Book Review: A Force for Nature

A history of the modern environmental movement, through one lens, that leaves you feeling positive about our prospects of solving big problems.

April 8, 2011 at 7:43AM by Dan Shapley | comment

For a history of the modern environmental movement, A Force for Nature: The Story of NRDC and Its Fight to Save Our Planet is a good place to start. Written by John and Patricia Adams, it tells the story of Natural Resources Defense Council, one of the bigger and more multi-faceted environmental groups in the U.S. Sure, it pumps up NRDC — it's a book written by its founders, after all — buy it is persuasive. You come away deeply impressed at the success of NRDC and the impact the organization has had on the environment, not only of the U.S. but of the world.

For me, it was particularly gratifying to see how the Hudson River loomed large in the formation of NRDC; it was the Storm King case — which culminated, after many years, in a settlement that prevented Con Edison from carving a chunk out of Storm King Mountain to build a new power plant — that launched or boosted not only NRDC but other prominent organizations, including Scenic Hudson and Riverkeeper. The case led to the federal National Environmental Policy Act, which requires the federal government to consider the environmental impact of its actions and decisions, a landmark in the early years of the environmental movement.

Pick it up. It's written well, tells an important story and will leave you feeling that big environmental problems can in fact be solved.

A Force for Nature: The Story of NRDC and Its Fight to Save Our Planet $16.50 at amazon.com

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