Charity Vargas Presentation

Thursday, December 11
12:30 to 1:30p
Pacific Room at Tides

Whole Earth Library at Thoreau is pleased to kick off its first literary event with a presentation by Photographer Charity Vargas. Charity will present images from her new photography book The Presidio: Portraits of a Changing Landscape and discuss the evolving nature of the park throughout it's 200 plus year history. You can also take a look at the book online at its companion website: PresidoBook.com.

An excerpt from the introduction by Presidio Historian, Randolph Delehanty, Ph.D.

“Ms.Vargas came to live in the Presidio three years ago during this momentary pause in its long life. She started exploring the complex old post looking carefully and lovingly at its gentle sleep and slow but steady revival as a national park with a new civilian community living and working here. She has an eye for what it essential about the Presidio: the very American ordinariness of its military architecture and the strange “wildness” of its man-made forests. Many of her images put the two together in a new way, as a filigree of evocative shadows cast on the “screens” of plain white walls. They almost seem like photographs of photographs with the building walls the film on which the fugitive shadows are cast. Photography - literally writing with light - here becomes writing with shadows with the unseen light source behind us.”

Subject Guide: Personal Action

Concerned that you might have daily habits that you don't even know are devastating the ecosphere? This month we focus on books in our collection that provide practical advice for personal actions that people can take to help preserve the environment and to create a more sustainable path through life. These books are all designed to supply simple ideas and small choices you can make in your everyday routine - while you're working, exercising, eating, shopping, sleeping, etc. - even at this busy time of year. They might even help you save money. For those who want to do more, they also explore in greater detail the thinking behind these recommendations and provide pointers to additional resources, including organizations active in the field. Whether you are looking for a place to begin, for new ideas for your current action plan, or for suggestions you can share with your family and friends, these books would be a helpful place to start.


John, Sophie, & Jesse Javna. 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth. New York: Hyperion, 2008.

For this updated edition of the 1990 bestseller, the authors worked with a cross-section of fifty environmental groups, asking them to each pick one issue they wanted to share with readers and develop a presentation and an action plan. At 50simplethings.com there are links to these and other groups, as well as a copy of the original book.

Eric Sorenson & the staff of Sightline Institute. Seven Wonders for a Cool Planet. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books, 2008.

Seven simple, everyday devices you probably already own or use that are and always have been friends of the climate, including the library book, which helps reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, energy consumption, and resource waste. Sharing books saves trees.

Natalia Marshall. Live an Eco-Friendly Life: Smart Ways to Get Green and Stay that Way. New York: Perigree, 2008.

From the UK, this book emphasizes the value of being part of a community in making positive changes and growing personal happiness. Learn how to have an eco-friendly party and reduce your pet's carbon paw-print.

David De Rothschild. The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook: 77 Essential Skills to Stop Climate Change - or Live Through it. New York: Rodale, 2007.

The offical companion to the Live Earth concerts, in addition to helpful advice it offers ten ways to survive on an overheated planet if all else fails. It includes the alarming fact that by 2100, nearly all of California's wine regions may be unusable.

Katharine Wroth. Wake Up and Smell the Planet: the non-pompous, non-preachy grist guide to greening your day. Seattle: Skipstone, 2007.

This book is from the editors of Grist.org - a green news and humor site - and is informed by questions they've received from readers over the years. It is organized around your daily routine from when you wake up in the morning - whether to have a shower or bath - to when you go to bed at night - what kinds of sheets to use.

Ingrid Newkirk. Making Kind Choices: Everday Ways to Enhance Your Life Through Earth- and Animal-Friendly Living. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2005.

Ingrid Newkirk is the cofounder and president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. In addition to exploring environmentally friendly behavior, she details how to incorporate cruelty-free behavior into your everday routines.

David Gershon. Low Carbon Diet: A 30 Day Program to Lose 5000 Pounds. Woodstock, NY: Empowerment Institute, 2006.

David Gershon. Water Stewardship: A 30 Day Program to Protect and Conserve our Water Resources. Woodstock, NY: Empowerment Institute, 2008.

From the Empowerment Institute, these two books provide step-by-step programs to dramatically reduce your carbon dioxide output and your impact on your local watershed. They are also guides to motivating others and helping your communities reduce their impacts as well. Help the planet and make new friends.