HOPS Press, LLC Books: Sustainable Living, Wilderness Survival, and Nature and Foraging Guides.

Thomas J. Elpel's
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HOPS Press LLC
PO Box 697
Pony, MT 59747

Looking for life-changing resources? Check out these books by Thomas J. Elpel:

Green
Prosperity

Roadmap
to Reality

Living
Homes

Participating
in Nature

Foraging the
Mountain West

Botany
in a Day

Shanleya's
Quest

From Nature Guides to Sustainable Living
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Books by Thomas J. Elpel

      Concerned about environmental issues since childhood, Thomas J. Elpel has made it his life's work to understand, promote, and build a truly sustainable civilization. The task isn't all that difficult from a technical standpoint. We have the necessary technology, and it is typically more economical to go green than to continue living the way we are now. We can increase our individual and collective health and prosperity by building a sustainable, green economy.

      Yet, somehow, experts and lay persons remain trapped in an old way of doing things, unable to see practical alternatives. Professors and politicians sometimes formulate abstract theories about how to shift our civilization in a more sustainable direction, and it looks good on paper, but in the real world, they remain hopelessly dependent on an unsustainable industrial infrastructure. At the end of the day, they go home, turn up the thermostat, eat a meal imported from thousands of miles away, and make plans to rip out and replace all the old carpeting in the house.

      Tom's investigations began in the Stone Age, exploring primitive skills and how to meet one's needs for shelter, warmth, water, and food with the most basic resources at hand. Tom recognized that it wouldn't be possible to abandon civilization and sustain the current world population as hunter-gatherers foraging in the woods. But Tom also recognized that these kinds of experiences are critical for maintaining our connection to the real world. After all, creating a sustainable civilization is ultimately rooted in survival skills and the quest to provide shelter, warmth, water, and food for all. His books Participating in Nature, Foraging the Mountain West, Botany in a Day, and Shanleya's Quest speak directly to this need to rekindle our connection with the natural world.

      At the same time, Tom recognizes that we cannot change the world by merely encouraging people to appreciate nature more. It is essential to connect the dots from nature education to sustainable living. Driven in part by the necessity to meet his own survival needs as a young adult, Tom built a passive solar stone and log home on a shoestring budget - and later switched over to solar power to generate electricity. He demonstrated that it is still possible to achieve the American Dream - to own a quality home without a mortgage or big utility bills, as detailed in his book Living Homes. Tom expanded on that theme in Green Prosperity, demonstrating that sustainable living can be far more economical and profitable than the way our society operates today.

      It is illogical that our society should continue to do things the hard way, when there are more economical, greener alternatives. This conundrum led Tom to research worldviews and perceptions of reality to try and understand why people are often unable to see answers that seems obvious once you know what to look for. This research led to his most far-reaching book Roadmap to Reality: Consciousness, Worldviews, and the Blossoming of Human Spirit. As Tom has discovered, creating a sustainable civilization is relatively easy. The challenging part is helping people to see beyond their normal expectations to see what is truly possible.

      Through his articles, classes, books, and videos, Tom continues to dedicate his life towards the effort to re-unite people with nature and create a sustainable civilization.

Now Available...

Montana Historical Novels
by Jan Elpel

Double Award Winner!

Five Months on the Missouri River
Paddling a Dugout Canoe

Tom's Newest Book!

