The Sustainability Revolution: Portrait of a Paradigm Shift

by Andrés R. Edwards, New Society Publishers, 2005

Reviews and Endorsements

Like a father penciling his kids' height marks on a door jamb, Andrés Edwards has lovingly taken the measure of the sustainability movement's leaps-and-bounds growth. Seeing our collective wisdom arrayed in a single book is powerful medicine for long-time solution seekers, and an irresistible invitation to a new generation wondering "How Shall We Live Here?"

-- Janine Benyus, author of Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired By Nature and Co-founder, Biomimicry Guild

The Sustainability Revolution presents a clear, concise, straightforward articulation of the most powerful force sweeping the world. This book is a great source of inspiration, showing us just how much is going on behind the scenes all over the world.

-- Spencer B. Beebe, founder, Ecotrust

In The Sustainability Revolution, Andrés Edwards has written a compelling, practical guide to the rapidly evolving field of sustainability. Whether you're a business person, journalist, educator or citizen activist, this book illustrates dozens of ways the environment can be restored while at the same time opening up new economic opportunities.

-- Christopher Flavin, President, The Worldwatch Institute

No need to reinvent the sustainability wheel! In The Sustainability Revolution, Andrés Edwards collects a comprehensive set of sustainability principles into the definitive desk reference. The principles are complemented with an excellent overview of social movements and the evolution from environmentalism to sustainability. This book is a fundamental tool for those building a better world -- a must for your library!

-- Randy Hayes, founder of Rainforest Action Network, director of sustainability for the City of Oakland

The Sustainability Revolution is an immensely useful book. Edwards provides an impressive guide to the future by examining pathbreaking actions and innovative ideas already moving ahead in today's world. The Sustainability Revolution is at once practical and visionary.

-- James Gustave Speth, Dean, Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies

The Sustainability Revolution is a compelling reminder of the power each of us has to make this world a better place through our everyday actions. Indeed, if we are to survive we must recognize our place in the natural world and make a concerted effort to leave lighter ecological footprints. The Sustainability Revolution shines light on the path that we all must follow to make this world a more sustainable and peaceful place for all living things.

-- Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE, Founder, The Jane Goodall Institute, UN Messenger of Peace

As Andrés Edwards clearly demonstrates, we are indeed in the early stage of a global sustainability revolution, and yet few of us can see it. The Sustainability Revolution gathers together accounts of the underlying dynamics, global visions, definitions and effective models of this quiet revolution, and informs us of the most important societal movement ever; one that will not only change the essence and metrics of business, but will determine our future.

-- David A. Gottfried, founder, US and World Green Building Councils and author of Greed to Green

The Sustainability Revolution is a key reference for environmentalists -- the kind of reference that will fuel good work and good thinking in the years to come.

-- Bill McKibben, author of Wandering Home, Enough and The End of Nature

Andrés Edwards has done society a great service with The Sustainability Revolution. He has helped us envision a sustainable world and given all of us hope about the future by illuminating the thousands of positive efforts worldwide that are helping move toward this vision. The book is both an inspiration and a testimony to the programs that are hardly ever addressed by the mainstream media. It is a much-needed shot in the arm for the sustainability movement.

-- Anthony D. Cortese, president of Second Nature, leader in the Education for Sustainability movement in higher education

Andrés Edwards maps one of the most significant yet least understood landscapes: the landscape with the paths to the place where all people can flourish, within the means of one generous, but ultimately limited planet. His map brings clarity to the formerly confusing mountains and valleys of sustainability principles, ideas, concepts, and indicators. I wish this book becomes everybody's "Rand McNally Atlas" to guide us on the rally to sustainability. This is the best rally since we can all win. Andrés' brilliant book shows us how.

