Courtney White is a former archaeologist and Sierra Club activist who dropped out of the “conflict industry” to cofound the Quivira Coalition, a nonprofit conservation organization dedicated to building a radical center among ranchers, conservationists, and public land managers around practices that improve resilience in Western working landscapes. In 2005, Wendell Berry included Courtney’s essay “The Working Wilderness” in his collection titled The Way of Ignorance. He is the author of Revolution on the Range; Grass, Soil, Hope; The Age of Consequences; and Two Percent Solutions for the Planet; and coauthor of Fibershed with Rebecca Burgess. He is also the author of The Sun, a mystery novel set on a working cattle ranch in northern New Mexico. He lives in Santa Fe.
Foreword Reviews- "Two Percent Solutions for the Planet takes
a clever approach to environmental problems. Rather than look at
overarching solutions, Courtney White compiles fifty examples of
effective, relatively small-scale success stories from around the
world—all of which have made a positive impact on the environment
and climate. In one example, he looks at the use of beetles to
quickly turn manure into fertilizer. He describes an Australian
farm’s experience grazing cattle alongside sheep, replenishing the
land while simultaneously raising the animals on a healthy grass
diet. Another project involved using natural materials like sticks
and stones to improve a creek’s flow. The fifty examples show a
nice range of innovative solutions that can be replicated, with
results that benefit the planet as well as a specific farm, ranch,
or other piece of land. The book’s title comes from the notion that
all these solutions could be implemented for a tiny fraction of
GDP, and each of the fifty examples includes links and resources
for additional information about how to implement them."
Shelf Awareness- "Eliminating pesticides, sequestering carbon,
making healthy food available to the poor and harvesting rainwater
are some of the many positive goals of the 50 regenerative
practices Quivira Coalition co-founder Courtney White (The Age of
Consequences) outlines in Two Percent Solutions for the
Planet. White organizes these green ideas into five
sections--ranching, farming, technology, restoration and
wildness--includes pictures and charts to help illustrate and
provides information on how readers can learn more about each
concept. The common theme underlying them all, however, is
'nature knows best.' Including organic no-till, year-round farming,
flerds (the co-existence of range animals) and 'poop
'n’ stomp' (using livestock to regrow grass), the solutions
return the work to natural processes. White believes, 'sometimes
innovation isn't a thing, a practice, or a new technology, but
simply a different way of looking at the
world.’ While Two Percent Solutions for the
Planet would make an excellent resource for any agri-science
program, it's also an enlightening reading experience for city
dwellers and others far from agrarian lifestyles. Understanding
processes described in the book can inform buying decisions,
community involvement, even backyard gardening practices--all of
which can help combat some of the world's most pressing
environmental issues while simultaneously treating the planet with
kindness and respect. Two Percent Solutions for the
Planet is easy to understand, fascinating and enjoyably
educational. Whether readers are entrenched in agricultural
business or simply interested in sustainability, there's plenty to
glean from White's collection of innovative practices.”
Publishers Weekly- "In this brief work, White (The Age of
Consequences), conservationist and cofounder of the Quivira
Coalition, sketches 50 strategies for improving the environment and
fighting hunger. Few of these strategies are aimed at the planet’s
urbanized majority; while chapters dealing with rooftop gardens or
aquaponics may inspire city-dwellers, most of the four-page
chapters give short overviews of tactics that will primarily be
useful to farmers, ranchers, and policymakers who deal directly
with the land. White repeatedly refers to the writings of Aldo
Leopold and is also fond of creek reclamation specialist Bill
Zeedyk, who urges those attempting to restore watersheds to 'think
like a creek.' White stresses the importance of improving the
quality of watercourses and the ability of soil to retain carbon,
thus mitigating climate change. The section ‘Wildness' addresses a
range of wildlife, including such different creatures as the dung
beetle and the beaver. Since each solution receives swift
treatment, White isn’t able to give detailed instructions, but each
segment includes online and print resources for further reference.
White offers a good starting place for agriculturalists looking for
ways to improve their farms and ranches, as well as the larger
environment. Color photos.”