Shanleya's Quest 2
Botany Adventure at the Fallen Tree

	Living Homes Stone Masonry, Log, and Strawbale Construction By Thomas J. Elpel The house of your Dreams does not have to be expensive. The key is all in the planning. How much a house costs, how it looks, how comfortable it is, how energy-efficient it is--all these things occur on paper before you pick up even one tool. A little extra time in the planning process can save you tens of thousands of dollars in construction and maintenance. That is time well spent! Living Homes takes you through the planning process to design an energy and resource efficient home that won't break the bank. Then, from the footings on up to the roof, Thomas J. Elpel guides you through the nuts and bolts of construction. [Read more...]	Living Homes $30.00 Click Here for more information and special Package Discounts
	Roadmap to Reality Consciousness, Worldviews, and the Blossoming of Human Spirit By Thomas J. Elpel, Illustrated by Bonnie Andrich What if our entire experience of reality were based on an assumption that could be proven false? In Roadmap to Reality, Thomas J. Elpel tests the assumption that we are a sentient (self-aware) species, and finds evidence suggesting otherwise. Like automatons, we copy beliefs and behaviors from generation to generation without consciously evaluating why we do what we do. Roadmap to Reality is the quest to unravel the illusions to discover what reality really is. The journey follows the link between technology and thought, showing how hunter-gatherer, agricultural, industrial, and informational societies define reality in predictable ways. [Read more...]	Roadmap to Reality $30.00 Click Here for more information and special Package Discounts
	Green Prosperity Quit Your Job, Live Your Dreams By Thomas J. Elpel Little actual work is required to provide for most human needs such as shelter, clothing, warmth, food, and water, and even new necessities, such as mobile phones and transportation. However, surplus time and idle hands represent a fundamental threat to society. The mechanism of control, subconsciously implemented throughout history, is to occupy people with meaningless work. Due to population growth and technological development, unneccesary work now consumes our resource base at an unsustainable rate and threatens all life on earth. The solution? Quit your job. Green Prosperity is a manual to sidestep the treadmill of meaningless work and break free from the machine, outlining concrete steps to take control of your life and live your own Dreams. [Read more...]	Green Prosperity $30.00 Click Here for more information and special Package Discounts
	Participating in Nature Wilderness Survival and Primitive Living Skills By Thomas J. Elpel Get in touch with your wild side! Primitive living is a way of learning about nature by participating in it. Instead of merely camping in the wilderness or passing through it, you can become part of the process. You learn about nature by using it to meet your needs for shelter, fire, water, and food. You set aside the trappings of modern culture and step directly into nature with little or nothing, to experience nature on its own terms. [Read more...]	Participating in Nature $30.00 Click Here for more information and special Package Discounts
	Foraging the Mountain West Gourmet Edible Plants, Mushrooms, and Meat By Thomas J. Elpel and Kris Reed There's food in them thar hills! There is also food in the valleys, meadows, swamps, and all around town, too... maybe even in your own backyard. Foraging the Mountain West is a guide to harvesting and celebrating nature's abundance. Reach out and explore the world with your taste buds. Discover new delights you will never find at the store. Connect with nature on a deeper level by meeting, greeting, and eating the plants, fungi, and creatures that share the neighborhood. Become a little more self-sufficient, and a lot more aware. [Read more...]	Foraging the Mountain West $30.00 Click Here for more information and special Package Discounts
	Botany in a Day The Patterns Method of Plant Identification By Thomas J. Elpel Botany in a Day is changing the way people learn about plants! Tom's book has gained a nationwide audience almost exclusively by word-of-mouth. It is now used as a text at universities and high schools as well as herbal and wilderness schools across North America. Instead of presenting individual plants, Botany in a Day unveils the patterns of identification and uses among related plants, giving readers simple tools to rapidly unlock the mysteries of the new species they encounter throughout the continent. [Read more...]	Botany in a Day $36.00 Click Here for more information and special Package Discounts
	Shanleya's Quest (Book 1) A Botany Adventure for Kids Ages 9 to 99 By Thomas J. Elpel. Illustrated by Gloria Brown In a mythical world where time is a liquid that falls as rain upon the land, young Shanleya paddles her canoe out to the "Tree Islands" to learn the plant traditions of her people. Each island is home to a separate family of plants and an unforgettable Guardian with lessons to teach about the identification and uses of those plants. Shanleya's Quest is a truly unique educational book that presents botanical concepts and plant identification skills in an easy and fun metaphorical format for children as well as for adults who are young at heart. [Read more...]	Shanleya's Quest (Book 1) $15.00 Click Here for more information and special Package Discounts
	Shanleya's Quest (Card Game 1) Patterns in Plants Card Game By Thomas J. Elpel The Patterns in Plants Card Game is a fun way to test your skills at identifying the family patterns described in Shanleya's Quest. Learn to see the patterns in the game. Then you will be able to recognize them in the real world! Many different plant identification games are possible with this deck of cards. [Read more...]	Shanleya's Quest (Card Game 1) $15.00 Click Here for more information and special Package Discounts
	La Búsqueda de Shanleya (Book) Una aventura botánica para niños de 9 a 99 años Escrito por Thomas J. Elpel, ilustrado por Gloria Brown. Traducido por Janeth Warg En un mundo mítico donde el Tiempo es un líquido que cae en forma de lluvia, Shanleya remó su canoa hacia "Las Islas del Árbol" para aprender las tradiciones de las plantas de su pueblo. Cada isla es el hogar de una familia diferente de plantas y de un Guardián inolvidable, con lecciones para aprender acerca de la identificación y uso de esas plantas. La Búsqueda de Shanleya es un libro único verdaderamente educativo, que presenta conceptos botánicos y habilidades de identificación de plantas en un formato metafórico fácil y divertido para los niños y adultos. [Read More...]	La Búsqueda de Shanleya (Edición Española) $15.00 Click Here for more information and special Package Discounts
	Shanleya's Quest 2 (Book 2) Botany Adventure at the Fallen Tree By Thomas J. Elpel. Illustrated by Bonnie Andrich The Adventure Continues... After hearing tales of adventure at the Great Tree in Shanleya's Quest, Adelia, Katyln, and Peter now embark on a magical journey back in time to meet the legendary botanist. Together they explore the world that bloomed after the fall of the Great Tree. They examine old flower fossils, discover new plant families and their guardians, and experience the wonderful world of plants. [Read more...]	Shanleya's Quest 2 (Book 2) $15.00 Click Here for more information and special Package Discounts
	Shanleya's Quest 2 (Card Game 2) Patterns in Plants Card Game By Thomas J. Elpel The Patterns in Plants Card Game is a fun way to test your skills at identifying the family patterns described in Shanleya's Quest 2. Learn to see the patterns in the game. Then you will be able to recognize them in the real world! Many different plant identification games are possible with this deck of cards. [Read more...]	Shanleya's Quest 2 (Card Game 2) $15.00 Click Here for more information and special Package Discounts
	I'm a Medicine Woman, Too! A Tale of Herbal Wisdom and Personal Empowerment for Budding Healers and Daydream Believers By Jesse Wolf Hardin I'm a Medicine Woman, Too! is a colorful and soulful book of self discovery and personal empowerment for budding healers, as well as every kid heeding a calling or pursuing a dream. Rhiannon is the inspiration and model for this tale of realization and growth, as she first resists believing she could ever be a Medicine Woman like the herbalists and healers she's met... but then realizes the ways in which she is already the woman of power she hopes to be. [Read more...]	I'm a Medicine Woman, Too! $15.00 Click Here for more information and special Package Discounts
	Berrigan's Ride A novel by Jan Elpel Berrigan's Ride is a novel of love, abandonment and acceptance set primarily in Hot Spring District, Madison County, in southwestern Montana (Norris), 1866 - 1868, and a drama of symbolic healing between North and South after the Civil War. [Read more...]	Berrigan's Ride $16.00 Click Here for more information and special Package Discounts
	Healers of Big Butte A novel by Jan Elpel Healers of Big Butte is a light-hearted story of relationships and inner struggles during a little-known period of silver mining in Big Butte, Montana Territory, 1875-1877. But historic events intrude on the once pristine mile-high bowl on the Continental Divide, where miners and cattlemen come into conflict, and tensions lead up to the Nez Perce War. [Read more...]	Healers of Big Butte $16.00 Click Here for more information and special Package Discounts
	Heirloom China A novel by Jan Elpel Heirloom China is a murder mystery that pits Patrick Colter's obsession against unknown forces in the silver mining town of Butte, Montana Territory, 1877 - 1879. Patrick risks all for a chance to solve a cold case in revenge of his role model and mentor, a man who inspired him to attend Harvard and bring law and justice to the Territory. [Read more...]	Heirloom China $16.00 Click Here for more information and special Package Discounts

