Review of "Getting Green Done" by Auden Schendler

Getting Green Done—Hard Truths From the Front Lines of the Sustainable Revolution by Auden Schendler, Philadelphia, Public Affairs Perseus Books Group, 2009.
Author Auden Schendler, an "outdoorsman" for 15 years, worked for the Rocky Mountain Institute, and is now Executive Director of Sustainability at the Aspen Skiing Company. He states up front that his book "...represents a departure from business as usual...and yet we need to do this on a global scale." The inside cover summarizes his thinking by saying, "...many...are still fiddling with the small stuff while the planet burns. Why? Because implementing sustainability is brutally difficult [,even though] "...business consultants say going green is easy and profitable."

Schendler applauds individual efforts because government needs examples of what to do. He goes on to note that "...only government action—on a global scale—can drive the level of change at the speed we require." "Climate change threatens every business on the planet, and business is the primary cause of it." Therefore, "...what is needed is government leadership and comprehensive economic policies."

Solutions mentioned include Green Energy and LEED, which doesn't emphasize energy enough, so should not be used as a guide. What is needed, he believes, is to raise local building codes so that homes can be remodeled to save 50% energy. An Environmental Service Corp makes sense, as does education in passive solar possibilities—insulate, face south and add thermal mass. It's not difficult.

Unfortunately, when the economy tanks, the environment is the first to get cut. The U,.S. should lead in putting efficiency to work at every level and "force markets to reflect the true price of power". The author goes into some detail about nuclear power and its problems, its cost, and its "insoluble waste problem."

In the end we need to face the question "How will we become—and then remain—inspired for the long slog ahead? This battle will take not just political will and corporate action—it will also require an unyielding commitment and dedication on the part of all humanity...Most of our grandparents lived in a sustainable world...what we need to do is that close, that real, that personal...that possible."