By Mark Nelson
Mark Nelson, PhD, takes us on a global expedition to learn how we are wasting the world’s dwindling supplies of fresh water by flushing away a very valuable resource, our own human wastes! Dr. Mark Nelson has worked for several decades in closed ecological system research. As one of eight brave souls enclosed in the pioneering Biosphere 2 experiment, he realized how essential the proper re-use of human waste is to the health of the planet. This led to what Dr. Nelson calls a life-long love affair with constructed wetlands, where he discovered an important solution to some of our trickiest global dilemmas: wastewater gardens. While the problems covered in this book are very serious, Dr. Nelson’s approach to the subject makes for a delightful, down-to-earth read.
Awards
- The Wastewater Gardener: 2014 Living Now Book Awards
- Independent Publishers Association Gold award
- 2015 Ben Franklin Silver Award (Independent Book Publishers Association)
- Foreword Reviews’ 2014 INDIEFAB Book of the Year Silver Award
- Winner for Ecology and Environment
- 2014 New Mexico Publishers Association Award Finalist
Book Reviews
“The Wastewater Gardener is a practical overview of productive and aesthetic water recycling, based on real projects in diverse situations worldwide. This book could only result such a from decades of passionate hands-on experience. Nelson is a rare combination of scientist, engineer, artist, entrepreneur AND author. He tells joyful and funny (and tragic) stories to compliment the scientific, technical, economic, and social aspects. I found it all enjoyable as well as enlightening.” – Windy Dankoff, Founder, Dankoff Solar Pumps
“I had no idea there were already such good solutions to waste problems and water treatment. At first, I was hesitant to invest my reading time in such a ‘crappy’ topic, but only a few pages in and I was sold with the author’s humor and with the sense of discovery about a topic that’s simply not discussed. Learning about the Biosphere II project was probably my favorite part, and I recommend this for anyone interested in ecological topics. But you’re looking for something political or a moral plea, this is probably not for you. Nelson tells a personal and practical story that might inspire small projects or an understanding of big solutions- it’s not a technical manual or a political agenda. It’s actually light reading with a real narrative and some good pictures. Having read this, I feel a little shocked at how wasteful our sewage practices are. Maybe this will catch on and we can learn to think the way Nelson thinks and apply it to other parts of life.” – Mitchell Mignano
More Published Reviews
January 2015 “A brief history of how we got into this mess” – Reality Sandwich
September 2014 – “Shoddy Treatment” – Geographical Magazine, Journal of the Royal Geographical Society and Institute of British Geographers.
August 2014 – Book review – Resilience
August 2014 – “A globetrotting, water-saving tour of sewage gardens” – The New Scientist
June 2014 – “Composting Toilets: A drier alternative” – The Mindful Word
May 2014 – “Preserving our Planet One flush at a time”– Living Green Magazine
We encourage you to purchase your copy of this book at your local bookstore!
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