“Courtney White chronicles a new and critically important sphere of
knowledge: a world of soil, sun, sky, and animals where good people
regenerate the earth in ancient and novel ways. Reading about the
environment rarely brings one as many smiles and as much joy
as Two Percent Solutions for the Planet.”--Paul Hawken, author
of Blessed Unrest; coauthor of Natural
Capitalism
“Courtney White has written one of the most important books for our
time about how to reverse climate change and nourish the world with
abundant, healthy food. Most importantly, he describes proven,
‘shovel-ready’ solutions that progressive ranchers and
farmers are doing every day. There is no need to spend billions of
dollars on new, unproven technologies such as carbon capture and
geoengineering. For a fraction of the cost, the world easily could
scale up the regenerative practices profiled in Two Percent
Solutions for the Planet. Too good to be true? Read this book and
make up your own mind.”--André Leu, president of IFOAM-Organics
International and author of The Myths of Safe Pesticides
“The problems that humanity faces today are the sum total of
billions of small missteps. Courtney White focuses on the solutions
that will arise from billions of small right steps, and
the most important step is the next one that each of us takes. We
may never convince seven billion souls to plant one tree at a time,
over and over for the rest of their lives, but each one of us can
make that commitment if we choose. Two Percent Solutions
for the Planet shows us a broad pattern for healing the earth
that is elegant in its simplicity. We can reforest our world,
restore grasslands, sequester carbon, build soil, purify water,
provide wildlife habitat, feed humanity, and improve health and
nutrition while creating the ecological abundance of the future.
Bravo, Courtney!”--Mark Shepard, author of Restoration
Agriculture
“Courtney White’s Two Percent Solutions for the
Planet features good sense paired with 50 solutions to our
planet’s ills, especially those related to carbon. While each
solution could be a book in itself, these short profiles may well
be the way many people first discover that such solutions are in
the offing. It’s a brilliant way to inform readers so that
they’ll prick up their ears when they encounter possible actions
based on solutions such as these. This accessible,
hope-filled, and beautifully crafted book should be in every
school—if not simply everywhere.”--Deborah Madison, author
of Vegetable Literacy
"Courtney White takes a sharp turn away from despair over climate
disruption and toward the inexorable logic of ecosystem
restoration—working with nature to bring the carbon and water
cycles back into balance, thereby addressing the central challenges
of our time. Along the way he introduces readers to a spirited cast
of farmers, ranchers, thinkers, and tinkerers. The lively profiles
of innovators show us what’s possible; Courtney’s narration tells
us why this matters. I dare anyone to read this book and not come
away feeling hopeful and energized!”--Judith D. Schwartz, author
of Cows Save the Planet
“This book is Courtney White’s most important work. It is the best
practical guide to how we can begin to address the significant,
unavoidable challenges awaiting us in our not-too-distant future.
Two Percent Solutions for the Planet inspires us to address
these challenges creatively, especially with respect to our food
and agriculture future, and to do it in cooperation with nature in
ways that also heal the planet. The solutions Courtney describes
are not just ideas but are demonstrated strategies already
being implemented by creative farmers, ranchers, ecologists, and
designers. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in
practical ways to restore the planet’s health while experiencing a
flourishing life.”--Frederick Kirschenmann, author
of Cultivating An Ecological Conscience: Essays From a Farmer
Philosopher
"The two percents really add up in this glorious presentation of
how to make ranching, agriculture, and the great outdoors a major
force for addressing our gravest threat: climate change. Courtney
White truly knows these solutions, having helped pioneer them as
leader of a coalition of ranchers and conservationists."--Gus
Speth, author of Angels by the River and former dean at
Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies
“Taking soil seriously offers real leverage in the climate change
battle. For those who eat (or raise) meat, Two Percent
Solutions for the Planet offers fascinating new insights
about animal agriculture. For those who eat lower on the food
chain, Courtney White details dozens of other ways to help restore
the degraded landscapes that, sadly, dominate much of our
planet.”--Bill McKibben, author of Deep Economy
“An excellent read and source of ideas for farmers anywhere. With
agriculture today producing twenty times as much dead, eroding soil
as food required per human each year, it is time to return to
farmer creativity. Courtney White’s book shows us how creative and
observant farmers and ranchers are finding solutions to many of the
most challenging problems we face.”--Allan Savory, president of
Savory Institute and chairman of the Africa Centre for Holistic
Management
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