Jim Merkel

Global Living Project

Jim Merkel is the author of Radical Simplicity and has worked as the Sustainability Coordinator at Dartmouth College. Originally a military engineer, Merkel’s projects included energy demand management, design of military systems, and foreign military sales. At the time of the Exxon Valdez disaster and the invasion of Iraq, Jim devoted his life to sustainability and world peace. He founded the Global Living Project (GLP) and initiated the GLP Summer Institute where teams of researchers attempted to live on an equitable portion of the biosphere.

Jim’s role while at Dartmouth College was to integrate environmentally and socially sustainable practices into the College's operations, culture and strategic plan. His work helped Dartmouth earn the highest grade given on the Sustainability Report Card issued by the Sustainable Endowments Institute for the two years he led the campuses sustainability efforts. Merkel’s projects include Sustainable Dining, Solar Thermal Evaluation, Carbon Reduction, Sustainable Offices, Green Greeks and Solid Waste Reduction.

In his earlier work to develop and promote sustainable practices, Merkel founded the Alternative Transportation Task Force in San Luis Obispo, Calif., that helped create an interconnected bike lane system throughout the city and county. He was elected to the board of the Environmental Center of San Luis Obispo County and to three terms on the Sierra Club's Executive Committee. As a lobbyist in Washington D.C., he has worked to promote wilderness legislation, peace and Native American rights.  

In 1994 Merkel received an Earthwatch Gaia Fellowship to research efficient resource use in Kerala, India, and visited communities in the Himalayas. The following year he founded the Global Living Project (GLP) in British Columbia and initiated the GLP Summer Institute for the measurement and reduction of biospheric impact. In 1996 he developed a permaculture demonstration site where teams of researchers monitored biospheric consumption for a six-week period. He taught courses on wild edible and medicinal herbs, alternative construction, renewable energy, timber framing, ethical money management, ecological footprinting, bioregionalism, the Science and Practice of Sustainability and gardening for self-reliance.  He is the author of The Global Living Handbook (2000), Radical Simplicity (2003) and Simplicidad Radical, (2005). 

Jim initiated the "Cycling for a Sustainable Future" speaking tour that has logged over 17,000 miles delivering lectures and workshops at over 30 colleges and universities. He is a member the Simplicity Forum Steering Committee and the Global Footprint Network, and has led over 1,000 workshops on "Your Money or Your Life" and sustainable lifestyles. Jim is a homesteader, bike commuter and thrift store patron.