Mike Nickerson is one of the pioneers of being an advocate for the planet and sustainable practices, alongside Peter Au, the Rideau Roundtable president. He began working on sustainability as a co-director of the Institute for the Study of Cultural Evolution. The organization’s study of the aspirations and concerns of citizens’ groups culminated in 1974 with the point form summary, now known as the Guideposts for a Sustainable Future. 

The background detail of the study was published in 1977 under the title Change the World I Want to Stay On. In 1990 Mr. Nickerson completed production of the Guideposts for a Sustainable Future video along with an accompanying workshop kit. In 1993 his second book, Planning for Seven Generations, was published in paperback. His most recent book, Life, Money, and Illusion: Living on Earth as if We Want to Stay, first published in 2006, has been republished (fall 2009) in a second edition.

Mike coordinated an initiative to establish a Genuine Progress Index for Canada. He is the Executive Director of The Sustainability Project and has travelled extensively across Canada, making presentations and facilitating meetings on “How to live on Earth as if we want to stay.”