BANGOR, Mich., June 17, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- "The bad news is that rising prices of oil may bankrupt our economy unless we learn how to reduce our energy use," states author Maynard Kaufman in his stirring new book. "The good news is that earth-centered values are being affirmed by increasing numbers of people." Released through Xlibris, Adapting to the End of Oil: Toward an Earth-Centered Spirituality, shows how earth-centered spirituality can help us live more modestly on the earth and preserve the climate.
Even now, as more people are aware that burning oil leads to global warming, and that the rate of global oil production is about to peak, few recognize the uniqueness of our time, that the age of oil is an anomaly in human history. This bonanza of cheap energy never happened before and will very likely never happen again. Most of the oil will have been used in about a century, from about 1930 to 2030. Americans, who burn more fossil fuels than any other country, will have a hard time adapting to the end of cheap oil. With in-depth discussions and well-researched facts, Adapting to the End of Oil asks how Americans can adapt to having less when their personal experience and cultural history have always provided them with more -- and the promise of still more.
The first part of the book provides a perspective on the current energy crisis by exploring the cultural roots of our denial of limits in America. Part two will explore religious and spiritual adaptations to the post petroleum reality. Truly eye-opening and thought-provoking, Adapting to the End of Oil: Toward an Earth-Centered Spirituality is offered in the hope that it can add to the many voices already calling on Americans, the most profligate users of energy in the world, to look for ways to adapt to the end of oil.
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About the Author
After receiving his doctorate from the University of Chicago, Maynard Kaufman taught Religion and Environmental Studies at Western Michigan University. His response to the energy crisis of the 1970s was to become a part-time farmer and establish a School of Homesteading as a way to reduce energy use. Since organic farming also uses less energy, he organized Michigan Organic Food and Farm Alliance in 1991.
In 2001, Maynard and his wife Barbara moved into their off-grid house that is powered by renewable energy. They enjoy gardening and earth-centered rituals that celebrate the cycle of the seasons.
Adapting to the End of Oil * by Maynard Kaufman
Toward an Earth-Centered Spirituality
Publication Date: September 15, 2008
Trade Paperback; $19.99; 175 pages; 978-1-4363-6688-5
Cloth Hardback; $29.99; 175 pages; 978-1-4363-6689-2
To request a complimentary paperback review copy, contact the publisher at (888) 795-4274 x. 7479. Tear sheets may be sent by regular or electronic mail to Marketing Services. To purchase copies of the book for resale, please fax Xlibris at (610) 915-0294 or call (888) 795-4274 x. 7876.
For more information, contact Xlibris at (888) 795-4274 or on the web at www.Xlibris.com.