Jim Merkel

Inspiring collection narrating how peace activists found their calling and why the world still needs peace activism.


Since the late 1990s the annual Kateri Tekakwitha Interfaith Peace Conference in upstate New York has grown to become the region’s premier peace conference. Bending the Arc provides a history of the conference and brings together the inspiring, personal stories from such well-known participants as Medea Benjamin, Blase Bonpane, Kathy Kelly, Bill Quigley, David Swanson,… Show more

Inspiring collection narrating how peace activists found their calling and why the world still needs peace activism.


Since the late 1990s the annual Kateri Tekakwitha Interfaith Peace Conference in upstate New York has grown to become the region’s premier peace conference. Bending the Arc provides a history of the conference and brings together the inspiring, personal stories from such well-known participants as Medea Benjamin, Blase Bonpane, Kathy Kelly, Bill Quigley, David Swanson, and Ann Wright, among others. Drawing from diverse philosophical and spiritual traditions, contributors share their experiences of working for peace and justice and discuss the obstacles to both. They address a wide range of contemporary problems, including the war on terror, killer drones, the invasions and occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq, mass surveillance, the human cost of war, political-economic impediments to peace, violent extremism, the role of women in peace-building, and the continued threat of nuclear weapons. With its stories of how peace activists found their calling and its exploration of why the world still needs peace activism, the book offers a vision rooted in human community and hope for the future.

“This collection of activist voices is enjoyable, interesting, and moving to read, and it will help readers understand why and how people actually get involved with peace work.” — Jason Del Gandio, coeditor of Educating for Action: Strategies to Ignite Social Justice
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Intended as an invitation to an alternative way of life, this anthology brings together some of the most important literature on the post-consumerist living strategy known as voluntary simplicity. By examining afresh our relationship with money, material possessions, the planet, ourselves and each other, the simple life of voluntary simplicity is about discovering the freedom and contentment that comes with knowing how much consumption is truly enough. And this might be a theme that has… Show more

Intended as an invitation to an alternative way of life, this anthology brings together some of the most important literature on the post-consumerist living strategy known as voluntary simplicity. By examining afresh our relationship with money, material possessions, the planet, ourselves and each other, the simple life of voluntary simplicity is about discovering the freedom and contentment that comes with knowing how much consumption is truly enough. And this might be a theme that has something to say to everyone, especially those of us who are everyday bombarded with thousands of cultural messages insisting that more is always better. Voluntary simplicity is an art of living that is aglow with the insight that just enough is plenty. The contributors to this anthology all leading figures in the voluntary simplicity movement are highly distinguished scholars, activists, educators, and artists. Brought together so comprehensively for the first time, the result is a collection of the very best writing on one of today's most important but neglected ideas. Show less

by Jim Merkel and Vicki Robin
Imagine you are first in line at a potluck buffet. The spread includes not just food and water, but all the materials needed for shelter, clothing, healthcare, and education. How do you know how much to take? How much is enough to leave for your neighbors behind you-not just the six billion people, but the wildlife, and the as-yet-unborn?

In the face of looming ecological disaster, many people feel the need to change their own lifestyles as a tangible way… Show more

by Jim Merkel and Vicki Robin
Imagine you are first in line at a potluck buffet. The spread includes not just food and water, but all the materials needed for shelter, clothing, healthcare, and education. How do you know how much to take? How much is enough to leave for your neighbors behind you-not just the six billion people, but the wildlife, and the as-yet-unborn?

In the face of looming ecological disaster, many people feel the need to change their own lifestyles as a tangible way of transforming our unsustainable culture. Radical Simplicity is the first book that guides the reader to a personal sustainability goal, then offers a process to monitor progress to a lifestyle that is equitable amongst all people, species, and generations. It employs three tools to help readers begin their customized journey to simplicity:

It builds on steps from Your Money or Your Life so readers can design their own personal economics to save money, get free of debt, and align their work with their values.
It uses refined tools from Our Ecological Footprint so readers can measure how much nature is needed to supply all they consume and absorb their waste.
And by advocating time alone in wild nature, it opens readers to another reality with humanity as one species among many on a complex and inter-related planet.
Combining lyrical narrative, compassionate advocacy and absorbing science, Radical Simplicity is a practical, personal answer to 21st century challenges that will appeal as much to Cultural Creatives and students as to spiritual seekers, policy makers and sustainability professionals.