-- Mathis Wackernagel, Executive Director, Global Footprint Network

Andrés Edwards has written a much-needed book - a comprehensive, extremely readable guidebook to the Sustainability Movement, its history, principles, and applications. At a time when so many people feel the bad guys are winning, Edwards shows us the quiet good news that doesn't get headlines, yet is changing the world for the better as "business as usual" unravels. We and the planet have a chance. The Sustainability Revolution shows why and how in this carefully researched, passionate book.

-- Sim Van der Ryn, architect, author of Ecological Design and Design For Life

The Sustainability Revolution is a passionate, hopeful account of the shift in thinking that's happening worldwide. Andrés Edwards provides a profoundly encouraging confidence booster -- definitely required reading for anyone thinking about or working within the sustainability movement.

-- L. Hunter Lovins, president, Natural Capitalism Inc., and co-author of Natural Capitalism: Creating the Next Industrial Revolution

The Sustainability Revolution provides a brilliant synthesis of the multiple braids of sustainability. Its comprehensive analysis of sustainability principles and frameworks is particularly valuable.

-- Stuart Cowan, co-author of Ecological Design

What is ecological sustainability, and is it one consistent thing? And can we protect the children of the future and still make a good living today? Andrés Edwards has given us an elegant and concise way to say 'Yes!' to both questions. He shows just how coherent is the worldview of the sustainability movement, and that its principles and practices are moving steadily from grand ideas, and statements of alarm, toward actual, everyday practicality. Today dozens of industries, hundreds of communities and thousands of companies have found that what is practical for everyday economic activities can be redesigned to be very good for the environment and our long-term future. So the more concrete and practical are those big sustainability principles, the more they spread around the planet as actual green practices. It's not just that "a better world is possible." It's happening. It's real.

-- Paul H. Ray, co-author of The Cultural Creatives

Sustainability is more than a buzzword; it is a concept that defines what is needed for our civilization to survive. The discussion about sustainability is therefore the most important one now occurring on the planet. Andrés Edwards has summarized the current state of this discussion in a thorough, upbeat, and understandable way. The Sustainability Revolution highlights not only the ideas, but the courageous efforts of people around the world who are creating a way of life that is not only more survivable, but more just and satisfying as well.

-- Richard Heinberg, professor of human ecology, New College of California, and author of The Party’s Over: Oil, War and the Fate of Industrial Societies and Powerdown: Options and Actions for a Post-Carbon World

By the simple act of gathering in one place dozens of lists of "sustainability principles," Andrés Edwards has sketched the landscape -- and given us a glimpse of the trajectory -- of the sustainability revolution.

-- Gil Friend, President & CEO, Natural Logic Inc., and author of A Declaration of Leadership

"This book is a compelling reminder of the power each of us has to make the world a better place."

-- Resurgence Magazine

"This is an excellent summary of how the idea of sustainability came to grip the ecology movement.

-- Philip Woodard, Planet Drum Pulse

In this book, Edwards, an educator and media designer who has specialized in sustainability topics for the last 15 years, briefly sketches a portrait of the sustainability revolution as a social movement that contains a “revolution of interconnections.” Summarily describing the birth of sustainability, he then applies sustainability thinking and practice to four areas: (1) community, (2) commerce, (3) natural resources, and (4) the biosphere.

Deftly summarizing in some 20 pages each the important developments in each area, Edwards adds a useful resources chapter of organizations, as well as online resources for each of those areas. His last chapter, “Future Pathways,” presents an original two-and-one-halfpage table that traces the development of the principles of sustainability, divided into scopes, sectors, and types, and argues that we must go “beyond green” towards a new vision of the future. The book concludes with an annotated bibliography.

The Sustainability Revolution is particularly useful for environmental educators, for it presents in clear, concise language a compelling, practical guide to the rapidly evolving field of sustainability. It shows how environmental education can transition into a “sustainability framework,” which would give EE greater depth and make it more effective in enhancing personal and organizational perspectives that match the urgent plight of people and planet.

Sustainability is more than a buzzword: It is a concept and a movement that defines what civilizations need to survive. Therefore, by seriously considering sustainability principles in their environmental education work, educators engage in perhaps their most important work to date. They would be critically applying their expertise in the articulation of this most powerful force that is today sweeping the world, for it is civilization that is at stake.

