The Land that Could be: Environmentalism and Democracy in the Twenty-first Century

In this book, environmentalist and lawyer William Shutkin describes a new kind ofenvironmental and social activism spreading across the nation, one that joins the pursuit ofenvironmental quality with that of civic health and sustainable local economies. In the face ofchallenges posed by often corrosive market forces and widespread social disaffection, this civicenvironmentalism is creating nothing less than a new public discourse and dynamic social visiongrounded in environmental action.Shutkin points the way to vibrant, sustainable communities throughfour inspiring examples of civic environmentalism in action: the redevelopment of contaminated urbanland for agriculture in inner-city Boston, mass-transit-based development and waterfront restorationin Oakland, protection of open space and conservation-based development in rural Colorado, andsmart-growth and sustainability strategies in suburban New Jersey. The book's underlying message isthat the nation's environmental health is a critical factor in its success as a vital democracy.Social health, democratic community, and environmentalism, Shutkin shows, are one.From the author'spreface :"This book asserts that environmentalism is as much about protecting ordinary places as itis about preserving wilderness areas; as much about promoting civic engagement as it is aboutpursuing environmental litigation; and as much about implementing sound economic developmentstrategies as it is about negotiating global climate change treaties. Ultimately, I believe,environmentalism is nothing less than about our conception of ourselves as a social and politicalcommunity -- what the bald eagle, our national symbol, really means."