UID:
almahu_9949386624502882
Format:
1 online resource (xi, 164 pages) :
,
illustrations
ISBN:
9781000284485
,
1000284484
,
9781003120056
,
1003120059
,
1000284441
,
9781000284461
,
1000284468
,
9781000284447
Content:
Nature is all around us, in the beautiful but also in the unappealing and functional, and from the awe-inspiring to the mundane. It is vital that we learn to see the agency of the natural world in all things that make our lives possible, comfortable and profitable. The Ecology of Everyday Things pulls back the veil of our familiarity on a range of everyday things' that surround us, and which we perhaps take too much for granted. This key into the magic world of the everyday can enable us to take better account of our common natural inheritance. Professor James Longhurst, Assistant Vice Chancellor, University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) For many people, ecosystems may be a remote concept, yet we eat, drink, breathe and interface with them in every moment of our lives. In this engaging textbook, ecosystems scientist Dr. Mark Everard considers a diversity of everyday things', including fascinating facts about their ecological origins: from the tea we drink, to the things we wear, read and enjoy, to the ecology of communities and space flight, and the important roles played by germs and unappealing creatures' such as slugs and wasps. In today's society, we are so umbilically connected to ecosystems that we fail to notice them, and this oversight blinds us to the unsustainability of everyday life and the industries and policy environment that supports it. The Ecology of Everyday Things takes the reader on an enlightening, fascinating voyage of discovery, all the while soundly rooted in robust science. It will stimulate awareness about how connected we all are to the natural world and its processes, and how important it is to learn to better treat our environment. Ideal for use in undergraduate- and school-level teaching, it will also interest, educate, engage and enthuse a wide range of less technical audiences.
Note:
Intro -- Endorsements -- Half Title -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Contents -- Acknowledgements -- About the Author -- Selected Relevant books by Mark Everard -- 1. The Nature of Modern Society -- 2. Reading the Tea Leaves -- The nature of tea -- The culture and politics of tea -- In hot water -- A complex brew -- 3. My Trendy Tee-Shirts -- Cottoning on -- The politics of cotton -- Big business -- big consequences -- Returning to nature ... or not -- 4. Yesterday's Papers -- Nature in our hands -- Reading the papers -- The wood fibre for the trees -- The cyclic nature of paper
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5. A Simple Bowl of Rice -- A modern western staple -- What is rice? -- Rice as a medicine -- Other uses of rice -- Rice as an organising principle in cultures and livelihoods -- Rice and spirituality -- A simple bowl of rice? -- 6. Bath Time -- Plumbed into nature -- The planetary origins of water -- The planetary water wheel -- Scarce water -- Water and the evolution of civilisations -- Hydraulic civilisations -- Working with natural flows -- Water worlds -- 7. A Breath of Fresh Air -- Embedded in the air space -- The atmosphere and us -- Integration with all of life
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8. The Wood for the Trees -- Lessons from a fallen birch tree -- Crack willow -- Yew -- Recognising the value of trees -- Making space for trees -- 9. Unappealing Creatures -- What's the point of slugs? -- What's the point of wasps? -- What's the point of woodlice? -- What's the point of parasites? -- All things bright and beautiful? -- 10. Fossilised Sunbeams -- Fossilised sunlight -- Fossil sunlight's 'evil twin' -- A naturally regenerative force -- Sustainable management of fire -- Fire and human evolution -- Fire in the soul -- Firing the imagination -- 11. Glorious Mud -- The nature of mud
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Living soils -- A precious yet vulnerable resource -- Diamonds in the dirt -- 12. What's So Special about Fish? -- Direct uses of fish -- The roles of fish in regulating the environment -- Fish enrich our lives -- The role of fish in ecosystem balance -- More than just things served in batter -- 13. Grasping the Nettle -- Knowing nettles -- Nettles and nature -- Eating the nettle -- Using the nettle -- How to grasp a nettle -- 14. All Creatures Great But Small -- What is an insect? -- Loathe them or love them -- Insects make the world go around -- Food for free -- Putting insects to work
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Insect inspiration -- Addressing the decline in insect populations -- Multum in parvo -- 15. Feel the Noise -- Sound and noise -- The ecology of sounds -- How noise affects wildlife -- Sound and human wellbeing -- Sounding off -- 16. No Place Like Home -- A community forms -- The powers of ecosystems -- In a name -- 17. 99.9% of All Known Germs -- The role of 'germs' in the ecosystems upon which we rely -- Ecosystems within us all -- We are legion -- Evolutionary origins -- Putting germs to work -- For the love of germs -- 18. For the Love of Worms -- When is a worm not a worm?
Additional Edition:
Print version: Everard, Mark. Ecology of everyday things. Boca Raton : CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group, 2021 ISBN 0367636344
Language:
English
Keywords:
Electronic books.
;
Electronic books.
;
Electronic books.
DOI:
10.1201/9781003120056
URL:
https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9781003120056
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