In other words, evaluating one’s work in terms of sustainability is a variant of the question: Are we doing the right thing or are we doing things right?

Frans C. Verhagen (gaia1@rcn.com) is a sustainability sociologist, the director of sustainability research and education at Earth and Peace Education Associates International (EPE), and adjunct associate professor of sustainable communities at Pace University in New York, NY..

-- NAAEE Communicator North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) Spring 2006, Vol. 36/No. 2

After briefly sketching a portrait of the sustainability revolution as a social movement that contains a "revolution of interconnections," Edwards, an educator and media designer who has specialized in sustainability topics for the last 15 years, summarily describes the birth of sustainability. Then he applies sustainability thinking and practice to four areas: community, commerce, natural resources and the biosphere. He deftly summarizes in some twenty pages each the important developments in each area, adding a very useful resources chapter of organizations, online resources for each of those areas. His last chapter, entitled ÒFuture PathwaysÓ presents a very original two and half page table that traces the development of the principles of sustainability, divided into scopes, sectors and types and argues that we have to go "beyond green" towards a new vision of the future. The book of some 200 pages that sells for $16.95 concludes with an annotated bibliography.

This book is particularly useful for environmental educators, for it presents in clear, concise language a compelling, practical guide to the rapidly evolving field in sustainability. It shows how environmental education is to transition into a sustainability framework which would give it greater depth and make it more effective in enhancing personal and organizational perspectives that match the urgency of the plight of people and planet. Sustainability is more than buzzword: it is concept and movement that defines what is needed for civilizations to survive. Therefore, seriously considering sustainability principles in their environmental education work, educators are engaged in perhaps the most important evaluation of their work. They would be critically participating for their field of expertise in the articulation of this most powerful sustainability force that is sweeping the world. It is a variant of the question: Are we doing the right thing or are we doing things right?

-- Frans C. Verhagen, M.Div., M.I.A., Ph.D., a sustainability sociologist, is the director of sustainability research and education at Earth and Peace Education Associates International (EPE) and adjunct associate professor of sustainable communities at Pace University

Also published by New Society Publishers is a book authored by Andres Edwards, The Sustainability Revolution: Portrait of a Paradigm Shift - must reading for anyone who wants to understand the roots and development of our field. It traces its history, how it emerged, its core philosophies and tools.

It covers government and international institutions; corporate; forestry, farming and fisheries; architecture and ecological design; and biodiversity conservation. www.sustainabilityrevolution.com

Edwards is the founder of EduTracks, which creates educational exhibits for parks, towns and companies on green building and sustainability.

-- Sustainable Business.com

"As to methods there may be a million and then some, but principles are few. The man who grasps principles can successfully select his own methods. The man who tries methods, ignoring principles, is sure to have trouble."

There's a brand new book on sustainability from New Society Publishers. The Sustainability Revolution: Portrait of a Paradigm Shift briefly introduces the birth of sustainability and then presents many sets of sustainability principles in five chapters: Sustainability and Community, Sustainability and Commerce, Sustainability and Natural Resources, Sustainability and Ecological Design and Sustainability and the Biosphere.

This is also a very comprehensive list of resources. It could be seen as a 'sustainability encyclopedia'. It is quite accessible: less than 20 pages long. A very good resource indeed and a good reference book on sustainability for those who don't know much about the concept.

-- The Watershed Sentinal

Andres R. Edwards' The Sustainability Revolution: Portrait Of A Paradigm Shift (0865715319, $16.95) tells of millions around the world who are undertaking the Sustainability Revolution, incorporating the values and foundations of sustainability into their lives, policies, and businesses. Chapters trace the origins and enactments of different principles, design values, and alliances with an eye to showing how these connections are made, fostered, and grow.

