[SustainableTompkins] Reminder: Jim Merkel to Speak at Home Green Home, Monday 12/10, 7pm

[Rena D. Grossman]

Contact:

Rena D. Grossman – Manager
Home Green Home
215 The Commons
Ithaca, NY 14850
(607) 319-4159
*www.homegreenhome.com
rena at homegreenhome.com <rena at homegreenhome.com>*


 Pioneer of the Simplicity Movement Offers Talk About Living Equitably in a
Global Culture



 Ithaca, NY, 11/30/2007 – Jim Merkel, electrical engineer turned
environmental activist, will offer a talk, "Radical Simplicity", at *Home
Green Home* on Monday, December 10, 2007 at 7pm.

 Initially trained as a military engineer, Jim Merkel spent twelve years
designing industrial and military systems. The 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill
and the invasion of Iraq prompted Merkel to devote his life to
sustainability and world peace. Merkel has dedicated himself to reducing his
personal impact on the environment and to encouraging others to do the same.
To this end, Jim initiated the "Cycling for a Sustainable Future" speaking
tour that has logged over 17,000 miles delivering lectures and workshops at
over 30 colleges and universities. He is a member of the Simplicity Forum
Steering Committee and the Global Footprint Network. He has led over 1,000
workshops about sustainable lifestyles.

In his much acclaimed practical guide, *Radical Simplicity: Small Footprints
on a Finite Earth* , Jim Merkel asks: "Imagine you are first in line at a
potluck buffet. The spread includes not just food and water, but all the
materials needed for shelter, clothing, healthcare, and education. How do
you know how much to take? How much is enough to leave for your neighbors
behind you – not just the six and a half billion people currently inhabiting
the earth, but the wildlife, and the as-yet-unborn?"

Merkel's talk will address these questions of simple, equitable living that
he explores in *Radical Simplicity.*  He will provide practical directives
for individuals about how they may make dramatic reductions in impact and
will help participants customize their journey to sustainability.
Additionally, he will explore the role institutions and businesses can play
in reducing environmental impacts, and will share experiences from his
tenure as the first Sustainability Coordinator at Dartmouth College.
Finally, Merkel will offer examples of sustainable living in Kerala, India
and the Himalayas, communities he has visited to research efficient resource
usage.

*Acclaim For Merkel and Radical Simplicity:*

" Jim Merkel takes us beyond extended vacations and cleaning closets to
hardcore simplicity that aims to save the planet."
- Mark A. Murch, author of *Stepping Lightly: Simplicity for People and the
Planet*

" Merkel has written the most persuasive argument I have yet seen for all of
us to radically change the way we live day-to-day. Radical Simplicity joins
the evidence of science to a fertile imagination. This is a profoundly
important book."
- Howard Zinn, author of *A People's History of the United States*

Home Green Home is committed to ensuring that everyone can and should have a
beautiful home that is health-supporting, nature-connecting and
rejuvenating. To this end, the staff makes available home goods that are
mindfully and sustainably crafted. Home Green Home is located at 215 The
Commons, Ithaca, NY, 14850. For more information about this event and the
store, please call (607) 319-4159 or email *rena at homegreenhome.com*.


Please circulate widely.

Rena D. Grossman - Manager
Home Green Home
215 The Commons
Ithaca, NY 14850
(607) 319-4159
www.homegreenhome.com