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The Role of Community

uilding sustainable communities requires more than just being stewards of the physical environment. A sustainable community is one that is connected -- one whose citizens mix and mingle, share their lives and support each other's needs.

Long before the airing of Edens Lost & Found, its producers organized a symposium on the grounds of TreePeople in Los Angeles, bringing together activists, environmentalists, community organizers and government leaders to talk about their approach to building sustainable communities.

Some of the more significant presentations included:

Robert Putnam

One who has hit a nerve in his discussion of this topic is Robert Putnam, the Harvard academic and author of Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2000).

Another is Dr. Felton Earls, whose landmark study of a Chicago neighborhood led to the theory of "collective efficacy."

In its broadcast and throughout this Web site, Edens Lost & Found examines the tendrils that keep communities connected, vital and sustainable.