-- Midwest Book Review

The Sustainability Revolution is a thorough review of the evolution of sustainability. For a text loaded with facts and details, Andres wrote it so it would be understandable for those who are new to the history and principles of sustainability. The resources section is especially helpful because it lists organizations and contacts mentioned in the book along with brief descriptions about them. I'm sure that many of our customers -- for the DVD "Architecture to Zucchini: The people, companies and organizations pioneering sustainability" -- would be very interested in this book. I highly recommend it to higher education, consultants and business leaders.

-- Doug Freeman, Arnold Creek Productions

A comprehensive and readable distillation of the topic; a decent primer for understanding sustainability's many dimensions, and for sharing with colleagues.

-- The Green Business Letter

During the past two decades, "sustainability" has become a catchword, yet few people know exactly what it is supposed to mean. Most dictionaries don't even define it but rest content with a definition of the adjective "sustainable." Part of the problem is that the word can signify several things, depending on the context. Even David Orr, in his foreword to the present book, speaks of it as an "indefinite term," and yet in the context of ecology and economy, "sustainability" does in fact have a specific sense.

Edwards, who is an educator and environmental systems consultant, has written over 200 pages to explain what sustainability stands for and why it is such a vital concept today. Already millions of people have rallied around this notion, so that it is possible to speak of a "Sustainability Revolution"-an international social movement that emphasizes a mature, responsible approach to living, which is not detrimental to our Earth habitat nor our fellow beings (both human and nonhuman). This movement is made up of thousands of interest groups worldwide, each of which has its own concerns and agenda, but these synchronize with the concerns and agendas of other groups.

The present book is something of a manifesto for the Sustainability Revolution. After examining the movement's history, he analyzes its core concerns-the three "E's," namely ecology/environment, economy/employment, equity/equality, to which he adds education of the larger public. He then goes on to analyze sustainability in terms of community, commerce, natural resources, ecological design, and the biosphere-all key issues in the Sustainability Revolution and all related to each other.

Edwards's clear mind, formidable command of his material, and sharp eye for common principles make his book a remarkable and convincing document, which undoubtedly will become a classic reference work.

-- Georg Feuerstein, PhD

Recent intellectual stints into the Big Picture of Sustainability trying to place thoughts within the current destructive economic and industrial paradigms had me searching for some additional perspectives on the matter. Luckily a quick Amazon search led to me to this incredibly useful little book that details the history of Sustainability over the past 200 years focusing most intently on the past 20 years as momentum picked up. Of interest to many readers will be the incredibly detailed Resource Section that includes 28 pages of Organizations, followed by a 15 page annotated bibliography. A true Who’s Who of Sustainability today that is a great launching point for additional study.

Edwards traces the history of Sustainability back to the early 19th century and the Transcendentalist of America. Emerson’s essays on Nature and Self Reliance are as poignant today as ever, and where would we be without Thoreau’s Walden and Civil Disobedience? Of special importance to Edward’s was the Transcendentalist’s connection between Nature and human wisdom and spirituality through its symbolism and connection with the Divine. The role of Nature as teacher was further developed in the early 20th century Naturalists, of which John Muir is perhaps the most notable. Muir’s works Our National Parks and Yosemite focused more on the systemic nature of Nature and also laid out the basis for conservation by detailing the impacts of ranching on our wild lands. Aldo Leopold picked up the torch in the 1940’s by intimately tying ecosystems to our survival in The Sand County Almanac and was one of the clearest voices establishing Conservation as an ethical decision. Twenty years later, Rachael Carson’s Silent Spring roused a sleeping nation to the dangers of our New World Order and generated enough momentum to found the Environmental Movement culminating in Senator Gaylord Nelson’s first Earth Day in 1970. This movement reached critical mass with the passage of such landmark legislation as the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, and the establishment of the EPA. All of this led up to the first landmark event on a Global scale in 1972 with the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Sweden. These notables all led up to what Edward’s considers the birth of Sustainability with the World Commission on Environment and Development report in 1987 which defined Sustainability as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.

