Sanders, S: Conservationist Manifesto

As an antidote to the destructive culture of consumption dominating American life today, Scott Russell Sanders calls for a culture of conservation that allows us to savor and preserve the world, instead of devouring it. How might we shift to a more durable and responsible way of life? What changes in values and behavior will be required? Ranging geographically from southern Indiana to the Boundary Waters Wilderness and culturally from the Bible to billboards, Sanders extends the visions of Henry David Thoreau, John Muir, and Rachel Carson to our own day. A Conservationist Manifesto shows the crucial relevance of a conservation ethic at a time of mounting concern about global climate change, depletion of natural resources, extinction of species, and the economic inequities between rich and poor nations. The important message of this powerful book is that conservation is not simply a personal virtue but a public one.

';Eloquent... a must-read for anyone committed to taking care of the natural world and passing it along to future generations' (ForeWord). As an antidote to the destructive culture of consumption dominating American life today, Scott Russell Sanders calls for a culture of conservation that allows us to savor and preserve the world, instead of devouring it. How might we shift to a more durable and responsible way of life? What changes in values and behavior will be required? Ranging from southern Indiana to the Boundary Waters Wilderness, and from billboards to the Bible, Sanders's 40-point blueprint for ecological health extends the visions of Henry David Thoreau, John Muir, and Rachel Carson to our own day. A Conservationist Manifesto shows the crucial relevance of a conservation ethic at a time of mounting concern about global climate change, depletion of natural resources, extinction of species, and the economic inequities between rich and poor nations. The important message of these ';original and intriguing' essays is that conservation is not simply a personal virtue but a public one (Publishers Weekly). ';A book to be savoredfor its language, its stories, its sense of place, and for how it reminds us of the profound relationships with nature and each other that can inspire us to change how we live on this planet.' Will Rogers, President, The Trust for Public Land

PrefacePart One: Caring for EarthBuilding ArksCommon WealthA Few Earthy WordsTwo StonesThe Warehouse and the WildernessPart Two: Caring for Our Home GroundThe Geography of SomewhereHometownOn Loan from the Sundance SeaBig Trees, Still Water, Tall GrassLimberlostPart Three: Caring for Generations to ComeWilderness as a Sabbath for the LandSimplicity and SanityStillnessA Conservationist ManifestoFor the ChildrenWords of ThanksFurther ReadingNotes