A healthy dose of optimism for our future We all know the bad news. Every day, along with all the bulletins on social upheavals and terrorist attacks, we read reports of another animal species on the brink of extinction, of how our ocean fisheries are collapsing, and of the damage industrial development is wreaking on our soil, air and water. Is there any hope for this troubled planet? Simply put, yes. Anti-globalization activists and village communities are learning how to practise real democracy and create real community. A growing number of companies are still making money while benefiting their local communities. Even some governments, local and national, are starting to base economic development strategies on our collective dependency on nature. In this welcome relief from the pessimism of our age, Suzuki and Dressel uncover hundreds of working solutions that can help all of us imagine and achieve a new and happier future. As their insights point out, many of the technologies we need to realize our goals are already within our grasp.