( CNN ) -- `` My beat is looking for ways to create a future which is sustainable , dynamic , prosperous and fair -- a future which is both bright and green . '' Alex Steffen , eco-crusader and founder of Seattle-based environmental Web site Worldchanging.com , wants to save the world ; and he thinks we 've got 25 years to do it . Alex Steffen , founder of Worldchanging.com . `` Our climate is ripping apart at the seams at a rate that 's surprising even the so-called alarmists , '' he writes . `` Natural systems are collapsing . The ocean seems headed towards a series of catastrophic tipping points . Economic inequity is producing a planet of billionaires and a billion desperate people . '' Steffen says the world 's challenge stems from the inherently unsustainable systems embedded in our culture . He quotes statistics that say we 're each using 2.3 hectares of land to support ourselves , instead of the 1.9 per person available . But , he adds , we 're not sharing the world 's resources fairly . `` The average American uses nearly 10 hectares , the average Chinese uses only about one and a half , while the average Pakistani has only about 6/10 of a hectare , '' he says . Steffen and his friends were hanging out one day , talking about how potentially world-changing solutions were n't getting media coverage . As Steffen said to CNN , `` There was plenty of space for talking about what was going wrong , but very little for talking about how to make things go better . '' So they decided to do something about it . `` We decided that -- as a little bit of a hobby project really -- we 'd start a blog called Worldchanging and note all the various solutions we found that we thought were interesting . '' Within six months , the site was so successful that Steffen had to give up his day job . Three and a half years later , Worldchanging.com is one of the most popular environmental campaigning sites on the Internet and has led to the publication of a successful companion book , `` Worldchanging : A User 's Guide to the 21st Century . '' The site -- and the book -- cover all aspects of sustainability , from living spaces to locally-produced food to green advocacy , and focuses on cutting-edge developments . Steffen 's team of writers , a mixture of journalists , scientists , architects , academics and designers , share his passion for positive thinking . `` It 's really a kind of fun , amorphous group . It 's almost more of a tribe than a business in some ways , '' he told CNN . And they pull no punches when it comes to the future of the planet . Steffen is bold enough to state the harsh truths that refusing a plastic bag , turning the TV off standby or switching to a duel-fuel car is n't enough to turn things around . He 's frustrated by the rise of the eco-consumer and its embracement by the media , which he describes as `` muddle-headed , style-over-substance , 'lite green ' environmentalism . '' He calls this `` greenwashing . '' `` We do n't need more carpool lanes . We need to eliminate fossil fuels from our economy , '' he writes . `` We do n't need more recycling bins . We need to create a closed-loop , biomimetic , neobiological industrial system . We do n't need to attend a tree-planting ceremony . We need to become expert at ecosystem management and gardening the planet ... We need a bright green revolution . '' This might sound extreme , but Steffen is in touch with a large audience who share his beliefs and his vision for the future . He describes them as `` some of the best people -- people who really care and are working really hard to try and make a difference . '' And Steffen 's lasting message is that each one of us can -- and should -- make that difference . He says , `` Fundamentally , sustainability is a small problem writ big by six billion people . Each of us has a part to play on that team in making this new society possible . '' ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... What do you think of Alex Steffen 's vision ? Do you think we can avert environmental disaster ? Tell us in the forum -- or read others ' thoughts on the future . E-mail to a friend .
Eco-crusader says we have 25 years left to save the world . One-time hobby blog now highly popular environmental campaigning site . Steffen frustrated by eco-consumerism - says green revolution is essential . Sustainability is key for survival of the planet .