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Ecology Book Club: The Green Ages by Annette Kehnel

Medieval Innovations in Sustainability

This adult book club discusses books on human ecology, sustainable living, environmental justice and post-fossil fuel futures. Books can be nonfiction, fiction or poetry.

This month we will be discussing The Green Ages: Medieval Innovations in Sustainability by Annette Kehnel.

A fascinating blend of history and ecological economics that uncovers the medieval precedents for modern concepts of sustainable living.
 
"In The Green Ages, historian Annette Kehnel explores sustainability initiatives from the Middle Ages, highlighting communities that operated a barter trade system on the Monte Subiaco in Italy, sustainable fishing at Lake Constance, common lands in the United Kingdom, transient grazing among Alpine shepherds in the south of France, and bridges built by crowdfunding in Avignon. Kehnel takes these medieval examples and applies their practical lessons to the modern world to prove that we can live sustainably—we’ve done it before!
 
From the garden economy in the mythical-sounding City of Ladies to early microcredit banks, Kehnel uncovers a world at odds with our understanding of the typical medieval existence. Premodern history is full of inspiring examples and concepts ripe for rediscovery, and we urgently need them as today’s challenges—finite resources, the twilight of consumerism, and growing inequality—threaten what we have come to think of as a modern way of living sustainably. This is a stimulating and revelatory look at a past that has the power to change our future."

Email rachel.white@dc.gov:

• For help finding a copy of The Green Ages. You can also ask for a copy at the front desk of Cleveland Park Library — limited extra copies are available for book club participants until they run out. (This is the best way to obtain a copy in time to read it beforehand.)
• To receive updates about future book club meetings
• For other information

Registration is optional but encouraged for new participants.

If you would like to request an accommodation, please contact dcplaccess@dc.gov at least one week prior to the program.

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