Emerging from César-Winning Documentary “Tomorrow,” 4 English-Language Books Show How Initiatives That Started Small Can--and Will--Change the World.
Major French publisher Actes Sud is releasing, in English, a series of books written by and featuring some of Europe’s greatest thinkers on resolving the ecological, economic and social issues we face in the 21st century. Known collectively as “The Tomorrow Books”, these four works demonstrate a trailblazing approach to solving the knotted ecological, economic and social issues we face in the 21st century. Across the series, their rallying cry reads: “The profound crisis affecting our societies is crystal clear. Ecological disturbances, social exclusion, the rampant exploitation of natural resources, the frenetic and dehumanizing quest for profit and widening of inequalities lie at the heart of our contemporary problems. Nevertheless, men and women everywhere are coming together around innovative and original projects with a view to opening up new prospects for the future. There are solutions. Novel proposals are being made all over the planet, often on a small scale, but always with the aim of bringing about real change in our societies.” The books capture the essence of the film that has changed hearts and minds, showing optimism through community, and the power of achievable, grass-roots acts to turn cynicism into admiration and finally into inspiration. In Vandana Shiva: Creative Civil Disobedience, acclaimed French author and journalist Lionel Astruc interviews Shiva about the origins of her epic fight against multinational seed corporations and how each of us can become that “little nobody” who can reverse current trends. The Transition Starts Here, Now and Together follows Transition Movement founder Rob Hopkins on his journey to transforming cities into models for engaging people and communities against the effects of peak oil, climate change and the economic crisis, resulting in a life that is more abundant, fulfilling, equitable and socially connected. Today the Transition Movement encompasses 1,200 cities in 47 countries, including 167 locations in the United States. In The Power of Restraint, beloved Franco-Algerian poet and environmentalist Pierre Rabhi argues that it’s time to recognize that our affluent societies have more than enough to meet their essential material needs, and that the logical response is to embrace, individually and collectively, the power of restraint. He offers a form of simplicity and gratitude which gives meaning to existence. It all began when French writer and activist Cyril Dion learned about a joint Berkeley-Stanford study forecasting the extinction of a large part of humanity by the year 2100, and did something about it, resulting in the documentary Tomorrow. The book Tomorrow-- the first in the series, published in 2017--arising from the documentary, echoes its message and the spirit of this collection: Men and women everywhere are coming together around innovative and original projects with a view to opening up new prospects for the future. There are solutions. Novel proposals are being made all over the planet, often on a small scale, but always with the aim of bringing about real change in our societies. Comments are closed.
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