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Live Green: 52 Steps for a More Sustainable Life
Many of us are already doing what we can to adopt a greener lifestyle. We recycle, try to reduce our waste and plastics, choose organic food when shopping, eat less meat, and opt for environmentally friendly cleaning products. Yet we often wish we were doing more and it can be overwhelming to know where to start. Live Green is a practical guide of 52 tips and changes you can make to your home and lifestyle over the course of a year. Tackling all areas of your life from home and garden, your cleaning routine, food, fashion, natural beauty, and Christmas, this book has all the ingredients to help you achieve a more sustainable existence. Learn how to modify your daily habits to rid yourself of environmental guilt and rediscover the pleasures of living a slower and simpler life. From creating your own eco-friendly cleaning products and improving your natural beauty regime to creating a capsule wardrobe and composting – discover how to get the most out of life by living more intentionally. Live simply. Live Green.
157 pages, Hardcover
Published February 19, 2019
73 people are currently reading
1219 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
October 19, 2019
“It’s important to remember that sustainability must be sustainable to you.”
It was with the above quote that I was sold on the approach this book makes - it didn’t leave me feeling guilty, or shame me into following one set of rules. It’s set out to include tips and advice that I want to try and follow.
It did only take a few hours to read through, but I’ve written lots of notes from it that I’m sure I’ll be going back to over and over. And that’s exactly what I wanted from it - if it had taken more than this time, I’m afraid I probably wouldn’t have got back round to looking through it in a way that I then felt ready to apply some of the advice.
I hesitated over giving this 4 or 5 stars, as 5 does feel possibly inflated, but if the tips work then I don’t see how I could give it less - only time will tell!
It was with the above quote that I was sold on the approach this book makes - it didn’t leave me feeling guilty, or shame me into following one set of rules. It’s set out to include tips and advice that I want to try and follow.
It did only take a few hours to read through, but I’ve written lots of notes from it that I’m sure I’ll be going back to over and over. And that’s exactly what I wanted from it - if it had taken more than this time, I’m afraid I probably wouldn’t have got back round to looking through it in a way that I then felt ready to apply some of the advice.
I hesitated over giving this 4 or 5 stars, as 5 does feel possibly inflated, but if the tips work then I don’t see how I could give it less - only time will tell!
November 3, 2020
I took a decent amount of new information and realistic practices from this. But this is still your run of the mill zero waste book: written by a previously well-off, still financially secure married-with-children woman, hyperfocused on changing individual consumption habits without any political reflection or call to common political action.
The pictures were very pretty but I am a bit disturbed that only women and plants were depicted... It seems to be a trend in this kind of book that reducing your waste is very much seen as a woman's responsibility. The husband is mentioned in passing but you get the sense that the significant burden of learning new skills and information, then planning and carrying out household tasks (which are now longer and/or harder with zero-waste) is shouldered by the woman alone.
The pictures were very pretty but I am a bit disturbed that only women and plants were depicted... It seems to be a trend in this kind of book that reducing your waste is very much seen as a woman's responsibility. The husband is mentioned in passing but you get the sense that the significant burden of learning new skills and information, then planning and carrying out household tasks (which are now longer and/or harder with zero-waste) is shouldered by the woman alone.
June 2, 2019
Nice handy sized book with lovely illustrations. In terms of content, I wouldn't say there was anything there that I hadn't already gleaned from other books or the Internet, which for someone who reads the authors blog regularly, was disappointed in.
It was simply written and easy to understand so therefore would be ideal for those who have no idea how to make a change to their life and needs a direction in which to turn.
I guess I must know more than I thought I did.
It was simply written and easy to understand so therefore would be ideal for those who have no idea how to make a change to their life and needs a direction in which to turn.
I guess I must know more than I thought I did.
Read
August 20, 2021This was a cute little book that offered a wide variety of suggestions for how to live a more sustainable life. A lot of the steps were ones that I've heard of before but I came away with a couple of things that I'd like to try out.
June 1, 2021
A little gem of a book. Filled with things I didn’t already know about and embellished things I had a little knowledge of. I will definitely be reflecting on things in this book and applying them to my life.
