Water in Plain Sight
- Author Judith D. Schwartz
- Narrator Tia Rider
- Publisher Chelsea Green Publishing
- Publish Date 2 May 2019
- Run Time 8 hours and 25 minutes
- Format Audio
- Genre Agriculture and farming, Applied ecology, Central / national / federal government policies, Climate change, Conservation of the environment, Cultural studies: food and society, Drought and water supply, Ecological science, the Biosphere, Hydrology and the hydrosphere, Sustainable agriculture.
Click to open directly in the xigxag app.
Flexible Pricing & Rewards For Listening
At xigxag, the more you read, the less you pay* on select audiobook and x-book® titles, as in the table below. Pricing updates automatically in the app and resets one year after your first purchase. And you can always find a selection of brilliant titles available for only $7.99.
*Only the full price titles you buy count toward your personal pricing tier. Full price titles don’t include Listen for Less or other books bought with a voucher or discount code.
Titles Purchased
- 1-5
- 6-10
- 11-15
- 16-20
- Over 20
Price p/Title
- $15.99
- $14.99
- $13.99
- $12.99
- $11.99
Listen to a sample
What to expect
Water scarcity is on everyone’s mind. Long taken for granted, water availability has become dependent on economics, politics, and people’s food and lifestyle choices. But as anxiety mounts—and even as a swath of California farmland has been left fallow, and extremist groups worldwide exploit the desperation of people losing livelihoods to desertification—many are finding new routes to water security with key implications for food access, economic resilience, and climate change.
Water does not perish, nor does it require millions of years to form as do fossil fuels. However water is always on the move and we must learn to work with its natural movement. In this timely, important book, Judith D. Schwartz presents a refreshing perspective on water that transcends zero-sum thinking. By allying with the water cycle, we can revive lush, productive landscapes, like the river in rural Zimbabwe that now flows miles further than it has in living memory thanks to restorative grazing; the fruit-filled food forest in Tucson, Arizona, grown by harvesting urban wastewater; or the mini-oasis in West Texas nourished by dew.
Animated by stories from around the globe, Water In Plain Sight is an inspiring reminder that fixing the future of our drying planet involves understanding what makes natural systems thrive.
Critics Review
“Happily, this book maps out, in very entertaining fashion, compelling strategies for fixing our broken relationship with water and offers hope that we can find ‘new routes to water security.’”—Tom Newmark, chairman, Greenpeace Fund USA; cofounder and chairman, The Carbon Underground
“Insightful, informative, and inspirational—Schwartz connects the dots between soil, climate, and water, bringing solutions to light.”—David R. Montgomery, author of Growing a Revolution
“Judith Schwartz’s work gives us not just hope but also a sense that we humans—serial destroyers that we are—can actually turn the climate crisis around.”—Gretel Ehrlich, author of Facing the Wave
“People all over the world agonize about water―too much or not enough―and are directed to expensive, high-tech solutions. But in this important and exhilarating book, Judith Schwartz argues that the solutions lie in understanding and working with nature. Herein lies abundance and hope.”—Kristin Ohlson, author of The Soil Will Save Us
“This book is part of a necessary movement to restore water to a central place in the climate and ecological conversation. Judith Schwartz paints a vivid picture of the miracles of land healing that are possible through the right relationship to soil and water. This book should be high on the reading list of every environmental activist.”—Charles Eisenstein, author of Climate—A New Story
“What a great book! Judith Schwartz shows how better management of our land and water could change the climate.”—Alice Outwater, author of Water: A Natural History
“Water in Plain Sight is one of the most important books ever written on water. While conventional wisdom holds that greenhouse gas–fuelled climate change causes floods and drought, Judith explains that our collective abuse of soil and local watersheds is a major cause of climate chaos, and shows how retaining water in soil and forests as well as restoring local water cycles will help heal our threatened planet.”—Maude Barlow, water justice activist; author of Blue Future
“The water cycle is Earth’s greatest gift to life, yet it is now badly broken. Through fascinating stories, Judith Schwartz reveals how we can work with nature to make the cycle function again—and in doing so lessen climate change, build healthier landscapes, and boost our odds for sustained prosperity. There is no message more important today, and it is time to act on it.”—Sandra Postel, author of Replenish
“Imagine having a wise and well-traveled friend eager to take you on a global tour of water triumphs and failures. Minus the airfare and jet lag, that is what Judith Schwartz has brought us with Water in Plain Sight.”—Seth M. Siegel, author of Let There Be Water
“In this beautifully written book about water, Judith Schwartz reveals that water is far more than the elixir of life. For the non-specialist but informed reader, Schwartz imaginatively unpacks the vital role that water plays in not just our natural and farming landscape functions, but also in our planet’s self-organizing and sustaining systems.
Richly researched and written in a deceptively easy and personal style, Water in Plain Sight renders the complex comprehensible, enjoyable, and thus accessible. As a consequence, in the midst of humanity’s obtuse behaviour in destabilizing our Earth and landscape systems, Schwartz—through her thematic focus on water—delightfully explains the key principles that can enable us to begin addressing our Anthropocene challenge while offering hope for regeneration of both planetary and human health.”—Charles Massy, author of Call of the Reed Warbler
“Our freshwater crisis isn’t just caused by drought and overconsumption—it’s also the product of deforestation, unmanaged grazing, the destruction of wildlife, and other benighted land management practices. Fortunately, there are solutions. Water in Plain Sight reveals that restoring our planet’s ecosystems can help replenish our most precious resource. In her inspiring, erudite book, Judith Schwartz introduces readers to the Amish farming consultants, Texas dew harvesters, and Zimbabwean graziers who are developing world-changing approaches to ecological restoration and water stewardship. Water in Plain Sight proves that our water woes aren’t inevitable, and that the most sustainable path forward lies in partnering with nature rather than attempting to wrestle it into submission.”—Ben Goldfarb, author of Eager
“Hope, like water, often lies hidden just out of sight. Water in Plain Sight helps us find both.”—Jim Robbins, author of The Man Who Planted Trees
“Water makes up much of our planet and our bodies and yet what keeps it available and safe is a mystery to most of us. This fascinating and readable book is a primer for how to save our health as we save our ecosystems.”—Daphne Miller MD, author of Farmacology and The Jungle Effect
More from the same
About xigxag
Experience the best audiobooks with xigxag, an innovative and user-friendly audiobook platform designed for seamless discovery, purchase, and enjoyment of your favorite titles. Our flexible pricing model offers bestselling audiobooks for less, providing affordable prices and the best audiobook deals without requiring a subscription. Perfect for gifting, xigxag also features convenient audiobook gift cards and in-app audiobook gifting options.
Beyond the listening experience, xigxag stands as an exciting alternative to big tech, embodying a strong commitment to sustainability and ethical practices. As the only B Corp certified UK audiobook service, we ensure a guilt-free listening experience from a leader in audiobook innovation.
Effortlessly search audiobooks, access honest audiobook reviews that evaluate both the content and narration, and easily discover hidden gems. Whether you prefer to download or stream top audiobook titles, xigxag provides the best possible listening experience anytime, anywhere, on the UK’s best independent audiobook app. Discover the future of audiobooks today.