Ecology of Everyday Things

Dr Mark Everard is Associate Professor of Ecosystem Services at the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol), as well as a consultant, broadcaster and author. He is also Vice-President of the Institution of Environmental Sciences (IES), a Fellow of the Linnaean Society, an Angling Trust Ambassador, and a science advisor to Salmon & Trout Conservation UK, Tiger Water (India), Wiltshire Wildlife Trust and a range of other bodies.

• The nature of modern society. Reading the tea leaves. My trendy tee-shirts. Yesterday’s papers. A simple bowl of rice. Bathtime. A breath of fresh air. The wood for the trees. Unappealing creatures. What’s so special about fish? No place like home. The ecology of space travel. On safari without leaving the house. Living on a planet. 99.9% of all known germs. Who doesn’t love worms? Glorious mud. Feel the noise. Hearth and home.

Nature is all around us, in the beautiful but also in the unappealing and functional, and from the awe-inspiring to the mundane. It is vital that we learn to see the agency of the natural world in all things that make our lives possible, comfortable and profitable. The Ecology of Everyday Things pulls back the veil of our familiarity on a range of ‘everyday things’ that surround us, and which we perhaps take too much for granted. This key into the magic world of the everyday can enable us to take better account of our common natural inheritance. Professor James Longhurst, Assistant Vice Chancellor, University of the West of England (UWE Bristol)When people talk about 'celebrating nature', they usually have dramatic landscapes or charismatic creatures in mind. Mark Everard invites us to celebrate nature in the everyday, in the common places of our lives, and provides lots of information and inspiration along the way.Jonathon Porritt, founder director of Forum for the Future Mark Everard invites us to look a little closer at, and think a little harder about, the natural architecture of our cultural selves ... instructive and entertaining. Dr Robert Fish, Reader in Human Ecology, University of Kent If you want to discover more about how intrinsically linked we are to our planet, then The Ecology of Everyday Things will open your eyes into how nature underpins everything in our daily lives. In this insightful new book, Mark Everard brings alive his personal observations of the things most of us fail to notice in our everyday activities and simple daily pleasures. From turning on a tap of water to pouring a pint of beer, Everard challenges us to contemplate the ‘real value’ of nature. Our society is increasingly aware of the importance of nature to better support our health and wellbeing, and it is our sense of a relationship with the natural world that is a vital element of this. Everard exposes this in an approachable way through his descriptions of the everyday activities that engage our senses, emotions, compassion and appreciation of beauty – bringing out a personal meaning for each of us – and developing our connections with nature. Amanda Craig, Director - People & Nature, Natural England.Mark Everard’s erudite and entertaining book will appeal to anyone who has contemplated their cup of tea or a newspaper and wondered about the transformations undergone by natural resources to occupy their current place in our lives. Or perhaps not wondered – if so, now is your chance to be enlightened... A great book to dip into whenever you need to be re-rooted (forgive the pun) in the ecological system and be reminded just how deep and broad our dependencies are, and how delightful they are, on a daily basis. Julie Hill for The Institution of Environmental Sciences, April 2021