April Book of the Month: Natural Power by Rock Brynner

Celebrate Earth Day this April with our Book of the Month, Natural Power by Rock Brynner!

Natural Power: The New York Power Authority's Origins and Path to Clean Energy tells the story of the history, mission, and values of the Power Authority of the State of New York. Beginning with the birth of generated electricity in New York State, Natural Power emphasizes the role of inventors like Edison, Tesla, and Westinghouse; investors like J. P. Morgan; and government figures like Franklin D. Roosevelt and Dwight Eisenhower played in helping to spread electricity from a luxury to a necessity in America.

At its core, the Power Authority played an essential role in establishing public power over the private sector and greatly influenced the development of power from natural resources. It created affordable, sustainable alternatives for citizens across the state with the construction of the Niagara Falls and St. Lawrence River power plants, and provided a template for the rest of the country to establish public power services. Today, this essential public service provides almost a quarter of New York State's power, dedicates much research and development to environmentally-friendly power sources, and consistently leads the vanguard of utilities in sustainability and modernization in the 21st century. This book includes a Foreword by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, evidence of the importance of this matter to New York and national policymakers.

Natural Power is a fascinating read for readers, historians, environmentalists, journalists, and policymakers interested in the birth of electrification, the founding of the New York Power Authority, its role as a public entity and the importance of clean energy when the threats of climate change are obvious to New Yorkers.

About the Author 
Rock Brynner is a writer and historian who lives in Pawling, New York. He earned an M.A. in Philosophy at Trinity College, Dublin, and a Ph.D. in U.S. History at Columbia University and has taught US history at Marist College and Western Connecticut State University. This is his tenth book.

About New York Power Authority
New York Power Authority  is the country's largest state public power organization, producing some of the cheapest electricity in North America. NYPA is a leader in promoting energy efficiency and the use of renewable-fuel technologies.

Happy World Water Day!

Happy World Water day from Cosimo! The theme for World Water Day 2018 is Nature for Water, exploring nature-based solutions to the water challenges we face in the 21st century. Pick up one of the below reads to find out more about the ongoing water crises, causes and effects, and how you can play a positive role in this evergrowing challenge to the world.

Earth Fever: Living Consciously with Climate Change by Judy McAllister, Erik Van Praag, and Jan Paul van Soest

The human species is in a rather precarious situation. Poverty, the energy and financial crises, and above all the challenge of climate change mean that our civilization has come to a dangerous edge. Our safety nets-on both collective and individual levels-have been removed. Can we create a future that allows for a dignified society and a peaceful world? With a change of consciousness and a new spirituality, we may.

WATER: The Blood of the Earth - Exploring Sustainable Water Management for the New Millennium by Allerd Stikker

"In this book Allerd describes his convincing views on desalination solutions for local and urban clean water shortages as well as his deeply felt findings on the spiritual meanings of water, all assembled on a 20 years' journey on which I was lucky to travel along."                                                                                                               -- Leonor Lindner

The Tierra Solution: Resolving Climate Change Through Monetary Transformation by Frans C. Verhagen

As climate change continues to threaten the earth and as the global financial crisis lingers, governments and communities need to take charge of their own and global monetary systems. Sustainability sociologist Frans Verhagen proposes a solution-the Tierra Solution-to repair the present global monetary, financial, and economic systems that enrich the few, impoverish the many, and imperil the planet. Verhagen calls for transformational changes in order to advance climate-resilient economic development.

Fanack Water Files: Water Challenges and Solutions in Jordan with a Special Report on the Red Sea-Dead Sea Project

As Earth Day brings awareness to the environmental issues facing us all, so does the Fanack organization bring us awareness about one of the biggest environmental issues being faced in the Middle East: the scarcity of water. "Fanack Water Files: Water Challenges and Solutions in Jordan, with a Special Report on the Red Sea-Dead Sea Project" is the first publication of the Fanack Water Files. It deals in depth with the water situation in Jordan, a critical country in the region bordering Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Israel. For more information about Fanack and water, see also here. 

The Practical Water Cure by Yogi Ramacharaka

The Yogis of India have known the secret power of water for centuries, but here all is revealed for Western readers. In this lost classic of New Thought philosophy--an early "New Age" attitude wildly popular at the turn of the 20th century--one of its most influential thinkers reveals: the benefits of drinking hot water, how water can unclog the "sewer" of the intestinal tracts, when to take advantage of the Hindu "internal bath," the scientific way to bathe, and much more.





For more books by these authors, or to expand your knowledge of all things water or environment related, visit our website. 

