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Books by Thomas J. Elpel
From Nature Guides to Sustainable Living
Concerned about environmental issues since childhood, Thomas J. Elpel has made it his life's work to understand, promote, and build a sustainable civilization. The task isn't all that difficult from a technical standpoint. We already have the necessary technology, and it is typically more economical to go green than to continue living the way we are now. We can increase our individual and collective health and prosperity by building a sustainable, green economy. Yet, somehow, experts and lay persons remain trapped in an old way of doing things, unable to see practical alternatives. Professors and politicians sometimes formulate abstract theories about how to shift our civilization in a more sustainable direction, and it looks good on paper, but in the real world, they remain hopelessly dependent on an unsustainable industrial infrastructure. At the end of the day, they go home, turn up the thermostat, eat a meal imported from thousands of miles away, and make plans to rip out and replace all the old carpeting in the house.
Tom's investigations began in the Stone Age, exploring primitive skills and how to meet one's needs for shelter, warmth, water, and food with the most basic resources at hand. Tom recognized that it would not be remotely possible to abandon civilization and sustain the current world population as hunter-gatherers foraging in the woods. But Tom also recognized that these kinds of experiences are critical for maintaining our connection to the real world. After all, creating a sustainable civilization is ultimately rooted in survival skills and the quest to provide shelter, warmth, water, and food for all. His books Participating in Nature, Botany in a Day and Shanleya's Quest speak directly to this need to rekindle our connection with the natural world.
At the same time, Tom recognizes that we cannot change the world by merely encouraging people to appreciate nature more. It is essential to connect the dots from nature education to sustainable living. Driven in part by the necessity to meet his own survival needs as a young adult, Tom built a passive solar stone and log home on a shoestring budget - and later switched over to solar power to generate electricity. He demonstrated that it is still possible to achieve the American Dream - to own a quality home without a mortgage or big utility bills, as detailed in his book Living Homes. Tom expanded on that theme in Direct Pointing to Real Wealth, demonstrating that going green at home and at work can be far more economical and profitable than the way our society operates today.
It is illogical that our society should continue to do things the hard way, when there are more economical, greener alternatives. This conundrum led Tom to research worldviews and perceptions of reality to try and understand why people are often unable to see answers that seems obvious once you know what to look for. This research led to his most far-reaching book Roadmap to Reality: Consciousness, Worldviews, and the Blossoming of Human Spirit. As Tom has discovered, creating a sustainable civilization is relatively easy. The challenging part is helping people to see beyond their normal expectations to see what is truly possible.
Through his articles, classes, books, and videos, Tom continues to dedicate his life towards the effort to re-unite people with nature and create a sustainable civilization.
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Also Available from HOPS Press, LLC
I'm a Medicine Woman, Too!
Written and Illustrated by Jesse Wolf Hardin
I'm a Medicine Woman, Too! is a colorful and soulful book of self discovery and personal empowerment for budding healers, as well as every kid heeding a calling or pursuing a dream.
Rhiannon is the inspiration and model for this tale of realization and growth, as she first resists believing she could ever be a Medicine Woman like the herbalists and healers she's met... but then realizes the ways in which she is already the woman of power she hopes to be. [Read more... ]
A Bear's Tale of
the Lewis & Clark Expedition
By Julia Faircloth and Judy Nansel.
Illustrated by Judy Nansel.
Lewis and Clark are bear explorers who set out to find a water route to the Pacific Ocean. Follow along with them as Lewis and Clark (and fellow bears Sacajawea, Pomp, and Charbonneau) travel up rivers and over mountains along the historic Lewis and Clark route. The easy reading and expressive illustrations tell a complex story in a simple and exciting way. This delightful book is bound with real suede fringe that gives it an authentic appeal. [Read more... ]
Also by Thomas J. Elpel
K - 12 Outdoor Skills
Free Online Curriculum Guide
For Schools, Scouts, Nature Centers, and Families
Existing curriculum guides and lesson plans about outdoor and environmental education are almost universally activity-book oriented, rather than interactive and experiential. Instead of going outside, teachers are instructed to talk about nature, and the students participate by doing activity pages. While such guides are well-intended, they do nothing to connect students with the real world. The lesson plans here are intended to be more interactive with the real world, and above all, stimulating and fun. [Read more... ]
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