Preface

 Part I. The Crisis

 1    Earth in Crisis. Humanity faces serious threats to survival. What kind of future can we have?

2    The Great Puzzle. Cracking the enigma of our times.

3    “Houston, we have a problem.” Spaceship Earth has a problem with its life-support system.

4    Scientists Speak. How science works. Science is important to us. Our scientists are offering warnings. What they are telling us.

5.   To Grow or Not to Grow? How growth works. Defining growth. Good growth and bad growth.

6    Will we Have the Energy? Energy drives nearly everything. Human energy dependency.

7    Getting Down to Business. The system of commerce and proposals for reform.

8    The Contrarians. The nay-sayers and their arguments.

9    Leadership. What leadership really means. Leadership failures.True leaders.

Part II. How it Happened

10  World Views and Human Nature. How did we get to this point? Are we being true to our species?

11  Problems in Paradise. Life seems good. What could be the difficulty?

12  Misplaced Values. The role of values in human behavior. Appropriate versus inappropriate values. Denial. Other means of coping.

Part III. Saving Humanity

13  The Big Picture. Taking the long view. Seeing what’s really going on. Avoiding narrow thinking.

14  Visions of Ecotopia. Visions of a Sustainable Future

15  Creativity. Insights. Creative problem solving.

16  Changing Minds, Changing Behaviors. Motivations to change. Key ingredients of effective change. Getting the change you need.

17  Learning the Earth. Education is critical. Earth from experience, not only from books.

18  The Stoppers. What keeps us from effective action. Denial, media limitations, faulty world views, problematic political beliefs, failed government.

19  Insightful Writings. Thomas Berry, Paul Hawkin, Mac Smith, Rachel Carson, Daniel Quinn, Al Bartlett, Paul Hawken, John Pfeiffer, Miriam Macgillis.

Part IV. Taking Action

20  The Puzzle Solved. Some possible answers to the riddle posed earlier.

21   Reconnecting with Nature. Beyond learning Earth—Physical and spiritual immersion.

22  A New Environmentalism. Failed Environmentalism. A new movement.

23  Taking Action. Proper directions. Action suggestions. Access to organizations and information.

24  The Future Awaits. Picturing a better future.

 

Getting to the Source: Readings on Sustainable Values

CONTENTS

1. Introduction, by Ross McCluney

2. A Special Moment in History, by Bill McKibben

3. Rethinking Environmentalism, by Dianne Dumanoski

4. A Fable for Tomorrow, by Rachel Carson 

5. Man, A New Kind of Evolution, by John Pfeiffer

6. Substitutes for a Land Ethic, by Aldo Leopold

7. The Tragedy of the Commons, 1968, by Garrett Hardin

8. Amazing Grace, by Kathleen Dean Moore

9. The Kentucky Road Builders, by Wendell Berry

10. The Rape of America, by Gene Marine

11. Energy and Human Evolution, by David Price

12. Historical markers of our universe, by Brian Swimme and Thomas Berry

13. The Sixth Great Extinction Spasm, by E. O. Wilson

14. Are We Self-Annihilating?, by E. O. Wilson

15. Letting Go of Blindness, by McGregor Smith, Jr.

16. The Great Challenge, by Albert Bartlett

17. Appropriate Technology, by E. F. Schumacher

18. Hubberts Peak, by Kenneth Deffeyes

19. Polemic: Industrial Tourism and the National Parks, by Edward Abbey

20. Making Effective Choices, by Michael Brower and Warren Leon

21. Home Again—A Future Glimpsed, by Bill McKibben

22. Will Denial be Dominant?, by Garrett Hardin 

23. Origin, Differentiation and Role of Rights, by Thomas Berry

24. System Dynamics Meets the Press, by Donella Meadows

25. Ecological Literacy, by David Orr

26. A New Renaissance, by Daniel Quinn

27. To Choose Life, by Joanna Macy and Molly Young Brown