- Jim Merkel
Jim Merkel is an American
author , volunteer, andengineer that moved from involvement in the military industry to pioneering insimplicity .Initially trained as an electrical engineer, Merkel spent twelve years designing industrial and military systems. After witnessing the devastation following the
1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, however, he concluded that global problems had become so urgent as to require immediate action. He consequently quit his job and began a new career as an environmental activist and spokesman.Merkel has now dedicated himself to trying to reduce his personal impact on the environment and to encourage others to do the same. He claims to have lived on $5,000 a year (close to the global median income) for 14 years. In his work, he has founded the Alternative Transportation Task Force in San Luis Obispo, California and served briefly as an elected officer of the
Sierra Club ; he also has conducted hundreds of workshops on sustainable living in the United States and more recently inSpain .Earthwatch
In
1994 he received anEarthwatch Gaia Fellowship, allowing him to visitKerala ,India , and parts of theHimalayas to research sustainable living. In1995 , he founded the Global Living Project, and continues to serve as its co-director.Merkel put his views in print with "Radical Simplicity: Small Footprints on a Finite Earth" in
2003 . In April2005 ,Dartmouth College appointed him its first Sustainability Director.Bibliography
* "Radical Simplicity: Small Footprints on a Finite Earth" (
2003 )External links
* [http://www.radicalsimplicity.org/ "Global Living Project"] More information on Jim Merkel including his publications, workshops and other activities
* [http://www.jancannonfilms.com/RADICALLYsimple.htm "RADICALLY simple"] the 2006 film showing Merkel at work on his homestead as well as doing public presentations and leading workshops on footprinting, permaculture, money and other topics related to sustainability.
* [http://shows.weru.org/archives/voices/wkv-20070804 "A radio interview with Jim Merkel at the Good Life Center in Harborside, Maine aired on community radio station WERU 89.9 from Blue Hill, Maine on the show Weekend Voices of 8/04/07"]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
