The Optimistic Environmentalist: Progressing Toward a Greener Future

Environmental attorney David Boyd doesn't believe the enduring myth that environmental protection and economic well-being are mutually exclusive, and provides a bounty of evidence from around the world to support his perspective. Boyd begins and ends with what interests even the most calloused: whales, bald eagles, peregrine falcons and other species once thought nearly extinct that have rebounded as a result of changes in environmental policy, as well as species that have survived terrible damage to their ecosystem, like sea otters and sockeye salmon.

While the thought of animals thriving is heartwarming, Boyd reassures even hardened pessimists that the environmental impact of renewable energy, electric transportation, cradle-to-cradle products, organic agriculture and circular economies is also profitable. Throughout the world, even less-developed countries are finding ways to shrink their global footprint, while Scandinavian countries are continually searching for ways to improve their already impressive efforts toward minimizing their impact on the earth.

Boyd is convinced that a shift from a consumer-based, stuff-obsessed society toward one that values experiences like spending time outside with friends and family is well underway. He includes many ways to promote environmentally responsible lifestyles: sharing goods and services, supporting institutions committed to green ideals, traveling emissions-free, building sustainable structures and eating less (or no) meat, to name a few. The more "ecologically literate" we become, and the more we understand our interdependence on natural systems for basic needs--air, water, food, medicine, shelter--the less we will underestimate our individual role and impact. --Kristen Galles from Book Club Classics

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