May 18, 2021
the introduction suggests that the underlying issue to the author's lifestyle before making green changes was the constant purchases and consumption; but the rest of the book doesn't challenge consumerist lifestyles and instead suggests that if we just buy the 'right' things we can live greenly and sustainably. 'buy this not that' only sort of works when you (1) have the money to spend, (2) don't already have something to fulfill a given purpose, and (3) really need the thing being purchased. it's almost always better to use up what you have because either way, that thing is going to end up in a landfill - if you're using it first, you're at least delaying the cycle. the book doesn't interrogate these cycles of purchase and trash and doesn't explain that buying used goods (for example) isn't (just) about saving money, but about extending the lifespan of a given object to ultimately produce less waste. it seems more concerned with being economical than ecological.
March 1, 2020
I really enjoyed this book. I picked up from the library on a whim and I read it on a whim as well, mostly because I wanted something quick to read and this was it. But I found the tips, while many I had heard before in various other environmental articles/resources, very helpful and most of them focusing out what you usually buy with something else, as well as not buying as much as you did before. It looked at things from both a money and environmental point of view.
What I most liked about this book was how the author made it very clear that nobody is perfect and you won't be able to do everything in the book, so don't beat yourself up about not being able to do it all. She talked about how she has to use cheap supermarket toothpaste because of her teeth problems and she has accepted that and tries to do other things which are environmentally conscious. And with the beauty sections, she acknowledges that people should not feel bad for using a product that works for them and makes them feel good and that everything has to be sustainable for the person, not just environmentally sustainable. This is a very pragmatic look at things and one I did like to see.
The author took the approach that try and do as much as you can in the book but don't beat yourself up about the things you can't change. She also talks about reusing plastic containers and takeaway containers until they were completely worn out, rather than throwing them away and replacing them with eco-friendly ones straight away, which is a lot harder on the bank balance. This is a book I would recommend for someone who was looking for tips to start out with, though I did wish she had gone a little more into depth about some things, like eating seasonal produce and how you can have a garden in a flat or the city.
4 stars!
What I most liked about this book was how the author made it very clear that nobody is perfect and you won't be able to do everything in the book, so don't beat yourself up about not being able to do it all. She talked about how she has to use cheap supermarket toothpaste because of her teeth problems and she has accepted that and tries to do other things which are environmentally conscious. And with the beauty sections, she acknowledges that people should not feel bad for using a product that works for them and makes them feel good and that everything has to be sustainable for the person, not just environmentally sustainable. This is a very pragmatic look at things and one I did like to see.
The author took the approach that try and do as much as you can in the book but don't beat yourself up about the things you can't change. She also talks about reusing plastic containers and takeaway containers until they were completely worn out, rather than throwing them away and replacing them with eco-friendly ones straight away, which is a lot harder on the bank balance. This is a book I would recommend for someone who was looking for tips to start out with, though I did wish she had gone a little more into depth about some things, like eating seasonal produce and how you can have a garden in a flat or the city.
4 stars!
June 22, 2021
I like how the author doesn’t make me feel bad about my current consumption habits… it just felt overall very encouraging. Mostly practical but there were some things that seemed a little far fetched, at least for now. I’ll have to ease into it, but I love how the author recognizes that you won’t be able to do absolutely everything in the book and that’s ok. I also really enjoyed the little section about Christmas, because I love Christmas but I’m not a fan of the consumption habits. It’s a great starting off point but doesn’t go super deep into some things.
April 22, 2021
Am ebenfalls dachte ich, ist ja nicht das erste oder zweite Buch in der Richtung, dass du liest, mal schauen was es so bringt. Ich habe zumindest eine leichte Lektüre zur Motivation zwischendurch erwartet und wurde positiv überrascht. Dieses Buch geht doch in so manchem kleinen Kapitel ins Detail. Interessante Rezepte, allesamt nicht neu aber doch gern genommene Anregungen und die Geschichte hinter einem Menschen machen es sehr angenehm. Auch mal wieder etwas auf Englisch zu lesen hat gut getan.
June 13, 2021
I wanted to love it but I can probably only count on one hand the helpful tips I learned. For the most part it seems like stuff that was just helpful for her and not tips that can universally fit others… you’d have to have a lot of time to take on some of these tasks. for example, like not buying Christmas decorations anymore and instead foraging for natural ones…like what lol. or making your own beeswax wraps…where would I buy beeswax? she also uses interesting word choice, like calling chemicals/toxins “nasties” in her book….Ahaha so anyway not my favorite read.
