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Too often the term "sustainable living" carries ponderous overtones, as if only government policymakers or serious academics could understand the key ideas. Dr. Art's Guide to Planet Earth explains the Earth's cycles in a lively and colorful way that is comprehensible to Earthlings who are normal curious citizens of the planet, including students of all ages.Providing a remarkably accessible introduction to the scientific discipline known as "systems theory," Dr. Art describes the three main components that comprise existence on Earth--matter, energy, and life. Next he explains the reciprocal loops that define "Earth's operating system"--matter cycles, energy flows, and life webs. The Earth continuously receives energy from the sun, which directly or indirectly fuels all our vital processes, then leaves the planet as heat that flows to outer space. Dr. Art celebrates the vast and intricate network of relationships that connect the planet's organisms with each other and with the cycles of matter and flows of energy. The book concludes with practical advice about what we can actually do to live in environmentally healthy communities.The portrait of the planet presented here is one that provides a foundation for the world view of Chelsea Green's Beyond the Limits and Believing Cassandra. This is not "Sustainable Living for Dummies" or even "Sustainable Living Lite," but rather a colorful, entertaining, and memorable introduction to a subject we all need to understand better--how our planet works."Dr. Art" Sussman is a scientist and nationally acclaimed educator who teaches complex environmental concepts in ways that are meaningful, innovative, and fun. He has performed his "Environmental Medicine Show" for students and teachers throughout the country. Through Dr. Art's book, interactive show, and related Web sites, many more people will learn about the primary systems that govern a complex planet.The Children's Book Council has selected the Chelsea Green publication Dr. Art's Guide to Planet Earth as an "Outstanding Science Trade Book for Children for 2001." This award is the result of a cooperative project between the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and the Children's Book Council. Dr. Art's Guide to Planet Earth was also highlighted as a "Selector's Choice," a designation for books to which the review panelists responded with particular enthusiasm. The Children's Book Council publishes the full list in the March 2001 issue of the NSTA publication "Science and Children," and displays copies of the selected books at meetings and conventions around the country. - from Amzon