Overview

A fascinating blend of history and ecological economics that uncovers the medieval precedents for modern concepts of sustainable living. In The Green Ages, historian Annette Kehnel explores sustainability initiatives from the Middle Ages, highlighting communities that operated a barter trade system on the Monte Subiaco in Italy, sustainable fishing at Lake Constance, common lands in the United Kingdom, transient grazing among Alpine shepherds in the south of France, and bridges built by crowdfunding in Avignon. Kehnel takes these medieval examples and applies their practical lessons to the modern world to prove that we can live sustainably--we've done it before! From the garden economy in the mythical-sounding City of Ladies to early microcredit banks, Kehnel uncovers a world at odds with our understanding of the typical medieval existence. Premodern history is full of inspiring examples and concepts ripe for rediscovery, and we urgently need them as today's challenges--finite resources, the twilight of consumerism, and growing inequality--threaten what we have come to think of as a modern way of living sustainably. This is a stimulating and revelatory look at a past that has the power to change our future.

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9781684582433

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"""A committed and thought-provoking book, rich in engaging examples and surprising alternatives, that makes it clear we need the past for our future.""-- ""Bernd Schneidm�ller, Heidelberg University"" ""Bold and exciting--a must-read! Kehnel offers surprisingly practical examples and introduces remarkable individuals from the last two thousand years."" -- ""Lyndal Roper, Oriel College, Oxford University"" ""Finally, a historically enlightening approach to the sustainability debate. A wonderful and much needed book.""-- ""Harald Welzer, author and editor, futurzwei magazine"""

"""Bold, imaginative, and vividly written, here finally is a historical survival guide in our climate crisis that reminds us that it is possible to live differently and sustainably.""--Frank Trentmann, author of Empire of Things ""We don't need or want to relive the past--but we do need to mine it for ideas and practices that can help solve some of the dilemmas of the present. This fascinating book does just that--and in the process represents the zenith of recycling!""--Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature ""A committed and thought-provoking book, rich in engaging examples and surprising alternatives, that makes it clear we need the past for our future.""-- ""Bernd Schneidm�ller, Heidelberg University"" ""Bold and exciting--a must-read! Kehnel offers surprisingly practical examples and introduces remarkable individuals from the last two thousand years."" -- ""Lyndal Roper, Oriel College, Oxford University"" ""Finally, a historically enlightening approach to the sustainability debate. A wonderful and much needed book.""-- ""Harald Welzer, author and editor, futurzwei magazine"" ""With The Green Ages, (Kehnel) has written a book of great joy: an environmental history of many facets, which explains how some premodern practices of sustainability are applicable to the present day."" -- ""The Telegraph"" ""The Green Ages takes the reader through a fascinating journey over several hundred years of history to prove beyond doubt that a different kind of world really is possible. The book shows that human beings are as capable of cooperation and mutualism as they are of competition and individualism--and that reconnecting with these basic human instincts is the key to our survival.""--Grace Blakeley, author of Vulture Capitalism ""A clarion call from the past to guide us through a troubled future. . . . Kehnel's The Green Ages is a book written from the heart but with a head fully versed in medieval economic life and theory and as such it is a fervent cry to reconsider capitalism assumptions as to how the world should be run and to consider instead how to live more harmoniously and in partnership both with each other, with the seasons and the rhythm of the natural world. There is, Kehnel shows, much to learn from the past and if we want a sustainable future that is where we should first look.""--Henrietta Leyser, author of Medieval Women ""Erudite and engaging, The Green Ages presents a powerful critique of the ideologies of the 'modern age' by historicizing their guiding image of the human as the self-interested Homo economicus. Excavating times when sharing, recycling, cooperation, and frugality were some of the reigning values in Europe, Kehnel makes a point crucial to any imagination of change: another world is possible. An important book for all students of sustainable futures.""--Dipesh Chakrabarty, author of One Planet, Many Worlds"

Author Information

Annette Kehnel is the chair of medieval history at the University of Mannheim in Germany. She has published numerous works on cultural and economic history and historical anthropology.

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