Blog

Revolutionizing Fire: Indigenous Insights for Ecological Harmony

For many of us in North America, the thought of fire season is far away — a problem for the summer. However, for Osprey Orielle Lake, the memory of the 2018 Camp Fire is never far and it represents several of the overwhelming results of the much wider climate crisis

A sprawling 2-story yellow cob home with solar panels and a grass roofs.

Environmental Benefits and Performance of Cob Construction

Essential Cob Construction sets the new standard for cob construction by incorporating rigorous, up-to-date engineering and building science, along with decades of practical lessons learned.

Let’s explore the environmental benefits and the performance of cob-constructed buildings in this excerpt below.

What Do I Need to Know to Design a Rainwater Harvesting System?

Over the past few years, many people have been looking to rainwater harvesting systems to help ease the anxiety of unreliable weather. If this has been something you’ve been dreaming of adding to your property, Michelle and Rob Avis outline everything you need to get started in Essential Rainwater Harvesting: A Guide to Home-Scale System Design.

Two children playing on an ice-covered lake in the winter.

Ideas for At-Home Holiday Fun: Winter Scavenger Hunt for Kids

At one point, we all need to get up and take a break from reading. Even the most prolific readers eventually must stretch their legs. Why not learn while you exercise with this great activity from The Big Book of Nature Activities: A Year-Round Guide to Outdoor Learning?

Walnuts in the half shell on top of walnuts within their shell

The Easiest Recipe for Walnut Ricotta Ever!

Altering your favourite holiday dishes to make them dairy-free, vegan, or vegetarian might not be as difficult as you think. In The Art of Plant-Based Cheesemaking, Karen McAthy shares vegan recipes for many of your favourite (formerly dairy-based) cheeses. It doesn’t require a lot of preparation or effort, and will satisfy even the biggest cheese lovers. Don’t believe us? Try out her recipe for Walnut Ricotta and see for yourself.

Vegan Hot Cocoa with Whipped Cream and a Decadent Irish Cream

There is no better way to curl up with your next favourite book than with this recipe for hot cocoa. Taken from a few of our titles, we’ve created what can only be described as “the perfect vegan holiday hot drink” and trust us, that title doesn’t do it justice.

Have You Ever Dreamt of Having a Roof Capable of Producing Food?

While we move through our holiday sale, today we’re dreaming of a green roof that isn’t only beautiful and insulating but is also capable of growing food. Places such as Noble Rot Restaurant in Portland, Oregon (USA) and Ryerson Urban Farm in Toronto, Ontario (Canada) are already producing food on their roofs.

Capital-Labor Relationship

In an ever-evolving world, does it make sense to use a 200-year old theory of trickle-down economics as the primary instrument for our economic system? In the fifth edition of Toward Sustainable Communities, a new tool is introduced to measure the environmental, economic, and social benefits of complex community and regional decisions. Today’s excerpt looks at the relationship between labor and capital through that lens, and provides a glimpse of what a community might be like if we imagined a new tool to measure success.

Wood and plaster home with wooden porch supports.

Natural Plasters and Climate Change: Plastering in a New Paradigm

Tina Therrien, co-author of Essential Natural Plasters, has been working with natural plasters for decades. Today, Tina examines the role of natural plasters in adapting buildings within the context of global warming and climate change.

Cinnamon Buns cooked in a cast iron skillet

The Best Cast Iron Skillet Sourdough Cinnamon Buns Ever

Did you know there are tons more recipes you can use your sourdough starter with? Whether it’s a cold evening or a lazy weekend morning, cast-iron skillet cinnamon buns are a fun and delicious way to use your starter.

A group of people with hands in the air surrounded by and orange glow. It looks violent

Let’s Fight the Fire, Not Each Other

There is so much that is heartbreaking, infuriating, depressing, about the latest gruesome turning of the knife in the ever more tangled story of Palestine/Israel. It feels like it could suck all the hope out of the world if we let it.

So, what do we do?

Four hands holding a bowl of cherry tomatoes from the garden

Why Is Wealth Important For Community Resilience?

Is there a secret to resilient systems? Laura Lengnick believes there are key behaviors and characteristics in resilient systems that help them operate. In Resilient Agriculture, Second Edition, she outlines these key elements into three rules.

A Cultural History of Coppice Agroforestry

Understanding its cultural history is an important piece in understanding how coppice continues to evolve to meet our needs. In an excerpt from his book, Mark Krawcyzk shares a brief overview of that rich history below.

overhead view of picked garden vegetables

How To Quickly Harvest and Store Your Produce

For Jean-Martin, efficient harvesting is paramount to a successful market business. In this excerpt from The Market Gardener, he shares his years of market farming experience and outlines some commonly grown crops, along with their most efficient methods of harvest.

How Does French Market Gardening Influences Current Gardening Techniques?

Throughout time farmers everywhere have found solutions to extend their harvest and growing season. It feels like a dream that someone could enjoy fresh snow and fresh produce simultaneously, yet Jean-Martin Fortier and Catherine Sylvestre have done just that and now you can too!