In 2002, I was giving a talk about sustainable furnishings and the impact of products on the environment. I finished the opening statement with the line “One green deed spawns another.” It was meant to get the audience more broadly engaged in the welfare of our environment; the thought that a single effort might compel someone else to act seemed so simple. For fifteen years, I have closed many other talks with those same five words. If you polled 100 people about whether they wanted to preserve the planet for future generations, you’d get almost unanimously positive replies (there’s always a contrarian in every crowd). Yet, here we are facing an ecological crisis without a united effort to combat it. Green deeds are being enacted minute by minute, daily, annually, and for lifetimes. Not only do we not get to witness all of them, we rarely get to hear about them. I decided I wanted to query some of my heroes who’ve inspired me over the years with their wisdom and commitment to greening our planet, about their one green deed. Sharing green deeds is not only inspiring, it is unifying; perhaps within this collection of engaging ideas are answers for the road ahead.
This book is twofold in origin: the unusual path I followed to become environmentally active brought me in contact with some exceptional individuals. Some are as well-known as celebrities; others have flown under the radar. All of them have equally distinctive stories that have inspired me and influenced my philosophy on our relationship to our habitat and fellow species. This book is a compilation of these poignant moments with my environmental heroes and friends and their insightful ideas, and a tribute to the spirit of Earth’s active stewards.
Tabla de materias
Contents
Acknowledgments vii
Foreword ix
Introduction xi
1. One Green Deed 1
2. Dr. George M. Woodwell 5
World Renowned Ecologist, Scientist, Woods Hole Research Center
3. Elaine Ireland 15
Indoor Toxicity Educator, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Green Sage
4. Kathryn Fernholz 27
Trees, Certifications, and Policies, Dovetail Partners
5. Jean Beasley 45
Sea Turtle Savior, Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Hospital
6. Thomas Herlihy 63
Organic Waste Engineer, Farmer, Worm Power
7. Susan Inglis 79
From the Mountain, Sustainable Furnishings Council
8. G. Peter Jemison 95
Native American Artist and Historian, Ganondagan
9. Dina Belon 111
Green Buildings, Green Lifestyles, Hotel Tree Hugger
10. Dr. Mark Westneat 127
Oceanic Voyager, Marine Biologist, University of Chicago
11. Fred A. Stitt 139
Organic Architecture and Design, San Francisco Institute of Architecture
12. Barbara Filippone 147
Fiber Farmer, Hemp Advocate, Enviro Textiles
13. Frances Moore Lappé 169
Purveyor of Hope, Eco Mind, Small Planet Institute
14. A Confluence of Green Deeds: The Collective Vision 185
Notes 189
Bibliography 197
Sobre el autor
David Mahood is a sustainability consultant, environmental writer and poet. He holds a BA from the College of Wooster, and an MBA in Sustainability from San Francisco Institute of Architecture. His articles have appeared in numerous publications including Interiors and Sources, International Ecotourism Society, The Environmental Blog, NEWH Magazine and Living Green Magazine. His poetry credits include Writer’s Cramp, Fifth Street Review, and Prick of the Spindle. He attributes his environmental epiphany to a desperate act of consciousness back in 1998. David spends most of his time in Massachusetts but can be found in one of various flanking airports.