This is part of a series dealing mostly with economic and political issues. This book 'Ecology for Beginners' puts a lot of information in a semi-comic book format. The books in this series, though billed as such, are not comic books. I'd recommend this and the other books in the 'beginners' comic book series' as a jumping off point for more serious study of the topic.

One day when I was rummaging through a broom closet and decided this seemed interesting. Soon after opening it, I noticed it was written in 1981. So, it's outdated, but I don't think it's outdated to the point we shouldn't listen to it. That being said, I feel this could be a good starting point. After you finish this book, you could research more up-to-date information.

In addition to teaching ecology, it teaches some history and economics. I feel I should mention the Day in the Life of the Eighties section. I'm not going to list all of the issues (that would take too long), but these issues are still rampant. There are still a lot of people struggling with drug addiction. It doesn't help that War on Drugs has been proven to cause more harm than good. Even there are some food companies that look out for their costumers, but a large portion still values profits over people. Even though drugs have their uses (you can't wait out every disease), it may not be beneficiary to medicate for every problem. Of course, I'm aware that can seem tempting. The main point I took away was the 80s were not as great as some people would like to believe. Granted, I haven't met any of those people, but I know they're out there. On a positive note, some of the sketches gave me a good hoot.

There are risks to secondhand smoke, but the risks aren't that great- to humans. A few years ago, the EPA took a study on this subject. They got thousands of causalities by cherry picking data. If someone died while living with a smoker, they were counted whether or not there was another cause of death. Again there are risks, but for the most part, those are to children and pets. They can't just leave the room if gets too smoky.

I can understand that nuclear energy was a big issue back then because, that hasn't changed even now. I'll admit there were disasters, but the conditions at those plants were horrendous. That being said, as far as I know, nuclear energy isn't as dangerous as some people would like to believe.

I feel I should take the time to mention a few organizations 'dedicated' to helping animals. For an organization that's supposed to be protecting birds, The National Audubon Society's fine with turbines killing birds. As someone who used to receive emails from The Defenders of Wildlife, I think they should be called Defenders of Wolves. Granted, some of the emails I received didn't pertain to gray wolves, but a lot of them were. I'm aware that they still face dangers, but they aren't endangered. I don't care how much you love them, but if you comment, please do some research first.

Some of the terminology used is silly. Using technofascist doesn't make you sound smart. You just sound pretentious. Then again, Eco-Flow (Mother Nature) is kind of a bundle of pretention.

Sketches a grand sweep of the rise of life, ecosystems, the rise and fall of civilizations, industrialism, colonialism/imperialism, overview of basic science, the arrogance of science with a touch of gender politics, the emptiness and excess of modern life (for those in 'developed' countries), loss of resources due to overutilisation/erosion/ desertification/monoculture agribusiness, concentration of control over production into a handful of giant corporations, the myth of food shortage, the deep/wide damage inflicted by unfettered capitalism, the myth that centralised control under soviet 'socialism' is different from centralised control under state-capitalism, Native American perspectives, the cross-disciplinary nature of ecology, including the necessarily social/political/economic nature of effective ecology, refutation of technology as a panacea, affirmation of technology's positive role in suggestion to work less & better, complex (interrelated) vs. complicated (incomprehensible/spinning out of control) systems, ecological planning & farming, recycling/sustainability, global solidarity against the 'world order', as exemplified by a broad spectrum of groups working for change. The book closes with a list of questions for the reader to consider: is what i make at work really useful or necessary?
can it be made better?
is there a shortage of goods or services anywhere that my workplace could meet?
how could our production be reorganized?
does my working environment need improving?
can the work itself be made more enjoyable?
is my union interested in these questions?
is my party doing anything about the environment?
is my environment group on the right track?
can i cycle to work instead?
can i start a car pool?
do i really need all the things i buy?
do they waste resources or damage the environment?
do they benefit Agribiz?
do they deprive the Third World?

is there local produce i can buy instead?
can i help start or participate in a local co-op?
can i help draw up a shopping list for 'alternative consumers'?
is there an allotment or patch of land i could cultivate?
where can i found out more about how things really work and what i can do?

Author of Nuclear Power for Beginners, Stephen Croall makes this palatable introduction to the eco-system enjoyable, entertaining and easy to grasp for anyone. It also makes many fine remarks on our food industry and health in general where ones awareness is raised to the level of conscious living. While his reference seems to rely mainly on Ivan Illich's works (Tools for Conviviality), it does express its own interests that the Earth is a living system an co-dependent no us and other creatures that inhabit this planet. Although out of print, for the beginner it may be worth searching for if they are curious about the subject. Otherwise, for those that do enjoy the Beginners series, then this one is right on!