
UNDERSTAND
On this page you’ll find resources to help you explore Ecocivilization—what it means, why it matters, and how we can work toward creating it together. Here’s what you’ll find:
Start wherever your interest takes you, dig as deeply as you like, and explore the other Participation Pathways to continue your journey.
Learning Resources from Across the Movement
Podcasts
Doomer Optimism
The Great Simplification
Our Reading List
We’ve organized key resources on Ecocivilization by subject, so you can easily find and expore topics that interest you most. Each resource on our list meets two criteria:
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It’s focused on Third Horizon ideas—visions of, and pathways toward, a life-affirming world, and
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It’s aligned with our core values.
New Paradigm
The third-horizon vision arising from ecological imagination and a relational worldview. What a transformed, life-affirming world might look and feel like. Capra, F., & Luisi, P. L. (2014). The systems view of life: A unifying vision. Cambridge University Press. Clayton, P., & Schwartz, W. A. (2019). What is ecological civilization? Crisis, hope, and the future of the planet. Process Century Press. Earth Charter Commission. (2000). The Earth Charter. Korten, D. C. (2006). The great turning: From empire to Earth community. Berrett-Koehler Publishers. Korten, D. C. (2021). Ecological civilization: From emergency to emergence [Report]. Club of Rome. Kothari, A., Salleh, A., Escobar, A., Demaria, F., & Acosta, A. (Eds.). (2019). Pluriverse: A post-development dictionary. Tulika Books. Lent, J. (2021). The web of meaning: Integrating science and traditional wisdom to find our place in the universe. New Society Publishers. Lent, J. (2026). Ecocivilization: Making a world that works for all. Melville House. Raskin, P. (2016). Journey to Earthland: The great transition to planetary civilization. Tellus Institute. Topa, W. (Four Arrows), & Narvaez, D. (2022). Restoring the kinship worldview: Indigenous voices introduce 28 precepts for rebalancing life on planet Earth. North Atlantic Books.
Movement Strategy & System Transformation
Pathways and theory of change: how we get from here to there; approaches for sociopolitical transformation and large systems change; strategies for shifting the narrative. Albert, M. J. (2024). Navigating the polycrisis: Mapping the futures of capitalism and the Earth. MIT Press. Centola, D. (2021). Change: How to make big things happen. Little, Brown Spark. Chenoweth, E. (2021). Civil resistance: What everyone needs to know. Oxford University Press. Homer-Dixon, T. (2020). Commanding hope: The power we have to renew a world in peril. Knopf Canada. Korten, D. C. (2015). Change the story, change the future: A living economy for a living Earth. Berrett-Koehler Publishers. Krznaric, R. (2024). History for tomorrow: Inspiration from the past for the future of humanity. WH Allen. Meadows, D. H. (1999). Leverage points: Places to intervene in a system. The Sustainability Institute. Scharmer, C. O., & Kaufer, K. (2013). Leading from the emerging future: From ego-system to eco-system economies. Berrett-Koehler Publishers. Sharpe, B. (2013). Three horizons: The patterning of hope. Triarchy Press. Waddock, S. (2024). Catalyzing transformation: Making system change happen. Business Expert Press.
Regenerative Economics
Commons-based and cooperative ownership, solidarity, well-being, and post-growth economics; wealth and finance reimagined. Bollier, D. (2025). Think like a commoner: A short introduction to the life of the commons (2nd ed.). New Society Publishers. Fullerton, J. (2025). Regenerative economics: Revolutionary thinking for a world in crisis. New Society Publishers. Hickel, J. (2020). Less is more: How degrowth will save the world. William Heinemann. Kelly, M. (2023). Wealth supremacy: How the extractive economy and the biased rules of capitalism drive today’s crises. Berrett-Koehler Publishers. Korten, D. C. (2024). Eco-nomics for an ecological civilization [Report]. Club of Rome. Raworth, K. (2017). Doughnut economics: Seven ways to think like a 21st-century economist. Chelsea Green Publishing. Restakis, J. (2010). Humanizing the economy: Co-operatives in the age of capital. New Society Publishers. Romeo, N. (2024). The alternative: How to build a just economy. PublicAffairs. Schmelzer, M., Vetter, A., & Vansintjan, A. (2022). The future is degrowth: A guide to a world beyond capitalism. Verso. Wellbeing Economy Alliance. (2021). Wellbeing economy policy design guide.
