Plan B 2.0: What's it all about?

Rescuing a planet under stress and a civilization in trouble

That's what it's all about. Saving our planet and ourselves. Here's what Brown says about why he wrote the book.

Plan A, business-as-usual, has the world on an environmental path that is leading toward economic decline and eventual collapse. If our goal is to sustain economic progress, we have no choice other than move onto a new path--Plan B.

Image courtesy Carlos Petros, used with permission

So what is Plan B?

Plan B shows how we can all--the earth over--live well and sustainably

No more poverty. No more hunger. No more overheated climate. No more rampant species destruction. We--you and I--can build a good future for everyone. Plan B shows us exactly how to get there.

We're not alone

Momentum is building

Here's one way we can tell. Around the world, people are buying copies of this book and giving them to their friends and their civic and national leaders. The message is clear: Get with the plan before it's too late.

Take a look at some of the people already working the plan

Among them is media mogul, philanthropist and billionaire Ted Turner, who bought 3,756 copies of the book and gave them to leaders and policy makers in every country of the world. The Office of Creative Ministries Missouri bought 60 copies. A couple in Florida, Al and Anne Mielenhausen, bought 222 copies. The list is huge and includes people around the globe. They are all part of the Plan B team, and you are invited to join.

About this lens

This lens introduces Plan B and links to more in-depth discussions. Take it a piece at a time. I hope it will encourage you to get the book, if you don't have it already, and read it.

Talk it up!

If you've read Plan B, this lens will give you talking points to share with your friends, civic leaders and congressional representatives. Together, we will build a better future for ourselves, our grandkids--and theirs.

What you'll get from Plan B 2.0

REALLY BIG PICTURE

Where we are now -- Plan A
Vision of a sustainable economy -- Plan B
Road map from A to B

Image credit: NASA's Visible Earth series

1. Where we are now

PLAN A NOT WORKING

You'll understand why--if we care about leaving a world full of promise and opportunity to our children and grandchildren--a world of prosperity, fresh air and clean water--our present world economy isn't working and won't get us there.

2. Vision of a sustainable econcomy

PLAN B - Workable, doable and has a viable budget

You'll get a clear vision of the new economy--what our world would look like if we all lived sustainably. Brown shows us how we can build an economy of almost unimaginable comfort worldwide for generations to come.

3. Roadmap from A to B

and a glorious future for all

You'll finish with a road map, complete with travel budget, from Plan A--not working--to a sustainable Plan B, so we all get there safely, in one piece, and with a glorious future ahead of us.

Okay, what if we can solve world poverty and global warming all at once?

How long will it take?

First, the idea of solving world hunger, poverty and disease, let alone putting the breaks on global warming is just a little bit daunting. But that's not all. Brown says, if we want to save our civilization and leave a comfortable planet for our children and grandchildren, we have to do it by 2020. That's barely twelve years. And that is overwhelming. Can we do it? Brown makes a good case for it here, even moreso in his latest book, Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization.

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
Margaret Mead

But wait--how can just one person--you or me--make any real or lasting difference

Last week I heard David Wann speak. He is the author of Simple Prosperity: Finding real wealth in a sustainable lifestyle and coauthor of Affluenza. He's done a lot of research on this stuff, too, and he said we're not alone any more. Sixty million people, that's 60,000,000 people in the United States today, are all on the same page about this: all making conscious decisions about the ways we spend our money, what we eat, how much energy we use, and how our every day choices affect the future we're all building together, whether we pay attention or not.

Simple prosperity

Having our cake and eating it too

Simple Prosperity: Finding Real Wealth in a Sustainable Lifestyle

by David Wann

Amazon Price: $10.17 (as of 07/26/2008)
List Price: $14.95

Simplify your life, keep more money for the things that really matter, and live a more pleasurable, healthier life. David Wann's book showcases his experiences on living the good life while taking care of his community and the planet.

Release Date: 12/26/2007

Sixty million people making a difference

One lightbulb, one water bottle, one organic cotton tee at a time

We're voting with our pocketbooks at the checkout line, switching from high-energy to low-energy light bulbs, picking organic milk, apples and oranges, grass-fed beef and pork, free-range chickens and their eggs. More and more of us ask our grocers and restaurateurs for locally-grown, organic food--and we're getting it. We're carrying it home in ever-more stylish and eco-trendy reusable bags slung over our shoulders and stuffed into the back of our Priuses and Honda hybrids. (Catch up American automakers!)

