By former MOTHER EARTH NEWS Publisher and Editorial Director Bryan Welch, this groundbreaking book cuts through the pessimism and denial that pervades today's sustainability discussions and invites readers to visualize a verdant and prosperous society future for humanity and all the living things that share our planet. As a practical guide, it offers a process for making our current lifestyles more sustainable. It inspires us to look beyond the immediate obstacles to nurture the "destination fixation" that stimulates all of humanity's most outstanding achievements. Beautiful and Abundant finds a path toward a world vision we can proudly pass on to future generations, a vision that is aesthetically beautiful, economically abundant, and ethically fair in the lives and accomplishments of farmers, gardeners, inventors, and entrepreneurs and irresistibly contagious. Humanity is at a turning point. Only one species in the universe can recognize its impact on its habitat, so far as we know, and we are that species. In the early years of the 21st century, we face the final human challenge: sustaining our quality of life on this miraculous but finite sphere we call Earth. Tragically, much human energy is being squandered in conflict over short-term environmental obstacles. People debate symptoms and solutions, but societies persistently fail to offer positive incentives for change. To harness the full power of human imagination and community initiative, we need a positive vision for humanity's future. We need a believable collective vision for the beautiful, abundant planet our grandchildren will live on.
