Description

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A first-of-its-kind handbook, allowing the reader to combine the processes of critical and creative thinking with a detailed discussion of the environmental challenges facing our planet  

Planting an Idea is part guidebook for better critical and creative thinking and part overview of the environmental challenges that face our planet today. It is designed
to help readers young and old examine and develop opinions on a variety of environmental issues based on substance, creativity, and fact.  

Apps and Kassulke take the reader through an examination of critical and creative thinking, providing a foundation for these skills—a foundation that can be used in all matter of public discourse. They then provide a brief history of the environmental movement, followed by a deep exploration of various environmental issues, ranging from climate change to land use to clean air and water. In each section, Apps and Kassulke show how the processes of critical and creative thinking can be used to evaluate the issues and define potential actions and solutions.  

Inside, a wide variety of topics are covered, including: 

• Agriculture 
• Endangered Species 
• Land Use 
• Air Quality 
• And lots more 

This book allows readers to better understand their positions, developing the tools they need to provide evidence that is accurate and reliable and to consider other perspectives along the way. An essential read for anyone interested in protecting the environment, Planting an Idea will enable readers to unlock ways to navigate some of today’s most pressing and important challenges.  

About the Author

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Jerry Apps was born and raised on a central Wisconsin farm. He is a former county extension agent and professor emeritus for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Today he works as a rural historian, full-time writer, and creative writing instructor. Jerry is the author of more than forty fiction, nonfiction, and children’s books with topics ranging from barns, one-room schools, cranberries, cucumbers, cheese factories, and the humor of mid-America to farming with horses and the Civilian Conservation Corps. He and his wife, Ruth, have three grown children, seven grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. They divide their time between their home in Madison and their farm, Roshara, in Waushara County.

Natasha Kassulke is a former journalist for the Wisconsin State Journal and former editor of Wisconsin Natural Resources magazine. Today, she directs communications for the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and teaches journalism courses part-time at Madison College. She and her husband, Steve Apps, live in Madison, Wisconsin.

Praise For…

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“What happens when one of Wisconsin’s great storytellers collaborates with a top-notch environmental journalist, who just happens to be his daughter-in-law? The resulting book gives the reader a fresh take on environmentalism, with an emphasis on hopeful stories." —Stanley A. Temple, Beers-Bascom Professor Emeritus in Conservation, University of Wisconsin–Madison, and Senior Fellow, Aldo Leopold Foundation

"Decidedly not esoteric, we now have a guide to understanding the environmental issues of our time, but we also have a pragmatic text that shows how to evaluate and act on these threats. Planting an Idea shows us how to live on our home planet and have a future. We all need to read, and apply, this book to our lives!" —Richard Knight, Professor Emeritus of Wildlife Conservation, Colorado State University

"A must read for book clubs, students, and community leaders!" —Terry Daulton, environmental educator, artist, and founding president of Wisconsin's Green Fire

"'Planting an Idea' will prove an invaluable addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library Environmental Studies collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists." —Midwest Book Review

Finalist in the Science category for The International Book Awards, presented by The American Book Festival.

Finalist in Science for The International Book Awards sponsored by American Book Fest

Finalist in the Social Issues category of the IAN Book Awards.