Amidst growing awareness over the past half century that human activity
threatens our natural environment, many of the world's largest cities
have played a role in the sustainability movement, as seen by such
initiatives as Day of Cities sponsored by the United Nations. And now
local governments in towns and smaller cities are beginning to play a
more prominent role in the green movement. This book, inspired by the
author's own experience as a citizen activist and local candidate, is a
guide for local governments and citizens wishing to launch
sustainability campaigns and programs that make a lasting difference in
our world.
Alexandra Reed Lajoux addresses the popular "green city" topic but
focuses on smaller municipalities, which are more numerous than big
cities, and in greater need of guidance. With a visionary foreword by
Ben G. Price, National Organizer, Community Environmental Legal Defense
Fund and author of How Wealth Rules the World, the book discusses the
most critical environmental, economic, and engineering realities of
municipal life and leadership in our times, ranging from rights of
nature, to rollback tax rates, to green infrastructure, to
gentrification. It will appeal to a broad range of town or city
government employees and elected officials, as well as local activists,
contemplating the issues of managing and funding sustainability that all
localities worldwide face at some level.