Bill McKibben (The End of Nature) proclaims in this book that there are positive signs afoot that we can stem the tide of environmental degradation. After looking at the recovery of the forest and wildlife in the Adirondacks where he lives, the author visits two third world countries where "simpler economies and tighter communities" are proving to be rewarding for the people who live there and for the good earth. Curitiba, Brazil, is a large city that has substituted buses for cars and created pedestrian malls and public parks. In Kerala, India, a state of 30-million people, the population has learned to live with less and the quality of life has improved for all. McKibben's report gives us reason to hope that these positive experiments can be tried in America. Living lightly on the earth is the right way to go.