Sustainable Planet: Solutions for the Twenty-first Century

by Juliet B. Schor (Editor), Betsy Taylor (Editor)

Can we find ways of living that are sustainable and deeply satisfying, that ensure economic and political democracy, and are passionate about beauty, elegant design, and the wildness of nature? The contributors to Sustainable Planet say we can, and offer 16 remarkable visions of how to get from here to there,
* Specific proposals from citizen and labor coalitions that articulate a positive alternative to the free-trade model of globalization
* The emergence of local food systems that allow us to eat fresher, better tasting food while protecting family farms and conserving the environment
* New thinking about industrial design and engineering that is leading to production systems which generate no waste
* How we might create a fashion industry that weds aesthetic pleasure with social justice
* Five economic policy recommendations that could move us toward a sustainable economy
* What you can do to create a real sense of community where you live
* A road map for building the political will to change the system before it's too late.

This anthology grew out of the work of the Center for a New American Dream (CNAD), a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping Americans change the way they consume to improve quality of life, protect the environment, and promote social justice.

Genres: Sustainability, Nonfiction, Environment

286 pages, Paperback

First published January 20, 2003

About the author

Juliet Schor’s research over the last ten years has focussed on issues pertaining to trends in work and leisure, consumerism, the relationship between work and family, women's issues and economic justice. Schor's latest book is Born to Buy: The Commercialized Child and the New Consumer Culture (Scribner 2004). She is also author of The Overworked American: The Unexpected Decline of Leisure and The Overspent American: Upscaling, Downshifting and the New Consumer. She has co-edited, The Golden Age of Capitalism: Reinterpreting the Postwar Experience, The Consumer Society Reader, and Sustainable Planet: Solutions for the 21st Century. Earlier in her career, her research focussed on issues of wages, productivity, and profitability. She also did work on the political economy of central banking. Schor is currently is at work on a project on the commercialization of childhood, and is beginning research on environmental sustainability and its relation to Americans’ lifestyles.

Schor is a board member and co-founder of the Center for a New American Dream, an organization devoted to transforming North American lifestyles to make them more ecologically and socially sustainable. She also teaches periodically at Schumacher College, an International Center for Ecological Studies based in south-west England.

from http://www2.bc.edu/~schorj/default.html

Reviews

[CTEP]

Sustainable Planet contains 16 articles written by 18 authors. The authors are congress people, social and physical scientists, architects and designers, academics, and business leaders. I was initially searching used book stores for the book "Cradle to Cradle," and found this book in the process. It turned out that the first article was by the same author as "Cradle to Cradle," and I was able to get his ideas in a concise article format. Some of my favorite articles have been about the clothing industry, time, money and economics, property/ownership, and design. There was one article about NAFTA that did not hold my attention and I skipped over most of it. With the exception of the NAFTA article, I have valued the introductions and explanations of the various problems addressed in each article as well as some of the solutions. However, most of the articles end with a list of vague possible solutions and often include a phrase along the lines of: "The most obvious solution to this problem is for the government to direct money this way or that and make rules and laws supporting our cause." - it's hard to come up with solutions and easy to point out problems. Several articles gave the individual power and provided achievable lifestyle change suggestions, which I like. I found myself deflated after a great article outlined a problem, then put the blame and responsibility on something seemingly distant and outside of my control. Conversely, I felt empowered when the responsibility was shifted onto me. I'm probably going to keep the book for a while and reference some of the articles in it from time to time. Because the book was published in 2002 some of the articles seem a bit out of date. For example, one particular article kept referencing Franny Mae as a resource and power for positive change, which seemed a bit dissonant considering their recent government "bail-out(s)." All in all, it was useful for me to read "Sustainable Planet" and to make the connections it has with the electronic waste CE project I have been involved with throughout the last year.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good--and the trail of crumbs that led me to this book.
I read Juliet Schor's Overworked American, and then the Overspent American back in '98. Both books spoke to me--I was fresh out of college, I was scared that I didn't have (and secretly, not want) a plan. I had no intention of being overworked. Overspent...yes, debt is bad. What is the plan?

You cobble together a personal plan, but when Sustainable Planet came out in 2003, I have to say, I was a bit relieved. Sustainability isn't just about physical resources--it's personal, too. It's about what personal needs (and validity behind those needs) makes us use those physical resources.

From Juliet Schor, to this book, which tells you about
Center for a New American Dream. I appreciated the words of empowerment.

[Christian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't often like essay collections because I prefer more scientific or scholarly writings (I'm a nerd). However, this was a really broad collection. I expected for more redundancy than there is. For example there's a chapter about changing our perception of time and one about global economics. I have a pretty good knowledge of sustainability from a more geographic/economic perspective but I still found most of this book valuable. I would imagine that anyone with interest and even working knowledge will get something out of this book.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel like if you want to be an environmentalist, humanist, or conservationist of any kind, this is the book you should read. Even if you have been doing the work for a couple of years you still have so much to learn, and the authors in this book are from rather diverse backgrounds offering viewpoints and information from varying pockets of society. Although you may not agree with each author included, there are enough ideas and proposals for the future of our planet and species that it is likely that at least one essay will appeal to every reader.

[Brian Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a mix of mawkish idealism (Piper's "In Praise of Hometowns"), practical eco-progressive plans of action (Daily's "Five Policy Recommendations") and shrewd politico-cultural analysis (Rep. Velazquez's "In Search of Justice"). If you have inchoate eco-sympathies, this book will lend substance to your views and help round out some ideological edges. However, if you are looking for a book to convert a friend, I'd try a different route.

[May wong · Rating 5 out of 5]

This covers a lot of topics about the way we live and how it can positively or negatively affect the planet. Focused on what we can do as individuals, it provides solutions and insight into making the place we live in thrive for generations to come.

[Laura Gembolis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read half of this book for an environmental book club. The book looks at solutions. I had to return it to the library, but hopefully I will finish it some day.

[Marina]

Book of essays, so I'm reading one at a time. I'm learning about what I can do to make this world a better place for my children.