Edward’s differentiates between the Environmental Movements of the 1960’s/70’s which were issue based and typically led by charismatic leaders like Carson and Nelson with the Sustainability Revolution that he sees today which is much broader and lacks one central figurehead. Edward’s identifies a Core of Sustainability with the following 3 categories:

Ecology/Environment This "E" is framed by three broad concepts: long term not short term thinking, a focus on the systemic understanding of ecosystems critical importance to human life, and finally the strongly held belief that there are limits to the amount of life that the ecosystems of the Earth can support.

Economy/Employment Here is where Edwards begin to grow beyond the traditional Environmental movement. Sustainability focuses on the critical importance of secure, employment and economies that do not overstretch their ecosystems. There isn't a community on Earth that can be truly sustainable if they cannot meet the needs of their citizens-impoverished Africans will harvest bushmeat and American farmers will turn more and more to industrial agriculture without a viable economic alternative to feed their families and pay their bills.

Equity/Equality Without going all socialist here, the world may not currently have a resource shortage, but it certainly has a distribution problem. Ok, I'll go a little socialist-moral issues such as famines and homelessness are all the more terrible because they are preventable if we could just redistribute the wealth/resources already in use in our society. Edwards also stresses community building in this "E" recognizing the inherent importance in concern and cooperation with ones neighbor. "At a fundamental level, members of a sustainable community understand that the well being of the individual and the larger community are interdependent."

The bulk of Edwards’ book is spent flushing out these 3 categories and providing actual organizations or conferences that address them specifically. Edward’s also spends a lot of time defining Principles for each category and looking for common themes. In Chapter 2 he delves into Sustainability and Community with great examples like the inspiring Netherlands National Environmental Policy Plan (NEPP) and the Earth Charter. Further chapters devote time to Commerce, Ecological Design, Natural Resources, and the Biosphere. Subsequent chapters spend several pages each with an organization that is on the leading edge of driving change in their area of expertise providing fantastic examples of how we can all “be the change we wish to see in the world”.

Edwards concludes the book by identifying Seven Common Themes that all the detailed organizations have in common:
Stewardship
Respect for limits
Interdependance
Economic restructuring
Fair Distribution
Intergenerational perspective
Nature as a model and teacher

These themes can be seen at work in areas such as Curitiba, Brazil and Kerala, India where governments are literally changing the way that cities and regions are run to create ore sustainable paradigms. Edwards concludes that “Sustainability offers the possibility of brining social change values into the mainstream and pushing the mainstream toward sustainable practices.” I will leave you with a beautiful quote from the Netherlands’s Green Plan NEPP4:

“All humans seek to survive, to live healthily and to live meaningfully. This still does not add up to a sustainable life however. A sustainable life involves more: a realization, for example, that humans are not the only living creatures on the planet and must respect all life. And it involves, for example, the shouldering of responsibilities in a range of different roles: as citizens, as producer, as consumer or as citizen of the world. By bearing responsibility for the social, economic and ecological consequences of our actions both now and later… …we will bring sustainable development closer.”

Andres Edwards’ book is a great primer for anyone seeking to become more intimately aware of the myriad diverse initiatives in action across our globe as we try to dig ourselves out of this mess. The Doom and Gloom is easy, Edwards provides real proof that there are hundreds of thousands of intelligent, inspiring people fighting for a better way across the globe. Learning from them is a both a necessity and a pleasure.

Interested in learning more? Here are some great links and books included in the Resources section of the book:

The Earth Policy Insitute
The International Institute for Sustainable Development
Natural Capitalism Solutions
The Rocky Mountain Institute
The Global Footprint Network
The Natural Step
The Land Institute
US Green Building Council
The Permaculture Research Institute

Should Reads:
Natural Capitalism
Cradle to Cradle
Biomimicry
Permaculture: Pathways and Principles
The Natural Step for Communities

-- Groovy Green, written by Beo