Jim Merkel
Encyclopedia
Jim Merkel is an American
author
, volunteer, and engineer
who moved from involvement in the military industry to advocating simple living
. Since 1989, Merkel has dedicated himself to trying to reduce his personal impact on the environment and to encourage others to do the same.
Initially trained as an electrical engineer, Merkel spent twelve years designing industrial and military systems. After witnessing the devastation following the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill
, however, he concluded that global problems had become so urgent as to require immediate action. He consequently quit his job and began a new career as an environmental activist and spokesman.
He claims to have lived on $5,000 a year (close to the global median income) for 16 years (ca. 1989 - 2005), later increasing to $10,000 per year. He founded the Alternative Transportation Task Force in San Luis Obispo, California
and served briefly as an elected officer of the Sierra Club
; he conducts approximately 60 workshops each year on sustainable living
and "radical simplicity" in the United States, Canada, and Spain
.
In 1994 he received an Earthwatch Gaia Fellowship, allowing him to visit Kerala
, India
, and parts of the Himalayas
to research sustainable living. In 1995, he founded the Global Living Project and continues to serve as its co-director.
In April 2005, Dartmouth College
appointed him its first Sustainability Director. He lives in Belfast, Maine
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, volunteer, and engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
who moved from involvement in the military industry to advocating simple living
Simple living
Simple living encompasses a number of different voluntary practices to simplify one's lifestyle. These may include reducing one's possessions or increasing self-sufficiency, for example. Simple living may be characterized by individuals being satisfied with what they need rather than want...
. Since 1989, Merkel has dedicated himself to trying to reduce his personal impact on the environment and to encourage others to do the same.
Initially trained as an electrical engineer, Merkel spent twelve years designing industrial and military systems. After witnessing the devastation following the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill
Exxon Valdez oil spill
The Exxon Valdez oil spill occurred in Prince William Sound, Alaska, on March 24, 1989, when the Exxon Valdez, an oil tanker bound for Long Beach, California, struck Prince William Sound's Bligh Reef and spilled of crude oil. It is considered to be one of the most devastating human-caused...
, however, he concluded that global problems had become so urgent as to require immediate action. He consequently quit his job and began a new career as an environmental activist and spokesman.
He claims to have lived on $5,000 a year (close to the global median income) for 16 years (ca. 1989 - 2005), later increasing to $10,000 per year. He founded the Alternative Transportation Task Force in San Luis Obispo, California
San Luis Obispo, California
San Luis Obispo is a city in California, located roughly midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles on the Central Coast. Founded in 1772 by Spanish Fr. Junipero Serra, San Luis Obispo is one of California’s oldest communities...
and served briefly as an elected officer of the Sierra Club
Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is the oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States. It was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by the conservationist and preservationist John Muir, who became its first president...
; he conducts approximately 60 workshops each year on sustainable living
Sustainable living
Sustainable living is a lifestyle that attempts to reduce an individual's or society's use of the Earth's natural resources and his/her own resources. Practitioners of sustainable living often attempt to reduce their carbon footprint by altering methods of transportation, energy consumption and diet...
and "radical simplicity" in the United States, Canada, and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
In 1994 he received an Earthwatch Gaia Fellowship, allowing him to visit Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, and parts of the Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
to research sustainable living. In 1995, he founded the Global Living Project and continues to serve as its co-director.
In April 2005, Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
appointed him its first Sustainability Director. He lives in Belfast, Maine
Belfast, Maine
Belfast is a city in Waldo County, Maine, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 6,668. Located at the mouth of the Passagassawakeag River on Penobscot Bay, Belfast is the county seat of Waldo County...
.
External links
- "Global Living Project" More information on Jim Merkel including his publications, workshops and other activities
- "RADICALLY simple" the 2006 film showing Merkel at work on his homestead as well as doing public presentations and leading workshops on footprinting, permaculture, money and other topics related to sustainability.
- "A radio interview with Jim Merkel at the Good Life Center in Harborside, Maine aired on community radio station WERU 89.9 from Blue Hill, Maine on the show Weekend Voices of 8/04/07"