Recommended Reading
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In The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World, Robin Wall Kimmerer draws on her Potawatomi heritage, scientific expertise, and lyrical storytelling to reimagine our relationship with the environment and each other. Using the serviceberry tree as a central metaphor, Kimmerer explores the concept of a “gift economy”—a system rooted in reciprocity, gratitude, and the sharing of abundance, as modeled by the natural world. She contrasts this with the prevailing economic paradigm of scarcity and competition, arguing that nature’s systems, exemplified by the serviceberry’s generous distribution of fruit to birds, insects, and humans, offer a blueprint for more sustainable and equitable human societies.
Douglas Tallamy, professor of entomology and ecology at the University of Delaware and author of Nature's Best Hope, puts the onus on all of us to act now for the survival of life on planet Earth. What we are doing in our parks and preserves is not enough, as evidenced by continued species loss. He provides practical tips for reestablishing natural landscapes in our privately owned and rented spaces. It's all hands on deck, and Tallamy makes it clear what we can do to ensure there is hope for generations to come. Tallamy calls our time the “Age of Ecological Enlightenment” and says, “We are on the cusp of a new environmental ethic.” According to Tallamy, this ethic “is the only option left for Homo sapiens if we want to remain viable in the future.”