Eco–Pioneers – Practical Visionaries Solving Today′s Environmental Problems - Hardcover

Lerner, Steve

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0262122073 ISBN 13: 9780262122078

Publisher: MIT Press, 1997

Synopsis

The idea for Eco-Pioneers came to Steve Lerner 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.

About this title

Review

-- 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" & 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"

About the Author

Steve Lerner is the author of Eco-Pioneers: Practical Visionaries Solving Today's Environmental Problems 1998) and Diamond: A Struggle for Environmental Justice in Louisiana's Chemical Corridor (2005), both published by the MIT Press.

Edition details

• Publisher: MIT Press
• Publication date: 1997
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0262122073
• ISBN 13: 9780262122078
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 472