Democratic Renewal & Governance
Deliberative democracy, commoning, subsidiarity; laws, rights, and responsibilities at every level. Adnan, I. (2021). The politics of waking up: Power and possibility in the fractal age. Perspectiva Press. Blake, J. S., & Gilman, N. (2024). Children of a modest star: Planetary thinking for an age of crises. W. W. Norton. Bollier, D., & Helfrich, S. (2019). Free, fair and alive: The insurgent power of the commons. New Society Publishers. Capra, F., & Mattei, U. (2015). The ecology of law: Toward a legal system in tune with nature and community. Berrett-Koehler Publishers. Gilad, O., & Freeman, D. (2022). Global democracy: The key to global justice. Democracy Without Borders. Krznaric, R. (2020). The good ancestor: A radical prescription for long-term thinking. WH Allen. Landemore, H. (2020). Open democracy: Reinventing popular rule for the twenty-first century. Princeton University Press. Ostrom, E. (1990). Governing the commons: The evolution of institutions for collective action. Cambridge University Press. Restakis, J. (2022). Civilizing the state: Reclaiming politics for the common good. New Society Publishers. Van Reybrouck, D. (2016). Against elections: The case for democracy (L. Waters, Trans.). The Bodley Head.
Justice and Equity
Human rights, decolonization, climate justice, peacebuilding, undoing systemic inequality and structural violence. Ghosh, A. (2021). The nutmeg’s curse: Parables for a planet in crisis. University of Chicago Press. Hickel, J. (2017). The divide: Global inequality from conquest to free markets. William Heinemann. Korten, D. C. (1995). When corporations rule the world. Kumarian Press; Berrett-Koehler Publishers. Lake, O. O. (2024). The story is in our bones: How worldviews and climate justice can remake a world in crisis. New Society Publishers. Machado de Oliveira, V. (2021). Hospicing modernity: Facing humanity’s wrongs and the implications for social activism. North Atlantic Books. Patel, R., & Moore, J. W. (2017). A history of the world in seven cheap things: A guide to capitalism, nature, and the future of the planet. University of California Press. Pilisuk, M., & Rountree, J. A. (2015). The hidden structure of violence: Who benefits from global violence and war. Monthly Review Press. Shrivastava, A., & Kothari, A. (2012). Churning the earth: The making of global India. Viking. Táíwò, O. O. (2022). Reconsidering reparations. Oxford University Press. Wilkinson, R., & Pickett, K. (2009). The spirit level: Why greater equality makes societies stronger. Allen Lane.
Living Earth: Regenerative Ecologies & Food Systems
Protection and restoration of ecosystems; planetary health, Earth justice and rights of nature; agroecology, rewilding, food, water, and agriculture. Altieri, M. A. (1995). Agroecology: The science of sustainable agriculture (2nd ed.). Westview Press. Anderson, M. K. (2005). Tending the wild: Native American knowledge and the management of California’s natural resources. University of California Press. Boyd, D. R. (2017). The rights of nature: A legal revolution that could save the world. ECW Press. Crist, E. (2019). Abundant Earth: Toward an ecological civilization. University of Chicago Press. Cullinan, C. (2002). Wild law: A manifesto for Earth justice. Siber Ink. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (2018). The 10 elements of agroecology: Guiding the transition to sustainable food and agricultural systems. Forum for Food Sovereignty. (2007). Declaration of Nyéléni. Monbiot, G. (2022). Regenesis: Feeding the world without devouring the planet. Allen Lane. Negowetti, N. (2026). Feeding the future: Restoring the planet and healing ourselves. Georgetown University Press. Patel, R. (2007). Stuffed and starved: The hidden battle for the world food system. Portobello Books.
