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Being the Change: Live Well and Spark a Climate Revolution
Life on 1/10th the fossil fuels turns out to be awesome.
We all want to be happy. Yet as we consume ever more in a frantic bid for happiness, global warming worsens.
Alarmed by drastic changes now occurring in the Earth's climate systems, the author, a climate scientist and suburban father of two, embarked on a journey to change his life and the world. He began by bicycling, growing food, meditating, and making other simple, fulfilling changes. Ultimately, he slashed his climate impact to under a tenth of the US average and became happier in the process.
Being the Change explores the connections between our individual daily actions and our collective predicament. It merges science, spirituality, and practical action to develop a satisfying and appropriate response to global warming.
Part one exposes our interconnected predicament: overpopulation, global warming, industrial agriculture, growth-addicted economics, a sold-out political system, and a mindset of separation from nature. It also includes a readable but authoritative overview of climate science. Part two offers a response at once obvious and unprecedented: mindfully opting out of this broken system and aligning our daily lives with the biosphere.
The core message is deeply optimistic: living without fossil fuels is not only possible, it can be better.
Peter Kalmus is an atmospheric scientist at Caltech / Jet Propulsion Laboratory with a Ph.D. in physics from Columbia University. He lives in suburban Altadena, California with his wife and two children on 1/10th the fossil fuels of the average American.
387 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 1, 2017
129 people are currently reading
1462 people want to read
About the author
Peter Kalmus
3 books28 followersPeter Kalmus is a climate scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory with a Ph.D. in physics from Columbia University. At work he studies the physics of clouds in a changing climate, and at home he explores how we can address climate change while living happier, more connected lives. He lives in Altadena, California, a suburb of Los Angeles, with his wife and two children on 1/10th the fossil fuels of the American average. He enjoys orcharding, beekeeping, and backpacking. Peter speaks purely on his own behalf, not on behalf of NASA or Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews
July 26, 2022
It's not that I didn't enjoy the book-- I did. I understand the threat of climate change and how it looms over us, but that's not the problem I had with the book. I don't have a problem with meditation and discussions of living a more fulfilling life. The discussion around climate change focuses a lot on facts and models and figures, but talking about those have gotten us nowhere in the past 20 years. We're still on track for the 8 degrees Celsius warming of the Earth and obviously trying to convince people who don't want to care about climate change to care about it by using facts just isn't working. The discussion needs to revolve around the values we hold and how those need to change. I think Kalmus did a good job discussing how he's changing his life and how those changes have made him happier, but it did come off to me as him having a bit of a hero complex. Even though he mentions in the very first chapter that his intention isn't to save the world because he knows he can't do it, I found he still managed to insert little bits in there that said otherwise. I don't disagree with how he's made his life better and on what he values as important. I simply think he oversimplified how easy it is to stop valuing what you've been taught to value your entire life. In the US, people value working hard and associated financial freedom as freedom in itself, and while they're not wrong, people tend not to question ideals like that simply because that's what they've been taught and it's so indoctrinated in American culture. I think his book would have benefited from a larger discussion about values on a scale like that because values are absolutely part of the equation with climate change. Companies won't stop burning fossil fuels unless there is a cheaper solution OR burning fossil fuels makes them lose money. And that power to change those ideals partially rests in the hands of the consumer. I also thought that Kalmus put a lot of weight on the individual. I understand this was necessary in order to maximize impact of what he was saying about individual actions, but in doing so, he somewhat erased the impact of large corporations and their much larger footprint on climate change. Even though he is a scientist and knows what he's talking about, I found some of his explanations about the causes of climate change to be kind of hand-wavy. They weren't wrong by any means, just kind of glossed over things I thought he should have talked about more. He also spent a weird amount of time talking about cloud coverage and how that would affect climate change. However, cloud coverage is not a vital component of climate change. Yes, the climate has a lot of moving pieces and clouds do play a part in it, but clouds should not be the main focus of the conversation. Overall, clouds don't have much effect on the warming of the Earth.
"Since the changes in low- and high-level clouds mostly cancelled each other out, the net global effect of the clouds did not differ very much in the warmer climate scenario from that in today's climate."
"Therefore, our society should seriously consider reasonable steps to limit future emissions of greenhouse gases and soot aerosols as part of an overall strategy to reduce air pollution."
NASA.GISS 1
Other sources:
(NASA.GISS 2)
(ClimateFeedback)
Overall, I think it's important to read books like this in order to get ideas on how to change our lifestyles so we can take steps to live more sustainable lives. But it's important to take the things people say with a grain of salt, even if you do honestly and truly side with the author, because the last thing we want to do is keep ourselves stuck at a place where we think we've found the ultimate answer. We have to keep looking and compiling because climate change isn't something that can be fixed by just stopping fossil fuel emissions. It's an interdisciplinary problem now.
"Since the changes in low- and high-level clouds mostly cancelled each other out, the net global effect of the clouds did not differ very much in the warmer climate scenario from that in today's climate."
"Therefore, our society should seriously consider reasonable steps to limit future emissions of greenhouse gases and soot aerosols as part of an overall strategy to reduce air pollution."
NASA.GISS 1
Other sources:
(NASA.GISS 2)
(ClimateFeedback)
Overall, I think it's important to read books like this in order to get ideas on how to change our lifestyles so we can take steps to live more sustainable lives. But it's important to take the things people say with a grain of salt, even if you do honestly and truly side with the author, because the last thing we want to do is keep ourselves stuck at a place where we think we've found the ultimate answer. We have to keep looking and compiling because climate change isn't something that can be fixed by just stopping fossil fuel emissions. It's an interdisciplinary problem now.
October 11, 2018
I had the pleasure of hearing the author speak at a book signing. Dr. Kalmus' story is compelling as are the many solutions he not only offers, but indeed he lives. They author is walking the walk, cycling to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory where he works, to study climate change. The first section of this book is the best description of climate change I've read yet. His thoughtful hand holding through the process of explaining CO2e and GHG equivalence will crack open the otherwise challenging-to-explain Climate Crisis. You'll learn new risks and understand the true scope of the challenge we face.
The second half of the book walks you through your new life, should you choose to accept it. It is a comprehensive string of examples of what you can do, and how it'll make an impact. I never rolled my eyes, though the humanure suggestion has been vetoed in our household already. In some ways, it's a guide book to our future survival, on a personal level. It doesn't try to solve the global problem simply by activating you to make someone else change a law (though that's in there too). It is closer to existentialism without the hermit aspect of Thoreau.
The second half of the book walks you through your new life, should you choose to accept it. It is a comprehensive string of examples of what you can do, and how it'll make an impact. I never rolled my eyes, though the humanure suggestion has been vetoed in our household already. In some ways, it's a guide book to our future survival, on a personal level. It doesn't try to solve the global problem simply by activating you to make someone else change a law (though that's in there too). It is closer to existentialism without the hermit aspect of Thoreau.
February 5, 2020
I have read more than one book about how to respond to climate change. Peter Kalmus's Being The Change has some truly excellent portions but I would not rate it as one of the best. He included some very good material and I enjoyed reading about the ways he adapted to a very low carbon lifestyle. However he veered off course I thought with his promotion of meditation and other practices. Not that I am against meditation but that is not what I was looking for in a climate book. Still I have to say that I hope more people will read his book. If one is only going to read one book on climate change this might not be the one.
January 10, 2019
In “Being the Change”, NASA climate physicist Peter Kalmus takes us on a journey, mostly by bicycle, to a future where humans learn to live in harmony with nature, and themselves. That future also happens to be Kalmus’s present.
In the first third of the book, Being the Change offers a sweeping survey of current climate science, before moving on to explore how individuals can effect real change on a personal level while elevating that change to a pilgrimage of spirit. Through Kalmus's entertaining story, the reader is able to imagine transforming one’s own life into a more balanced, sustainable whole. Never losing sight of the practical, Kalmus offers solutions for those wishing to reduce the environmental impact associated with work, travel, eating, play and even poo’ing!
