Reuben W. “Buzz” Kaplan was born in 1924 in Owatonna, Minnesota. His travels began when he joined the US Army and was sent to Germany in 1943 to fight in World War II. Upon returning home, he earned his pilot’s license and pursued the life of an adventurer. He flew his airplanes in over seventy-five countries and six continents, winning numerous awards for his flight achievements. Buzz’s adventures included a wild game hunt in Africa, numerous Arctic fishing trips, and Friendship Flights to the Soviet Union, Europe, and South America. As part of the Greenland Expedition, he worked to recover airplanes from the Lost Squadron, buried 270 feet below the Greenland ice cap. His airplane restoration company, Born Again Restorations, rebuilt a Savoia-Marchetti flying boat, which became the oldest Italian airplane in operation. In 1988, he landed it on Lake Geneva, Switzerland—a first since 1912—and in 1990, he flew it around the Statue of Liberty. As shown in R.W. “Buzz” Kaplan, Buzz’s adventures made headlines and friendships all over the world. Although Buzz rarely passed up an opportunity to travel the globe, he never forgot the community where he grew up. He was the chairman and CEO of Owatonna Tool Company and its subsidiaries and the president and founder of Heritage Halls Museum in Owatonna. In addition, he was a respected and generous contributor to the city of Owatonna. This is his story.

Green lifestyles and ethical consumption have become increasingly popular strategies in moving toward environmentally-friendly societies and combating global poverty. Where previously environmentalists saw excess consumption as central to the problem, green consumerism now places consumption at the heart of the solution. However, ethical and sustainable consumption are also important forms of central to the creation and maintenance of class distinction. Green Consumption scrutinizes the emergent phenomenon of what this book terms eco-chic: a combination of lifestyle politics, environmentalism, spirituality, beauty and health. Eco-chic connects ethical, sustainable and elite consumption. It is increasingly part of the identity kit of certain sections of society, who seek to combine taste and style with care for personal wellness and the environment. This book deals with eco-chic as a set of activities, an ideological framework and a popular marketing strategy, offering a critical examination of its manifestations in both the global North and South. The diverse case studies presented in this book range from Basque sheep cheese production and Ghanaian Afro-chic hairstyles to Asian tropical spa culture and Dutch fair-trade jewellery initiatives. The authors assess the ways in which eco-chic, with its apparent paradox of consumption and idealism, can make a genuine contribution to solving some of the most pressing problems of our time.