Discuss "Sustainability"

Don't like to read the same book that everybody else does? Neither do we! At this monthly book club meeting, we discuss any book on a particular theme. Themes in the past have been all over the map: mysteries, Japan, the economy, France, and the decline of the middle class. This time, let's take a look at the topic of "sustainability" from financial, governance, cultural, and ecological viewpoints. Several excellent books have been written recently on the effects of Peak Oil, various ideas on how to avoid the possible downfall of our civilization, and choices we as individuals can make. I'm sure our discussion on this topic will be lively and eye-opening, as our meetings always are. Suggested books include (thanks again to Diane E. for compiling this list; copies of several of these are available through the Orange County Public Library):

The Wealth of Nature: Economics as if Survival Mattered, by John Michael Greer, 2011

Mindful Economics: How the US Economy Works, Why it Matters, and How it Could be Different, by Joel Magnuson, 2008

What Matters? Economics for a Renewed Commonwealth, by Wendell Berry, 2010

The Crash Course: The Unsustainable Future of Our Economy, Energy, and the Environment, by Chris Martenson, 2011

The Dirty Life: A Memoir of Farming, Food, and Love, by Kristin Kimball, 2011

Sacred Economics: Money, Gift, and Society in the Age of Transition, by Charles Eisenstein, 2011

The Art of the Commonplace: The Agrarian Essays of Wendell Berry, by Barry Lopez, 2003

Red Sky at Morning: America and the Crisis of the Global Environment, by James Gustave Speth, 2005

The Bridge at the Edge of the World: Capitalism, the Environment, and Crossing from Crisis to Sustainability, by James Gustave Speth, 2009

Brining it to the Table: On Farming and Food, by Wendell Berry, 2009

Immoderate Greatness: Why Civilizations Fail, by William Orphuls, 2012

The Long Emergency: Surviving the End of Oil, Climate Change, and Other Converging Catastrophes of the Twenty-first Century, by James Howard Kunstler, 2005

The Five Stages of Collapse: Survivor's Toolkit, by Dmitry Orlov, 2013

Not the Future We Ordered: Peak Oil, Psychology, and the Myth of Progress, by John Michael Greer, 2013

Too Much Magic: Wishful Thinking, Technology, and the Fate of the Nation, by James Howard Kunstler, 2013

Walking Away from Empire: A Personal Journey, by Guy R. McPherson, 2011

We'll meet at a member's house that is near the intersection of the 55, 73 and 405 freeways. There's plenty of street parking.The meeting will overlap with the dinner hour, so please bring a main dish, side dish, dessert, or drink to share, potluck style. I'll send out directions and a contact phone number twice in the week before the event to people who RSVP 'yes'. The discussions are always lively and engaging, and we tend to finish by 9 pm. Next month's topic: we welcome your ideas for what 'theme' to read and discuss next.