Grassroots Stewardship: Sustainability Within Our Reach [Hardcover]

Integrating ecology with the natural and social sciences, F Stuart Chapin III creates a framework from which to apply theory to inform scientific practice. Providing a pragmatic strategy for tangibly saving the environment, this is not a book about whatshouldbe done; it is a book about whathasbeen done and whatcanbe done.In a society more concerned with how to cope with existential dread than how to make actionable changes to save the planet, a surprisingly large number of Americans identify as environmentalists. What can individual people do to lessen human impacts on the planet? This is not an easy question. Most research is focused on large-scale changes that go beyond anything an individual can accomplish, and people are left feeling defeated rather than inspired to make changes in their everyday lives. Change starts at home, and F Stuart Chapin, III has assembled a book for people who want to learn more about global changes and, more importantly, what they can do about them, starting today.Grassroots Stewardshipapproaches our current situation with an educated sense of hope and positivity. This book emphasizes actions by individuals, rather than governmental or corporate institutions, to trigger transformational change. Readers will learn what they can do to most significantly transform their communities and the planet with more sustainable pathways.PrologueSection 1: Integrating the Needs of Nature and SocietyChapter 1: Shaping the Future WiselyChapter 2: Sustaining Natural ChangeChapter 3: Linking People With NatureChapter 4: Tackling Climate ChangeChapter 5: Choosing to Live WellSection 2: Grassroots ActionsChapter 6: Individual Actions: What Can I Do?Chapter 7: Dialogues for SolutionsChapter 8: Collaborating for Shared GoalsChapter 9: Strengthening DemocracyChapter 10: Earth StewardshipAcknowledgmentsAppendix: Published Guides for Climate ActionNotes and Reflu