OUR EARTH, OUR HOME

Beautifully illustrated, energetic guide from Japan for forward-thinking kids and parents on how to live in harmony with our earth—contains sections on DIY crafts, design thinking, mindfulness, gardening, eating, permaculture, and more

Young readers will be swept along by Kai, the guide on this journey, who only has five rules:

1) Be yourself
2) You have everything you need
3) You can create whatever you want
4) We are all connected
5) Have fun with life!
 
With those rules as the north star, Ranger Kai teaches kids and adults about eating, permaculture, mindfulness, design thinking, creating a garden, DIY crafts, and more. Each section includes illustrated step-by-step guides and activity ideas. 
 
Many books on climate change and green living for kids focus on recycling or other small-picture ideas. This book from Japan dares to truly envision a post-carbon future—and not only that, embraces it and charts the path towards a truly fun life, in harmony with the Earth.

Kai Sawyer is a nonviolence activist born in Tokyo in 1983. He was raised in Niigata, Hawaii and Osaka. While attending the University of California, Santa Cruz, he began to engage with the anti-war movement and sustainability. He also co-chaired the Education for Sustainable Living Program (ESLP). As the founder of Tokyo Urban Permaculture, an experimental project based on the gift economy, he conducts workshops on permaculture, nonviolent communication, mindfulness, systems thinking and such around the world. With his collaborators, he wants to create a world where everyone lives life to the fullest.
Azusa Fukuoka met her husband at a shared house, and moved to a satoyama (community-based forest) in Chiba Prefecture after their child was born. They are exploring how to live a sustainable life that is fun and beautiful, while implementing the practices of permaculture. She is also involved with a local community project, Small Earth, to create a community space for both locals and city dwellers.

Wakana Kawamura is an illustrator and permaculture designer, born in in Hyogo Prefecture. Her fascination with American music & art brought her to the West Coast of the US in 2008.She attended the Urban Permaculture Institute in San Francisco. After returning to Japan, she joined the Permaculture Design Lab that focuses on making edible forests in Japan and began to work as an illustrator. She loves invisible creatures such as fermentation bacteria and soil microbes!