Eric Toensmeier is an author of several books focused on climate change, biodiversity, and nutrition.
He is also a lecturer at
Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...
and a Senior Biosequestration Fellow at Project Drawdown.
Previously, he managed a farm program for Nuestras Raices, a nonprofit organization that ran community gardens in
Holyoke, Massachusetts; and ran a mail-order seed company with Jonathan Bates for plants that would improve the soil or attract beneficial insects.
Career
Toensmeier's works include ''Paradise Lot'',
''Perennial Vegetables: From Artichoke to ‘Zuiki’ Taro, a Gardener’s Guide to Over 100 Delicious, Easy-to-Grow Edibles'',
''Edible Forests Gardens: Ecological Vision and Theory for Temperate Climate Permaculture'' (co-authored),
and ''Perennial Vegetables: A neglected resource for biodiversity,
carbon sequestration
Carbon sequestration is the process of storing carbon in a carbon pool. Carbon dioxide () is naturally captured from the atmosphere through biological, chemical, and physical processes. These changes can be accelerated through changes in lan ...
, and nutrition'' (co-authored).
In ''Perennial Vegetables: A neglected resource'', Toensmeier provides information on crops that could help address malnutrition issues, including trees with edible, nutritious leaves.
Perennial plants are those that grow all-year-round and do not require replanting or reseeding.
They are used in regenerative and sustainable farming.
In February 2020, Toensmeier's 2016 book, ''Carbon Farming: A Global Toolkit for Stabilizing the Climate with Tree Crops and Regenerative Agriculture Practices'', was released as an ebook.
In the book, Toensmeier argues that carbon farming has the potential to return carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to 350 parts per million, while also providing food for people and regenerating soil.
Carbon farming is defined as the use of agriculture to remove excess carbon from the air and soil by storing it in trees and plants.
Toensmeier practices carbon farming at his home in
Holyoke, Massachusetts.
Toensmeier is an adviser for Summersweet Gardens Nursery at Perennial Pleasures, whose owner was inspired by Toensmeier's book, Perennial Vegetables.
More recently, Toensmeier became a senior fellow at the climate think tank,
Project Drawdown
Climate drawdown refers to the future point in time when levels of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere stop climbing and start to steadily decline. Drawdown is a milestone in reversing climate change and eventually reducing global ave ...
, as well as lecturing at
Yale
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...
.
Publications
* Paradise Lot
* Perennial Vegetables: From Artichoke to ‘Zuiki’ Taro, a Gardener's Guide to Over 100 Delicious, Easy-to-Grow Edibles
* Edible Forests Gardens: Ecological Vision and Theory for Temperate Climate Permaculture (co-authored)
* Perennial Vegetables: A neglected resource for biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and nutrition (co-authored)
* Carbon Farming: A Global Toolkit for Stabilizing the Climate with Tree Crops and Regenerative Agriculture Practices
See also
The Carbon Farming Solution
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Toensmeier, Eric
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
Yale University faculty
Male non-fiction writers
Horticulture
Place of birth missing (living people)
Nationality missing
Writers from Holyoke, Massachusetts