Energy Catalog, 1980, 32 pp., $.50 ppd., from: Food for Thought Books, Desk R-2 325 Main Street Amherst, MA 01002 413/253-5432 , No ordinary "energy catalog" here. Rather, this mail-orderbook service has compiled THE BEST collection of social ecology resources I've seen anywhere. It includes over 300 succinct and sometimes critical reviews of hard-to-find classics, soon-to-be-published pieces, and listings • from small presses-as well as the standard books and periodicals. Sections on ecology, energy policy and politics, and nuclear weapons are especially strong; A.T., renewable energy sources, transportation and economics are strong, too. A section on teaching materials makes this catalog particularly valuable to educators at all levels. Food for Thought has also published an excellent catalog on Food and Agriculture (RAIN, Feb/Mar '80). -MR No Nukes Left!, $4/4 issues, from: P.O. Box643 North Amherst, MA 01059 617/944-6055 A very encouraging sign: a forum for internal political discussion and debate in the antinuclear movement. The first issue (Summer, 1980-$1.25) is well designed with a·rticles from around the country on nuclear power and weaponry, synfuelsr powerlines, racism, nonviolence, utility rate hike withholding campaigns-even a song! Marcy Darnovsky's lead article, "No Nukes! Is Not Enough," provides a superb overview of the movement today: The mystifying ideological and cultural characteristics described here-the moralism, ahistoricism, ostrich-like avoidance of conflict and the promotion of small-is-beautiful as a panacea-are dulling the radical cutting edge of the anti-nuclear movement. Its most liberatory aspects, are being left behind-its challenge to the direction of capitalist pro- . duction, explicitly anti-hierarchical and anti-authoritarian tone, and attempts at direct democracy. ·-MR ENERGY Berkshire Energy Manual, 1980, 58 pp., $3.00 donation from: Center for Ecological Technology 74 North Street Pittsfield, MA 01201 I'm not convinced th~t it's necessary for <:aunties to each produce their own energy manual, certainly not one so extensive as this, but this is a good "climate type" guide for any community with comparable New • Englantl weather. A simple brochure providing the "Where to Go for Assistance," "Laws, Taxes and Regulations about Energy," and "Energy Yellow Pages" specific to a county, city or large community would be useful, .though, and the Berkshire Manual does a good job in that regard. It's also written in a simple, d,irect style, supplying valuable background as well as how-to data, and compares favorably to any federal co servation document. -CC October 1980 RAIN Page 9 The President's Clearinghouse for Community Energy Efficiency Suite 185 ' 400 North Capitol St. N.W. Washington, DC 20001 Toll free 800/424-9043 The government in all its branches publishes literally hundreds of pamphlets, booklets, flyers, etc., to inform the public about energy·conservation. The President's Clearinghouse for Community Energy Efficiency has the unenviable task of keeping track of these and providing access to them for local officials a·nd the general populace. They also attempt to track innovative community approaches to energy conservation and provide more specific information on these to inquirers. A phone call will net you a grab-bag of info~mative publications, a sort of sampler of what's available and current. You can rummage through them and pick ones which will most suit your needs, then order just those in bulk. Or request information on a specific topic such as heat pumps or wood burning and they can send you what they have in that subject area. This can be a very useful resource. -CC I .
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