Island Press E-ssentials

Big, Wild, and Connected

Part 3: From the Adirondack Mountains to the Gaspé Peninsula

This E-ssential is a three-part series that covers John Davis's epic journey from Florida to Maine. In 2011, with support from the Wildlands Network, Davis traveled 7,600 miles in 10 months from Florida to Maine by foot, bicycle, skis, and canoe/kayak.

Making Transit Fun!

How to Entice Motorists from Their Cars (and onto their feet, a bike, or bus)

Why do people in Stockholm prefer to take the stairs over the escalator?  Why do Londoners enjoy hanging out at bus stops? How do carmakers convince us to buy gas-guzzling, environmentally damaging, and wallet-draining machines? It's called the fun theory.

Trash Backwards

Innovating Our Way to Zero Waste

Trash Backwards: Innovating Our Way to Zero Waste examines the various kinds of trash Americans are producing in staggering quantities, and profiles a range of innovative processes, people, and companies who are thinking creatively about how to not just reduce pressure on landfills, but redefine what’s possible in the realm of recycling. This E-ssential offers insights into the motivations and inspirations of people working on cutting edge processes of waste management and land reclamation in America—from household trash to biowaste processing to reclaiming brownfields.

Bedside Essays for Lovers (of Cities)

In this provocative collection of essays, renowned architect Daniel Solomon delves into the complexities of what makes a city vibrant. Acknowledging that a city is not a static thing, he argues we need to pay more attention to nurturing what he calls “continuous cities.” In such a city, he says, “new buildings, new institutions, and new technologies don’t rip apart the old and wreck it.

Thinking Like a Mountain

Thinking Like a Mountain

An Ecological Perspective on Earth

In Thinking Like a Mountain, we have excerpted a clear and inviting introduction to the science of conservation biology from Ed Grumbine's previous book, Ghost Bears. Grumbine offers a succinct and evocative description of why we should all care about biodiversity, protected lands, connectivity, and extinction rates, and the advantages to be gained by attempting to 'think like a mountain', as so eloquently phrased by Aldo Leopold.

Big, Wild, and Connected

Part 1: From the Florida Peninsula to the Coastal Plain

This E-ssential is a three-part series that covers John Davis's epic journey from Florida to Maine. In 2011, with support from the Wildlands Network, Davis traveled 7,600 miles in 10 months from Florida to Maine by foot, bicycle, skis, and canoe/kayak.

Simple Pleasures

Simple Pleasures

Thoughts on Food, Friendship, and Life

In Simple Pleasures: Thoughts on Food, Friendship, and Life we have highlighted two chapters from Stephanie Mill’s reflection the pleasures, as well as the virtues and difficulties, of a perhaps simpler than average North American life. It is a thoughtful paean to living, like Thoreau, a deliberate life.  Mill’s writing is beautifully crafted, fluid, inspiring, and enlightening, and these chapters encourage you to take a moment to reflect on your own life.

Discovering Big Cat Country

On the trail of tigers and snow leopards

With their elusive and solitary nature, tigers and snow leopards are a challenge for even the most seasoned field biologists to track and study. Yet scientist and conservation leader Eric Dinerstein began his career in the heart of Nepal’s tiger country and the perilous Himalayan slopes of the snow leopard, where he discovered the joys—and frustrations—of studying wildlife in some of the most unpredictable and remote places on Earth.

Big, Wild, and Connected

Part 2: From the Central Appalachians to the Catskill Mountains

This E-ssential is a three-part series that covers John Davis's epic journey from Florida to Maine. In 2011, with support from the Wildlands Network, Davis traveled 7,600 miles in 10 months from Florida to Maine by foot, bicycle, skis, and canoe/kayak.