Au Natural: Ruminations on Nature

About the Book

Au Natural is a collection of essays by Lucille Bertuccio, long-time president and co-founder of The Center for Sustainable Living based in Bloomington Indiana. These essays focus not only on the beauty and diversity of the Earth as expressed locally by its myriad flora and fauna but also on living sustainably to protect this planet and its creatures. While reflecting on the lives of insects, birds, and bats these stories also play the role of cautionary tales calling on us to change our behavior. Included are paeans to earth, air, water, and fire, the “elements” necessary to life on Earth, which modern humans have (for the most part) ignored, damaged, and devastated. Beyond this idealistic view of the potential of living in harmony with the Earth, Ms. Bertuccio's essays invite us to open ourselves to the potentialities within ourselves by seeing the broad range and scope of life on this planet.

About the Author

Lucille Bertuccio was born in Brooklyn New York on January 31, 1936. Most of her life was spent in the Northeast, living in Brooklyn until the age of 21. Her haunts as a child were Prospect Park the Museum of Natural History and trips into the "wilds" of New Jersey and New York Palisades and Bear Mountain with her sisters Ann, Paula and Gloria and brother Jim. She has lived as long in both Hopewell New Jersey and Bloomington Indiana, two towns with rich culture and with a wonderful natural heritage. These articles were written for The Ryder: Artsm Entertainment, and Popular Culture Magazine, in Bloomington Indiana during the years 1994 and 2006. They still portray some truths that are relevant to our present. I hope you find them interesting and enjoyable.