Sustainable Planet: Solutions for the 21st Century by Juliet Schor Professor of Economics (Editor), Betsy Taylor (Editor)

Product Details

Synopsis

Americans work longer, with less vacation time, than the citizens of any other industrialized nation. And they consume more: recent scientific estimates indicate that at least four additional planets would be needed to support the earth's population if each of the planet's 6 billion inhabitants consumed at the level of the average American. It's a lifestyle that's hard on both people and the environment.

In Sustainable Planet, some of the best known writers on sustainable living—Juliet Schor, Bill McKibben, Mary Pipher, Herman Daly, Vicki Robin, and William McDonough—write about how we might change the way we live. Looking at issues as diverse as consumerism, overwork, lack of spirituality, loss of community, alienation from nature, and unsustainable development, the authors dissect the problems plaguing our society and offer practical advice about how to change the way we live.

This anthology comes out of the work of the Center for a New American Dream, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping Americans change the way they consume to improve quality of life, protect the environment, and promote social justice.

Library Journal

The mission of the Center for a New American Dream (CNAD) is to "help people consume responsibly to protect the environment, enhance quality of life and promote social justice." Schor, author of The Overworked American and a member of CNAD's advisory board, and CNAD executive director Taylor present 16 essays that contain case studies, illustrations, and examples in support of that mission. The diverse essayists, some better known than others, include a congresswoman (Nydia M. Vel zquez, D-NY), a CEO (Jeffrey Hollender, Seventh Generation), an economist (John Cavanagh), and an author (Bill McKibben). But all have an abiding interest in the concept of sustainability, and practical action suggestions abound. Several of the articles will raise the awareness of those who are not fully alert to the impact of their consumer choices and how interwoven with environmental and social quality the purchase of a piece of clothing or an overly equipped car really is. This is a positive, informative, hopeful, and concrete anthology. Highly recommended for most environmental collections, public and academic, though those who might benefit the most may be those least likely to read it.-Nancy Moeckel, Miami Univ. Libs., Oxford, OH Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Biography

Juliet Schor is author of the best-selling The Overworked American and Do Americans Shop Too Much? (Beacon / 0443-X / $12.00 pb) and is on the advisory board of the Center for a New American Dream (CNAD). She is aprofessor of economics at Harvard University. She lives in Newton, Massachusetts. Betsy Taylor is executive director of CNAD and author of the forthcoming What Kids Want That Money Can't Buy. She lives in Maryland.