Bill McKibben proposes a different way of thinking about economic achievement.

Bill McKibben was one of the guests on Jim Lehrer's NewsHour on PBS last week. That newscast had a series of special reports and discussions about global warming and its implications all last week. (They're archived and online. You can find them at the NewsHour's Recent Programs page.)

McKibben's name may be familiar. He writes for The New Yorker and other publications and generated a lot of discussion with his 1989 book The End of Nature. He continues to write about the environment, the biosphere and human impact on the planet.

His newest book covers ground mapped out by David Suzuki on his February 2007 cross-Canada tour: "ecology" and "economy" share a common root, the ancient Greek word "oikos," meaning household or dwelling. Dr. Suzuki posited that questions about ecology are often argued as though ecology and economy are opposing entities balancing one another, when in fact they're actually interdependent; you can't have much of an economy without ecology.

Bill McKibben's new book, Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Futrure, looks at that interdependence, and re-imagines how we could find a way to ensure economics and ecology work more closely with one another.

"The time has come to move beyond 'growth' as the paramount economic ideal and begin pursuing prosperity in a more local direction," McKibben writes on his website. "With cities, suburbs, and regions producing more of their own food, generating more of their own energy, and even creating more of their own culture and entertainment. This concept is already blossoming around the world with striking results, from the burgeoning economies of India and China to the more mature societies of Europe and New England. For those who worry about environmental threats, there are solutions to work through the worst of those problems; for those who wonder if there isn’t something more to life than buying, I encourage you to consider your life as an individual and as a member of a larger community."