We're hunting down and buying organic cotton clothing, bedding and bath linens. We're carrying reusable water bottles and coffee cups. We're recycling our trash, riding bicycles, public transportation, and walking more--and getting healthier in the process.

Sixty million people are dropping energy-saving, planet-saving, money-saving choices into the world bucket every single day. That's in the United States alone. The Europeans are way ahead of us on developing sustainable economies.

Are you one of the sixty million?

Swell the ranks - Make a difference

Every time we buy something, we vote with dollars. Next time you need a light bulb, vote for cleaner air, slow global warming and reduce your energy bill with these new, easy-to-use compact flourescent bulbs. We're all part of the problem. We can become part of the solution one light bulb at a time.

BULB CFL TWIST 23W DAYLIGHT

Amazon Price: $4.59 (as of 07/26/2008)
List Price: $4.69

Fits standard light-bulb fixutre; 100 watt equivalent bulb simulates natural sunlight, lasts up to seven years; save energy costs by replacing incandescent bulbs with fluorescent equivalents; Instant on, no flicker. 8,000 average life hours. FCC Approved, U.L. Listed.

Making a difference is easy as your morning cup o' jo

Collectively, we send 25 billion cups to the landfill every year, says Ideal Bite. "Small changes make a big difference, especially for daily drinkers. Individually, one cup of coffee purchased every day in a disposable container contributes about 22.75 pounds of waste per year."

Contigo West Loop Mug -Silver

Amazon Price: $17.27 (as of 07/26/2008)

This slim, sleek travel mug comes in silver, cobalt blue, and vibrant red. It's as practical as it is beautiful. Insulated stainless steel keeps your coffee hot. The patented leak-proof, easy-sip opening keeps the coffee in the mug until you're ready to drink it. Do yourself--and the planet--a favor. Buy this cup.

Sixty million of us making a difference is impressive, but what about China and India

Billions moving up the economic ladder and wanting everything we have

In population, the US is the third largest country in the world. China's population is more than four times ours. India's nearly four times. Thanks in part to the US outsourcing the manufacture of many of the goods we consume every day, people in China and India are moving up the economic ladder--and they're buying stuff.

4X as many cars, cell phones, CDs, refrigerators

4X as much fuel as we consume in the US every day

Imagine two rapidly growing countries, each with four times as many people driving four times as many cars, buying four times as many cell phones, computers, groceries, CDs in their plastic covers, paper towels, books, printers, copiers, snowmobiles, refrigerators, washers and dryers, and yes chewing gum and coffee in disposable cups. Wow.

Running on empty

Thing is, to support that many people at the US level of comfort and fun today, China alone would need big chunks of the resources pie. In fact, Brown says, China will need:

Two-thirds of the world's grain harvest
Twice the world's current paper production
99 million barrels of oil per day

Worldwide, right now, we pump 84 million barrels of oil per day. Many think we have reached or surpassed peak production--that going forward, oil production can only decline. Do the math. But don't take my word for it. On December 9, the New York Times reported that some oil-rich countries are already cutting exports to fuel their growing economies. This is what we call unsustainable growth.

That's where the vision comes in

WORLDWIDE SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC PROGRESS IS IN OUR SIGHTS

And well within the realm of possibility.

Want the full story?

GET THE BOOK!

Buy it! If you can't buy it, check it from your local library. If they don't have it, ask them to secure it on an interlibrary loan. If you can't wait, read it online for free, and if you're so inclined, make a donation to the Earth Policy Institute to help defray the costs of hosting the book.

Plan B 2.0: Rescuing a Planet Under Stress and a Civilization in Trouble by Lester R. Brown

Free online

Download the pdf version of Plan B 2.0 for free - Brown's message is that important

Well, what do you think?

HOW ARE YOU BECOMING A PART OF THE SOLUTION?

