The Making of a Conservative Environmentalist [Library Binding]

Gordon K. Durnil (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 22, 1995

"[Durnil's attack on chlorine is] one of the single boldest environmental policy ideas of the 1990's.... The message is that if someone as conventional and as conservative as Mr. Durnil can latch on to one of the great social transformations of the American century, then so can every other Republican in the country." —New York Times Book Review

"This is a serious, thoughtful book. If they would read it, the phoney 'conservatives' now performing in the center ring in Congress might be shamed into mending their ways. —Village Voice Literary Supplement

"Here comes a thoughtful, experienced conservative with impeccable Republican credentials a dedicated environmentalist with a different point of view. A thoughtful, readable mandate."—Ken Bode, Moderator, Washington Week in Review

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Durnil, a mover and shaker among Indiana Republicans, tells how he became an environmentalist and argues that conservatism and environmentalism need not be in conflict. In 1989, President Bush appointed Durnil to be the United States chair of the International Joint Commission, a binational organization whose charge is to safeguard the environmental resources along the U.S.-Canadian border. With absolutely no environmental background, but with impeccable conservative credentials, Durnil was a purely political appointment; but during his tenure, he took his job seriously and did his homework. Here, he focuses on the consequences of introducing toxic substances into ecosystems and argues that government resources should be spent on the elimination of such toxics rather than on remedial efforts. Within this rather narrow, but critically important, field, Durnil raises provocative points. Disappointingly, however, he dismisses as trivial other environmental issues that he has not yet personally studied (e.g., he argues against ``worrying about such esoteric theories as global warming''). Durnil's repeated asides in support of conservative causes unrelated to environmentalism (e.g., anti-abortion, anti-gay rights, pro-family values) detract from an otherwise cogent thesis.

Copyright 1995 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

"[Durnil's attack on chlorine is] one of the single boldest environmental policy ideas of the 1990's ... The message is that if someone as conventional and as conservative as Mr. Durnil can latch on to one of the great social transformations of the American century, then so can every other Republican in the country." The New York Times Book Review "This is a serious, thoughtful book. If they would read it, the phoney 'conservatives' now performing in the center ring in Congress might be shamed into mending their ways." Village Voice Literary Supplement "An engaging and thought-provoking memoir from a political conservative whose environmental consciousness was raised during a stint as co-head of a watchdog agency... Uncommonly sensible and heartfelt perspectives on being green, from a concerned citizen for whom environmentalism has become a matter of enlightened self-interest." Kirkus Reviews] "Gordon Durnil's book proposes ... a no-nonsense, workable alternative... Few leaders of either political party can match his courage and insight." - Jack Weinberg, Greenpeace "Here comes a thoughtful, experienced conservative with impeccable Republican credentials - a dedicated environmentalist with a different point of view. A thoughtful, readable mandate." - Ken Bode, Moderator, Washington Week in Review "I highly recommend this well thought-out and provocative tome to the many who have yearned to know the truth about our God-given environment." - Mary Matalin, Republican Strategist/Commentator "Durnil's commitment and his established political credentials may very well make him the parade master of a new generation of conservative environmentalists." - Theo Colborn, Senior Scientist, World Wildlife Fund "Every few years, I come across a book so exceptional that I cannot help buying multiple copies to give to colleagues and relatives... These chapters should be mandatory reading in environmental studies, government/public management programs, and in business schools." - Chemical and Engineering News "His story makes clear that the cause of conservation can be a unifying cause and that a conservative ideology can embrace a conservationists' deep commitment." - William K. Reilly "... a fascinating story" - Peter Montague, Village Literary Supplement --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Library Binding: 216 pages
• Publisher: Indiana University Press (November 22, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 025332873X
• ISBN-13: 978-0253328731
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,734,982 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Conservative Capitalism is Maturing!, October 3, 2008

By 

Robert D. Steele (Oakton, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Making of a Conservative Environmentalist (Paperback)

As true conservatives start realizing that both parties are evil and both parties have been corrupt in both selling out to Wall Street and in mandating "party line" voting, the tide is turning in favor of common sense and what I have been calling "reality-based" policy and budgeting.

This author deserves very high marks, and I am disappointed that the book has not attracted any reviews at all. Published in 2001, this author was years ahead of the pack, and along with Governor Mitch Daniels, himself rather special as a former Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), I am finding more and more reasons to look to the heartland for common sense.

See also:
Pandora's Poison: Chlorine, Health, and a New Environmental Strategy
The Blue Death: Disease, Disaster, and the Water We Drink
Toxics A to Z: A Guide to Everyday Pollution Hazards
High Tech Trash: Digital Devices, Hidden Toxics, and Human Health
Blue Frontier: Dispatches from America's Ocean Wilderness
Catastrophe & Culture: The Anthropology of Disaster (School of American Research Advanced Seminar Series)
Running on Empty: How the Democratic and Republican Parties Are Bankrupting Our Future and What Americans Can Do About It
Election 2008: Lipstick on the Pig (Substance of Governance; Legitimate Grievances; Candidates on the Issues; Balanced Budget 101; Call to Arms: Fund We Not Them; Annotated Bibliography)
The Battle for the Soul of Capitalism
Natural Capitalism: Creating the Next Industrial Revolution