The Green Ages - Medieval Innovations in Sustainability

'Surprising and fascinating' GUARDIAN <BR>'A treasure trove' PETER FRANKOPAN<BR>'A book of great joy' TELEGRAPH <BR><BR>Medieval methods for modern living: a timeless study of the sustainability movement from the Middle Ages to today<BR><BR>Fishing quotas on Lake Constance. Common lands in the UK. The medieval answer to Depop in the middle of Frankfurt.<BR><BR>These are all just some of the sustainability initiatives from the Middle Ages that Annette Kehnel illuminates in her astounding new book, The Green Ages. From the mythical-sounding City of Ladies and their garden economy to early microcredit banks and rent-a-cow schemes, Kehnel uncovers a world at odds with what we might think of as the typical medieval existence.<BR><BR>Pre-modern history is full of inspiring examples and concepts that open up new horizons. And we urgently need them as today's challenges - finite resources, the twilight of consumerism, growing inequality - threaten what we have come to think of as a modern way of living sustainably.<BR><BR>This is a revelatory look at the past that has the power to change our future.