Every Woman's Guide To Saving The Planet

by Natalie Isaacs

How to take action on climate change in your everyday life



When it came to climate change, Natalie Isaacs used to think it was someone else's issue. After all, what can one person do to make a difference? Then she cut her electricity bill by 20 per cent and saw how much money and pollution she'd saved.Feeling empowered, she embraced action instead of apathy and changed her life. She has never looked back.In Every Woman's Guide to Saving the Planet, Natalie shares her journey from from climate bystander to international campaigner. Now the founder and CEO of the globally recognised climate action organisation 1 Million Women, Natlie

why climate change is the biggest issue of our time why women, who make around 85 per cent of household spending decisions, are incredibly powerful when it comes to taking climate action how to take action in your own life how to cut waste of everyday consumables such as energy, food, fashion or single-use plastic why stuff can't make us happy and why less truly is more how to inspire your family, friends and community to take climate action.With handy toolkits packed full of practical how-to's, Every Woman's Guide to Saving the Planet will get you started on your own climate action journey. Natalie's message is never underestimate the power you have to fight the climate crisis. You just need to act.

For more information go to 1millionwomen.com.au

Genres: Nonfiction, Environment, Feminism

319 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 11, 2018

Reviews

[Bianca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was informative or a reinforcer of things to do on a personal level to try to save the planet (I kind of cringe at this type of statement even though I'm aware it's clickbait).

I enjoyed learning about Natalie Isaacs's journey, from cosmetics business owner to the founder and leader of an influential not-for-profit organisation - 1 Million Women - striving to educate and empower women. In most households, anywhere from 70-85% of the buying decisions are made by women, from groceries to cars to holidays. It's yet another responsibility women are burdened with. I'm also very aware that having choices is a privilege that many women/people don't have.

While I believe that we should all change our current unsustainable ways, I'm also aware, that putting the responsibility on the individual is exactly what the big polluters, the corporations have been pushing for so that we focus on this person or that person who may be using plastic bags or straws or driving big cars etc (guilty as charged) while it's business as usual for those who cause the biggest damage to our planet.

Regardless, I'm going to continue to do my best, including educating my kids and those close to me. One of the easiest things we can do, besides voting for the right people/party, involves doing nothing. Not buying stuff. Oh, also being mindful about food waste.

And remember, it's impossible to be perfect, there's no such as Zero Waste, as the society and the systems we live in don't allow that.

[Carly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ll be the first to admit that I am not the target audience for Every Woman’s Guide to Saving the Planet: a book that largely seeks to inspire women who are not engaged with environmental issues. When it comes to climate change, I want facts (not want vague inspirational rhetoric and constant references to empowerment, which is why I almost stopped reading this book after the first chapter.

But I'm glad that I didn't. Despite the way it is written, this book does make an excellent (and often forgotten) point: women make the majority of purchasing decisions that affect a household’s carbon footprint, which means that we hold an incredible amount of power when it comes to tackling climate change.

As it progresses, the book makes a persuasive case for individual change across a number of areas - from overconsumption and fashion, to plastic use and food waste. It also provides “toolkits”, which give women pragmatic solutions to help them put their ideals into practice.

Although most of the practical tips were familiar to me, this book did make me consider a few things I never had, like the sustainability practices of my bank and how they are investing our funds. If this book made me reconsider aspects of my lifestyle (which I didn’t think it would), it can definitely inspire others to do the same. And for that reason alone, it is definitely worth a read. Maybe just skip the first chapter if motivational stories of empowerment aren’t your thing.

[Kelly Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Started this book when I first bought it months ago, but life got in the way. Realised it was important to get as many tips from here to help make some positive changes in our climate crisis. I’m keen to do my bit.

[Sam · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can definitely echo sentiments about this book -- this book is about trying to inspire and engage women to get into the environmental movement, but not really for those of us who have been engaged in it for awhile. I appreciate the basics in the information and how it's provided, but a lot of the information in this book has been (for me any ways) been discussed better and more effectively by other reads. I think this is a great place to start if you want to learn about environmental issues and the 1 Million Women movement, but otherwise there's better out there.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall message is great but it could have been delivered way better. It was too general about climate change and assumed the reader already knows a lot about it. I was hoping to get some clear actions out of this but I didn’t get anything out of it that I wasn’t already doing. There are no references to any of the stats and the underlining throughout drove me nuts.

