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This book inspired me to change parts of the way I live. McKibben not only brings light to unnoticed subjects, but he does it in great style. Deep Economy is an engaging book that has the ability to make a big impact on the world.
This book was sobering, yet inspirational at the same time. He mines communities across the globe to find out how they are able to reduce their impact on the environment, to find more satisfaction with fewer material possessions, to aim toward sustainability in a way that might succeed.The tone of this book was remarkably hopeful, with the optimistic message that we CAN change the destructive course of the Earth, if we are willing to look inward, to support each other, to come together as small communities and reach out to each other.
The world is in pretty deep trouble as it is, and things are likely to get even worse in the coming years. Bill McKibben tells the same tale as countless other scientists.
He examines different cultures, most notably ones that are succeeding today, rather than in some distant past. Our planet simply cannot support the unbridled growth we've expected and experienced, and we are draining its resources at an alarming rate.
This is very depressing news, indeed, but nothing new.What I like about this book, though, is that McKibben then goes on to offer actual solutions to these problems. Working together will work, if we give it a chance.
I really enjoyed reading it.
At the risk of upsetting people with whom I've probably got a lot in common, I must admit that this book wasn't nearly as good as I'd hoped.I was intrigued by the book's primary thesis: that increased focus on local communities can help us to correct our current, unsustainable growth model. Unfortunately, McKibben's suggestions were vague, and his evidence was anecdotal.I should have been an easy target, since I was already inclined to agree with his ideas. The idea made sense to me, and I was hoping to find some strong evidence to back it up. I was also interested to see what alternative models McKibben would suggest for evaluating progress. However, I finished the book more or less unchanged. Perhaps readers who haven't yet given much thought to these ideas will get more out of it, but it doesn't offer much for those of us who are already interested in these issues and looking for more depth.
He develops a model through a local community in place of a growth model. McKibben reinforced his ideas with common sense alternatives to our typical consumerism in the United States. He illustrates how unsustainable this is for the US and the arsenal of countries on the verge of becoming developed.In exchange, he offers a new way of looking at economics. While the world is growing at an enormous rate, we are consuming at an enormous rate. Deep Economy will force you to reevaluate your purchasing patterns and (hopefully) your consumer behavior. My friend recommended this book to me last year and I decided I should pick it up and read it before McKibben comes to my campus in April. Over consumption doesn't equal happiness, but family, community, and relationships will lead to lasting happiness.I appreciate that his ideas are not radical nor ideological. Live within your means in a way that is in concert with the environment.
Reading this after my recent travels to Nicaragua inspires me to start my professional life living within my means; Central America more than many places shows us the consequences of United States decisions. Later he extends this model to other issues pressing our future on the earth: energy production, transportation, etc. He illustrates that the current economic model most nations are using may end up with many more losers than winners. I think that you would be inspired after reading this book, and realize how much control we do have to shape the world. In the first chapter, he shows how our food system could be altered in order to be more sustainable and to build community at the same time. From my perspective growing up on a farm, everything McKibben makes sense: Buy local, and all of the money goes to the farmers in the community and at the same time, food is the freshest. I will definitely try to thwart off all of the pressures for hyper-consumerism. The book surely did not disappoint, and I'm excited to see his talk in April.
As we head into the uncharted waters of this new era, complete with economic breakdown, we need community more than ever in order to build a new real, stable economy based on the real needs of ALL of us, not just the 1% at the top of the heap. This book is an important guide to help us toward the realization of this dream.
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