A Spring Without Bees by Michael Schacker

Hi Everyone!

Our book for September was A Spring Without Bees by Michael Schacker. The book investigates Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), a syndrome that has had a major impact on honeybees. Schacker describes how the loss of bees could be a disaster for food production, the economy, and even civilizaton itself. While U.S. media and government say that CCD is a mystery with no known cause, the author cites French studies that implicate the pesticide imidacloprid and other similar pesticides. These studies led to the pesticide being banned in France. He argues that U.S. research institutes and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are ignoring this evidence because they are dominated by the chemical industry. He then outlines a plan to save the bees, which includes a recommendation to switch to organic agriculture.

This book prompted an interesting book club discussion. Many of our members enjoyed this book and liked the engaging writing style, and appreciated knowing more about this issue. Few of us had heard of the CCD/imidacloprid link, and most found it quite plausible that chemical companies were using their influence to suppress the French research and focus attention on other possible causes. There was a general appreciation for the author's promotion of organic methods, and many pleasant digressions into the topics of gardening and honey and beekeeping.

However, many people found Schacker's style to be too sensationalist. Some thought he exaggerated the threat, and overemphasized or misrepresented evidence that supported his argument and glossed over anything that didn't. Others noted that he seemed to rely on a very few studies, mention them repetetively, and treat their conclusions as fact. Some thought that sensationalist writing wasn't necessarily a bad thing, and that it might be necessary to get people to engage with the issue and pay attention. Still others criticized Schacker's expansion beyond the issue of CCD, and felt he was overreaching in his proposals to completely convert U.S. agriculture to organic methods. We brought up the large-scale organic farms talked about in Michael Pollan's book, The Omnivore's Dilemma, and commented that it didn't seem as ideal as Schacker envisioned. All in all it was an imperfect but interesting read that raised our awareness of an issue many of us knew little about.

We selected the book for November (see sidebar) but wanted to get ideas for more positive environmental books. So please, we would appreciate your recommendation of environmental books with a positive or solution oriented emphasis. Send them to jlewis@asri.org. Any and all recommendations are welcome. Thanks!

Next up: "The Green Road to Economic Recovery" by Bracken Hendricks and “Eco-Junk: Why Buying Less Is More Than Buying Green” by George Monbiot. See sidebar for schedule.

Happy Reading!

July Lewis