Book Description

A healthy environment and a healthy economy are not mutually exclusive. Instead, they are inextricably intertwined. Companies that manage environmental compliance as a profit opportunity gain a competitive advantage. Environmental advocacy groups that push for emotional, as opposed to science-based, solutions are unlikely to achieve success in improving environmental quality. As a result scarce capital is wasted and those asked to fund such programs are more likely to engage in pushback. Review: "Journey...." Is a must read for the lay person and professional alike. Zagata has done it all: Professor and ecological researcher; officer for national wildlife and conservation organizations; Director and VP of environmental health and safety for major energy companies; Commissioner of New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. So he has labored and led both as a policy creator and enforcer. He certainly knows as well that tricky interface between political world and the best aims of a life-long fisherman, hunter and conservationist. In sum, he is a wise and balanced teacher of the principles of environmental stewardship. -Alan B. Donovan, Ph.D. - SUNY-Oneonta President Emeritus. Review: You need only read through the first three paragraphs of the author's opening section to realize that Mike Zagata has a unique perspective on the environmental movement over the past 40+ years. "A Journey to Environmental Stewardship" chronicles a remarkable career in conservation that included roles as teacher, environmental policy lobbyist, corporate environmental leader, chief environmental regulator, and CEO of a national conservation group. Having worked with Mike, my respect for him is best expressed by someone who also reported to him: "Mike espoused a higher standard. He did not accept that it was enough to merely operate in compliance with the law. He understood that sometimes the right thing to do is not just the minimum that one can get away with,