Technology and AI
Data, internet, AI, VR, the Internet of Things, Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs). The Consilience Project. (2022). Technology is not values neutral: Ending the reign of nihilistic design. De Filippi, P., & Wright, A. (2018). Blockchain and the law: The rule of code. Harvard University Press. Hanna, T. M., Lawrence, M., & Peters, N. (2020). A common platform: Reimagining data and platforms [Report]. Common Wealth; The Democracy Collaborative. Illich, I. (1973). Tools for conviviality. Harper & Row. Pollock, R. (2018). The open revolution: Rewriting the rules of the information age. Unbound. Rushkoff, D. (2019). Team human. W. W. Norton. Schneider, N. (2024). Governable spaces: Democratic design for online life. University of California Press. Scholz, T. (2023). Own this! How platform cooperatives help workers build a democratic internet. Verso. Vetter, A. (2018). The matrix of convivial technology – Assessing technologies for degrowth. Journal of Cleaner Production, 197(Part 2), 1778–1786. Weyl, E. G., Tang, A., & ⿻ Community. (2024). Plurality: The future of collaborative technology and democracy.
Regenerative Design, Circularity & the Built Environment
Urban design, architecture, circular economy, energy infrastructure and democratizing energy access. Benyus, J. M. (1997). Biomimicry: Innovation inspired by nature. William Morrow. Chatterton, P. (2019). Unlocking sustainable cities: A manifesto for real change. Pluto Press. Escobar, A. (2018). Designs for the pluriverse: Radical interdependence, autonomy, and the making of worlds. Duke University Press. Foster, S. R., & Iaione, C. (2022). Co-cities: Innovative transitions toward just and self-sustaining communities. MIT Press. Ichioka, S., & Pawlyn, M. (2021). Flourish: Design paradigms for our planetary emergency. Triarchy Press. McDonough, W., & Braungart, M. (2002). Cradle to cradle: Remaking the way we make things. North Point Press. Register, R. (2006). Ecocities: Rebuilding cities in balance with nature (Rev. ed.). New Society Publishers. Rose, J. F. P. (2016). The well-tempered city: What modern science, ancient civilizations, and human nature teach us about the future of urban life. Harper Wave. Van der Ryn, S., & Cowan, S. (1996). Ecological design. Island Press. Wahl, D. C. (2016). Designing regenerative cultures. Triarchy Press.
Learning, Education & Ecoliteracy
Formal and informal learning, from early-childhood nature connection through ecoversities and academic transformation. Ecoversities Alliance. (n.d.). Ecoversities Alliance [Website]. Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the oppressed (M. B. Ramos, Trans.). Herder and Herder. (Original work published 1968) Goleman, D., Bennett, L., & Barlow, Z. (2012). Ecoliterate: How educators are cultivating emotional, social, and ecological intelligence. Jossey-Bass. Gray, P. (2017). Self-directed education—Unschooling and democratic schooling. In Oxford research encyclopedia of education. Oxford University Press. Illich, I. (1971). Deschooling society. Harper & Row. Narvaez, D., & Bradshaw, G. A. (2023). The evolved nest: Nature’s way of raising children and creating community. North Atlantic Books. Orr, D. W. (1992). Ecological literacy: Education and the transition to a postmodern world. State University of New York Press. Orr, D. W. (1994). Earth in mind: On education, environment, and the human prospect. Island Press. Sampson, S. D. (2015). How to raise a wild child: The art and science of falling in love with nature. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Stein, Z. (2019). Education in a time between worlds: Essays on the future of schools, technology, and society. Bright Alliance.
