Bill
McKibben has been called "the nation's leading environmentalist"
and "the world's best green journalist." He is an outspoken advocate
for alternative energy, the need for more local-based economies,
and is best known for his extensive writing on the urgent global
climate change crisis. The nonprofit environmental organization
350.org, which he founded in 2007 to raise awareness about global
climate change, has helped to organize many internationally coordinated
events. One of the largest was an International Day of Climate
Action on October 24, 2009, when 5200 walks, demonstrations, tree
plantings and other events took place in 181 countries. Bill McKibben's
books include: The End of Nature, one of the first books
on global climate change for a mainstream audience; Hope, Human
and Wild, describing examples of cultures that live with less
impact on the environment; Deep Economy, about the failings
of our current economic system and the need to adopt a system
based more on localized economies; and Eaarth: Making a Life
on a Tough New Planet, about how our planet has changed so
much because of human activities, that we need to radically change
the way we live in order for humanity to survive.