Friday, May 2, 2014

"LIFE WITH BIG GREEN: A MEMOIR"

Why is the environmental movement so ineffective? After a career dedicated to nature protection, I’ve concluded that environmental groups, though well-intended, will never save the earth. How can that be?

My latest ebook, Life with Big Green: A Memoir, now available online, has my answers. You can download it from Apple's iBookstore or other online ebook retailers.

 
Readers’ reviews:

From former environmentalist colleagues:
 
·         “Riveting. I couldn't put it down.”
·         “A real page turner. If you need to hide from attorneys, we’re available.”
·         “Well written, unvarnished, and artfully constructed. Parts poignant, others deeply disturbing.”
·         “I just finished most of Wayne's book. I think I must have PTSD. I'm sick to my stomach.”

From a former environmentalist Board of Directors member:
·         “I think you got it right.”

From a former journalist colleague:
·         “What a motherfucker of a book it is. Holy shit!

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 You also can read a sample or purchase a copy ($4.99) at Smashwords.com:
NOTE: If you are not used to downloading ebooks for your computer, you may need to download and install Adobe Digital Editions 3.0 (free):


Also, see the Smashwords FAQ page for other devices if you have trouble:

 

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An excerpt from my Preface follows:

Here is my story, unlikely and unvarnished, of life with Big Green – that is, my nearly three-decade relationship with one of the biggest environmental groups in the United States, the National Wildlife Federation. Along the way, including thirteen years on NWF’s staff, I saw environmentalism from the inside and witnessed firsthand its fundamental failure. I learned why environmental groups will never gain sufficient political momentum to save the earth, however noble their intentions.
My trajectory within NWF took me from an obscure regional job to executive positions at its headquarters near Washington, DC. I worked in the shadow of an enigmatic boss who was one of my best friends – the brilliant, complex, and maddening Mark Van Putten.

I was by Mark’s side as he achieved the pinnacle of an environmentalist’s career – President & CEO of NWF – only to crash and burn before my eyes. It is a woeful tale of friendship failed – my conservation crusading partner transforming into the boss I could barely abide.
What was that all about? Why didn’t my partnership with Mark succeed? Why couldn’t we make a do-gooder organization of immense potential work better? Why can’t the environmental movement get its act together? And, how did my once sweet calling – working to protect nature – turn so sour?

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