Books like RetroSuburbia by David Holmgren

David Holmgren’s 80‑page A3 book documents the first decade of the Melliodora Permaculture Gardens in Victoria, detailing design, orchard, animal integration, and construction from a weed‑infested site to a self‑sustaining homestead.

In the waning days of the American empire, we find ourselves mired in political crisis, with our foreign policy coming under sharp criticism and our economy in steep decline. These trends mirror the experience of the Soviet Union in the early 1980s. Reinventing Collapse examines the circumstances of the demise of the Soviet superpower and offers clear insights into how we might prepare for coming events. Rather than focusing on doom and gloom, Reinventing Collapse suggests that there is room for optimism if we focus our efforts on personal and cultural transformation. With characteristic dry humor, Dmitry Orlov identifies three progressive stages of response to the looming crisis: Mitigation—alleviating the impact of the coming upheaval Adaptation—adjusting to the reality of changed conditions Opportunity—flourishing after the collapse He argues that by examining maladaptive parts of our common cultural baggage, we can survive, thrive, and discover more meaningful and fulfilling lives, in spite of steadily deteriorating circumstances. This challenging yet inspiring work is a must-read for anyone concerned about energy, geopolitics, international relations, and life in a post-Peak Oil world.

Learn how to grow high‑yield, high‑value crops in small urban spaces with practical techniques and business strategies for a profitable backyard farm.

A practical guide for starting an organic vegetable farm, covering soil management, crop planning, equipment, organic fertilizers, pest control, and farm economics, designed for both new and experienced growers.

We live in an oil-dependent world, and have got to this level of dependency in a very short space of time, using vast reserves of oil in the process without planning for when the supply is not so plentiful. Most people don't want to think about what happens when the oil runs out (or becomes prohibitively expensive), but The Transition Handbook shows how the inevitable and profound changes ahead can have a positive effect. They can lead to the rebirth of local communities, which will generate their own fuel, food and housing. They can encourage the development of local currencies, to keep money in the local area. They can unleash a local 'skilling-up', so that people have more control over their lives. The Transition Handbook is the manual which will guide communities to begin this 'energy descent' journey. The argument that 'small is inevitable' is upbeat and positive, as well as utterly convincing.

City-dwellers across the country are finding creative new ways to live, and urban farmers are reclaiming heirloom agrarian practices as strategies for responsible living. Get to know real people who are changing their lives and the lives of their neighbors through the urban homesteading movement.

This 2017 revised edition is more accessible than the original, with redrawn graphics, corrected and amended text, new references and a newly designed layout that invites the reader into the world of whole systems thinking that is permaculture.

The urban homesteading movement is growing and flourishing. Learn to create a sustainable life for yourself in the city, with the helpful guide to everything you need to know to get a taste of "country life" in your apartment or house.