Throughout the book, Kalmus offers useful chapter sub-headings that function as guideposts on the road to change. Among these the reader will find general suggestions for opting out of the broken banking and consuming systems, how to best effect political change, and how to strengthen local community ties. In addition, there are practical, sidebar topic tips for getting started with “humanure” composting, converting diesel vehicles to WOV’s (waste oil vehicles), backyard chickens, “slow travel”, wild foraging, labor-saving gardening practices, bicycle commuting, and calculating one’s carbon footprint. One aspect of “Being The Change” that I particularly enjoyed was learning about how embracing a lower impact lifestyle has contributed to Kalmus’s spiritual practice and loving connection to the world around him.
The only things I felt could have made the book more comprehensive would have been the inclusion of a broader discussion of green urban planning, and more information about back-to-the-landers, ecovillages, and the global Permaculture movement.
The author’s inherent authority as a leading climate scientist, combined with his passion for freeganism dumpster diving, beekeeping, bicycles, composting, and community, plus misadventures in his waste veggie oil vehicle “Maeby” (maybe it will make it) all shape this book into a deeply inspiring, informative read. I'm giving this book a five-star rating for its importance.
In the first third of the book, Being the Change offers a sweeping survey of current climate science, before moving on to explore how individuals can effect real change on a personal level while elevating that change to a pilgrimage of spirit. Through Kalmus's entertaining story, the reader is able to imagine transforming one’s own life into a more balanced, sustainable whole. Never losing sight of the practical, Kalmus offers solutions for those wishing to reduce the environmental impact associated with work, travel, eating, play and even poo’ing!
Throughout the book, Kalmus offers useful chapter sub-headings that function as guideposts on the road to change. Among these the reader will find general suggestions for opting out of the broken banking and consuming systems, how to best effect political change, and how to strengthen local community ties. In addition, there are practical, sidebar topic tips for getting started with “humanure” composting, converting diesel vehicles to WOV’s (waste oil vehicles), backyard chickens, “slow travel”, wild foraging, labor-saving gardening practices, bicycle commuting, and calculating one’s carbon footprint. One aspect of “Being The Change” that I particularly enjoyed was learning about how embracing a lower impact lifestyle has contributed to Kalmus’s spiritual practice and loving connection to the world around him.
The only things I felt could have made the book more comprehensive would have been the inclusion of a broader discussion of green urban planning, and more information about back-to-the-landers, ecovillages, and the global Permaculture movement.
The author’s inherent authority as a leading climate scientist, combined with his passion for freeganism dumpster diving, beekeeping, bicycles, composting, and community, plus misadventures in his waste veggie oil vehicle “Maeby” (maybe it will make it) all shape this book into a deeply inspiring, informative read. I'm giving this book a five-star rating for its importance.
January 10, 2022
A must read for any climate enthusiast or anyone looking to learn more about climate change and how we can create a positive change without massive amounts of positional power. He does a great job describing how we can change our lives without giving up the elements that are currently bringing us the most joy. Interesting points on flying, composting, biking, driving, freeganism, carbon offsets and many more.
October 4, 2017
This book may not inspire everyone to cut back on fossil fuels but it will inspire some to take action. It will inspire more people to ride bikes, to garden and compost, to consume less. And those people will in turn inspire others. What Kalmus says is true, it is not enough to wait and hope that governments will mandate an end to fossil fuels. We have been waiting and meanwhile emissions have been increasing. We have to begin with ourselves. And when we do take action we will feel happier. In a decision that was as much economical as environmental, my family no longer owns a car. And yes riding a bike instead has made me happier. Growing some of my own food instead of feeling guilty for buying vegetables that have been shipped from another country has made me happier. Kalmus has other ideas for living low carbon and although some of these ideas sound extreme, he doesn't come across as radical. He presents low carbon living as a great adventure. This book is well worth reading even if you already are trying to Be the Change.
October 18, 2021
I agree with most of this book. However, I would draw the line at individuals composting their own human manure - sounds like a typhoid outbreak waiting to happen.
July 7, 2019
I cannot recommend this book enough. Will write a full review later.
ETA: Here it is. Essay alert! TL;DR: READ IT!
I have been following Peter Kalmus on Twitter for some time, and bought this book about 6 months ago, but put off reading it until recently.
I was and am afraid of what climate breakdown will look like, and I was and am resistant to making changes to my lifestyle that I know I should. If you are anything like me, your lifestyle is not sustainable and you feel guilty, helpless and hypocritical because your flights and your devices and your daily life are effectively stealing from future generations and people living right now who will lose their homes, livelihoods and even lives as sea levels rise, as droughts and floods and famine become more common, as island nations go underwater, as fighting over scarce resources increases, as vector-borne diseases spread. You are vegan but you know that your lifestyle condemns species to extinction, and polar bears to starvation, and orangutans to hideous post-apocalyptic scenarios and very real suffering. What to do? You worry and worry and worry, and you reduce your footprint a little here and there, and you stop flying when there's a train (except for work) and you buy carbon offsets even though you know they don't cancel out your flights (how long does it take for that carbon to be trapped by that tree? Who says the tree will be here in 50 or 100 years?). You know the facts, but your family lives all over the planet and you want to be a part of your baby niece's life and she lives on another continent. (And what will her future look like??) You know the facts, but you also like technology and hot running water and buying things and having a flat to yourself. You worry and you're afraid, but instead of talking at every opportunity about how to reduce emissions and avoid the worst-case scenario, the world at large seems to be in denial (at best) or in wilful ignorance. We're not even stuck with the status quo - we're increasing emissions. And let's not even talk about what we do to non-human animals, or how we've also used the fossil fuels that will make our planet's climate unrecognisable into toxic substances that are now in the air and the water and will be there, from our point of view, for ever.
So in all these emotions and worries, how to read a book about it? I can barely read the articles I share online. I feel anxious, scared, guilty, hypocritical, helpless, at turns angry and terrified and fatalistic.
This is all still true. But I read the book. And I will say first of all, that with this book you are in safe hands. I should read it again and again. Everyone should read it. Kalmus is a physicist turned climate scientist who has a family and lives in suburban California. His carbon footprint before the changes he describes in the book was 20 metric tonnes per year (the US average, which is around twice the UK average) - 15 of which was due to flying (two transatlantic and 6 domestic flights per year). He begins the book with a clear-eyed, unflinching analysis of the science. In contrast to many articles in the media, he gets into the detail. He also doesn't shy away from worst-case scenarios. Given our trajectory (carbon emissions increasing by 2.2% per year, which is exponential growth), we can only control at what point emissions peak, and look at the effects associated with different possible peak emission points. And we have to look at them. We cannot solve a problem without understanding it and we cannot understand it without facing the facts as best we can.
One very important point raised early in the book is that it is not helpful to talk of saving the planet or the environment as if they are separate from us. Our choices are not to protect the environment or exploit it. Kalmus prefers the term biosphere - the environment is us and we are in and of the environment. We are all in this together - the trees, the air, the insects, the non-human animals, and us.
It's sobering stuff. But his attitude is calm, scientific, and unblinking. I found this really refreshing compared to a lot of articles I have read on the topic. No vague promises of "avoiding 3 degrees of warming" if suddenly emissions somehow plummet. No smoke and mirrors such as talking about effects we might see by the end of the century (without acknowledging that these will just be the beginning). No fear mongering. Perhaps it is because of my background in physics, but I really appreciated his approach. That said, I had to read the first half of the book in small doses. It was difficult, but I think it is necessary.
