"There is an environmental movement and there is a social justice movement. If they could truly become one movement the transformation would be unimaginable.

When a black child in Oakland winces at the thought of an ancient tree being cut down in northern California, and when an ex logger in northern California winces at the thought of a teenager, a black teenager in Oakland, being cut down on those streets, then we’ll know that day has arrived."

Could Western civilization's oldest ethical instructions of the Golden Rule hold acute relevance to our planetary environmental crisis? Could restoring respect for human beings be the key to restoring the health of the planet? Author Paul Hawken has been tracking the rapid proliferation of nonprofit, non-governmental organizations around the world. It boils down to this: Taking care of nature means taking care of people, and taking care of people means taking care of nature.