Eco Barons: The New Heroes of Environmental Activism

by Edward Humes

Overview

“Well written and compelling, Eco Barons gives the reader a first glimpse of the activists, philanthropists and gadflies who may well turn out to be the J.D. Rockefellers and Rachel Carsons of our time.”
—Cleveland Plain Dealer

 

Pulitzer Prize-winner Edward Humes offers readers an eye-opening look at the remarkable philanthropists and visionaries who are devoting their lives to saving the earth from overdevelopment and destruction. In Eco Barons, Humes, the bestselling author of Mississippi Mud and Monkey Girl, gives us fascinating portraits of extraordinary men and women who are dedicated to humankind’s survival—as important a contribution to the environmental cause as Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth. As the New York Times points out, “Humes’s urgent message is clear: We must all strive to become ‘eco barons’ in our own right if we are to save Planet Earth.”

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780061350306
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	01/19/2010
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	367
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Edward Humes is the author of ten critically acclaimed nonfiction books, including Eco Barons, Monkey Girl, Over Here, School of Dreams, Baby E.R., Mean Justice, No Matter How Loud I Shout, and the bestseller Mississippi Mud. He has received the Pulitzer Prize for his journalism and numerous awards for his books. He has written for the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Magazine, and Sierra. He lives in California.

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Plan-Buy Low, Sell Never 1

Part 1 out of fashion

1 Reaching the Summit 17

2 The Empire Strikes Out 34

3 Lost and Found 51

4 Image and Reality 71

Part 2 of hot spots and hooters

5 Thinking Like Aldo 95

6 They Never Saw It Coming 116

7 The Polar Bear Express 144

Part 3 waiting for thoreau

8 A Plum in the Wood Basket 171

9 Bees and Trees 190

10 Your Land is My Land 201

Part 4 lone wolves

11 Andy Frank and the Power of the Plug 221

12 Can a Malibu Pool Cleaner Save the World? 245

13 The Turtle Lady 265

14 Wild Man 280

Epilogue: Schemers and Dreamers 294

Appendix: Some Resources 308

Acknowledgments 311

Notes 312

Index 348

What People are Saying About This

Terry Tamminen

“Humes is a master story teller, illuminating the compelling lives of an unlikely cast of characters who just may save us from ourselves, while inspiring us to save our planet.”

Bill McKibben

“I know some of the heroes chronicled [in ECO BARONS]—they are unlikely champions, but united by passion, hard work, and a willingness to think outside of conventional paths. Their stories will dramatically expand your sense of what you can do for the environment!

Editorial Reviews

This is a fine little book: a collection of starry-eyed portraits of environmentalists who have devoted their lives and/or fortunes to saving the Earth.” — Los Angeles Times

“ECO BARONS...offers encouraging, often inspirational, profiles of nearly a dozen would-be planet savers. . . .[Humes’] urgent message is clear: We must all strive to become “eco barons” in our own right if we are to save Planet Earth.” — New York Times

“Humes’ in-depth reporting makes the book stand as a solid portrait of the new face of American environmentalism.” — Outside magazine

“I know some of the heroes chronicled [in ECO BARONS]—they are unlikely champions, but united by passion, hard work, and a willingness to think outside of conventional paths. Their stories will dramatically expand your sense of what you can do for the environment! — Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature and Deep Economy

“Humes is a master story teller, illuminating the compelling lives of an unlikely cast of characters who just may save us from ourselves, while inspiring us to save our planet.” — Terry Tamminen, former Secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency and Chief Energy Policy Advisor to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger

“A dramatic, insightful history of environmental conflicts and breakthroughs threaded through timely and inspiriting profiles in courage and creativity.” — Booklist (starred review)

“What [ECO BARONS] uncovers are folks who have taken their profitable businesses and turned them into seriously beneficial enterprises. . . .These profiles are lessons in the lasting power of conservation, which, even more than corporate profits, remains an essential part of the great American identity.” — E - The Environmental Magazine

“Eco Barons reminds me of the best that journalism has to offer as Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edward Humes has a knack for flowing the narrative in his tales as well as any fiction writer....offers welcome tales of people making positive change.” — Reuters

From the Publisher

What [ECO BARONS] uncovers are folks who have taken their profitable businesses and turned them into seriously beneficial enterprises. . . .These profiles are lessons in the lasting power of conservation, which, even more than corporate profits, remains an essential part of the great American identity.

E - The Environmental Magazine

I know some of the heroes chronicled [in ECO BARONS]—they are unlikely champions, but united by passion, hard work, and a willingness to think outside of conventional paths. Their stories will dramatically expand your sense of what you can do for the environment!

Bill McKibben

ECO BARONS...offers encouraging, often inspirational, profiles of nearly a dozen would-be planet savers. . . .[Humes’] urgent message is clear: We must all strive to become “eco barons” in our own right if we are to save Planet Earth.

New York Times

Eco Barons reminds me of the best that journalism has to offer as Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edward Humes has a knack for flowing the narrative in his tales as well as any fiction writer....offers welcome tales of people making positive change.

Reuters

This is a fine little book: a collection of starry-eyed portraits of environmentalists who have devoted their lives and/or fortunes to saving the Earth.

|Los Angeles Times

A dramatic, insightful history of environmental conflicts and breakthroughs threaded through timely and inspiriting profiles in courage and creativity.

Booklist (starred review)

Humes is a master story teller, illuminating the compelling lives of an unlikely cast of characters who just may save us from ourselves, while inspiring us to save our planet.

Terry Tamminen

Humes’ in-depth reporting makes the book stand as a solid portrait of the new face of American environmentalism.

Outside Magazine

This is a fine little book: a collection of starry-eyed portraits of environmentalists who have devoted their lives and/or fortunes to saving the Earth.

Los Angeles Times

Humes’ in-depth reporting makes the book stand as a solid portrait of the new face of American environmentalism.

Outside magazine

Eco Barons reminds me of the best that journalism has to offer as Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edward Humes has a knack for flowing the narrative in his tales as well as any fiction writer....offers welcome tales of people making positive change.

Reuters

"A dramatic, insightful history of environmental conflicts and breakthroughs threaded through timely and inspiriting profiles in courage and creativity."

Booklist