In the second half, Kalmus expands on the changes he has made in his own life in response to his growing awareness of climate change (one of which was changing careers to work on climate change research). These can be grouped into (a) changes to his lifestyle that have reduced his footprint - from 20 metric tonnes of CO_2 per year to just over 2 and (b) changes to his thinking that have changed his attitude to climate change. This part of the book I found uplifting and inspiring. Not because he is promising solutions to "save the world" (an effort guaranteed to lead to despair) but to "change the world" and to change his response to it. Again and again he finds the positives in a low-carbon life today and in the future. Gardening, cycling, exchanging goods and services with people in his community, celebrating the quiet of a power cut, relishing the reconnections with nature and people and the earth, physically, that we are divorced from in our modern global economy and supermarkets. Some of the proposals are impractical for me, or further than I am ready to go; some I am not sure I buy into. But the overall approach, of facing the facts, doing what you can, and finding the joy in it - this I found absolutely inspiring. And by looking at the numbers as he goes, Kalmus quantifies what can often feel too hard to quantify, and is able to extrapolate the difference he has made in his life to the difference we could make globally in a useful and realistic way.
We have forgotten how to live without fossil fuels, and fear that it will be impossible and unpleasant (for we did live without them for a long time, and will again), but it need not be. And we may as well try. As he says "Let’s work to build a world where everyone puts others above self and where we live aligned with the biosphere. In such a world, there is no war, crime, hatred, or negativity. Fundamentally, what’s impossible about this vision? What law of physics does it break? I need to spend my time doing something while I’m here on this planet, and it might as well be to work toward this."
ETA: Here it is. Essay alert! TL;DR: READ IT!
I have been following Peter Kalmus on Twitter for some time, and bought this book about 6 months ago, but put off reading it until recently.
I was and am afraid of what climate breakdown will look like, and I was and am resistant to making changes to my lifestyle that I know I should. If you are anything like me, your lifestyle is not sustainable and you feel guilty, helpless and hypocritical because your flights and your devices and your daily life are effectively stealing from future generations and people living right now who will lose their homes, livelihoods and even lives as sea levels rise, as droughts and floods and famine become more common, as island nations go underwater, as fighting over scarce resources increases, as vector-borne diseases spread. You are vegan but you know that your lifestyle condemns species to extinction, and polar bears to starvation, and orangutans to hideous post-apocalyptic scenarios and very real suffering. What to do? You worry and worry and worry, and you reduce your footprint a little here and there, and you stop flying when there's a train (except for work) and you buy carbon offsets even though you know they don't cancel out your flights (how long does it take for that carbon to be trapped by that tree? Who says the tree will be here in 50 or 100 years?). You know the facts, but your family lives all over the planet and you want to be a part of your baby niece's life and she lives on another continent. (And what will her future look like??) You know the facts, but you also like technology and hot running water and buying things and having a flat to yourself. You worry and you're afraid, but instead of talking at every opportunity about how to reduce emissions and avoid the worst-case scenario, the world at large seems to be in denial (at best) or in wilful ignorance. We're not even stuck with the status quo - we're increasing emissions. And let's not even talk about what we do to non-human animals, or how we've also used the fossil fuels that will make our planet's climate unrecognisable into toxic substances that are now in the air and the water and will be there, from our point of view, for ever.
So in all these emotions and worries, how to read a book about it? I can barely read the articles I share online. I feel anxious, scared, guilty, hypocritical, helpless, at turns angry and terrified and fatalistic.
This is all still true. But I read the book. And I will say first of all, that with this book you are in safe hands. I should read it again and again. Everyone should read it. Kalmus is a physicist turned climate scientist who has a family and lives in suburban California. His carbon footprint before the changes he describes in the book was 20 metric tonnes per year (the US average, which is around twice the UK average) - 15 of which was due to flying (two transatlantic and 6 domestic flights per year). He begins the book with a clear-eyed, unflinching analysis of the science. In contrast to many articles in the media, he gets into the detail. He also doesn't shy away from worst-case scenarios. Given our trajectory (carbon emissions increasing by 2.2% per year, which is exponential growth), we can only control at what point emissions peak, and look at the effects associated with different possible peak emission points. And we have to look at them. We cannot solve a problem without understanding it and we cannot understand it without facing the facts as best we can.
One very important point raised early in the book is that it is not helpful to talk of saving the planet or the environment as if they are separate from us. Our choices are not to protect the environment or exploit it. Kalmus prefers the term biosphere - the environment is us and we are in and of the environment. We are all in this together - the trees, the air, the insects, the non-human animals, and us.
It's sobering stuff. But his attitude is calm, scientific, and unblinking. I found this really refreshing compared to a lot of articles I have read on the topic. No vague promises of "avoiding 3 degrees of warming" if suddenly emissions somehow plummet. No smoke and mirrors such as talking about effects we might see by the end of the century (without acknowledging that these will just be the beginning). No fear mongering. Perhaps it is because of my background in physics, but I really appreciated his approach. That said, I had to read the first half of the book in small doses. It was difficult, but I think it is necessary.
In the second half, Kalmus expands on the changes he has made in his own life in response to his growing awareness of climate change (one of which was changing careers to work on climate change research). These can be grouped into (a) changes to his lifestyle that have reduced his footprint - from 20 metric tonnes of CO_2 per year to just over 2 and (b) changes to his thinking that have changed his attitude to climate change. This part of the book I found uplifting and inspiring. Not because he is promising solutions to "save the world" (an effort guaranteed to lead to despair) but to "change the world" and to change his response to it. Again and again he finds the positives in a low-carbon life today and in the future. Gardening, cycling, exchanging goods and services with people in his community, celebrating the quiet of a power cut, relishing the reconnections with nature and people and the earth, physically, that we are divorced from in our modern global economy and supermarkets. Some of the proposals are impractical for me, or further than I am ready to go; some I am not sure I buy into. But the overall approach, of facing the facts, doing what you can, and finding the joy in it - this I found absolutely inspiring. And by looking at the numbers as he goes, Kalmus quantifies what can often feel too hard to quantify, and is able to extrapolate the difference he has made in his life to the difference we could make globally in a useful and realistic way.
We have forgotten how to live without fossil fuels, and fear that it will be impossible and unpleasant (for we did live without them for a long time, and will again), but it need not be. And we may as well try. As he says "Let’s work to build a world where everyone puts others above self and where we live aligned with the biosphere. In such a world, there is no war, crime, hatred, or negativity. Fundamentally, what’s impossible about this vision? What law of physics does it break? I need to spend my time doing something while I’m here on this planet, and it might as well be to work toward this."
January 12, 2022
In this book, astrophysicist turned climate scientist Peter Kalmus takes us on a pedagogical journey of being the change needed to spark a climate revolution.
While his accomplishment of cutting his emissions to 10% of his pre-climate-conscious self is laudable, it is also largely inimitable. For example, he doesn’t forgo a car, a thing very hard to do in private transport haven California, but instead rigs it to run on waste vegetable oil. How many Americans, let alone car owners of the world, would know enough about cars to do this? However, being a clever guy he has wondered just that and gone into excruciating detail not only on how he rigged his car but also how to keep bees, how to grow a vegetable garden etc.
He also harps on about overpopulation like a modern day Malthus in spite of having two kids himself, which seemed to me pretentious.
Then there is meditation, which seems to be his moksha from suffering and worldliness and he goes to great lengths to equate himself to trees and lizards, and raves on and on about the benefits of meditation.
However, the section at the beginning, where he explains climate change as a scientist, is rigorous and phenomenally done. He also favours degrowth and anti-capitalism, as any good book on climate change should, and for this alone the book must be read.
While his accomplishment of cutting his emissions to 10% of his pre-climate-conscious self is laudable, it is also largely inimitable. For example, he doesn’t forgo a car, a thing very hard to do in private transport haven California, but instead rigs it to run on waste vegetable oil. How many Americans, let alone car owners of the world, would know enough about cars to do this? However, being a clever guy he has wondered just that and gone into excruciating detail not only on how he rigged his car but also how to keep bees, how to grow a vegetable garden etc.
He also harps on about overpopulation like a modern day Malthus in spite of having two kids himself, which seemed to me pretentious.