Click here to view an excerpt and here to see the table of contents.

About the Authors
Jim Merkel quit his job as a military engineer following the Exxon Valdez disaster, and has since worked to develop tools for personal and societal sustainability. He founded the Global Living Project to further this work, and conducts workshops around North America on this topic.

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by Cecile Andrews and Wanda Urbanska
Our obsessive pursuit of wealth isn't working-people are afraid and anxious; we're destroying the planet, undermining happiness, and clinging to an unsustainable economy.

But there's another way. Less can be More. Throughout history wise people have argued that we need to live more simply-that only by limiting outer wealth can we have inner wealth. Less is More is a compelling collection of essays by people who have been writing about Simplicity… Show more

by Cecile Andrews and Wanda Urbanska
Our obsessive pursuit of wealth isn't working-people are afraid and anxious; we're destroying the planet, undermining happiness, and clinging to an unsustainable economy.

But there's another way. Less can be More. Throughout history wise people have argued that we need to live more simply-that only by limiting outer wealth can we have inner wealth. Less is More is a compelling collection of essays by people who have been writing about Simplicity for decades -including Jim Merkel, Bill McKibben, Duane Elgin, Juliet Schor, Ernest Callenbach, John de Graaf, and more. They bring us a new vision of Less: less stuff, less work, less stress, less debt. A life with Less becomes a life of More: more time, more satisfaction, more balance, more security.

When we have too much, we savor nothing. When we choose less, we regain our life and can think and feel deeply. Ultimately, a life of less connects us with one true source of happiness: being part of a caring community. Less is More shows how to turn individual change into a movement that leads to policy changes in government and corporate behavior, work hours, the wealth gap and sustainability. It will appeal to those who want to take back their lives, their planet and their well-being.

About the Authors
Cecile Andrews is a community educator focusing on voluntary simplicity, "take back your time," the "Sharing Economy," and Pursuit of Happiness Conversation Circles. She is the author of Slow is Beautiful, Circle of Simplicity and co-author of Less is More. She has a doctorate in education from Stanford University. Cecile is very active in the Transition Movement in the US. She and her husband are founders of Seattle's Phinney Ecovillage, a neighborhood-based sustainable community.

Wanda Urbanska is producer/host of Simple Living with Wanda Urbanska. She is author or co-author of numerous books, including Simple Living and Nothing's Too Small to Make a Difference. Show less

35 minutes
Directed by Jan Cannon
Featuring Jim Merkel

Imagine that you are first in line at a potluck supper. The spread includes not just food and water, but all the materials needed for shelter, clothing, healthcare, and education. How do you know how much to take? How much must you leave for your neighbors behind you - not just the 6 billion human beings, but our fellow creatures and the yet-to-be-born?
In the face of looming ecological disaster, many people feel the need to… Show more

35 minutes
Directed by Jan Cannon
Featuring Jim Merkel

Imagine that you are first in line at a potluck supper. The spread includes not just food and water, but all the materials needed for shelter, clothing, healthcare, and education. How do you know how much to take? How much must you leave for your neighbors behind you - not just the 6 billion human beings, but our fellow creatures and the yet-to-be-born?
In the face of looming ecological disaster, many people feel the need to change their own lifestyle as a necessary step in transforming our unsustainable way of life. But it's the first step that is often the most intimidating.

In RADICALLY simple, we join engineer and author Jim Merkel as he presents his views on sustainable living in public presentations and workshops at his home. These meetings, which revolve around discussions on global economics and resource consumption, show Merkel leading by example. He demonstrates that a radically simple lifestyle - while at times intimidating - is not only possible but extremely satisfying.

Scenes of Merkel fetching water from the woods, constructing an outhouse by hand, and using a solar cooker illustrate not only his ingenuity, but his total commitment to reducing his ecological footprint. Always encouraging, never judgmental, Merkel inspires audiences to take their own first steps on the path towards sustainability.

RADICALLY simple is a practical, personal answer to the challenge laid down by Al Gore in AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH that will appeal as much to "cultural creatives" and students as to policymakers and sustainability professionals. Show less