The Sustainability Revolutionists: Heroes and Hope for Our Planet's Future

This book is for you if, like thousands of others, you have realized that sustainability's moment has finally come. Shifting our world from its current unsustainable path will require a revolution of hearts, minds, and bodies. It will take people from every corner of the planet, at every level, from the grass roots to those in power, to be a part of the change. Hope is one of sustainability's critical components. The book delivers a greater sense of optimism about our ability to achieve a sustainable future.

One of our biggest challenges is that there are still many among us who are left out of the story. This book offers up sustainability as an integrative, inclusive concept, reliant upon solutions that address and balance environmental, social, and economic needs. These three key pillars represent the widely recognized framework for sustainability, and the book's central organizing concept.

The Sustainability Revolutionists delivers a masterclass in one of today's most elusive concepts. Learn the deeper meanings of sustainability through the powers of story. This collection of tales, surrounding a pantheon of relatable revolutionist super-heroes, draws a roadmap to guide you through a challenging subject. Revolutionists are special people. They are the change-makers who don't take no for an answer, and who march to the beat of a different drummer. Revolutions tend to be messy endeavors, but without them we'd be forever stuck in the past, chained to realities that no longer serve us.

Riding on a rich menu of stories, an imaginary dinner party brings three historical revolutionist figures around the author's dinner table. Renowned explorer Jacques Cousteau provides a foundation in environmental sustainability. Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop retail chain, offers lessons in economic sustainability. The heartbeat of social sustainability appears in the trials and triumphs of legendary labor organizer César Chávez.

Sustainability is a journey. The Sustainability Revolutionists takes you on an unforgettable trip, full of faraway places and inspiring people. Based in research and reporting, these stories of sustainability in action provide new perspectives for tackling the challenging times we live in. With equal measures of wisdom and hope, this book is a manifesto for the Sustainability Revolution.