Then there is meditation, which seems to be his moksha from suffering and worldliness and he goes to great lengths to equate himself to trees and lizards, and raves on and on about the benefits of meditation.
However, the section at the beginning, where he explains climate change as a scientist, is rigorous and phenomenally done. He also favours degrowth and anti-capitalism, as any good book on climate change should, and for this alone the book must be read.
November 7, 2021
Kalmus’ sensibility isn’t mine. Still, climate change is real and happiness is good, so why not try some of his practices?
July 9, 2018
Another book I discovered lately, Being the Change by Peter Kalmus is an excellent opus on climate change. Too many of them focus on the big picture and macro economics and this is my first about this topic with a personal lens.
Peter Kalmus is a scientist and a very smart man: he is a climate scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab and he has a Ph.D. in physics from Columbia University.
The author now lives with a carbon footprint a tenth of the US per capita average: two metric tons of carbon dioxide per year, compared to twenty for an average American. In comparison, a French emits on average less than five tons. (source)
This is done when the author realized that he was flying a lot and a had a substancial carbon footprint. Over the course of a few years, he gave up flying, started biking and composting, turned his old car to run on WVO (waste vegetable oil) and started dumpster diving (freeganism).
The book is replete with good ideas and great concepts so many fellow Americans could start very quickly. Switching to renewables for our electricity consumption with the help of the local utility, biking more, eating less meat or none at all... It would not be too hard for the majority of people to cut their emissions in important ways with little to
Others however fail to be practical or are a bit dangerous. Freeganism can be illegal and a bit dangerous. Turning your car to run on WVO is fraught with peril and difficulties. Most of us would rather go electric. Composting not only your food but also your own feces demands a lot of time and space. Humanure can get you seriously sick (unlike regular composting of your food waste and scraps)
Besides the climate imperative, the author shows how the entire capitalistic systems in the US is a danger to life. It is a broken system. and our entire economic system globally is killing and destroying everything fast. If you have read the news or my blog, you already know that. This books tackles all these topics and proposes solutions. Rekindling connections with our neighbours and a sense of community is chief among them. As is Love.
I agree with the author on many topics if not the quasi totality of them. The book is full of personal history and journey and this makes it endearing.
This a great book that I recommend to everyone who is tired of reading the horror stories of global warming and feels powerless. While many solutions still have to happen at a country or regional scale, many solutions exists to cut our own emisisons significantly while improving our lives dramatically. Cuts in emissions do not have to be tied to cuts in comfort levels or of qualifty of life. Actually, it is quite the opposite as demonstrated here.
Peter Kalmus is a scientist and a very smart man: he is a climate scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab and he has a Ph.D. in physics from Columbia University.
The author now lives with a carbon footprint a tenth of the US per capita average: two metric tons of carbon dioxide per year, compared to twenty for an average American. In comparison, a French emits on average less than five tons. (source)
This is done when the author realized that he was flying a lot and a had a substancial carbon footprint. Over the course of a few years, he gave up flying, started biking and composting, turned his old car to run on WVO (waste vegetable oil) and started dumpster diving (freeganism).
The book is replete with good ideas and great concepts so many fellow Americans could start very quickly. Switching to renewables for our electricity consumption with the help of the local utility, biking more, eating less meat or none at all... It would not be too hard for the majority of people to cut their emissions in important ways with little to
Others however fail to be practical or are a bit dangerous. Freeganism can be illegal and a bit dangerous. Turning your car to run on WVO is fraught with peril and difficulties. Most of us would rather go electric. Composting not only your food but also your own feces demands a lot of time and space. Humanure can get you seriously sick (unlike regular composting of your food waste and scraps)
Besides the climate imperative, the author shows how the entire capitalistic systems in the US is a danger to life. It is a broken system. and our entire economic system globally is killing and destroying everything fast. If you have read the news or my blog, you already know that. This books tackles all these topics and proposes solutions. Rekindling connections with our neighbours and a sense of community is chief among them. As is Love.
I agree with the author on many topics if not the quasi totality of them. The book is full of personal history and journey and this makes it endearing.
This a great book that I recommend to everyone who is tired of reading the horror stories of global warming and feels powerless. While many solutions still have to happen at a country or regional scale, many solutions exists to cut our own emisisons significantly while improving our lives dramatically. Cuts in emissions do not have to be tied to cuts in comfort levels or of qualifty of life. Actually, it is quite the opposite as demonstrated here.
April 18, 2019
The first half of this book is a solid overview of the science proving that global warming is happening, is caused by humans, and is getting rapidly worse the more we burn fossil fuels. The second half is what I was really excited about - what we as individuals can do to reduce our fossil fuel consumption and help others do the same.
There was lots of great advice that I plan to put into action, others that I hope to put into action if I ever own a home with a yard, and others still that I see the value of but have a hard time imagining myself doing (such as composting human waste).
I really appreciated that Kalmus emphasized the significance of mindset. By discussing mindfulness, our society's obsession with consumerism, and the significance of connection (to humans, animals, and the elements), I think he does a great job of explaining how and why it will be beneficial not only to the planet but to our own feelings of contentment to make the changes he outlines, and how these changes will in turn facilitate deeper changes in our perspective.
I think everyone should read this book!
There was lots of great advice that I plan to put into action, others that I hope to put into action if I ever own a home with a yard, and others still that I see the value of but have a hard time imagining myself doing (such as composting human waste).
I really appreciated that Kalmus emphasized the significance of mindset. By discussing mindfulness, our society's obsession with consumerism, and the significance of connection (to humans, animals, and the elements), I think he does a great job of explaining how and why it will be beneficial not only to the planet but to our own feelings of contentment to make the changes he outlines, and how these changes will in turn facilitate deeper changes in our perspective.
I think everyone should read this book!
August 29, 2017
Climate change is the challenge of our times. Barring nuclear war, it's the thing that will most affect our children and their children in turn. But it feels overwhelming. What can I do about it?
This wonderful book courageously tackles this difficult question. The author, a climate scientist, speaks from his personal experience, describing how it came to feel wrong to burn fossil fuels (he sees the suffering it's causing, e.g. Harvey) and giving specific detail as to how he cut back his emissions. He argues that this is a good step that anyone can take and that it helps create a cultural shift. But it goes beyond the practical "how to" and goes deeply into the emotional / spiritual side, which is good because climate change is an existential crisis. Maybe this is part of why we're doing so little about it as a society?
Far too many climate books come off as preachy or try to make readers feel guilty. This book is unique in that it does neither. I've been feeling anxious about climate change for a long time; this book helped. Highly recommend.
This wonderful book courageously tackles this difficult question. The author, a climate scientist, speaks from his personal experience, describing how it came to feel wrong to burn fossil fuels (he sees the suffering it's causing, e.g. Harvey) and giving specific detail as to how he cut back his emissions. He argues that this is a good step that anyone can take and that it helps create a cultural shift. But it goes beyond the practical "how to" and goes deeply into the emotional / spiritual side, which is good because climate change is an existential crisis. Maybe this is part of why we're doing so little about it as a society?
Far too many climate books come off as preachy or try to make readers feel guilty. This book is unique in that it does neither. I've been feeling anxious about climate change for a long time; this book helped. Highly recommend.
December 23, 2021
Meditation bridges the gulf between what we know to be right and what we actually do.
Our natural tendency is to run away from suffering by constantly seeking pleasant sensation. Our society is built around chasing happiness through consumption.
The average American watches over five hours of TV per day -- 12 years over a 40 year period.
In a global poll, 24% of the world's people said the United States is the greatest threat to world peace.
Meditation bridges the gulf between what we know to be right and what we actually do.
Our natural tendency is to run away from suffering by constantly seeking pleasant sensation. Our society is built around chasing happiness through consumption.
The average American watches over five hours of TV per day -- 12 years over a 40 year period.
