, this book is a must-read for anyone interested in building community and truly empowering themselves and others. - Toby Hemenway, author of Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture
Strong, sustained leadership at the grassroots is more essential by the minute, given the failure of political and corporate power-holders to stop trashing our world. True social change is a collaborative art. Here's a trove of tips, guidelines, deft strategies and open secrets, that will speed and ease our capacity to work together. It comes to us with Starhawk's signature blend of vast experience, wit, and love for life.
- Joanna Macy, author, The Work that Reconnects and co-author, Active Hope: How to Face the Mess we're in Without Going Crazy