The great thing about Brown's book is that he doesn't just define the problems. He poses workable solutions--solutions with timetables and budgets. The exciting thing about his book is that people who read it start buying and giving it to everyone they know. It's that easy to read. The ideas are that compelling. The timeliness that urgent. Please, if you post a comment, make it count. Your opinion is important.

FurnaceFilterGuy

Nice work. If we each do our part we can make a difference. Check out my lens on air conditioner filters

Posted April 13, 2008

happyhour

Thank you for the lens. It was a very informative post.

http://www.bathtubworld.com

Posted March 21, 2008

Barkely

We practice sustainable agriculture, and try to buy and eat organic, and local when possible. There are a million other things we could do. Thanks for this thought provoking lens.

Posted July 29, 2007

Graceonline

Building lenses like this one and the ones listed below are one way I'm part of the solution. Carrying a reusable water bottle, coffee cup, and soup bowl are three more. Buying organic, eating less meat, being conscious of how I vote with my dollars are others. What are you doing? Tell us here.

Posted July 17, 2007

More to come

PLAN B 3.0 IS OUT!

Brown has updated the book to Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to save civilization, and I'm working on new lenses highlighting the updates. It's the most exciting book yet. He's achieved even more clarity, and the roadmap is ever more clear. But don't wait for me to finish them. Get the book. Get started. We all need to get there on time.

Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization, Third Edition

by Lester R. Brown

Amazon Price: $14.95 (as of 07/26/2008)

Brown's new timetable is daunting: We have to make serious changes in our practice, from the personal to the political, in just twelve years. The amazing thing, the really good thing, is that the changes will result in a cleaner, healthier, more viable, more sustainable world for us all. Everyone will live better, not worse. The second amazing, really good thing: Brown's budget for accomplishing every last bit of it is so much less than we're spending on war that we'll wonder why it took us so long.

Get Plan B 3.0

Buy the book.
Read.
Take action.
We have twelve years to save ourselves.

If you want more of the story

and don't have time to read the book now

Get the first installment of the Plan B 2.0 road map here, with tips for taking your own first steps toward sustainability, and more if you're already well on your path

Plan B 2.0 Roadmap: You are here

Road maps get us where we're going--if we know our starting point and our destination. This lens helps each of us find our starting point on Lester Brown's Plan B 2.0 map to worldwide prosperity and sustainability. With this lens, you can begin your...

Already a fan of Plan B 2.0?

JOIN THE PLAN B 2.0 TEAM

Join the Plan B 2.0 Team!

Word of mouth made Plan B BIG. People bought extra copies to give their friends. They sent them to their mayors and congressional leaders, sent them to the president. Author Lester Brown and the folks at Earth Policy Institute realized they had a hug...

About the author

Who is Lester R. Brown, and what is he doing now?

Several people have called him a genius. One thing is certain, he researches his subjects deeply. His assertions and proposals are based on sound, verifiable data. I trust him. You can too.

Lester R. Brown

From tomato farmer to "one of the world's most influential thinkers" (Washington Post) and "the guru of the environmental movement," (The Telegraph of Calcutta), Lester R. Brown's roots are deep, his vision wide-spreading. Learn m...

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If you're interested in making ecologically sound choices in your everyday life, these lenses and the Building Ordinary group are full of ideas and resources.

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The scent of it, fresh from the dryer, the rich plush of thick Turkish towels in the bath. And who doesn't feel comforted the moment they crawl between freshly laundered cotton sheets? So what's all the buzz about organic cotton, and why should you c...

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Village of Ordinary

What if ... every child grew up feeling wanted, loved and completely supported by family and community? What if ... we could all do work that gave us joy? What if ... we were so full of love ourselves that we viewed all other beings with compass...

Have you read it?

VOTE IF YOU'VE READ THE BOOK

Your vote here helps me track how many visitors have read the book. After you vote, make it count--hit the refresh button. If you haven't read it yet, follow this link to the Earth Policy Institute web page where you can buy it. Your purchase helps keep the online version free to anyone with internet access.

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Plan B 2.0: Rescuing a Planet Under Stress and a Civilization in Trouble

Our global civilization today is on an economic path that is environmentally unsustainable, a path that is leading us toward economic decline and even...1 point

WIRED - The interview with Lester Brown

For a capsule image of Plan B, check out Wired's interview with Dr. Brown.

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