Also by Thomas J. Elpel
K - 12 Outdoor Skills
Free Online Curriculum Guide
For Schools, Scouts, Nature Centers, and Families

Existing curriculum guides and lesson plans about outdoor and environmental education are almost universally activity-book oriented, rather than interactive and experiential. Instead of going outside, teachers are instructed to talk about nature, and the students participate by doing activity pages. While such guides are well-intended, they do nothing to connect students with the real world. The lesson plans here are intended to be more interactive with the real world, and above all, stimulating and fun. [Read more... ]

Dear Tom,
It has been way too long since I communicated with you. I last saw you about 10 years when Carla Emery gave a presentation at your place. I spent the night in your tipi. I was living near Helena at the time. I live Jackson Hole, Wyoming now, and am an environmental educator with Teton Science Schools. I think of you often, and the great work that you are doing and the significant positive impacts that you are having on this planet.

I have been very impressed with your book Foraging the Mountain West. My wife gave it to me for Father's Day this year. How fitting is that since one of my goals as a Dad is to ensure that my daughter knows and understands where her food comes (not to mention her clothing, shelter, tools, etc). When we grow it, gather it, or hunt it, it is inherent to use it conservatively, wisely, thoughtfully. I have a lot of edible plant guides on the shelf, however, yours is unique in its approach to "foraging", including fungi, road killed animals, and dumpster diving. And if I didn't already know your work, it would be incredibly clear to me that you wrote this book after spending a tremendous amount of "dirt time". I am also impressed with your research of the current science and taxonomy.

I hope you are well. Thanks for all that you do.

Kevin Taylor