Initially trained as an electrical engineer , Merkel spent twelve years designing industrial and military systems . After witnessing the devastation following the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill , however , he concluded that global problems had become so urgent as to require immediate action . He consequently quit his job and began a new career as an environmental activist and spokesman . He claims to have lived on $ 5,000 a year ( close to the global median income ) for 16 years ( ca. 1989 – 2005 ) , later increasing to $ 10,000 per year . He founded the Alternative Transportation Task Force in San Luis Obispo , California and served briefly as an elected officer of the Sierra Club ; he conducts approximately 60 workshops each year on sustainable living and " radical simplicity " in the United States , Canada , and Spain
1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill
Exxon Valdez oil spill
Jim Merkel