Inner Development, Health & Well-Being
Includes emotional resilience, holistic health, and working with grief, alienation, and separation; active hope. Akomolafe, B. (2017). These wilds beyond our fences: Letters to my daughter on humanity’s search for home. North Atlantic Books. Albrecht, G. A. (2019). Earth emotions: New words for a new world. Cornell University Press. Bristow, J., Bell, R., & Wamsler, C. (2022). Reconnection: Meeting the climate crisis inside out [Report]. The Mindfulness Initiative; Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies. Eisler, R., & Fry, D. P. (2019). Nurturing our humanity: How domination and partnership shape our brains, lives, and future. Oxford University Press. Inner Development Goals. (2021). Inner Development Goals (IDG) framework. Macy, J., & Brown, M. Y. (2014). Coming back to life: The updated guide to the Work That Reconnects. New Society Publishers. Macy, J., & Johnstone, C. (2022). Active hope: How to face the mess we’re in with unexpected resilience and creative power (Rev. ed.). New World Library. Maté, G., & Maté, D. (2022). The myth of normal: Trauma, illness and healing in a toxic culture. Avery. Narvaez, D., & Witherington, D. C. (2018). Getting to baselines for human nature, development, and wellbeing. Archives of Scientific Psychology, 6(1), 205–213. Weller, F. (2015). The wild edge of sorrow: Rituals of renewal and the sacred work of grief. North Atlantic Books.
Eco-Spirituality and Wisdom Traditions
Indigenous and non-Indigenous wisdom traditions alike — Buddhism, Taoism, Sufism, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Baha'i, and others. Al-Mizan: A covenant for the Earth. (2024). Islamic Foundation for Ecology and Environmental Sciences. Berry, T. (1999). The great work: Our way into the future. Bell Tower. Francis. (2015). Laudato si’: On care for our common home [Encyclical letter]. Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Kelly, S. (2021). Becoming Gaia: On the threshold of planetary initiation. Revelore Press. Kimmerer, R. W. (2013). Braiding sweetgrass: Indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge and the teachings of plants. Milkweed Editions. Korten, D. C. (2026). The living universe story: A participatory integral spirit cosmology for an ecological civilization [Report]. Rasmussen, L. L. (2013). Earth-honoring faith: Religious ethics in a new key. Oxford University Press. Swimme, B. T., & Tucker, M. E. (2011). Journey of the universe. Yale University Press. Taylor, B. (2010). Dark green religion: Nature spirituality and the planetary future. University of California Press. Yunkaporta, T. (2019). Sand talk: How Indigenous thinking can save the world. Text Publishing.
Community, Culture, and Belonging
Culture and communities transforming toward third-horizon forms of relating, with storytelling, media, and the arts as a mode of transformation. Atkins, P. W. B., Wilson, D. S., & Hayes, S. C. (2019). Prosocial: Using evolutionary science to build productive, equitable, and collaborative groups. Context Press. Bregman, R. (2020). Humankind: A hopeful history (E. Manton & E. Moore, Trans.). Little, Brown and Company. (Original work published 2019) Hopkins, R. (2008). The transition handbook: From oil dependency to local resilience. Green Books. Hopkins, R. (2019). From what is to what if: Unleashing the power of imagination to create the future we want. Chelsea Green Publishing. Lake, O. O. (2010). Uprisings for the Earth: Reconnecting culture with nature. White Cloud Press. Norberg-Hodge, H. (1991). Ancient futures: Learning from Ladakh. Sierra Club Books. Robinson, K. S. (2020). The ministry for the future. Orbit. Scott, M. (2024). Any human power. September Publishing. Wheatley, M., & Frieze, D. (2011). Walk out walk on: A learning journey into communities daring to live the future now. Berrett-Koehler Publishers. YES! Magazine. (1996–present). Positive Futures Network.
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The Ecocivilization Coalition is a strategic initiative of the Institute for Ecological Civilization, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
UNDERSTAND
On this page you’ll find resources to help you explore Ecocivilization—what it means, why it matters, and how we can work toward creating it together. Here’s what you’ll find:
-
Curated by others—reading and listening lists from respected organizations and thinkers.
-
Podcasts—Discussions touching on Ecocivilization from a range of voices.
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Our reading list—books and articles we’ve selected.
Start wherever your interest takes you, dig as deeply as you like, and explore the other Participation Pathways to continue your journey.















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