Eco-Pioneers: Practical Visionaries Solving Today's Environmental Problems

Each chapter focuses on how these eco-pioneers turned visions of sustainable development into realities -- with benefits not only for Mother Earth, but also for the economy. They show us what they do in their own community, using innovative technology, creative problem solving, natural science, and entrepreneurial spirit. As Lerner writes, "[these] case studies show positive examples -- transforming hazardous wastes into useful industrial materials; treating sewage with organic methods; building houses with sustainably harvested or recycled materials; raising crops with less use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers; minimizing the waste stream by diverting reusable goods; generating and saving energy by using renewable sources and energy conservation measures; providing inner-city jobs while cleaning up the urban environment; producing lumber by practicing a selective method of forestry; and teaching people to consume less while enjoying life more."After finishing all of the thought-provoking case studies, you just might feel empowered enough to search for a solution to some problem in your part of the world. Lerner does not feel confident that corporations and governments will solve the global crisis that we might see. Individual people -- and their innovations -- will be the collective answer, one region at a time, one city at a time. Lerner hints that the future of ecological prosperity rests in the able hands of these enterpreneurs.However, there is no real and practical push for the reader to get started in local projects. The value of the book is more of a passive inspirational tool than an active instrument for leaders. The book leads by example[s], but it does not implore the reader to get out and do what has been chronicled. Also, because the book is based in the grassroots of the nation, it is difficult to determine if a message exists for big business. Perhaps what corporate America can do is to find these innovators and pioneers in their own companies, and give them the freedom and the tools (like time, money, and resources) to become agents of change for their employers and for their own communities.

Lerner's 10,000 mile journey around the U.S. to interview people at the cutting edge of new technolgies and applying overlooked ancient ones is inspiring. Cases explore a wide range - low-impact building materials, greenhouse treatments of sewage, environmental solutions to inner city problems, hazardous waste transformed to industrial materials, urban rooftop ag, models of sustainable communities in neighborhoods, cities and reservations. Lerner, who has been reporting on the environment for twenty years, is an excellent writer who captures the vision of people he's profiling and explains what they are pioneering in plain English.