NCW Libraries

An exploration of the timeless relationship between human civilization and Earth's rivers. Spanning six continents, this visual and musical tour-de-force is by turns celebratory, cautionary, and ultimately hopeful that we are beginning to understand rivers in all their complexity and fragility. Narrated by Oscar Nominee Willem Dafoe. With music by the Australian Chamber Orchestra and Radiohead.

"An award-winning astronomer and physicist's spellbinding and urgent call for a new Enlightenment and the recognition of the preciousness of life using reason and curiosity--the foundations of science--to study, nurture, and ultimately preserve humanity as we face the existential crisis of climate change"-- Provided by publisher. Since Copernicus, humanity has increasingly seen itself as adrift withing a large, cold universe. Gleiser argues that...

Human beings have always moved for what they need until recently. We know how a lack of movement impacts our bodies but how does culture-wide sedentarism impact the world? Movement Matters is an award-winning collection of essays in which biomechanist Katy Bowman continues her groundbreaking presentation on the interconnectedness of nature, human movement, and the environment. Winner: Foreword Indies Book Award (Gold) Here Bowman widens her there...

"Part of the nonfiction Orca Footprints series for middle-grade readers, this book examines the connection between humans and nature, why that connection is important and what we can learn from being outdoors. Illustrated with photographs throughout."-- Provided by publisher.

"The Nature of Nature explores how the natural world works, outlines the consequences of its unraveling by our activities, and offers practical solutions--with a description of societal and economic benefits. The first ten chapters of this book are a step-by-step crash course in ecology-you might call it 'ecology for people in a hurry': what species do, how they co-exist, and how the natural world self-assembles and works, compared to our human-built...

"Artist, technologist, and philosopher James Bridle's Ways of Being is a brilliant, searching exploration of different kinds of intelligence--plant, animal, human, artificial--and how they transform our understanding of humans' place in the cosmos"-- What does it mean to be intelligent? Is it something unique to humans, or shared with other beings--beings of flesh, wood, stone, and silicon? The last few years have seen rapid advances in "artificial"...

"A tale of diversity within our damaged landscapes, The Mushroom at the End of the World follows one of the strangest commodity chains of our times to explore the unexpected corners of capitalism. Here, we witness the varied and peculiar worlds of matsutake commerce: the worlds of Japanese gourmets, capitalist traders, Hmong jungle fighters, industrial forests, Yi Chinese goat herders, Finnish nature guides, and more. These companions also lead us...

"Climate is Just the Start is a hopeful and empowering guide for kids on how to STOP climate change and START building a better world--from rising-star activist Mikaela Loach. It's easy to see news about the climate crisis and feel powerless to stop it. But there's another way of looking at things. Mikaela offers an inspiring and optimistic road map toward a brighter future for everyone! Using stories from her life and work, Mikaela explains the climate...

"From the creators of You Are Stardust and Wild Ideas comes a new informational picture book that explores how humans are inextricably connected to nature. This book draws examples from the clouds and the cosmos, the seafloor and the surface of our skin, to show how we are never alone: we are always surrounded and supported by nature. Whether it's gravity holding us tight; our lungs breathing oxygen synthesized by plants; the countless microorganisms...

In Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer reflects on the practice of harvesting serviceberries and the concept of reciprocity central to Indigenous wisdom. She contrasts this with the dominant economic system rooted in scarcity, competition, and resource hoarding. Kimmerer highlights how the serviceberry tree, by sharing its abundance with its ecosystem, embodies a model of interdependence and mutual support. This ethic of reciprocity, she argues,...