Practical Steps (and Optimism) For Attaining A Sustainable Future

Lucia Athens talks about her book: The Sustainability Revolutionists: Heroes and Hope for Our Common 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.

Athens describes herself thusly: I have been writing about and working on urban sustainability and green building for over 20 years. I was a member of the City of Austin Green Builder program team when it was first getting started back in the early 90's, and later led the City of Seattle's green building initiative for ten years. I have been at the forefront of public sector leadership in sustainable development policy and incentives. My first book, Building an Emerald City published by Island Press, shares practical tips on establishing. I call myself a "practical idealist" in that I excel at building a vision, enrolling others in the sustainability movement, and grounding all of this in practical steps for change.