Dr. Marina Fischer-Kowalski is the winner of the 2017 Society Prize. This honor caps a very distinguished career in which she has chaired the Gordon Research Conference on Industrial Ecology (2004) and led ISIE as President (2007-2009). She is particularly known for having almost single-handedly merged industrial ecology with social ecology. She began this effort with the 1998 publication “Society’s metabolism, the intellectual history of material flow analysis (JIE, 2 (1), 61-78). This seminal paper was followed over two decades by such contributions as “the global socio-metabolic transition” (JIE Ecology, 12 (5/6), 637-656, 2008), and “Energy availability as determinant for societal development” (MRS J. Energy and Sustainability, 2, 1-14, 2015). Her specialty in these works has been to study the material and social linkages of societies of all kinds, including Austria, Samothraki (Greece), and the Nicobar island of Trinket. Merging two academic disciplines is generally the work of many, but it is largely correct to say that the vigorous presence of social ecology in the field of industrial ecology is due principally to Marina’s efforts. ISIE is proud to recognize our distinguished colleague with the Society’s highest honor.
Thomas Graedel
