Read an Excerpt

"All economic activity is dependent upon that environment and its underlying resource base of forests, water, air, soil, and minerals. When the environment is finally forced to file for bankruptcy because its resource base has been polluted, degraded, dissipated, and irretrievably compromised, the economy goes into bankruptcy with it."

Author Biography: Gaylord Nelson was governor of Wisconsin from 1958 to 1962 and served in the U.S. Senate from 1963 to 1981. Millions of Americans joined him in observing the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1995 for his contributions to the environmental protection movement and has served as counselor to the Wilderness Society since 1981. Susan Campbell is an award-winning environmental journalist and adjunct professor of journalism. Paul Wozniak is a market research analyst and environmental historian.