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Rating: 
Summary: Very practical, lots of great ideas, nice color pictures.
Review: "Solviva: How to grow $500,000 on one acre and peace on earth... Learning the art of living, with solar-dynamic, bio-benign design." Ok, the title sounds like something a hippy would come up with. But get past the title... because the book is REALLY GREAT for the self-reliant who want to create their own independent house.This book is for the person who wants to build an independent house in the boonies at low cost, and wants practical low cost solutions. It explains how to hook on a solar garden to the house (or separately). How to use animals to provide heat... and CO2 to grow your plants to new heights. She's from Massachusetts, so her winter solar home works through the cold winters. She's tested this system over more than 10 years. She explains how to grow salad materials for profit. She shows you the numbers. But I'm not sure how applicable this is to all markets. She's in the upscale area of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. She explains how to create grey water and black water waste systems that exceed common septic systems. An explanation on one of the many color pictures says: "The Solviva graywater garden: this area, with its thriving roses, dogwood, pines, spruce and grasses has recevied all graywater since my home was COMPLETED IN 1981. OVER THE PAST 17 YEARS these plants have successfully processed over 500 pounds of regular detergents, shampoos and cleaners, and 45 gallons of chlorine bleach." On the toilets, she has invented a system that uses standard flush toilets that feed a composting system. It's all low tech and easy to build. She uses grow tubes and growing beds in her greenhouses (attached or separate). She keeps chickens, rabbits, sheep, and one donkey. All the systems feed each other. It's amazing how she relates the various things on her property. The amount of goodies she gets out of her small farm(ette) are remarkable. John D.
Rating:
Summary: Very practical, lots of great ideas, nice color pictures.
Review: "Solviva: How to grow $500,000 on one acre and peace on earth... Learning the art of living, with solar-dynamic, bio-benign design." Ok, the title sounds like something a hippy would come up with. But get past the title... because the book is REALLY GREAT for the self-reliant who want to create their own independent house. This book is for the person who wants to build an independent house in the boonies at low cost, and wants practical low cost solutions. It explains how to hook on a solar garden to the house (or separately). How to use animals to provide heat... and CO2 to grow your plants to new heights. She's from Massachusetts, so her winter solar home works through the cold winters. She's tested this system over more than 10 years. She explains how to grow salad materials for profit. She shows you the numbers. But I'm not sure how applicable this is to all markets. She's in the upscale area of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. She explains how to create grey water and black water waste systems that exceed common septic systems. An explanation on one of the many color pictures says: "The Solviva graywater garden: this area, with its thriving roses, dogwood, pines, spruce and grasses has recevied all graywater since my home was COMPLETED IN 1981. OVER THE PAST 17 YEARS these plants have successfully processed over 500 pounds of regular detergents, shampoos and cleaners, and 45 gallons of chlorine bleach." On the toilets, she has invented a system that uses standard flush toilets that feed a composting system. It's all low tech and easy to build. She uses grow tubes and growing beds in her greenhouses (attached or separate). She keeps chickens, rabbits, sheep, and one donkey. All the systems feed each other. It's amazing how she relates the various things on her property. The amount of goodies she gets out of her small farm(ette) are remarkable. John D.
Rating: 
Summary: The real secret of Solviva
Review: Anna Edey's book is about one thing: Money for her. Selling her book and selling her plans. It is visionary, and what she achieved is truely inspirational and remarkable.
The problem is A) the title which is poor description of the book. And B) she's inconsistant in her goals. The book would have been rather amazing if she would have ditched the whole confused notion of trying to make it a business. She has a vision of making the world a better place, but this takes a back seat to her business plan.
And if you believe in the scientific method, you will realize that Anna Edey is actually a failure. Nothing she does is repeatable. The two people who took over "Solviva" crashed it. They couldn't make it work.
Once you realize that only a crazed work-aholic could ever make that plan work, and take just the good parts, the book would be just over 100 pages of pure gold. The data and scientific trial and error behind Anna Edey is valuable. It is very concise and practical in the places it wants to be. Its the first 'solar shelter' book I've seen that has that data. The other books try to be holistic and provide an overall understanding of the world. But the bottom line is, to make a change in the world, you need data, and proof. AND you can't be the only one that can make it work!
