Novena to Loss and Other Love Poems

In Novena to Loss and Other Love Poems, we see just how vastly, how deeply, the shadow of loss permeates every part of our lives. Kathleen O'Brien touches the truth of heartache with great courage and precision. These are clear-eyed poems about the muddle of grief, a stunning honoring of a life well lived and the gaping absence that remains. -Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer, author of The Unfolding

SPECIAL NOTE: In learning about Kathleen, you are apt to run into another author with the same name. That Kathleen also lives in the Northwest, but writes hot, sexy novels. If that is your jam, you’re welcome.

EMERGE: A Strategic Leadership Model for the Sustainable Building Community

Author Kathleen O’Brien brings 30-plus years as an award-winning educator, writer, strategic planner, and project consultant in the sustainable building field to her work as Founder of the EMERGE Leadership Project. Through this project, O’Brien has been providing leadership development support including training, mentoring, and tools to green building professionals and advocates with the ultimate goal of making this world a better place for all living species, now and into the future. Members of the sustainable building community who have participated in EMERGE programs have successfully launched policy initiatives, commercial enterprises, professional career transitions, community projects and more. The sustainability coordinator of one leading design firm has called EMERGE training “life-altering.” Now, O’Brien shares the strategic leadership model that is at the core of EMERGE programs, along with case studies, practical guidance, a personal leadership development template, and bonus exercises to assist you on your personal leadership journey.

The Northwest Green Home Primer: written with Kathleen Smith (2008, out of print)

Everyone can make green home decisions on a budget with this inspiring, informationpacked guide. Whether you are building, remodeling, buying, or just curious, here are real-world strategies for getting the greenest results from your budget, with hundreds of ideas for a home that is built to last, comfortable and healthy, money- and time-saving in the long term, and kind to the planet. From your home's exterior to its operating systems within, from siting to interior design, this is the basic training that has given many the confidence to proceed. Award-winning sustainable design and building consultant and teacher Kathleen O'Brien and architectural designer and sustainability consultant Kathleen Smith offer their "top picks" for each phase. They've also each faced their own green home challenges in a single-family house and a duplex, and other case studies show affordable energy-efficient green homes both old and new. Brimming with ideas, clear and logical, with tips, checklists, and resources for green home planning, construction, remodeling, and maintenance, extensively illustrated with photos and diagrams, this is the essential green home manual for novice and professional alike.

BOOK REVIEW of The Northwest Green Home Primer on Northwest EcoBuilding Guild.