The Books & Books Literary Foundation is proud to present an evening with Benji Backer presenting his important new book, The Conservative Environmentalist: Common Sense Solutions for a Sustainable Future (Sentinel, $30). He will be in conversation with Former Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.
***Please note: This event will take place at the Books & Books Coral Gables at 265 Aragon Avenue. Tickets are FREE and books will be available for purchase at the event. Can't make the event? Order your copy online.
About the Book:
A young, conservative environmentalist provides an intrepid vision for both solving our climate crisis and prioritizing the American national interest.
Politicians, pseudo-experts, and other partisans have led us to believe that there are only two approaches to climate change: doomerism or denial. Benji Backer, Founder and Executive Chairman of the American Conservation Coalition, argues that both are dead ends. In The Conservative Environmentalist, he delivers an entirely new strategy to take care of the planet while putting put the economic interest of the American people first.
Backer makes the compelling case that conservative principles are the key to climate solutions that actually work. In this book, you’ll visit the country’s most diverse ecosystems and consequential manufacturing hubs—from Utah coal mines and Texas oil fields to Louisiana wetlands and Rhode Island offshore wind farms—witnessing the power of individual entrepreneurship and local problem-solving. You’ll be inspired by groundbreaking efforts to strengthen earth’s ecosystems (that Green New Dealers and other Big Government advocates would prefer to keep hidden), like partnerships between oil and gas companies and environmental nonprofits to preserve thousands of acres of wetlands.
Drawing on cutting-edge science, a deep understanding of local community needs, and his experience rallying politicians on both sides of the aisle to take action, Backer offers hope for everyone who cares about the state of the great outdoors. Fascinating, clear-headed, and full of surprises, The Conservative Environmentalist is the fresh, audacious approach needed to ensure a sustainable future, and particularly one that works for America.
About the Author:
Benji Backer is the founder and executive chairman of the American Conservation Coalition (ACC), the largest right-of-center environmental organization in the country. For his work spearheading the ACC, he has been named to the Fortune 40 Under 40, Forbes 30 Under 30, GreenBiz 30 Under 30, and Grist 50 lists. A frequent contributor to national media outlets, he’s become one of the leading environmental voices in the United States. Above all, Backer is an avid outdoorsman who spends most of his free time in the mountains out West.
About the Moderator:
Former U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen served for almost three decades as a member of Congress representing diverse areas in South Florida. Rep. Ros-Lehtinen was the Chairwoman emeritus of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Prior to becoming the Chairwoman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Ros-Lehtinen served as Chair of the Subcommittee on the Middle East and Central Asia; International Operations and Human Rights; International Economic Policy and Trade; and Africa; and as Vice-Chair of the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere.
Rep. Ros-Lehtinen also served on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and was a member of the CIA Subcommittee and the National Security Agency and Cybersecurity Subcommittee. A strong proponent of education, Rep. Ros-Lehtinen holds multiple education degrees, including an Ed.D. from the University of Miami, and master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Florida International University.
