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Radical Simplicity:

Small Footprints on a Finite Earth
Front Cover
28 Reviews
New Society Publishers, Oct 1, 2003 - Business & Economics - 248 pages

Imagine you are first in line at a potluck buffet. The spread includes not just food and water, but all the materials needed for shelter, clothing, healthcare, and education. How do you know how much to take? How much is enough to leave for your neighbors behind you—not just the six billion people, but the wildlife, and the as-yet-unborn?

In the face of looming ecological disaster, many people feel the need to change their own lifestyles as a tangible way of transforming our unsustainable culture.Radical Simplicityis the first book that guides the reader to a personal sustainability goal, then offers a process to monitor progress to a lifestyle that is equitable amongst all people, species, and generations. It employs three tools to help readers begin their customized journey to simplicity:

It uses refined tools from Our Ecological Footprint so readers can measure how much nature is needed to supply all they consume and absorb their waste.
Combining lyrical narrative, compassionate advocacy, and absorbing science,Radical Simplicityis a practical, personal answer to twenty-first century challenges that will appeal as much to Cultural Creatives and students as to spiritual seekers, policy makers, and sustainability professionals.

Jim Merkelquit his job as a military engineer following the Exxon Valdez disaster and has since worked to develop tools for personal and societal sustainability. He founded the Global Living Project to further this work and conducts workshops around North America on this topic.

  

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Review: Radical Simplicity: Small Footprints on a Finite Earth

User Review  - Shannon - Goodreads

Truly inspiring. Though the data is a little out of date, the concepts and themes are just as pertinent and urgent today as when it was written. This is a great book for both reflection and action if ... Read full review

Review: Radical Simplicity: Small Footprints on a Finite Earth

User Review  - Anna - Goodreads

While I understand and agree with the core impetus of this book, I just can't take seriously the suggestion that I "might wash dishes with wood ash" (p.178). Read full review

All 28 reviews »

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Selected pages

Contents

BUILDING THE CASE FOR GLOBAL LIVING
2
A CULTURE OF GLOBAL LIVING
11
SUSTAINABILITY IN ACTION
17
The Global Living Project
44
SHARING THE EARTH
52
GETTING STARTED
66
Three Tools
72
How Big is My Footprint?
83
The Making of a Movement
128
THE THIRD TOOL LEARNING FROM NATURE
138
APPLYING THE TOOLS
150
The Triple Bottom Line Test
154
THE WISEACRE CHALLENGE
164
THE ONEHUNDREDYEAR PLAN
182
TOWARD A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
193
FOOTPRINTING WORKSHEETS
211

The Footprinting Calculator
94
Footprinting
110
Determining Your Footprint
122
INDEX
241
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
249
Copyright

Other editions - View all

Radical Simplicity: Small Footprints on a Finite Earth
Radical Simplicity: Small Footprints on a Finite Earth
Jim Merkel
Limited preview - 2003
Radical simplicity: small footprints on a finite earth
Radical simplicity: small footprints on a finite earth
Jim Merkel
No preview available - 2003
Radical simplicity: small footprints on a finite earth
Radical simplicity: small footprints on a finite earth
Jim Merkel
No preview available - 2003

Common terms and phrases

Acre Total acres American amount appliances assume average bike billion bioproductive bioregional calculate choices Chumash consume culture dollars Donella Meadows dreams Earth Ecological Footprint Energy Foot equity estimate example Food Footprint footprint factor forest fossil fuels friends gallons garbage garden global living human Ib kg impact includes income India Jim Merkel Kerala land less lifestyle Major appliances Mathis Wackernagel Metric Foot miles month Monthly Food Monthly Stocks nature percent permaculture person plants population pounds print Factor Radical Simplicity Real Hourly Wage recycled reduce scenario Sea Foot share simple living Six Acre soil species spend spiritual sq yd square yards sqyd Step sustainability goal sweatshop Table A.I tofu transportation triple bottom line veggies walk waste weight wild Wiseacre Worksheet World Bank YMOYL