In a global poll, 24% of the world's people said the United States is the greatest threat to world peace.
Meditation bridges the gulf between what we know to be right and what we actually do.
September 10, 2017
Perfect. It's rare to find a book that is written with compassion but it also honest and realistic, this is one. The author's scientific background informs a climate perspective and action plans that are realistic and can make a meaningful difference in the face of such a large problem.
Also one of those few books that realize solving our current crisis will require the end of the growth economy and the end of the idea that humans are separate from the world around us.
Also one of those few books that realize solving our current crisis will require the end of the growth economy and the end of the idea that humans are separate from the world around us.
July 25, 2019
Pragmaatilise kliimateadlase hea selgitus, miks ta isiklikult otsustas low-carbon eluviisi valida ja milliseid takistusi teel kohtas. Maksimumpunkte ei taha panna, sest minu maitsele ehk liialt mindfulnessi jm põhiteemast kõrvalekalduvaid heietusi, mõned kohad lehitsesin üsna kiirelt edasi.
October 29, 2018
I have so many thoughts on this book, I'm not sure even where to begin with a review. I could probably write a review that would rival the length of the book itself.
The title jumped out at me because I am always looking for ways to improve myself, my life, and my impact on my community and the world. I always want to be part of the solution rather than the problem. When it comes to global warming, we are all unfortunately, inevitably, part of the problem, through our mere existence, but I do believe there are ways to mitigate our personal contributions to global warming, and that's why I wanted to read this book. The author, an Earth scientist, discusses both is professional and personal journey as he confronts global warming on a daily basis.
The first few chapters are dedicated to discussing the science behind global warming, and specifically how burning fossil fuels at the rate we currently do will result in a mass extinction, possibly much sooner than we could possibly imagine. Some of the science jargon was way over my head, complete with charts and graphs, but the gist is clear: our planet is in trouble and it is too late to stop it from warming. The questions are whether we can temper the amount of warming the earth will experience, and how we, as humanity, can do so.
The remainder of the book discusses the ways in which the author has made changes to his own life to significantly reduce his carbon footprint and live a more peaceful existence in connection and harmony with the rest of the biosphere. He attributes flying on airplanes to just about the worst thing we can do when it comes to contributing to global warming. Next are things like driving cars, eating meat, and buying "stuff" (namely, plastic). He also discusses in great detail our problem of overpopulation and the fact that, if global population growth continues at its current rate, the earth will not be able to sustain the 11+ billion people that it would need to hold by the year 2300. While I agree 100% with all of these facts and claims, I found the author at times preachy and even a bit hypocritical. For example, he describes two of his friends- one of whom keeps goats in order to procure milk in a more ethical way, and another who is vegan, and both of whom fly on commercial airplanes on a fairly regular basis. He basically states that their efforts to reduce their carbon footprint in the way of food production/consumption is negligible because they continue to fly. Yet, the author himself has not one, but two (biological) children., each of whom will produce their own carbon footprint.
There are other statements and practices that rubbed me slightly the wrong way while reading this book, and not because I don't think they are examples of how we should all be working toward reducing our consumption and impact, but because I find that there is a touch of inherent hypocrisy in them. The author drives an old vehicle with a diesel engine and fuels it with vegetable oil waste from restaurants. This is wonderful, and I would love to do the same. I love reusing/repurposing/recycling just about anything, and I hope that one day I can do this too. At one point, though, the author describes using vegetable oil waste from the Cheesecake Factory to fuel a long-haul cross-country drive. I couldn't help but think that while it's fantastic that he is reusing this oil in a way that does not burn fossil fuels, his reliance on the Cheesecake Factory (and presumably other restaurants like it), which no doubt depends on fossil fuels to produce the meat it serves, to transport the food it serves, etc., etc., feels just a tad disingenuous. I guess what I am trying to say is that the author so often states that he is "opting out" of so many of the evils that contribute to global warming, yet in some way he is inevitably still relying on them. In the same vein, he describes a friend who has lived without money (meaning he has spent not a single dime) since 2001. While admirable, I couldn't help but chuckle at the irony when the author mentioned that he met this friend as the friend was catching up on emails at the public library... in other words, using a public institution and service paid for with taxpayer dollars, to which this person does not contribute because he has "opted out". That did not sit well with me.
The author describes many of his personal practices, including (but not limited to) bicycling more often than not, mediation, growing his own food, freeganism, rejecting airplanes, composting humanure, drying clothes on a clothesline, ditching the heating and air conditioning systems, and keeping bees. Again, while these are all wonderful practices, and I would love to do many of the same kinds of things (minus the beekeeping), the author lives in southern California, where the growing season is year-round, the air temperature is rarely too hot or too cold, and there are both mountain and beach escapes within a stone's throw. Not everyone lives in such a place, and I doubt he would suggest that we all move to southern California to further deplete the limited resources there. Don't get me wrong; he does state from the outset of the book that we should all do what we can, no matter how small, but then so often I felt there was a tad too much preaching and sanctimony going on.
Finally, the airplanes. A recurring theme throughout the book is to stop flying on airplanes, immediately. As a person who in recent years has made some serious steps in what I think is the right direction to reduce my own carbon footprint, I am fully aware of the toll that flying in airplanes takes on the biosphere, and I am guilty as charged. However, my family's situation, and my husband's career as a diplomat, requires us to live overseas and we get there by flying (and yes, we take additional trips by flying). This got me thinking... if we all stop flying, then people would not travel nearly as much and thus would not experience the inherent value in cross cultural understanding and appreciation. There would be no diplomacy, no humanitarian aid, etc., etc. I don't know whether that is more valuable that is more valuable than slowing the rate of global warming. It seems to me that we can't have it both ways, at least not until there is a fossil-fuel-free alternative to flying. These thoughts don't sit well with me, as my head says I should stop flying, but my heart says that seeing the way other cultures and people live is so important to understanding and promoting community, which is something the author also holds dear. I don't know the right answer on that.
So, in summary: this is definitely a worthwhile read, and has got me thinking on many different levels. No matter how much we think we are doing to be good stewards of the environment (or, more preferably, the biosphere, which the author uses and which I like), we can always, always, always do more. This book provides a lot of inspiration and ideas that everyone can try... some will be realistic, while others may not be. But, we can all do something, and for that reason, I would recommend reading this book and trying to keep your guilt at bay while doing so (and then changing that guilt into something productive).
The title jumped out at me because I am always looking for ways to improve myself, my life, and my impact on my community and the world. I always want to be part of the solution rather than the problem. When it comes to global warming, we are all unfortunately, inevitably, part of the problem, through our mere existence, but I do believe there are ways to mitigate our personal contributions to global warming, and that's why I wanted to read this book. The author, an Earth scientist, discusses both is professional and personal journey as he confronts global warming on a daily basis.
The first few chapters are dedicated to discussing the science behind global warming, and specifically how burning fossil fuels at the rate we currently do will result in a mass extinction, possibly much sooner than we could possibly imagine. Some of the science jargon was way over my head, complete with charts and graphs, but the gist is clear: our planet is in trouble and it is too late to stop it from warming. The questions are whether we can temper the amount of warming the earth will experience, and how we, as humanity, can do so.
The remainder of the book discusses the ways in which the author has made changes to his own life to significantly reduce his carbon footprint and live a more peaceful existence in connection and harmony with the rest of the biosphere. He attributes flying on airplanes to just about the worst thing we can do when it comes to contributing to global warming. Next are things like driving cars, eating meat, and buying "stuff" (namely, plastic). He also discusses in great detail our problem of overpopulation and the fact that, if global population growth continues at its current rate, the earth will not be able to sustain the 11+ billion people that it would need to hold by the year 2300. While I agree 100% with all of these facts and claims, I found the author at times preachy and even a bit hypocritical. For example, he describes two of his friends- one of whom keeps goats in order to procure milk in a more ethical way, and another who is vegan, and both of whom fly on commercial airplanes on a fairly regular basis. He basically states that their efforts to reduce their carbon footprint in the way of food production/consumption is negligible because they continue to fly. Yet, the author himself has not one, but two (biological) children., each of whom will produce their own carbon footprint.
