While working for the Washington-based Worldwatch Institute, Alan Durning traversed the planet, from Nigeria to the Philippines, examining the world's environmental challenges. When he returned home to the Pacific Northwest in 1993, he realised that if he and his fellow citizens could not create an environmentally sound way of life here, in the greenest part of the richest society in history, it probably couldn't be done anywhere. From an unconventional city councilman in Vancouver to a shoe cobbler in Seattle who is making a small stand against our disposable society, this very readable book is filled with thought-provoking and inspiring people, ideas, and success stories showing how the intrinsic value of home can be acknowledged, valued and preserved.