About the Book
The idea for this text came to the author while he was attending the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Although he was moved by the vision of sustainable development evoked by citizens and officials at the summit, as a reporter he felt a need to put a human face on the rhetoric and find out what sustainable development actually looks like in the United States. He spent the next four years searching out what he came to call "eco-pioneers" - the modern pathfinders who are working in the American pragmatic tradition to reduce the pace of environmental degradation. These practical visionaries are people who are willing to push the limits of whatever tools they can find for dealing with ecological problems. Lerner provides case studies of eco-pioneers who are exploring sustainable ways to log forests, grow food, save plant species, run cattle, build houses, clean up cities, redesign rural communities, generate power, conserve water, protect rivers and wildlife, treat hazardous waste, reuse materials, and reduce both waste and consumption.
Some of those profiled run businesses, some address environmental practices within their immediate community, and some combine their environmental concerns with social goals such as the creation of inner-city jobs. Together they are creating ways of living and working that many analysts believe to be essential to an ecologically sustainable future.
Table of Contents:
The search for low-impact building materials and techniques, Pliny Fisk III; Bringing native plants back to the American lawn, Lorrie Otto; Greenhouse treatment of municipal sewage, John Todd; The new frugality movement promotes living better by consuming less, Vick Robin, Joe Dominguez; Environmental solutions to inner-city problems, Scott Bernstein; A utility company switches from nuclear power to energy conservation, renewable energy, and electric vehicles, S. david Freeman; Breeding naturally coloured organic cotton eliminates the need for toxic dyes and pesticides, Sally Fox; Mining the discard supply, Daniel Knapp;Returning to selective forestry after the failure of clearcutting, Walton Smith; Transforming hazardous wastes into useful industrial materials, Christopher Nagel, William Haney III; Urban rooftop agriculture, Paul Mankiewicz; Transforming Chattanooga into environmental city, David Crockett; Redesigning buildings and building materials for environmentally intelligent architecture, William McDonough; Moving out of the flood plain and designing an environmentally sustainable community, (New Pattonsburg, Missouri); Promoting ecologically sustainable businesses in west coast temperate rain forests, Alana Probst; Students swap protests for practical work building an ecologically sustainable campus, Daniel Einstein, David Eagan; Western cattle rancher experiments with sustainable techniques, Jack Turnell; The mothers of east Los Angeles conserve water, protect the neighbourhood, and create jobs, Juana Beatriz Gutierrez; Sustainable agriculture takes root among family farmers in Iowa, Ron Rosmann; Zunis launch a sustainable action plan to manage tribal resources, James Enote; Saving the seed - rescuing important foods and medicinal crops from extinction, Kenny Ausubel; Cleaning up and reusing abandoned and contaminated industrial sites, (eco-justice activists); Helping families minimize environmental impact one household at a time, David Gershom; Two approaches to restoring trashed urban rivers, Thomas Schueler, Robert Boone; A green priest preaches about the need to protect god's creation, The Reverend Jeffrey Golliher.
Review :
"For sustainability to move from theory to practice, it requires the dedication and creativity Steve Lerner discovered in his 10,000 mile odyssey. Like the road to sustainability itself, Steve's journey circles back to show that American virtures such as gumption, ingenuity and unyielding persistance can once again revolutionize the world."--Paul Hawken, author of "The Ecology of Commerce"
& quot; For sustainability to move from theory to practice, it requires the dedication and creativity Steve Lerner discovered in his 10,000 mile odyssey. Like the road to sustainability itself, Steve's journey circles back to show that American virtures such as gumption, ingenuity and unyielding persistance can once again revolutionize the world.& quot; -- Paul Hawken, author of The Ecology of Commerce
" For sustainability to move from theory to practice, it requires the dedication and creativity Steve Lerner discovered in his 10,000 mile odyssey. Like the road to sustainability itself, Steve's journey circles back to show that American virtures such as gumption, ingenuity and unyielding persistance can once again revolutionize the world." -- Paul Hawken, author of "The Ecology of Commerce"
-- Paul Hawken, author of "The Ecology of Commerce"