There are other statements and practices that rubbed me slightly the wrong way while reading this book, and not because I don't think they are examples of how we should all be working toward reducing our consumption and impact, but because I find that there is a touch of inherent hypocrisy in them. The author drives an old vehicle with a diesel engine and fuels it with vegetable oil waste from restaurants. This is wonderful, and I would love to do the same. I love reusing/repurposing/recycling just about anything, and I hope that one day I can do this too. At one point, though, the author describes using vegetable oil waste from the Cheesecake Factory to fuel a long-haul cross-country drive. I couldn't help but think that while it's fantastic that he is reusing this oil in a way that does not burn fossil fuels, his reliance on the Cheesecake Factory (and presumably other restaurants like it), which no doubt depends on fossil fuels to produce the meat it serves, to transport the food it serves, etc., etc., feels just a tad disingenuous. I guess what I am trying to say is that the author so often states that he is "opting out" of so many of the evils that contribute to global warming, yet in some way he is inevitably still relying on them. In the same vein, he describes a friend who has lived without money (meaning he has spent not a single dime) since 2001. While admirable, I couldn't help but chuckle at the irony when the author mentioned that he met this friend as the friend was catching up on emails at the public library... in other words, using a public institution and service paid for with taxpayer dollars, to which this person does not contribute because he has "opted out". That did not sit well with me.
The author describes many of his personal practices, including (but not limited to) bicycling more often than not, mediation, growing his own food, freeganism, rejecting airplanes, composting humanure, drying clothes on a clothesline, ditching the heating and air conditioning systems, and keeping bees. Again, while these are all wonderful practices, and I would love to do many of the same kinds of things (minus the beekeeping), the author lives in southern California, where the growing season is year-round, the air temperature is rarely too hot or too cold, and there are both mountain and beach escapes within a stone's throw. Not everyone lives in such a place, and I doubt he would suggest that we all move to southern California to further deplete the limited resources there. Don't get me wrong; he does state from the outset of the book that we should all do what we can, no matter how small, but then so often I felt there was a tad too much preaching and sanctimony going on.
Finally, the airplanes. A recurring theme throughout the book is to stop flying on airplanes, immediately. As a person who in recent years has made some serious steps in what I think is the right direction to reduce my own carbon footprint, I am fully aware of the toll that flying in airplanes takes on the biosphere, and I am guilty as charged. However, my family's situation, and my husband's career as a diplomat, requires us to live overseas and we get there by flying (and yes, we take additional trips by flying). This got me thinking... if we all stop flying, then people would not travel nearly as much and thus would not experience the inherent value in cross cultural understanding and appreciation. There would be no diplomacy, no humanitarian aid, etc., etc. I don't know whether that is more valuable that is more valuable than slowing the rate of global warming. It seems to me that we can't have it both ways, at least not until there is a fossil-fuel-free alternative to flying. These thoughts don't sit well with me, as my head says I should stop flying, but my heart says that seeing the way other cultures and people live is so important to understanding and promoting community, which is something the author also holds dear. I don't know the right answer on that.
So, in summary: this is definitely a worthwhile read, and has got me thinking on many different levels. No matter how much we think we are doing to be good stewards of the environment (or, more preferably, the biosphere, which the author uses and which I like), we can always, always, always do more. This book provides a lot of inspiration and ideas that everyone can try... some will be realistic, while others may not be. But, we can all do something, and for that reason, I would recommend reading this book and trying to keep your guilt at bay while doing so (and then changing that guilt into something productive).
Read
January 25, 2025Dr. Peter Kalmus (climate scientist at NASA Jet Propulsion Lab) is a credible, trueblood climate activist who "aligns his actions with his principles" by reorienting his daily lifestyle towards something closer to a zero-impact, carbon-neutral one, through quantifiable steps that measure the carbon contribution of several common practices, then divesting from them. This include: quitting airplane travel cold turkey without rationalizations or excuses; turning to biking instead of driving cars; growing his own vegetable plots and composting; becoming vegetarian; reducing commercial consumption of new stuff; reducing palm oil product purchases; using vegetable oil instead of diesel when taking up his car for long trips; repairing and mending stuff instead of throwing them away. The goal is not to excuse collective global inaction on climate change by putting the burden on the individual, but to harmonize individual acts with collective calls for action, and to learn to actually love and enjoy slower living. I'm going to admit that I don't measure up to the author's devoted life, but it seems actually good to have an aspirational meterstick of concrete changes that empower one to contribute to paradigm shift in normative lifestyles in the Age of the Anthropocene and the severe Sixth Extinction.
May 2, 2022
How to respond to global warming and the climate crises? This book is about one man's response to it. Need a book about hope and possibilities? This could be it. The author has quite a few ways anyone can start becoming less addicted to fossil fuels and more fulfilled in life. Bicycling, growing food, meditating, and other more simpler ways of life are a few of the ways he began and continues his journey. It's a good read and has great messaging and is exactly what everyone needs to be doing right now (actually two decades ago). I'm not sure how well this type of book goes over in the general public. I always get the feeling that people negatively react to an author that's like "If I can do it, anyone can!" Personal accounts can be enlightening but I believe most people just move on and don't make any personal changes themselves. It's the whole you can lead a horse to water but you can't make the horse drink concept. The author believes otherwise and thinks things can change - starting with yourself.
November 8, 2023
It's good if you want some ideas on how to live outside the system to an extent. Gradual changes add up. I've experienced that in my own life, and it's true no matter how often you'll hear ppl argue "not buying paper towels won't save the planet." What are some things you can learn to live without or find replacements for?
Whether or not individual changes make an impact on a global scale, we'll have to make a lot of individual changes to be resilient and survive the future. At the same time, we'll need to become less hyperindividualist and focus on building community if we're not doing that already. It's a good idea to think about implementing some of those changes before you're forced into it.
I don't think it communicates the urgency of where we're really at, but it's meant to be a positive book and his tweets definitely communicate what ppl should hear if they're interested in knowing any of the more alarming information related to the situation we're facing.
Whether or not individual changes make an impact on a global scale, we'll have to make a lot of individual changes to be resilient and survive the future. At the same time, we'll need to become less hyperindividualist and focus on building community if we're not doing that already. It's a good idea to think about implementing some of those changes before you're forced into it.
I don't think it communicates the urgency of where we're really at, but it's meant to be a positive book and his tweets definitely communicate what ppl should hear if they're interested in knowing any of the more alarming information related to the situation we're facing.
October 30, 2022
Este libro da claridad en el panorama del cambio climático y ayuda a saber qué podemos hacer como individuos para contribuir de manera positiva. 100% recomendado y siento que es necesario para estar mejor informados sobre esta crisis climática que vivimos.
August 9, 2019
So this book was a wild ride. I read it from May 2019 to August 2019, thats four months. I honestly didn't think I was going to finish this book and that was because of two chapters - Chapters 3 and 4 - which are 45 pages in total. 45 pages delayed me finishing this book by about 3 months. These two chapters talked about the scientific causes and evidences for CLIMATE CHANGE and I did not understand a single word of it. It was like reading a foreign language. All the scientific terms and jargon threw me for a loop. One day I'll study and close read those two chapters because I do neleie it's important to understand what is happening on a scientific level. Those two chapters are the only reason that I can't give this book 5 stars because it is pretty amazing. I mean it's opening quote is a GHIBLI QUOTE, you can't get much better than that. I have learned a lot of new things from reading this like...
* AIR TRAVEL CONTRIBUTES HEAVILY TO CLIMATE CHANGE - I didn't realize how much Air Travel can affect our world so much. It has become such a normal part of our lives that you don't really think about it. Peter Kalmus is against air travel for this reason and he understands that it may be hard for some people to get on board with but he makes a good point (besides the environmental one), he says it will help you save money and help you get in touch with your local community. This is so true, we are so buys looking for the next big thing and wanting to see what's out there that we sometimes lose sight of what's in front of us. The same thing is happening to our world. We are so obsessed with progress that we are forgetting to be stewards to our land.
* HUMANURE IS A THING - This is Human Manure. Yes. This is a thing. This is a thing you can use in your gardens. It sounds so insane and bat shit crazy but I am also... intrigued?? Kalmus explains that the reason that poop smells so bad is because it is littered with bacteria that will seriously mess you up. When he composting his own waste there is a heating process that kills all that bacteria and turns the waste into manure. He explains that the smell of humanure is earthy and not like poop at all. He calls it alchemy... which basically it is. Can you imagine turning waste into literal soil? That's as close to magic as we're ever going to get. That's Demeter doing her thang.
* DESIRE AND WANTING IS THE BANE OF HUMANITY - This is honestly so true. If we look closely the root of all our problems and anxiety can come from one cause - desire. We desire something and we fear we will not get it. This is a vicious cycle that causes us to develop anxiety about a multitude of things. It is also what is causing the destruction of earth. Our desire for "preogress" and to be better than we are is what is causing us to use up all the natural resources we have and pollute what is left. We want more and when we get it... we are still not satisfied. This is how we went from the wheel, to the carriage, to the car, to whatever comes next. We aren't satisfied with the simplicity of normality and are always looking to be better - no matter the cost.
* MEDITATION CAN HELP WITH ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION - Kalmus talks about meditation as a way for him to detach from his desires and allows him to think clearly. After reading his defense for meditation I am seriously thinking of incorporating it into my own life. Kalmus claims that meditation can change your brain composition so that you reduce your anxiety and depression levels. He argues that if you can replace one hour of television with one hour of meditation, your life would improve so much... and I believe him.
* COMMUNITY BUILDING IS STILL A THING - I would love the sense of community that Kalmus has but one thing is stopping me, FEAR. Fear of rejection, awkward encounters, etc... Kalmus says once you let go of your fear you can truly start to spread love and build your community. His community is how he stays motivated to save the Earth. They work together to find and sustain eco friendly ways to live.
I learned a ton more about climate change and how to combat it but these were the main points I took away from it. If Peter Kalmus is anything it is SELF AWARE. He knows that the suggestions he has are very privileges and he acknowledges that, and you know what - he proposes a solution for that as well. He is very solution-oriented and believes that every human can make a good first step to saving our home. This book lets go of the doom and gloom view of Climate change and takes the stance that is full of hope without being naive. It is very informative well-written, and for anyone who wants to start making a difference.
* AIR TRAVEL CONTRIBUTES HEAVILY TO CLIMATE CHANGE - I didn't realize how much Air Travel can affect our world so much. It has become such a normal part of our lives that you don't really think about it. Peter Kalmus is against air travel for this reason and he understands that it may be hard for some people to get on board with but he makes a good point (besides the environmental one), he says it will help you save money and help you get in touch with your local community. This is so true, we are so buys looking for the next big thing and wanting to see what's out there that we sometimes lose sight of what's in front of us. The same thing is happening to our world. We are so obsessed with progress that we are forgetting to be stewards to our land.
* HUMANURE IS A THING - This is Human Manure. Yes. This is a thing. This is a thing you can use in your gardens. It sounds so insane and bat shit crazy but I am also... intrigued?? Kalmus explains that the reason that poop smells so bad is because it is littered with bacteria that will seriously mess you up. When he composting his own waste there is a heating process that kills all that bacteria and turns the waste into manure. He explains that the smell of humanure is earthy and not like poop at all. He calls it alchemy... which basically it is. Can you imagine turning waste into literal soil? That's as close to magic as we're ever going to get. That's Demeter doing her thang.
* DESIRE AND WANTING IS THE BANE OF HUMANITY - This is honestly so true. If we look closely the root of all our problems and anxiety can come from one cause - desire. We desire something and we fear we will not get it. This is a vicious cycle that causes us to develop anxiety about a multitude of things. It is also what is causing the destruction of earth. Our desire for "preogress" and to be better than we are is what is causing us to use up all the natural resources we have and pollute what is left. We want more and when we get it... we are still not satisfied. This is how we went from the wheel, to the carriage, to the car, to whatever comes next. We aren't satisfied with the simplicity of normality and are always looking to be better - no matter the cost.
* MEDITATION CAN HELP WITH ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION - Kalmus talks about meditation as a way for him to detach from his desires and allows him to think clearly. After reading his defense for meditation I am seriously thinking of incorporating it into my own life. Kalmus claims that meditation can change your brain composition so that you reduce your anxiety and depression levels. He argues that if you can replace one hour of television with one hour of meditation, your life would improve so much... and I believe him.
* COMMUNITY BUILDING IS STILL A THING - I would love the sense of community that Kalmus has but one thing is stopping me, FEAR. Fear of rejection, awkward encounters, etc... Kalmus says once you let go of your fear you can truly start to spread love and build your community. His community is how he stays motivated to save the Earth. They work together to find and sustain eco friendly ways to live.
I learned a ton more about climate change and how to combat it but these were the main points I took away from it. If Peter Kalmus is anything it is SELF AWARE. He knows that the suggestions he has are very privileges and he acknowledges that, and you know what - he proposes a solution for that as well. He is very solution-oriented and believes that every human can make a good first step to saving our home. This book lets go of the doom and gloom view of Climate change and takes the stance that is full of hope without being naive. It is very informative well-written, and for anyone who wants to start making a difference.
June 30, 2022
In a world falling a part day by day to to the climate apathetic, Peter Kalmus puts into words how one can become a climate empathetic. Being the Change examines the many ways people can help slow the spread of climate change on an individual level. I think that Kalmus does a great job at breaking down how this is possible as well as the numbers behind how it all works.
The biggest thing I loved is the personality behind Kalmus' writing. His personality shines in a lot of how everything works, and that made the overall read a pleasure. I think he does fall short in how he portrays the science of climate change. There are many people who do It well, and many others who make it a little too boring, and Kalmus unfortunately falls into the latter. The first 75 pages were rather boring until he actually jumped into how we can help the environment.
Kalmus is stern in his opinions and gives fantastic explanations behind why he does each practice in his life. I will say it does fall into some bits of classism in his suggestions, but for the most part, he tries to make each thing as accessible as possible. Some of which I do hope to implement in my own life in the coming year.
I think there were some parts that turned into a self-help book rather than climate change. I really didn't care about hearing how much meditation helps your mind when I was really only interested in climate change. I think there is a fine line between self-help and bragging about how great your life is. He does not pass this line, but he toes it very close at times.
Overall, this was an enjoyable read that really brought to light as to what we can do on a small scale basis to lower our carbon footprints. I'd love to see him write a companion book that focuses more on a societal level what we need to do to change. He even states in his book that that is the bigger issue at the moment. A solid read altogether for anyone who wants to learn more about climate change, though.
The biggest thing I loved is the personality behind Kalmus' writing. His personality shines in a lot of how everything works, and that made the overall read a pleasure. I think he does fall short in how he portrays the science of climate change. There are many people who do It well, and many others who make it a little too boring, and Kalmus unfortunately falls into the latter. The first 75 pages were rather boring until he actually jumped into how we can help the environment.
Kalmus is stern in his opinions and gives fantastic explanations behind why he does each practice in his life. I will say it does fall into some bits of classism in his suggestions, but for the most part, he tries to make each thing as accessible as possible. Some of which I do hope to implement in my own life in the coming year.
I think there were some parts that turned into a self-help book rather than climate change. I really didn't care about hearing how much meditation helps your mind when I was really only interested in climate change. I think there is a fine line between self-help and bragging about how great your life is. He does not pass this line, but he toes it very close at times.
