Social activist, environmentalist, engineer, spiritual seeker - some of the many hats Jerry Yudelson wore during an extensive career chronicled in his deliciously detailed, emotionally revealing, and spiritually insightful environmental memoir, The Godfather of Green: An Eco-Spiritual Odyssey.
After organizing for the first Earth Day, Jerry dropped out of grad school, pursued spiritual development and encountered the renowned Indian master Swami Muktananda, who initiated him into a powerful meditation practice, giving him experiences that upended his life.
Author of 12 books on green building and sustainable development, named a "LEED Fellow" by the U.S. Green Building Council and "The Godfather of Green" by Wired magazine, Jerry followed an unusual career path toward sustainability leadership.
Beginning in the late 1990s, he became a global leader in the green building movement, convincing architects and developers to reduce buildings' ecological footprints with sustainable design.
In the end, Jerry found inner strength, his life's purpose and outward success by combining committed spiritual practices with his life's work to create a better world through environmental activism.
Jerry offers three lessons in environmental leadership for today's climate justice activists: 1. Always demand more than you think you need and hold people accountable for delivering. 2. Offer your work as selfless service to the planet and its people, coming from a place of love and respect. 3. Make a place for everyone in this movement, because you're going to need participation from many different fields: poets, politicians, priests, scientists and business leaders.
"A well-done memoir that holds far more insight and meaning than an exploration of one man's singular life." - Midwest Book Review
Even if I'm not working in architecture, I'm interested in green homes, the minimalistic concept and in the sustainable development. We should all be concerned about it if we want to preserve a quality of life on this planet.
This book is a great exploration into the architecture revolution and about going green. Not just to follow a trend but because we want to have a civic engagement and to live in a better environment. Through quotes, pictures and very interesting studies, the author show you the economical, politcal aspects of the approach.
Overview-he goes through water consumption, types of water (blue, brown, black, grey), and finally how we can conserve water, both as a society and as individuals.
This book is really more of a handbook than anything. It's divided up into short chapters that cover each topic, and usually have a few case studies mixed in to show what has been working in various places.
He focuses predominantly on places that have water problems, but also includes some areas like the Pacific Northwest and Florida that have started to put water conservation practices into place.
I recommend this book to anyone who is confused by industry terms (he lays them all out nicely), wants to conserve water in their own lives, lives in an arid area, or is just interested in the topic. It's the most concise book on water conservation I've seen, and has a great mix of definitions and case studies. I also recommend it to anyone in the industry, consultants, agencies, etc. He has great charts, illustrations, and plenty of data.
This book is an easy, straightforward, and concise explanation of what makes up Green Building. Not only does it include a brief history of Green Building, but it is also a mini "dictionary" of sorts, for people who are just beginning to venture into the sustainable design world and have no idea what things like Volatile Organic Compounds, Permeable Pavement, Urban Heat Island Effect, and Life Cycle Assessment are.
Definitely a good place to start brushing up on the lingo of "green" design and a must have for every architect and designer.