Foreword

The subtitle of this book, "How to Build an Earth-Friendly Community" speaks for my neighbor Nancy Taylor's sensible approach to reducing our environmental footprint. The community is the right scale to address these issues. The individual alone is too small and powerless; national government and Fortune 500 corporations too clueless, too powerful – and out of listening range. But a community is small enough to be real and reachable, something we can all as individuals influence and affect.

The tips found in this book go well beyond switching to hybrids or eight-year light bulbs. It touches on what greener building standards should be for new houses and commercial space but goes refreshingly further. What would a green hospital look like? Or a green school? How does a community insure the health of its water? What's the proper way, at the neighborhood level, to get people to drive less and still get around? How can local, community-based farming help us eat better and become healthier as well as help the environment?

This book answers all these questions with clarity, brevity and insight. It's a worthy read that should have a lot of influential people – a lot of neighbors – talking, then acting.

Yvon Chouinard

Founder and owner, Patagonia, Inc.