A Passion for This Earth

Twenty influential writers and scientists contribute personal, practical, and political essays celebrating our planet.

In this powerful collection of original essays, twenty of the world's most influential journalists, writers, scientists, and environmentalists lend their voices to inform and engage those who are committed to the survival of the Earth and its inhabitants. Personal, practical, political, full of wonder and rage, this book respectfully continues the conversation that the inimitable David Suzuki began more than fifty years ago. With essays inspired by Canada's foremost environmentalist, contributions include personal experiences with nature, including:

• David Helvarg on childhood and the sea
• Rick Bass on falling in love with the Yaak Valley in Montana
• Richard Mabey on a May night in Suffolk with a full moon
• Helen Caldicott on our notions of terrorism and poverty
• Ross Gelbspan on a public policy strategy that could make Kyoto targets a reality for North America
• Carl Safina on the continued need for effective science communicators
• Sherilyn MacGregor on Earth-friendly citizenship, leadership, and scholarship.
• Finally, Tom Berger, John Lucchesi, and Robyn Williams describe their personal experiences with David Suzuki and what his example has meant to them.

Published in partnership with the David Suzuki Foundation.

Bill McKibben is an American environmentalist and writer who frequently writes about global warming, alternative energy, and the risks associated with human genetic engineering. He is a frequent contributor to various magazines including The New York Times, The Atlantic Monthly, Harper's, Orion Magazine, Mother Jones, The New York Review of Books, Granta, Rolling Stone, and Outside. He is a scholar in residence at Middlebury College.

Michelle Benjamin, formerly a book publisher, lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.

"A Passion for This Earth looks at ways to celebrate the world we live in, and how not only to save it, but also prolong the lives of everyone who is part of it . . . Each chapter has its own distinct voice, and whether you agree totally or not, it gives cause to pause and reflect on the world we live in." -Shelf Life

"David Suzuki truly has passion . . . A Passion for This Earth, however, is not Suzuki's book at all, but the product of his remarkable ability to inspire people to think critically, personally, and practically about our environment . . . A Passion for This Earth is a satisfying fusion of appreciation for nature and political activist that stems from the natural diversity of our earth, of the problems that face it and the people who choose to tackle the issues." -Utne Reader

"Just how much can one man inspire the environmental movement? This collection of 20 essays inspired by David Suzuki shows how one person's idealistic vision for saving the Earth can create ripples through mankind . . . This collection resonates with our local community as well as the global village." -Granville Magazine

"The book is very reader-friendly, and engaging, and the obligatory instances of feteing Suzuki that pop up are not gratuitous, awkward, or irrelevant. Instead, all of the individual pieces coalesce as the writers express their personal perspective on nature and environmentalism . . . [the essays] create a superb collection that is valuable both in its parts and as a whole. A Passion for This Earth will surely provoke you to think about human practices and policies, to ponder why nature is important for you (and all of us), and to 'get moving; by putting your passion into action." -Sustainablog