[madison]

I only have enough money to buy one book on creating sustainable communities, so I was wondering if anyone has read any of these books and can give me their input. They are impossible to find at the library, and I'd basically have to order the one I choose.

"Superbia!" by Dan Chiras and Dave Wann.

"The Natural Step for Communities" by Sarah James and Torbjorn Lahti

"The Key to Sustainable Cities" by Gwendolyn Hallsmith

"Fostering Sustainable Behavior" by Doug McKenzie Mohr and William Smith

"Relocalize Now!" by Julian Darley, David Roan and Celine Rich.

Any other titles you really liked?

[RonMN]

That's what we're doing here?

There is a "search function" that you can enter your topic of choice & find what people had to say about it.

It's almost as good as carla emerys book of old fasiond recipes (helluva book!)

If ya need any help using the search just say so...i'll give ya click by click instructions

[Whitecrab]

For free you can read Short Circuit by Feasta, an Irish sustainable economics group. It includes chapters on local currency, local food supplies, and community energy generation.

I didn't find the book sufficient as a how-to, myself. It didn't really provide a clear step-by-step path to take in my mind, just some ideas to play with. It mostly has examples of how other communities have successfully done things. However, it is free, and will let you see a lot of strategies that have worked (or failed) in the real world. Then you can try and pick and choose what you like, and do more research into those areas that make sense for your situation.

The book also has contact information for most of the parties in the book, so you could contact them for advice. And where applicable, there is also who to contact to for "starter kits" on things like local currency systems.