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: Solviva is Anna Edey's philosophy on life and what she would do if she was president. When she actually talks about her solar greenhouse design she is very vague and leaves the reader with many questions. After making contact with Anna it seems that she was vague so that she could sell blueprints to her solar greenshouse fore 200 bucks a set. Gee, I wonder what she cares about?
Rating:
Summary: This book has some serious problems
Review: Solviva-How to Grow $500,000 on One Acre & Peace On Earth. This
is a strange book! A How-To book it is not. It is a hodge podge of
thoughts, green speak, observations, the authors past 20 years of
life, some interesting applications of solar structures, much green
speak, her experience with a greenhouse and the business it generated,
more green speak, ...full-color pictures of plants, animals, insects,
artwork, green speak, and lastly green speak. Whether wrote this way
on purpose or not it is confusing. It is a very disjointed book; more
about a persons philosophy of life than about a greenhouse that was
heated and cooled by strictly solar methods. The books layout and
progression is far from logical and it is quite a chore wadding
through all of the philosophizing to arrive at some meat. Does this
book have value? Some. But cut out all of the psycho babble, green
speak and moralizing, rearrange the contents, do some more homework on
solar and other peoples projects and failures, get a few scientific
facts verified, more data and details on what Mss Edey did and did not
do, then perhaps it might be a worthwhile book. One glaring lack, at
least as far as I am concerned; it is not a How To book. Maybe that
is not a big issue when one is writing in a diary, but when the books
title page uses that term and the book does not deliver, then it is a
major issue. The income generating potential of a solar heated
greenhouse that uses strict organic methods has a lot of merit and
expanded outdoors during the summer months one could expect that the
income would increase. She makes a claim that $500,000 is possible
with the 10,000 sq. ft. greenhouse and about an acre of land. She
never made that much on her operation and extrapolates from her own
experiences that it is possible. I would take that with a cup of
salt. She very well may be right but she has no proof. She didn't do
it and did not mention anyone else that had. So again the title of
the book is misleading. Some interesting things gleaned from the book:
1. It is possible to heat a greenhouse completely with solar
means. 2. It is possible to cool a greenhouse completely with solar
means. 3. A living could be made from the above greenhouse. 4.
Animals incorporated into the greenhouse environment can enhance the
quality of the plants by emitting co2 and they can provide another
source of income. There may be some other things but as I said you
will have to dig for them....
Rating:
Summary: This book has some serious problems
Review: Solviva-How to Grow $500,000 on One Acre & Peace On Earth. This
is a strange book! A How-To book it is not. It is a hodge podge of
thoughts, green speak, observations, the authors past 20 years of
life, some interesting applications of solar structures, much green
speak, her experience with a greenhouse and the business it generated,
more green speak, ...full-color pictures of plants, animals, insects,
artwork, green speak, and lastly green speak. Whether wrote this way
on purpose or not it is confusing. It is a very disjointed book; more
about a persons philosophy of life than about a greenhouse that was
heated and cooled by strictly solar methods. The books layout and
progression is far from logical and it is quite a chore wadding
through all of the philosophizing to arrive at some meat. Does this
book have value? Some. But cut out all of the psycho babble, green
speak and moralizing, rearrange the contents, do some more homework on
solar and other peoples projects and failures, get a few scientific
facts verified, more data and details on what Mss Edey did and did not
do, then perhaps it might be a worthwhile book. One glaring lack, at
least as far as I am concerned; it is not a How To book. Maybe that
is not a big issue when one is writing in a diary, but when the books
title page uses that term and the book does not deliver, then it is a
major issue. The income generating potential of a solar heated
greenhouse that uses strict organic methods has a lot of merit and
expanded outdoors during the summer months one could expect that the
income would increase. She makes a claim that $500,000 is possible
with the 10,000 sq. ft. greenhouse and about an acre of land. She
never made that much on her operation and extrapolates from her own
experiences that it is possible. I would take that with a cup of
salt. She very well may be right but she has no proof. She didn't do
it and did not mention anyone else that had. So again the title of
the book is misleading. Some interesting things gleaned from the book:
1. It is possible to heat a greenhouse completely with solar
means. 2. It is possible to cool a greenhouse completely with solar
means. 3. A living could be made from the above greenhouse. 4.