November 15, 2024
3,5 / 5,0
March 31, 2025
Cute book that can literally be read in one sitting. Some quick reminders and useful information to put to everyday routines to help us be more mindful.
August 16, 2024
Velmi cute malá kniha jako guide na slow living a zamyšlení nad životním stylem a vztah člověka s přírodou
December 27, 2020
This book was a pleasure to read. As usual, I picked up a few new tricks I had not thought of. The Christmas chapter was a pleasure to read. Would be a great gift that can be passed on. The drawings are great and could be made into cards!
February 24, 2020
A cute little book with some gorgeous illustrations and helpful tips about living a little bit greener. It’s not got much new in it but it’s certainly a sweet little compendium of ideas to incorporate into your life. There’s no mention of particular dietary changes which interests me again, and some swaps have been left off, but it’s a cute little quick guide to reducing waste.
October 30, 2022
I mean... OK. If you literally are buying takeout all the time, shopping fast fashion and then throwing it in the trash, and don't know how to sew a button or make loose leaf tea, but want to do better, then this book is for you. If you are a functional adult capable of using Google, maybe not so much.
December 31, 2019
Great! Short, simple - loads of tips and suggestions for living more sustainably and intentionally, while also talking about shifting mindsets when it comes to how/what we buy and how we use what we already own. Would highly recommend and will be giving this as a gift to people!
May 6, 2020
Looks cute but doesn't really offer anything different to what a solid hour on Pinterest could do. Also found it to be a little preachy.
January 10, 2021
I've started to try and live my life in a more sustainable way, so watching documentaries, researching online, and social media, have all become a way of finding out new ways of living. However, I hadn't actually read any books about the subject. Luckily, I was given this book for my birthday. It's a cute little book, compact, and to the point. I studied illustration at university so the illustrations in this book really jumped out at me. Aesthetically the book is amazing. I'd give it 5 stars alone for this. Very helpful information presented in categories that made the book easy to follow and gave you easy access to simply flick between different bits of the book depending on what you quickly wanted to research. However, I only gave this lovely little book 3 stars because a lot of the information was easily accessible online. Therefore, I'd read a lot about the sustainable changes she was suggesting in her book anyway. I'll give credit to the fact that it is nice to have all this information in one place in the form of a really beautiful, well thought out book. I would recommend reading this happy little book anyway because it is a really nice easy read, just don't expect to be blown away with mind-blowing inventions on how to lead a green and sustainable life.
July 10, 2024
this book made me so enraged and here’s why
1. this girl loves castile soap so much she uses it for everything. including to wash herself and…the toilet????????? what the fuck?????
I could have just ended reading here.
cover that shit in some kind of actual cleaner PLEASE.
also — steam cleaning is amazing if you want to stop using too many chemicals. it is never mentioned in the book.
2. she apparently has a f ton of money and time if she thinks we can source every. single. product we buy.
maybe we are not buying from that sustainable clothing brand because they charge 50£ for a t-shirt, Jen. have you ever thought of that?
3. the eco tips…trust me, if you are an adult with common sense you already know them.
recycling and turning the tv off when we are not watching it. like……?
4. she wants to find a “natural” alternative to skincare and beauty. which…i can understand the idea of it but…synthetic ingredients ARE THERE FOR A REASON. and there’s so many regulations just in the uk about the safety of products that no makeup or skincare can be harmful in any way.
~cosmetologists spend so many hours in the lab perfecting formulas when they could have just used castile soap !!!! 😂😂😂~
oh well, at least the book is printed on recycled paper.
1. this girl loves castile soap so much she uses it for everything. including to wash herself and…the toilet????????? what the fuck?????
I could have just ended reading here.
cover that shit in some kind of actual cleaner PLEASE.
also — steam cleaning is amazing if you want to stop using too many chemicals. it is never mentioned in the book.
2. she apparently has a f ton of money and time if she thinks we can source every. single. product we buy.
maybe we are not buying from that sustainable clothing brand because they charge 50£ for a t-shirt, Jen. have you ever thought of that?
3. the eco tips…trust me, if you are an adult with common sense you already know them.
recycling and turning the tv off when we are not watching it. like……?
4. she wants to find a “natural” alternative to skincare and beauty. which…i can understand the idea of it but…synthetic ingredients ARE THERE FOR A REASON. and there’s so many regulations just in the uk about the safety of products that no makeup or skincare can be harmful in any way.
