Rain Forest in Your Kitchen: The Hidden Connection Between Extinction And Your Supermarket [Paperback]

Martin Teitel (Author), Jeremy Rifkin (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1992 | ISBN-10: 1559631538 | ISBN-13: 978-1559631532 | Edition: 1

The biodiversity crisis -- the extinction of thousands of species of plants and animals -- is not just a faraway problem for scientists to solve. Instead, the crisis is as close as our backyards, our gardens, and our refrigerator shelves. This engaging, practical guide inspires average Americans to wield their consumer power in favor of protecting the world's plant and animal species.Environmentalist activist Martin Teitel offers compelling evidence that by slightly modifying how we shop, eat, and garden, we can collectively influence the operating decisions of today's corporate agribusiness and help preserve our precious genetic resources. Teitel offers strategies so simple that they require no significant lifestyle change or expense.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Teitel here assesses the loss of "biodiversity" in our food sources and the potential cost to ourselves. By biodiversity, he means the various available species of seeds or livestock. He cites statistics that show how the growth of large corporate farms has narrowed our choices to those species that ship well or reproduce quickly. The subsequent loss of diversity, he points out, is risky, as it reduces the available gene pool. It is possible that future generations may not have enough genetic resources to call on for survival. Consumers, however, have more clout than they realize, Teitel asserts, and they can make small but significant changes. Instead of buying greenhouse vegetables year-round, he advises, opt for jicamas, cabbages and dried tomatoes. Teitel also urges us to look for food sources besides the usual supermarkets; roadside stands and health-food stores are options. Others include organizations dedicated to preserving historical or organic seed sources and livestock. This book is a good resource for anyone who wants to learn more about how we've damaged the food chain--and what we can do about it.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

The importance of biodiversity is increasingly made clear by the plight of the rainforest. Species are disappearing before their existence is even known, let alone their potential benefits to humanity. The scenario is much the same for our domestic food supply. Supermarkets nationwide respond to consumer demand by providing food that is the product of monoculture factory farming. As the diversity of the gene pool declines, the rate of extinction increases. For example, 90 percent of all chicken eggs sold in the U.S. are white and laid by the breed White Leghorn, which themselves are supplied by only a small number of hatcheries. What happens if that population should be eliminated? This book presents the problem in an approachable manner and offers multiple solutions that are easily possible for anyone. Buy brown eggs. Such a demand would necessitate increased production, which would in turn help to diversify the genetic pool. An important and interesting book.
- Kathleen L. Atwood, Pomfret Sch. Lib., Ct.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 126 pages
• Publisher: Island Press; 1 edition (March 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1559631538
• ISBN-13: 978-1559631532
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,628,370 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The groceries we buy can help or harm our world., January 26, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Rain Forest in Your Kitchen: The Hidden Connection Between Extinction And Your Supermarket (Paperback)

Did you know that biodiversity is a matter that affects the plant and vegetable kingdom? Once there were many different kinds of apples, now it seems there are only a few kinds grown in great numbers for mass consumption. Because consumers demand perfect looking produce, growers are encouraged to use pesticides and other artificial methods to make produce look appealing. This practice is ecologically dangerous. This is an informative and practical book, with suggestions about how the average shopper can turn the tide of the potentially harmful demand for non-diverse, uniformly and artificially appealling produce

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rain Forest in your Kitchen, January 10, 2011

By 

Kathleen R. Cole "reader" (Wellsville, MO USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rain Forest in Your Kitchen: The Hidden Connection Between Extinction And Your Supermarket (Paperback)

Wonderful book - would love to see everyone own and absorb it's content. Explains simple ways to shop with the environment in mind.