Herbert Girardet

After reading history at Tübingen and Berlin universities Herbert Girardet received a bachelors degree at the London School of Economics (anthropology and economics) in 1975. Since then he has worked as a cultural and urban ecologist – as a writer, filmmaker, lecturer and international consultant.

Girardet is author and co-author of 18 books and reports, and 50 TV documentaries (BBC 2, Channel 4 UK, CNN, NHK Tokyo, etc.), primarily concerned with the interaction between global civilisation and the world’s environment. Most of his books have been published in various foreign language editions. He has written in publications like Resurgence, The Ecologist, Green Futures, Urban Futures, Habitat Debate, The Guardian, The Independent and The Observer.

He is a visiting professor at the University of the West of England. He is married with two grown-up sons, and lives with his wife Barbara in Tintern, Monmouthshire, UK.

Herbert Girardet's thirteen[2] books include Land For The People (1976), Far From Paradise (1986), Blueprint For A Green Planet (1987), Earthrise (1992), The Gaia Atlas of Cities (1992), Making Cities Work (1996), Creating Sustainable Cities (1999), The People's Planet (2001), Cities, People, Planet (2004), Creating The World Future Council (2004), Shaping our Future (2005), Surviving the Century (2007) and Creating Regenerative Cities (2014),[3] Ciities, People, Planet (2008),

Herbert Girardet has produced 50 TV documentaries on sustainable development, including

• The Peoples’ Planet, 2000 A six-part series filmed in 20 countries, on addressing human impacts on the biosphere, and alternatives to pollution and destruction. Lead interviewee: Lester Brown, Founder of the Worldwatch Institute and Earth Policy Institute, Washington; for CNN, NHK, Tokyo, Discovery Channel and Canal Plus, Paris.
• Deadline 2000, 1998 28 three-minute films featuring leading voices in the sustainability movement, such as Wangari Maathai, Vandana Shiva and Satish Kumar; for Channel 4, London.
• Metropolis, 1998 A 50-minute documentary about London’s metabolism. The film examines London’s use of resources, its economy and its waste disposal; for Channel 4, London.
• Ancient Knowledge, Modern World, 1997 20-minute interview-based documentary with Dr. Oku Ampofo, founder-director of Ghana’s pioneering Centre for Scientific Research into Plant Medicine.
• Urban Best Practices, 1996 A 40-min film about urban regeneration projects in various countries, made for the UN City Summit in Istanbul.
• Towards Blue Flag, 1994 A 30-minute documentary about membrane wastewater purification technology; for Welsh Water, Cardiff.
• Letter to the Kayapo, 1990 Anita Roddick confirming the commitment of the Bodyshop to help protect the Amazon and its people.
• Halting the Fires, 1989 A 50-minute documentary about the fires set in the Amazon to establish cattle ranches, mines, and logging camps; and about alternatives to deforestation; filmed in Brazil for Channel 4, and ARD, Hamburg.
• The Altamira Gathering, 1989 A 15-minute news documentary about the first ever gathering of Amazonian tribes to try and protect their rainforest home from outside interference; filmed in Brazil for Channel 4, London.
• Jungle Pharmacy, 1988 A 50-min documentary on the uses of plant-based remedies by Amazonian Indians, and updated by drug companies in Europe and the US; filmed in Brazil, Peru, the UK and US, for Channel 4. Winner of five awards at film festivals across Europe.
• Towards a Green Planet, 1987 A series of six 20-minute films on personal action to reduce human impacts on the environment; for Channel 4, London.
• Far from Paradise, The Story of Man’s Impact on the Environment, 1985 This pioneering seven-hour series made over three years, and filmed in 12 countries, was initiated and researched by me and presented by John Seymour; for BBC 2, ZDF, Germany, ORF, Austria, and RAI, Italy.

See also

• Jakob von Uexkull
• Amory Lovins
• E.F. Schumacher
• Renewable energy policy
• Sustainability
• Club of Rome