~cosmetologists spend so many hours in the lab perfecting formulas when they could have just used castile soap !!!! 😂😂😂~
oh well, at least the book is printed on recycled paper.
July 1, 2021
English| Tiếng Việt
My first impression of the book was the pretty cover as well as the different presentation. The book talks about 52 tips of "living green" and mentions how to do it such as: cleaning, planting trees, using fragrance, recycling waste, ... In addition, there are recipes for crystallization oils, scrubs, eyes care. The book has a lot of great tips. Today's life is too polluted if you want to purify your body, purify the air in space and protect the environment, then read this book it's very good.
Ấn tượng đầu tiên của mình về cuốn sách là bìa khá đẹp cũng như cách trình bày khá lạ mắt. Cuốn sách nói về 52 phương pháp " sống xanh" cũng như đề cập đến việc thực hiện nó như cách dọn dẹp,trồng cây, sử dụng hương thơm, tái chế chất thải,... ngoài ra còn có các công thức làm tinh dầu, tẩy tế bào chết, chăm sóc mắt. Cuốn sách có rất nhiều mẹo vặt rất hay. Cuộc sống ngày nay quá ô nhiễm,nếu bạn muốn thanh lọc cơ thể, thanh lọc không khí trong không gian, bảo vệ môi trường, thì hãy đọc cuốn này, rất hay đó.
My first impression of the book was the pretty cover as well as the different presentation. The book talks about 52 tips of "living green" and mentions how to do it such as: cleaning, planting trees, using fragrance, recycling waste, ... In addition, there are recipes for crystallization oils, scrubs, eyes care. The book has a lot of great tips. Today's life is too polluted if you want to purify your body, purify the air in space and protect the environment, then read this book it's very good.
Ấn tượng đầu tiên của mình về cuốn sách là bìa khá đẹp cũng như cách trình bày khá lạ mắt. Cuốn sách nói về 52 phương pháp " sống xanh" cũng như đề cập đến việc thực hiện nó như cách dọn dẹp,trồng cây, sử dụng hương thơm, tái chế chất thải,... ngoài ra còn có các công thức làm tinh dầu, tẩy tế bào chết, chăm sóc mắt. Cuốn sách có rất nhiều mẹo vặt rất hay. Cuộc sống ngày nay quá ô nhiễm,nếu bạn muốn thanh lọc cơ thể, thanh lọc không khí trong không gian, bảo vệ môi trường, thì hãy đọc cuốn này, rất hay đó.
April 16, 2022
I am far from an eco warrior so what made me buy Live Green? Well I’m not your average consumer either. I prefer shopping in the way my grandparents did. Only popping into town when Absolutely necessary for new clothes etc, cooking from scratch and baking biscuits, bread and cakes - who needs all the additional additives anyway.
Jen’s book shares 52 steps to live more sustainable- a new habit a week if you will. Whilst the tips or recipes won’t be for everyone it is still an enjoyable compact read. From homemade cleaning recipes, how to avoid micro plastics to sustainable shopping, there is something in the book for everyone.
A lot of these so called eco movements could learn a thing or two from this book. We only need to see the mess they leave behind from these disruptive events that sadly end up in landfill.
The only negative thing about the book is where it’s printed China, this can’t be good for our planet. There are plenty of British printers around that Quadrille could use.
Jen’s book shares 52 steps to live more sustainable- a new habit a week if you will. Whilst the tips or recipes won’t be for everyone it is still an enjoyable compact read. From homemade cleaning recipes, how to avoid micro plastics to sustainable shopping, there is something in the book for everyone.
A lot of these so called eco movements could learn a thing or two from this book. We only need to see the mess they leave behind from these disruptive events that sadly end up in landfill.
The only negative thing about the book is where it’s printed China, this can’t be good for our planet. There are plenty of British printers around that Quadrille could use.
February 20, 2024
This book does a great job sharing tidbits of helpful sustainable tips & habits that are gentler on the planet. There are lots of simple bites of info paired with lovely illustrations, & in many ways this is a great starting point for sustainable habits however it has a glaring gap— we know that animal agriculture is a top contributor to the negative implications on our planet yet this author didn’t even touch on this subject aside from a few nods to Meatless Mondays & tips for vegans with cosmetics. It’s always a bit of a red flag to me when someone speaks to sustainability but avoids the topics of animal agriculture, which can be one of the most effective & quickest ways to reduce our impact. This book does such a fantastic job in so many ways, but leaving out this aspect was a big disappointment to me.
