365 Ways to Save the Planet: A Day-by-day Guide to Sustainable Living

by Georgina Wilson-Powell

Step up your sustainability and unlock your full eco potential with 365 easy, trackable changes.

What if sustainability didn’t have to be so complicated? 365 Ways to Save the Planet cuts through the noise and explains exactly how to live a “greener” lifestyle day by day. With its approachable ideas and achievable daily actions, anyone can up their sustainability score with this book on eco-friendly living. 

Georgina Wilson-Powell breaks down the significance of environmental statistics for issues big and small, and quantifies the difference low-effort, high-impact changes can make. In her year-long programme, each action is accompanied with a simple “Impact Index” to bring the statistics to life, making it easy to track your progress. Reflect positively on the impact you are having on the environment, across work, home, holiday, and more, for the duration of a full year. 

Dive into the pages of this superb sustainability book to  

- Daily actions and reflections focus on different, key sustainability issues to build into your routine.
- Pages include inspiring mottos, overarching statistics, and illustrations to create a bold, colourful course for the year.
- An impact index accompanies each daily action helping you to measure your footprint and reflect on the difference you can make. 

This green-living guide presents the facts and suggests changes to readers’ lifestyle for every day. If you want to make a difference but don’t know where to begin, simply turn the page and start with day one, and learn how to break previous habits and shift your mindset. 

Being green has never been easier!

Genres: Nonfiction, Environment

192 pages, Paperback

Published April 4, 2023

Reviews

[Puty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sebetulnya ini tipe buku yang isinya bisa didapat dari googling, 365 aksi ramah lingkungan mulai dari skala personal sampai kolektif, mulai dari lingkungan rumah sampai kantor. Hal yang membuat saya tertarik adalah karena di setiap poin ada yang disebut 'impact index', misalnya nih "Save CO2 equivalent of not using your car for 1 month by going meat-free on Mondays for a year", intinya supaya kita kebayang dampak apa yg dihasilkan dari melakukan apa yang disebutkan. Sayangnya impact index ini kerap oversimplify dan nggak bisa menjelaskan konteks climate crisis dan urgensinya secara lebih luas ataupun mendalam. Jadi seperti baca rubrik kumpulan tips di majalah.

Namun, ada beberapa poin yang jadi catatan saya:
1. Kalau baca buku ini (terbitan Inggris) terlihat bahwa di level individu pun, orang-orang di negara maju berpotensi membawa dampak lebih besar dalam krisis iklim. Misalnya beberapa kali muncul catatan untuk lebih bijak dalam menggunakan bath tub, dishwasher atau vacuum cleaner.
2. Membaca 'impact index' terutama soal jumlah sampah (plastik, food waste) membuat saya bertanya-tanya soal upaya yang dilakukan di level perusaan, karena sepertinya kalau mengharapkan upaya individu seperti 'mengganti pasta gigi ke bentuk tablet' akan jauh lebih berdampak perubahan yang datang dari perusahaan produsen. 🤔

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not enjoy listening to this. That being said, I’m sure this wasn’t designed to be read/listened to straight through like a novel. It’s exactly what it sounds like: a list of 365 ways to save the planet, so it would probably be best consumed one page a day, like a daily tear-off calendar. It was a fast listen, but super dry and at times repetitive.

What’s great about this book is that it definitely got me thinking about some small and easy things I can change in my daily life to reduce my carbon footprint. Some things like having a rain barrel or switching from traditional paper towels to reusable paper towels I’ve through about before, and now feel more motivated to follow through on. But some suggestions were really outrageous, like, rather than using weed killer, eat the weeds in your yard (?!) or using flour made from insects.

Additionally, it seemed like finding 365 ways was a struggle for the author in that many of the things she mentions are essentially the same idea: learn how to sew a button so you can mend your clothing and learn how to use a darning needle to mend your clothing were two different "ways to save the planet." Those are the same things.

I think I would've also preferred that similar tasks be grouped together in sections or chapters. There are suggestions for food related things (supermarket, take-out, growing your own, etc.) or house related things (dishwasher, washing machine, dryer, emails, etc.) but since everything was all mixed up, I felt like it added to the sense of, "Wait, didn't she say this already?" Grouping similar things also would make it easier for someone to go back and find/research the suggestions they wanted to implement.

Well intentioned, but poor execution.

[Zoë Ann Book Queen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would really recommend if you're interested in easy ways you can help the planet and reduce your impact. With 365 suggestions, this covered a broad range of actions/items so there will be something for everyone. I simply took pictures of those I felt I could implement so I can refer back if I need to.

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting info, nicely arranged, bite-size details. The stats are primarily UK-centric but the author does include global info a little. I was looking for ideas to be more eco-friendly, plenty of inspiration!

[Sobia A Khan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good ideas and tips. Lots of repetition. Many tips I already do and good to know it's not a 'desi' thing.

[Ilias Vdm · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 sterren omdat ik haar poging wel apprecieer maar vrouwen kennen echt geen boeke schrijve...

[Niecie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good info. I made some swaps and took other actions while reading, which is what I was aiming for.

[Ella Hachee]

Cute with good reminders but could have been half as long and should have had better citations.

[Ella · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great to begin with, a few back to back repetitive ideas, DNF at "Grow seeds in used tea bags". And that's because I skipped everything else that did not apply.

[Pug · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing especially ground-breaking here. But always a good reminder to keep trying to be green! (For example, it reminded me that I can reuse our Saran wrap, even if it feels weird and hoarder-y to rinse and dry it). Each tip was a nice-sized snippet paired with an "impact index," telling you how this one small change could improve the world.

Hopefully everyone takes on Tip#274: Join the Library! “Borrowing and sharing books, what could be greener? Libraries are the original circular economy. Research suggests that children and adults who read are healthier, happier, and more confident than those who don’t."

[Emma Helen Wilson-Berry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not very much in this that was ‘new’ for me; however I appreciated the intention and the tone. Definitely a focus on small, achievable steps which I think is more palatable for the majority; I have opened similar books in the past and been instantly turned off by the ‘everytime you wake up in the morning and continue to exist you’re murdering the planet’ vibes. A little contrived at points; apparently attracting 10% more birds to my garden will make me happier than a pay rise? Who makes these statistics?!