Bill McKibben is hopeful too!

Bill McKibben says we're stuffed | Salon Books: "Unfortunately, the science on global warming has grown steadily worse and the situation is much grimmer now than it was 20 years ago. But there have been changes in the last couple of years that have made me hopeful. We're figuring out that the endless increase in our consumption, which drives global warming more than anything else, actually isn't making us very happy. That seems to me a very powerful idea. If it were making us happy, we'd be out of luck, because no matter how much trouble it was causing we'd just keep pushing the lever."

Bill McKibben is one of my favorite environmental writers. In his new book, Deep Economy, he argues for a return to more local economies, where the main goal isn't to increase productivity and profit, but to make enough profit to make a living while building community, maintaining durability, and meeting environmental commitments. I have heard forward thinking economists and companies call this the "triple bottom line." Here's hoping that many, many more CEOs jump on the bandwagon. I know that John Mackey, chairman and CEO of Whole Foods Market, is working on a book called "Conscious Capitalism." Maybe it will be a roadmap to show the way to both build relationships (supporting local and artisinal growers), and make a difference in the environment (building a market for organic growers, offsetting 100% of carbon emissions), while still providing a product that people are happy to pay for.