February 6, 2022
Reading this over Christmas and New Year was definitely a good time to read it. December is when you are asked what you would like for Christmas and because of this book I asked for more sustainable gifts from my family and friends. Entering the New Year tends to be a time of trying to figure out the “new you”, new years resolutions and things you want to banish from your life, this book was an excellent accompaniment to this time of year and forced me to really think about the changes I wanted to make in my life and to our household. Jen Chillingsworth gives genuinely brilliant, and most importantly achievable ways to make more eco conscious living decisions in your own home. Can’t wait to read Grow Green!
January 27, 2024
This is a delightful little read that is easy to enjoy with some lovely illustrations and little tidbits and sayings that will stick with you. Nothing in it is all that new, either that or I'm better at this sustainable living that I thought I was, and it seems to be focused on the typical family unit with a worryingly limited amount aimed at husbands and children which feels like a missed opportunity to get everyone involved in making those important changes. One key message that I did like though was the importance of making sustainable changes that are sustainable for you, there's no point going full zero waste if it adds so much extra time you'll never keep it going. Imperfection by many is better than perfection by a few.
November 24, 2020
In a world where global warming is an ever increasing problem, this book is the perfect way to get started on your journey to living green!
As someone who is very passionate about the environment and aiming to have a zero-waste lifestyle, I was surprised at how much I learnt from this book. From beeswax wrap to fast-fashion, this book has something for everyone to learn - whether you're new to reducing you're carbon footprint or years into a low-waste lifestyle. With 52 sustainable living changes - one for each week of the year - you can learn so much on how to be more self-sufficient and reduce your impact on the environment.
As someone who is very passionate about the environment and aiming to have a zero-waste lifestyle, I was surprised at how much I learnt from this book. From beeswax wrap to fast-fashion, this book has something for everyone to learn - whether you're new to reducing you're carbon footprint or years into a low-waste lifestyle. With 52 sustainable living changes - one for each week of the year - you can learn so much on how to be more self-sufficient and reduce your impact on the environment.
December 16, 2020
What a revelation! As much as I want to live a ‘greener’ lifestyle I was only doing what fitted in with my life, rather than adapting my life.
This books shows you how easy it is to make the changes. You don’t need to do everyone at once, and you are probably already doing some of it already.
Not only will you be contributing to a more sustainable, greener planet but there are benefits to your health and wallet too. I am hoping cutting out chemicals from my house will improve my asthma and migraines (I will keep you posted!)
This books shows you how easy it is to make the changes. You don’t need to do everyone at once, and you are probably already doing some of it already.
Not only will you be contributing to a more sustainable, greener planet but there are benefits to your health and wallet too. I am hoping cutting out chemicals from my house will improve my asthma and migraines (I will keep you posted!)
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June 19, 2023Um livro interessante com várias dicas sobre como podemos ser mais sustentáveis e fazer escolhas no nosso quotidiano, que não são tão complicadas assim, e que não comprometem a nossa casa: o nosso planeta.
Gostei, mas para quem lê muito sobre o assunto não é propriamente uma novidade. Ainda assim, foi uma leitura interessante e sendo um livro pequenino, é uma boa opção para levar connosco.
Tem várias receitas sobre as mais variadas áreas (insecticidas caseiros, produtos naturais de higiene, etc) e imagens que tornam a leitura mais didática.
Gostei, mas para quem lê muito sobre o assunto não é propriamente uma novidade. Ainda assim, foi uma leitura interessante e sendo um livro pequenino, é uma boa opção para levar connosco.
Tem várias receitas sobre as mais variadas áreas (insecticidas caseiros, produtos naturais de higiene, etc) e imagens que tornam a leitura mais didática.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 13, 2022
Excellent little guide to living a more eco friendly lifestyle. There are a few recipes and instructions on how to make items to reuse, however, much of the advice is based on the recycling program and systems/services in Britain. I enjoyed reading the book, but if you're looking for more detailed and various instructions, recipes or sources of eco products, you'll need more books. This book is a nice place to start.
March 18, 2019
An interesting little book. I am very keen to make more sustainable lifestyle choices. This book is full of simple ideas and small steps help reduce our impact on the planet. Beautifully illustrated and well written with chapters from cleaning to re organising your home. Definitely a worthwhile read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews