Hope Is an Imperative: The Essential David Orr

David W. Orr

Jan 2011 · Island Press

About this ebook

For more than three decades, David Orr has been one of the leading voices of the environmental movement, championing the cause of ecological literacy in higher education, helping to establish and shape the field of ecological design, and working tirelessly to raise awareness of the threats to future generations posed by humanity’s current unsustainable trajectory.

Hope Is an Imperative brings together in a single volume Professor Orr’s most important works. These include classics such as “What Is Education For?,” one of the most widely reprinted essays in the environmental literature, “The Campus and the Biosphere,” which helped launch the green campus movement,and “Loving Children: A Design Problem,” which renowned theologian and philosopher Thomas Berry called “the most remarkable essay I’ve read in my whole life.”

The book features thirty-three essays, along with an introductory section that considers the evolution of environmentalism, section introductions that place the essays into a larger context, and a foreword by physicist and author Fritjof Capra.

Hope Is an Imperative is a comprehensive collection of works by one of the most important thinkers and writers of our time. It offers a complete introduction to the writings of David Orr for readers new to the field, and represents a welcome compendium of key essays for longtime fans. The book is a must-have volume for every environmentalist’s bookshelf.

About the author

David Orr is the Paul Sears Distinguished Professor of Environmental Studies at Oberlin College and a James Marsh Professor-at-Large at the University of Vermont. He is best known for his pioneering work on environmental literacy in higher education and his recent work in ecological design. He spearheaded the effort to fund, design, and build a $7.2 million Environmental Studies Center at Oberlin College, a building described by the New York Times as "the most remarkable" of a new generation of college buildings and selected as one of 30 "milestone buildings in the 20th century" by the U.S. Department of Energy. Orr is recipient of numerous awards and was described by the Cleveland Plain Dealer as "one of those who will shape our lives." Dr. Orr received a BA degree from Westminster College, an MA degree from Michigan State University, and a PhD degree from the International Relations University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of numerous books and articles.