Start in Your Own Backyard

"For many Americans, life is no longer working. We are increasingly sick, stressed, anxious, and unhappy. Many feel left behind by the economy, disillusioned by once-respected institutions, and helpless in the face of environmental decline. Steve Nygren argues that much of this can be traced to where-and how-we live. By rethinking and reinvesting in our own communities, we can rediscover the joy of connected, meaningful lives for ourselves and future generations. Start in Your Own Backyard provides a blueprint for developing sustainable communities where citizens of all generations can thrive"-- Provided by publisher.

Concerned by the trends of poor human health and a degraded environment, Steve Nygren was on a treadmill trying to effect change but going nowhere. He surrendered to hopelessness and retreated to the countryside on the edge of Atlanta to raise his family. After seven years of retirement while walking the trails, he realized the tentacles of dysfunction could destroy his rural paradise. Rather than retreat further, he launched an effort to save his own backyard expanding the effort to the surrounding 40,000 acres that is now a living laboratory for change offering solutions and hope to communities around the world who are curious about a better future.