State of the World 2010: Transforming Cultures
by the Worldwatch Institute. 2010. 244 pages. W.W. Norton. $19.95.
A worldwide binge of material consumerism has been draining the planet’s resources for the last few decades, but a new mass movement toward sustainability seems to be under way at last, according to the Worldwatch Institute’s State of the World 2010.
The Institute report identifies such trends as religious leaders increasingly urging their congregations to embrace environmental conservation. Carbon fasts and “green” weddings are becoming common rites. Organic farmers, anti-consumerist social movements, and eco-villages promote the principle of living contentedly with less. Governments are passing legislation meant to encourage their citizens to live more sustainably. And businesses are increasingly assuming roles of social responsibility.
The report praises these initiatives as societal pioneering that could lead the way to a healthier and more equitable future—but only if their values become truly accepted by society at large. State of the World 2010 is a detailed road map for sustainable societal organization that readers of all professions can find insightful.
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