The Green Ages
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Description
'A treasure trove' PETER FRANKOPAN
'A book of great joy' TELEGRAPH
Medieval methods for modern living: a timeless study of the sustainability movement from the Middle Ages to today
Fishing quotas on Lake Constance. Common lands in the UK. The medieval answer to Depop in the middle of Frankfurt.
These are all just some of the sustainability initiatives from the Middle Ages that Annette Kehnel illuminates in her astounding new book, The Green Ages. From the mythical-sounding City of Ladies and their garden economy to early microcredit banks and rent-a-cow schemes, Kehnel uncovers a world at odds with what we might think of as the typical medieval existence.
Pre-modern history is full of inspiring examples and concepts that open up new horizons. And we urgently need them as today's challenges - finite resources, the twilight of consumerism, growing inequality - threaten what we have come to think of as a modern way of living sustainably.
This is a revelatory look at the past that has the power to change our future.
Book Information
Posts
Not bad, but false labelling
The Green Ages isn’t really about medieval innovations, Kehnel regularly includes examples from ancient Greece or early modern times. Similarly, the title of the book is somewhat misleading, as sustainability is understood in a much broader sense than just environmental, which “Green Ages” seems to suggest. In short, this is yet another economic history – from a slightly different angle, maybe, but falls slightly short of what I expected from the book in terms of originality.
Description
'A treasure trove' PETER FRANKOPAN
'A book of great joy' TELEGRAPH
Medieval methods for modern living: a timeless study of the sustainability movement from the Middle Ages to today
Fishing quotas on Lake Constance. Common lands in the UK. The medieval answer to Depop in the middle of Frankfurt.
These are all just some of the sustainability initiatives from the Middle Ages that Annette Kehnel illuminates in her astounding new book, The Green Ages. From the mythical-sounding City of Ladies and their garden economy to early microcredit banks and rent-a-cow schemes, Kehnel uncovers a world at odds with what we might think of as the typical medieval existence.
Pre-modern history is full of inspiring examples and concepts that open up new horizons. And we urgently need them as today's challenges - finite resources, the twilight of consumerism, growing inequality - threaten what we have come to think of as a modern way of living sustainably.
This is a revelatory look at the past that has the power to change our future.
Book Information
Posts
Not bad, but false labelling
The Green Ages isn’t really about medieval innovations, Kehnel regularly includes examples from ancient Greece or early modern times. Similarly, the title of the book is somewhat misleading, as sustainability is understood in a much broader sense than just environmental, which “Green Ages” seems to suggest. In short, this is yet another economic history – from a slightly different angle, maybe, but falls slightly short of what I expected from the book in terms of originality.