Brooklyn’s WORD Bookstore will host the New York City reading and signing of Dax Dasilva’s new conservation tome Echoes from Eden: A Daring Voyage to Protect Earth’s Last Wild Places on Sept. 15, at 7 p.m., an essential book that begins with a foreword by Dr. Jane Goodall and directs all proceeds to her Legacy Foundation. Authors Dax Dasilva and Eric Hendrikx will discuss the urgent message of the book, bringing Goodall’s global mission into focus for New York audiences. Echoes from Eden is a rallying cry — part memoir, part manifesto, and all urgency. Echoes from Eden, will be available starting Sept. 2, in bookstores and online through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and independent bookstores.
The release of Echoes from Eden marks the latest chapter in Dasilva’s career as both a tech entrepreneur and environmentalist. Known for founding Lightspeed Commerce Inc. and the global conservation initiative Age of Union, he blends entrepreneurial urgency with grassroots activism. His new book, co-written with Hendrikx, documents his travels through ecosystems at the tipping point, from the Amazon to the Congo, Madagascar to Trinidad. These aren’t armchair observations — they’re frontline encounters where the future of life on Earth hangs in the balance.
The proceeds donated to the Legacy Foundation from each copy of Echoes from Eden will extend the reach of Goodall’s mission to safeguard biodiversity and strengthen local conservation leadership.
The book is structured as both memoir and manifesto. Readers follow Dasilva as he joins forces with renowned leaders and unsung grassroots defenders. His journeys bring him into the Amazon with Jane Goodall and Chief Juma Xipaia, the Congo Basin with Dr. Kerry Bowman to track Grauer’s gorillas, and the Peruvian rivers with Paul Rosolie and the Junglekeepers. He also documents work with Sea Shepherd Conservation in the Bay of Biscay to combat illegal fishing, highlights Suzan Baptiste’s successful campaign to turn poaching grounds in Trinidad into thriving turtle conservation, and travels to Madagascar to witness Dr. Russell Mittermeier’s lemur protection efforts.
Each story emphasizes that conservation progress requires alliances, with scientists, local defenders, and global partners joining efforts. Dasilva frames the work not with despair, but as a message of hope: victories are happening “when local knowledge is supported by global resources” — communities are regaining control of ecosystems, and biodiversity can rebound when given the chance.
Dasilva’s own path reinforces this message. In 2021, he committed $40 million of personal resources to establish Age of Union, and the following year, he temporarily stepped back from his role at Lightspeed temporarily to focus on environmental work. Since then, the organization has developed ten active projects across critical ecosystems, from Canadian wetlands to Caribbean coastlines.
At WORD Bookstore, attendees will hear firsthand how the book connects Dasilva’s personal narrative with the larger mission of Age of Union. In conversation with Hendrikx, he will share how lessons learned from entrepreneurial ventures translate into on-the-ground conservation, emphasizing iteration, agility, and long-term partnership as strategies for impact. Echoes from Eden isn’t just a book you read — it’s an invitation to act.
With its release, Echoes from Eden also invites readers to play a role, with a roadmap for engagement, amplifying the work of individuals and communities protecting biodiversity.
The reading and signing of “Echoes from Eden: A Daring Voyage to Protect Earth’s Last Wild Places” will be on Sept. 15 at 7 p.m., at WORD Bookstore, 126 Franklin St, Brooklyn.
Admission is free. The last wild places aren’t waiting — and neither should we. For more information, visit the website here.