April eBook of the Month: Earth Fever

Earth Day is Saturday, April 22, and because of this great day, we at Cosimo would like to highlight Earth Fever: Living Consciously with Climate Change by Judy McAllister, Erik Van Praag, and Jan Paul van Soest as our eBook of the month. 

The human species is in a rather precarious situation. Poverty, the energy and financial crises, and above all the challenge of climate change (not to mention the rollback of major policies affecting the environment) mean that our civilization has come to a dangerous edge.

Our safety nets — on both collective and individual levels — have been removed. Can we create a future that allows for a dignified society and a peaceful world? With a change of consciousness and a new spirituality, we may.  The authors of this fascinating book bring to bear their diverse experience in the fields of sustainability, leadership, and entrepreneurialism on the challenge of building a radically different belief system about life such an endeavor will require. 

Along with the wisdom of international opinion leaders — including management consultant Peter Senge; Jeroen van der Veer, the former CEO of Royal Dutch Shell; cultural creative Paul Ray; Herman Wijffels, former governor at the World Bank; Princess Irene of the Netherlands, and others — Earth Fever delves into what is needed to bring about this essential new way of thinking.

Purchase this eBook at any of the retailers below.

• 
  
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  
  

Praxis Peace Institute to Hold Upcoming "Economics of Sustainability" Conference

Since its founding in 2001, California-based Praxis Peace Institute programs have addressed some of the most relevant social challenges of our time. These areas include communication and conflict transformation, inquiries into the effects of culture and propaganda, participatory democracy and peace building, solutions to species' extinctions, and the exploration of what an economic system that supported peace would look like.

The upcoming Praxis event is no exception; titled "The Economics of Sustainability," the conference will showcase the economic and environmental models that have a proven track record in establishing a sustainable relationship with our planet and its inhabitants. Highlights include workshops, meetings, group activities, presentations, and networking opportunities by and with economists, scientists, activists, and leaders in the environmental movement. The conference will take place from October 6 - 9, 2014 at the Fort Mason Center in San Francisco, California. For more information about the conference, topics, speakers, and how to register, please visit Praxis' events page.


About Praxis

Praxis Peace Institute, based in Sonomo, California, is a non-profit peace education organization dedicated to deep inquiry, creative problem solving, and informed civic participation. In bringing together leading educators, researches, activists, and elected representatives, Praxis Peace Institute has established itself as a vehicle for practical workshops, cutting-edge conferences, and civic education. Their goal is to understand the failed mechanisms of the old systems in order to nurture the visions and alternative structures that support the evolution of systemic peace, social justice, and responsible stewardship of our planet.

Praxis Peace Institute Imprint
Praxis responded to the libertarian conspiracy film Thrive with a pamphlet titled "Uncivil Liberties: Deconstructing Libertarianism," in which it carefully and concisely laid out the problems inherent in libertarian philosophy and why it is so appealing to today's society. In order to broaden the reach of this pamphlet, Praxis made it into a full fledged book that was published by Praxis's own imprint,  established with the help of Cosimo B2B (see below). As we are approaching the congressional elections later this year, this book is a must-read for anyone invested in modern politics and the future of the United States. Uncivil Liberties is available from most online bookstores. 


Cosimo B2B 
Cosimo B2B is Cosimo's services unit, that offers publishing services to organizations such as Praxis Peace Institute, who are considering setting up their own publishing company, in order to reach worldwide readership and enhance their brand name. We welcome those organizations and institutions that are aligned with Cosimo's mission of creating a smarter and more sustainable society by connecting people with valuable ideas. If your organization wants to know more about the benefits of having its own imprint and is interested in working with us to create such an imprint, please visit our private imprint page.

Bookbuzz Blog Radio with Frans Verhangen: Discussing His New Book on Climate Change and the Financial Crisis

Last week, Frans Verhagen, author of The Tierra Solution (Cosimo's June Book of the Month) had a conversation with Susanna Greenberg on BlogTalk Radio about the book and the state of the climate. Verhagen discussed the current climate crisis and what is currently being done to solve those problems, currency problems and moving toward a standard currency, what a carbon standard is and why it is more beneficial than any other standard, and the benefits of the Tierra Fee and Dividend System.


This book and talk comes on the heels of the Rio+20 conference in Brazil, where "world leaders, along with thousands of participants from governments, the private sector, NGOs and other groups, [came] together to shape how we can reduce poverty, advance social equity and ensure environmental protection on an ever more crowded planet to get to the future we want."