A woman seeks solace on an urban island paradise during the shock of the Trump election.

Washington D.C. naturalist Melanie Choukas-Bradley dives into the natural history and beauty of Theodore Roosevelt Island, an island wilderness less than two miles from the White House and a memorial to the United States' foremost conservationist president. In 2016, as the presidential election dealt a body-blow to progressive thinkers in the US, Melanie sought the solace of Theodore Roosevelt Island. In this book she reflects on the inspiring environmental legacy of Roosevelt, and how immersing oneself in nature can help to heal, restore and encourage a person, even in the midst of the strange new reality of a divisive occupant in the White House. Melanie leads the reader along walks and kayak trips around the island, as together with other Washingtonian nature lovers, birders, conservationists, and even descendants of Roosevelt, they find solace in the island's natural wonders, and ponder their nation’s future. Includes a foreword by Tom Lovejoy, Senior Fellow at the United Nations Foundation.

Nature is one of the best medicines for difficult times. An intimate awareness of the natural world, even within the city, can calm anxieties and help create healthy perspectives. This book will inspire and guide you as you deal with the current crisis, or any personal or worldly distress. Melanie Choukas-Bradley is a naturalist and certified forest therapy guide who leads nature and forest bathing walks for many organizations in Washington, D.C. and the American West. Learn from her the Japanese art of "forest bathing": how to tune in to the beauty and wonder around you with all your senses, even if your current sphere is a tree outside the window or a wild backyard. Discover how you can become a backyard naturalist, learning about the trees, wildflowers, birds and animals near your home. Nature immersion during stressful times can bring comfort and joy as well as opportunities for personal growth, expanded vision and transformation. The "Resilience Series" is the result of an intensive, collaborative effort of our authors in response to the 2020 coronavirus epidemic. Each volume offers expert advice for developing the practical, emotional and spiritual skills that you can master to become more resilient in a time of crisis.

Tom Bowman has never bought the idea that some problems are too complex to solve. With razor-like precision, he slices through the Gordian Knot of dispiriting misperceptions that lead to a sense of defeat. The result is an inspiring and practical narrative that will leave readers feeling uplifted and empowered to create a future they are eager to embrace.

'In the Small Places reminds us just how much teachers matter in our lives and in the world. This touching tribute shows their dedication and the big role they play in creating a better future for everyone.'Agustin Porres, Regional Director, LATAM Varkey Foundation: Sponsor of the Global Teacher Prize As the largest professionally trained group in the world, teachers know who is sick, missing, orphaned by disasters, and at risk for human trafficking. They are the glue that holds society together, and a development army in everyone's backyard. Teachers are not the problem. They are the solution. Their voices must be heard. In the Small Places is a testament to teacher changemakers for our world's intractable challenges: education in emergencies, corruption, racism, war, human rights, and girls' education. Eleanor Roosevelt once asked, "Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home - so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerted citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world.” In the Small Places is about teacher agency in those small places - writ large.

The health and economic devastation caused by COVID-19 has revealed that most countries’ national health systems are inadequate to cope with pandemics. These are global challenges that call for global responses. At the heart of this book is a bold new proposal to create a global pandemic playbook that can be quickly deployed when the next pandemic strikes. Countries and their experts must collaborate to create early warning systems, preparedness, prevention, responses and containment. But who should pay the cost? Anne Kabagambe, a former Executive Board director for the World Bank Group, explores the options, and argues that to fail to learn from COVID-19 and neglect to create a global playbook now would cost far more when the next pandemic strikes.

Think you’ve waited too long to do something about climate change? Think again. Am I Too Old to Save the Planet? A Boomer’s Guide to Climate Action explains how America’s most promising generation allowed climate change to become a planetary emergency - and what to do about it now. A former foreign correspondent and vice president of the World Resources Institute, Lawrence MacDonald shares his journey to becoming a passionate climate activist. Packed with practical advice, his book invites fellow boomers to join the growing global movement to save the planet.