Ecological Civilization

The present trajectory of life on this planet is unsustainable, and the underlying causes of our environmental crisis are inseparable from our social and economic systems. As climate predictions continue to exceed projections, it is clear that hopelessness is rapidly becoming our worst enemy. What is needed - urgently - is a new vision for the flourishing of life on this planet, a vision the authors are calling an ecological civilization.

This revolutionary book fuses the enduring legacy of socialism - government for the common good - with the best of the environmental movement and the newest insights from sustainability studies. The result is a manifesto in the tradition of Bill McKibben's Eaarth - a road map forward in the face of the growing environmental catastrophe, which is the most complex crisis humanity has ever faced.

Ecological Intelligence argues that "green" labels and recycling programs may do more harm than good by feeding a vital lie, lulling us into the illusion that we are doing enough already while ignoring the adverse impact of the far vaster proportion of what we buy and do. The book brings a psychologist's insights into the world of commerce, arguing for radical transparency—tracking every substantial impact over the life cycle of an item, from manufacture to daily use, to disposal.

The Boy, The Condor, The Monkey and The Tortoise is a multifaceted exploration of man’s disaffection with tendencies he has developed as he has become “civilized.” These separate him from his natural world and the satisfaction inherent in it. The narrative centers on a young boy’s attempt to understand and reach his potential through a series of conversations and magical trip with a host of anthropomorphic characters. Jaime Bedoya Martinez takes us to a territory which he has explored in past works and which he now develops through a series of Socratic conversations between a ...