Something of the Marvelous

Like his hero Aldo Leopold, environmental titan Huey Johnson passed away just weeks after completing his most personal book.Something of the Marvelousdescribes a life of high adventure and great achievement, political drama and remarkable relationships. Huey intended his story to be less a memoir and more a collection of invaluable life lessons – experienced, learned, and passed on to a new generation of environmentalists and all of us who care about the future of our world.

Huey D. Johnson is the founder and president of the San Francisco–based Resource Renewal Institute, established in 1985 to advance sustainable development in the United States and around the world. Through the Institute, Johnson has been a leading advocate for long-term, comprehensive “green plans” that integrate environmental stewardship with economic sustainability. In recognition of his decades of leadership, the United Nations Environment Programme awarded him the Sasakawa Environment Prize in 2001, one of the world’s highest environmental honors, citing his more than forty years as a catalyst and champion for environmental protection.

Raised in rural Michigan, Johnson earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Western Michigan University, followed by a master’s degree from Utah State University. After an early career in the chemical industry, he became the first western regional director of The Nature Conservancy, where he helped shape land and water conservation efforts across the region. In the early 1970s, he went on to found and lead multiple environmental initiatives, building a career defined by a lifelong commitment to protecting natural systems and promoting sustainable solutions.