Animals incorporated into the greenhouse environment can enhance the
quality of the plants by emitting co2 and they can provide another
source of income. There may be some other things but as I said you
will have to dig for them....
Rating:
Summary: This book has some serious problems
Review: Solviva-How to Grow $500,000 on One Acre & Peace On Earth. Thisis a strange book! A How-To book it is not. It is a hodge podge ofthoughts, green speak, observations, the authors past 20 years oflife, some interesting applications of solar structures, much greenspeak, her experience with a greenhouse and the business it generated,more green speak, ...full-color pictures of plants, animals, insects,artwork, green speak, and lastly green speak. Whether wrote this wayon purpose or not it is confusing. It is a very disjointed book; moreabout a persons philosophy of life than about a greenhouse that washeated and cooled by strictly solar methods. The books layout andprogression is far from logical and it is quite a chore waddingthrough all of the philosophizing to arrive at some meat. Does thisbook have value? Some. But cut out all of the psycho babble, greenspeak and moralizing, rearrange the contents, do some more homework onsolar and other peoples projects and failures, get a few scientificfacts verified, more data and details on what Mss Edey did and did notdo, then perhaps it might be a worthwhile book. One glaring lack, atleast as far as I am concerned; it is not a How To book. Maybe thatis not a big issue when one is writing in a diary, but when the bookstitle page uses that term and the book does not deliver, then it is amajor issue. The income generating potential of a solar heatedgreenhouse that uses strict organic methods has a lot of merit andexpanded outdoors during the summer months one could expect that theincome would increase. She makes a claim that $500,000 is possiblewith the 10,000 sq. ft. greenhouse and about an acre of land. Shenever made that much on her operation and extrapolates from her ownexperiences that it is possible. I would take that with a cup ofsalt. She very well may be right but she has no proof. She didn't doit and did not mention anyone else that had. So again the title ofthe book is misleading. Some interesting things gleaned from the book:1. It is possible to heat a greenhouse completely with solarmeans. 2. It is possible to cool a greenhouse completely with solarmeans. 3. A living could be made from the above greenhouse. 4.Animals incorporated into the greenhouse environment can enhance thequality of the plants by emitting co2 and they can provide anothersource of income.There may be some other things but as I said youwill have to dig for them....
Rating:
Summary: Green Speak is Good Henry Shocley
Review: This book is a marvelous example of the way we should manage our lives. Too many people use and dispose of things without care of how it will affect future generations or themselves. This book explains practical solutions for everyday energy, food, and solid wastes. If you are Henry Shocley or anyone who does not care about their impact on the environment, you should not purchase this book. It is not a get rich quick scheme.
Rating: 
Summary: A great book on how to live sustainably on Earth
Review: This book is about one woman's sacred vision and commitment to learning to live sustainably on Earth. Since 1976 Anna Edey has made one astonishing discovery after another (how to heat and cool with solar power, how to grow exceptionally high yields of highest quality organic foods year-round without heating fuel or cooling fans, how to manage sewage in ways that benefit the landscape and reduce water pollution, etc) under the name Solviva Solar-Dynamic Bio-Benign Design. The results of her experiments and methods have again and again exceeded highest hopes and expectations. This book describes the exciting trials and triumphs of her journey, and offers convincing proof that we can, with today's technology and knowledge, live in ways that reduce pollution and depletion of resources by 80% or more, and at the same time reduce cost of living and improve quality of life, in urban and rural locations anywhere on Earth. The book contains 155 color illustrations, and many detailed instructions and recommendations to help others along on their own journeys toward living sustainably.
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