Overall, this was an enjoyable read that really brought to light as to what we can do on a small scale basis to lower our carbon footprints. I'd love to see him write a companion book that focuses more on a societal level what we need to do to change. He even states in his book that that is the bigger issue at the moment. A solid read altogether for anyone who wants to learn more about climate change, though.
Want to read
September 15, 2019Saw in op-ed LA Times 9/15/2019
January 19, 2019
Hmm. Enjoyed a lot of things about this book. I liked the idea of focusing on how we may actually be improving our quality of life by choosing slower, less wasteful modes of being and doing. I thought there were a lot of interesting specific suggestions. I liked the integration of a spiritual perspective, and the woodcut illustrations which really did break up the text. I liked the science, which was straightforwardly explained, and the recommendations.
The author was trying really hard not to be self-righteous but sometimes he still was. It ultimately did kinda feel like he was trying to convert me to becoming a locavore dumpster-diving vegan who grows all my own food and dries a vegetable-oil-powered car and composts human waste and so on. I felt like he couldn't eve acknowledge that it is actually more work to do all these things. I mean, yeah, it is more meaningful in some ways, but it's really tough if you have two full-time working parents, which it certainly did not sound like their family did. I was also really surprised by the fact that he didn't address dealing with consumerist culture when it came to his children. He seemed to treat it as a non-issue, which makes me wonder if his wife is the one who has to make those decisions. Or maybe his kids are still really little and he's been able to keep them sheltered.
The moment I MOST couldn't stand was in the description of the miserable road trip he took with his family in the vegetable-oil-powered car, when they were broken down on a Minnesota highway in the middle of the night and his kids were crying and his wife was mad. And later that night he lies in bed and takes a Buddhist view of non-attachment and how there's no need for him to be upset about his wife being mad at him. Okay, that's taking equanimity a little too far.
The author was trying really hard not to be self-righteous but sometimes he still was. It ultimately did kinda feel like he was trying to convert me to becoming a locavore dumpster-diving vegan who grows all my own food and dries a vegetable-oil-powered car and composts human waste and so on. I felt like he couldn't eve acknowledge that it is actually more work to do all these things. I mean, yeah, it is more meaningful in some ways, but it's really tough if you have two full-time working parents, which it certainly did not sound like their family did. I was also really surprised by the fact that he didn't address dealing with consumerist culture when it came to his children. He seemed to treat it as a non-issue, which makes me wonder if his wife is the one who has to make those decisions. Or maybe his kids are still really little and he's been able to keep them sheltered.
The moment I MOST couldn't stand was in the description of the miserable road trip he took with his family in the vegetable-oil-powered car, when they were broken down on a Minnesota highway in the middle of the night and his kids were crying and his wife was mad. And later that night he lies in bed and takes a Buddhist view of non-attachment and how there's no need for him to be upset about his wife being mad at him. Okay, that's taking equanimity a little too far.
August 14, 2019
Helpful, clear, brief review of climate change. I especially liked the portion about how to calculate your own carbon output. I found the author's changes to his life to reduce his carbon output very interesting but (as Kalmus acknowledges) these personal changes are not sufficient for the problem at hand.
February 8, 2018
Peter Kalmus has written a profound book about the science of global warming, and a profound book about love:
“These two seemingly disparate things – reducing my own fossil fuel use and increasing my ability to love – are actually intimately interconnected.”
In the process he grapples with three of the most troublesome questions facing the environmental movement. Can we convince people it’s essential to eliminate fossil fuel use, when our own lifestyles say that fossil fuel use is no problem? Can we convince people that a high-energy lifestyle is unnecessary and destructive, when we act as if our lives depend on that lifestyle? Can we be happily productive agents of change, while we are caught up in the high-energy whirl of consumptive capitalism? It’s hard to answer those questions except with “No, no and no.” And yet Kalmus’ personal message is deeply positive and deeply hopeful:
“On my own path, as I continue to reduce, I’m actually experiencing increasing abundance. It’s a good path.”
Full review at:
http://www.resilience.org/stories/201...
“These two seemingly disparate things – reducing my own fossil fuel use and increasing my ability to love – are actually intimately interconnected.”
In the process he grapples with three of the most troublesome questions facing the environmental movement. Can we convince people it’s essential to eliminate fossil fuel use, when our own lifestyles say that fossil fuel use is no problem? Can we convince people that a high-energy lifestyle is unnecessary and destructive, when we act as if our lives depend on that lifestyle? Can we be happily productive agents of change, while we are caught up in the high-energy whirl of consumptive capitalism? It’s hard to answer those questions except with “No, no and no.” And yet Kalmus’ personal message is deeply positive and deeply hopeful:
“On my own path, as I continue to reduce, I’m actually experiencing increasing abundance. It’s a good path.”
Full review at:
http://www.resilience.org/stories/201...
September 2, 2018
In “Being the Change”, NASA climate physicist Peter Kalmus takes us on a journey, mostly by bicycle, to a future where humans learn to live in harmony with nature, and themselves. That future also happens to be Kalmus’s present.
In the first third of the book, Being the Change offers a sweeping survey of current climate science, before moving on to explore how individuals can effect real change on a personal level, while elevating that change to a pilgrimage of spirit. Through Kalmus's entertaining story, the reader is able to imagine transforming one’s own life into a more balanced, sustainable whole. Never losing site of the practical, Kalmus offers solutions for those wishing to reduce the environmental impact associated with work, travel, eating, play and even poo’ing!
The author’s inherent authority as a leading climate scientist, combined with his passion for freeganism dumpster diving, bee keeping, bicycles, composting, and community, plus misadventures in his waste veggie oil vehicle “Maeby” (maybe it will make it) all shape this book into a deeply inspiring, informative read.
In the first third of the book, Being the Change offers a sweeping survey of current climate science, before moving on to explore how individuals can effect real change on a personal level, while elevating that change to a pilgrimage of spirit. Through Kalmus's entertaining story, the reader is able to imagine transforming one’s own life into a more balanced, sustainable whole. Never losing site of the practical, Kalmus offers solutions for those wishing to reduce the environmental impact associated with work, travel, eating, play and even poo’ing!
The author’s inherent authority as a leading climate scientist, combined with his passion for freeganism dumpster diving, bee keeping, bicycles, composting, and community, plus misadventures in his waste veggie oil vehicle “Maeby” (maybe it will make it) all shape this book into a deeply inspiring, informative read.
January 29, 2018
Reading Being the Change: Live Well and Spark a Climate Revolution will show you that you can hugely reduce your fossil fuel use and have a good time doing it.
Last November, I was browsing the book table at an event when I spotted Being the Change by climate scientist Peter Kalmus. I read the back cover and flipped through the book.
Kalmus’ message seemed to be that you could substantially reduce your reliance on fossil fuels and still enjoy your life. I think many people are fearful of life without fossil fuels because they are worried that it will be all about struggle and deprivation. I liked the upbeat tone of the book so I bought it.
Read my review at https://greengroundswell.com/being-th...
Last November, I was browsing the book table at an event when I spotted Being the Change by climate scientist Peter Kalmus. I read the back cover and flipped through the book.
Kalmus’ message seemed to be that you could substantially reduce your reliance on fossil fuels and still enjoy your life. I think many people are fearful of life without fossil fuels because they are worried that it will be all about struggle and deprivation. I liked the upbeat tone of the book so I bought it.
Read my review at https://greengroundswell.com/being-th...
December 12, 2017
Being the Change is a rare combination of Buddhist philosophy and climate activism which provides a fresh look at this important issue. There are a lot of great examples of how to take action now, as individuals, and some guidance on collective action. However, one major downside of books like this is their implicit assumption of (relative) wealth and privilege. Although the author briefly recognizes this weakness, he doesn’t do enough to address how to move forward. Climate activists must also address income inequality, the real differences between regions in terms of weather, and the difference between rural and urban areas.
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