Review of the Book:
The Earth Belongs to Everyone
by Alanna Hartzok
Nadine Stoner
[Reprinted from
GroundSwell, September-October 2008 ]
Earth Rights Institute and the Institute for Economic Democracy Press
have co-published a new book, The Earth Belongs to Everyone. This
collection of 30 articles and essays by Alanna Hartzok sets forth the
vision and policy foundation for "earth rights democracy"
and presents a large and hopeful worldview with profound possibilities
for transformational action for peace, economic justice, and
environmental restoration.
Following an introduction containing glimpses of the author's
fascinating journey through life, The Earth Belongs to Everyone
describes how to establish political-economic systems based on the
human right to the planet as a birthright. Hartzok's key theme is that
earth rights democracy is an essential ethical basis necessary to
secure other economic human rights and to create a world of peace and
plenty for all. She places this core perspective into an integrated
local-to-global framework that balances the need for global
cooperation with the necessity for building demilitarized,
decentralized, and sustainable local-based economics.
Themes of the book include: Democracy, Earth Rights and the Next
Economy; Sharing Our Common Heritage; Land for People, Not for Profit;
Financing Local to Global Public Goods; Women, Earth and Economic
Power; Restructuring Economic Relationships; Economics of War and
Peace.
Hazel Henderson, author of Beyond Globalization and Building a
Win-Win World, and member of President's Commission on Sustainable
Development, says: "Alanna Hartzok has deeply researched
tax issues with equity and ecological-sustainability firmly in mind.
This book is a storehouse of wisdom and insights on these and many
broader issues relating economics to the larger planetary ecology."
James Robertson, author of The New Economics of Sustainable
Development, and co-founder of The Other Economic Summit and New
Economics Foundation, says: "More and more people are
convinced that the only way to a just, prosperous and ecologically
sustainable future is to share the value of Earth's resources more
fairly. One of the many merits of Alanna Hartzok's collection of
writings is to ground that conviction in practical proposals.
She inspires us to do something about it."
The Earth Belongs to Everyone is 360 pages and includes a
25-page introduction with article summaries, 30+ photos, graphs and
charts, and a 10-page index. Book Price to readers of
GroundSwell is $25 (List Price: $35), plus S & H: $5. Make
checks payable to Earth Rights Institute, Box 328, Scotland, PA 17254,
USA.
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