The 1990s have been marked by widespread awareness of the convergence of environmental, economic, and social problems and issues. Many local workers have begun to recognize that severe setbacks or even collapse of their local economy are strongly related to environmental problems: either to the depletion of local resources (such as timber, fish, or minerals) or to severe pollution and degradation of the local ecosystem. This in-depth collection of case studies of urban and rural communities committed to a process of sustainable development provides a more detailed description of this dynamic process than was previously available. This provocative book demonstrates the commonalities in approach across a wide variety of environmental and cultural settings, examining an emerging consciousness from cultural, economic, social, and environmental viewpoints.