References to this book

From other books

Cases in macro social work practice
Cases in macro social work practice
David P. Fauri,Stephen P. Wernet,F. Ellen Netting
Snippet view - 2008
Toward Sustainable Communities: Resources For Citizens And Their Governments
Toward Sustainable Communities: Resources For Citizens And Their Governments
Roseland, Mark
No preview available - 2005
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From Google Scholar

CurrÍculo Para Un Futuro Sustentable: Una Propuesta Para La ...
Linda Vanasupa, Frank G Splitt - 2004 - Journal of Materials Education
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Connecting the Dots
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References from web pages

Global Living Project - Radical Simplicity
DVD - Radically Simple Speaking Events get involved Bike Tours Workshops Contact Us. Radical Simplicity: Small Footprints on a Finite Earth ...
www.radicalsimplicity.org/ book.html

Beyond The Lawn: Radical Simplicity
Our friend Jim Merkel spent the night last week after being stranded at the airport, on his way home from two months of sailing the length of Baja, Mexico. ...
beyondthelawn.blogspot.com/ 2008/ 03/ radical-simplicity.html

Resource: Radical Simplicity: Small Footprints on a Finite Earth ...
wiserearth is a collaborative tool and a comprehensive directory to link and empower the largest and fastest growing movement in the world
www.wiserearth.org/ resource/ view/ e9bcbcc43c575a5985b4bf481803cc55

How to Save the World
environment economics politics stories business innovation knowledge management entrepreneurship eco blog
blogs.salon.com/ 0002007/ 2003/ 12/ 01.html

ibrattleboro.com - Radical Simplicity with Jim Merkel
He is the author of Radical Simplicity: Small Footprints on a Finite Earth (2003). Directions: http://gradcenter.marlboro.edu/contact/index.html ...
www.ibrattleboro.com/ article.php/ 20070305154000180

Radical Simplicity
Guides the reader to a personal sustainability goal, then offers a process to monitor progress to a lifestyle that is equitable amongst all people, ...
www.simpleliving.net/ main/ item.asp?itemid=569

Jim Merkel: Radical Simplicity Part 1 » slideshare
Slideshare.net (beta). slideshare Logo · Home My Slidespace Upload Community Tags Widgets · Latest | Most Viewed | Most Embedded | Featured | Most Favorited ...
www.slideshare.net/ ncenergy/ jim-merkel-radical-simplicity-part-1

syracusezest: Radical Simplicity
In a book review of RADICAL SIMPLICITY: Small Footprints on a Finite Earth by Jim Merkel in Yes! Magazine I discovered just how far I have to go to do my ...
www.syracusezest.org/ archives/ 2004/ 12/ 06/ radical_simplic.html

Greener Impact » Blog Archive » Radical Simplicity
restore the earth… renew the future. Home · About Us · Our Greener Projects · Archives · Greener Partners · Contact. restore the earth... renew the future ...
www.greenerimpact.com/ ?p=30

Radical ideas, simple solutions - Books - Radical Simplicity ...
If so, Radical Simplicity: Small Footprints on a Finite Earth (New Society Publishers, $17.95 paperback) is for you. This inspiring book by Jim Merkel will ...
findarticles.com/ p/ articles/ mi_m1594/ is_2_15/ ai_114327259

About the author (2003)

Jim Merkel quit his job as a military engineer following the Exxon Valdez disaster, and has since worked to develop tools for personal and societal sustainability. He founded the Global Living Project to further this work, and conducts workshops around North America on this topic.

Bibliographic information

QR code for Radical Simplicity
TitleRadical Simplicity: Small Footprints on a Finite Earth
AuthorJim Merkel
Editionillustrated, reprint
PublisherNew Society Publishers, 2003
ISBN0865714738, 9780865714731
Length248 pages
Subjects ›  › 

Business & Economics / Development / Sustainable Development
Education / Multicultural Education
Nature / Environmental Conservation & Protection
Nature / Natural Resources
Philosophy / Ethics & Moral Philosophy
Science / Environmental Science
Self-Help / General
Self-Help / Spiritual
  
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