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Rating: 
Summary: Compelling and interesting
Review: An excellent inside view of what it was like for 8 people to live inside the Biosphere 2 for two years. This book sparked my interest in leading a healthier life, and in trying to live with as little impact on the Earth as possible. When you consider what terrible impact any outside toxins (e.g. pesticides) would have had inside Biosphere 2, you have to wonder what effects the toxins are having on us, out here in Biosphere 1 (Earth). Definitely a well-written book; a good read; very compelling.
Rating:
Summary: So you wanna be a Biospherian?
Review: Having first read "Biosphere 2: The Human Experiment" by John Allen, I came away with the technical side of its workings with only a brief look at the actual participants themselves and the going-on inside the 'dome. I searched out this book to gain a more personal aspect as to what it was like to live in isolation from the outside world with several other great scientists and have to deal with the fact that your very survival inside this pseudo-spaceship would depend utterly upon fragile human relationships and teamwork. The author is very good at describing a typical workday inside B2 and also describes the many personalities, quirks and eccentricities that made the people around her all so human. This is a book about the PEOPLE and not just a focus on the technology, and that's exactly what I found to be most interesting. What B2 fan hasn't wondered if they themselves could have managed inside for a year if given the chance? After reading this book, I realized I didn't have the "right stuff" to be a biosperian and probably would have been banging on the airlock to get out after a week. If you want to know what it was like to live in there, then read it from the people who lived it..the authors themselves. Very enlightening and recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: A healthier life is possible for both people and Earth
Review: I have always been interested in the functioning of small closed ecosystems. Biosphere2 has been the largest and longest-running example of one that actually included humans! A mixture of nature and technology, the concept behind the Biosphere2's original experiment is fascinating: whether humans can survive and thrive in a sealed enclosure while producing no waste, and recycling everything including air and water. Despite the eventual fate of this facility (it is now run as an open system lab by the U. of Columbia), the original experiment remains valuable as an idealistic example of what is possible in how we choose to live life on Earth.The book is well written and delves into every issue faced by the Biospherians in their two-year voyage from mundane everyday work (and partying) to the basics of the science of a closed ecosystem (carbon cycles, depleted oxygen, etc.). However, I found it a bit self-promoting. Published by the "Biosphere Press", the book is also an effort to sell the Biosphere's concept without delving too much into the difficulties of its appplication. Regardless, I wish a similar project (perhaps modified and improved based on lessons learned) was continued on a permanent basis.
Rating:
Summary: A healthier life is possible for both people and Earth
Review: I have always been interested in the functioning of small closed ecosystems. Biosphere2 has been the largest and longest-running example of one that actually included humans! A mixture of nature and technology, the concept behind the Biosphere2's original experiment is fascinating: whether humans can survive and thrive in a sealed enclosure while producing no waste, and recycling everything including air and water. Despite the eventual fate of this facility (it is now run as an open system lab by the U. of Columbia), the original experiment remains valuable as an idealistic example of what is possible in how we choose to live life on Earth. The book is well written and delves into every issue faced by the Biospherians in their two-year voyage from mundane everyday work (and partying) to the basics of the science of a closed ecosystem (carbon cycles, depleted oxygen, etc.). However, I found it a bit self-promoting. Published by the "Biosphere Press", the book is also an effort to sell the Biosphere's concept without delving too much into the difficulties of its appplication. Regardless, I wish a similar project (perhaps modified and improved based on lessons learned) was continued on a permanent basis.
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