[Victoria Kokurin · Rating 2 out of 5]

repetitive, probably not the best book for me but maybe someone completely out of touch with climate issues would gain something out of this.

[Eva Francova · Rating 4 out of 5]

V knize se dočtete, jak se autorka stala z lhostejné pozorovatelky zapálenou bojovnicí za lepší svět. V Austrálii založila spolek Milion žen, který je nyní již rozšířen po celém světě a ženy společně bojují proti klimatickým změnám. Kromě faktů, o tom, jak si na tom dnes planeta stojí a kolik se čeho kde spotřebuje, najdete v knize spousty tipů na to, jak začít u sebe a změnit svůj životní styl.

Autorčino poselství je prosté: v boji proti klimatickým změnám nikdy nepodceňujte roli jednotlivce.

Spoustu věcí v knize znáte, možná již některé rady i praktikujete, ale je fajn si stále připomínat, co všechno můžete sami dokázat a že tím můžete ovlivnit i nejbližší okolí. Právě fakta, která v knize jsou, např. o spotřebě plastů, Vás určitě budou motivovat, abyste se zamysleli nad svým chováním a nad svými zvyky.

Rozhodně tuto knížku doporučuji k přečtení a také k jejímu šíření mezi Vaše okolí.

[Rhonda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing new here, but if it helps the message get through to a few more people, good on her! I already knew everything in this book. It was a combination of motivation and actions, but the actions were strangely scattered through the book, with repetition and not even well highlighted. The first page of actions (p. 38 cutting down on plastic, after talking about energy use) was well-disguised with italic font on light grey background. The layout of bold, underlining, black background etc was the somewhat random graphic look favoured by designers who haven't read the content.

Perhaps the biggest issue for younger women to consider (but not mentioned) is how many children to have (where there is a choice), noting the author has 4.

As a fellow Sydneysider, I immediately thought she sounds like a "Teal" candidate! Lots of name dropping with well-connected friends. And very much a promo for her organisation 1 Million Women and an app, yet to be released (in 2018).

[Iva · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the book was somewhat simplistic in certain parts, but also quite insightful and resourceful in other parts. I think it's a wonderful starting point, which I believe is the point of the book anyway, but I've been researching and reading about eco movements for a few years now and have already developed some attitudes. I found the part about choosing banks and supers helpful, as well as how to minimise home energy consumption, but I'm not that into making your own cosmetics cause I don't think it's that simple and can turn harmful quite quickly. Environmental research keeps coming up with new info that some of the parts felt a bit outdated (apparently bamboo toothbrushes aren't as eco or sustainable as first believed) and some of her advice felt vague and underexplored, but again, that's just cause my appetite is bigger than this starting point guide. Still found this an interesting read and some info about the way our world operates was still shocking.

[Kristie McKenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This would be a great book for someone interested in beginning their journey to a more sustainable lifestyle and learning what they can do at a personal level to take action on climate change without spending a lot of money (not so great for someone like me who is already well on the way and across most of the content).

There are a couple of good examples of how the author has changed her habits and seen real, quantifiable results, which is important for anyone starting out. There are also quite a few practical checklists and step-by-steps e.g. quick ways to cut home energy use, how to find out if your bank/super are ethical.

Unfortunately the book is let down by some repetitive content and lots and lots of unreferenced facts and figures. I hope there is another edition in the future with updated and referenced information.

[Paula B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good content for those who are new to looking for individual solutions and ways to make change, however only a few new ideas for those already interested and invested in change.

I liked the style of writing and the ease of reading the tips. Not sure I needed to know all about the authors famous, well educated and high powered friends. It was enough to quote them no need to point out all her fabulous relationships, it put me off a bit early on. I would say it’s good for those new to the movement and probably worth a flick through for those already making changes for some additional tips.

[Jade · Rating 2 out of 5]

More a memoir than a manifesto. I’m giving two stars, though I feel I should give only one. This book would have been a good addition to the bookshelf a decade ago? Now I’m reading it wondering why the author thought it was a good idea to use all the resources needed to print and distribute a book of, essentially, lazy environmental tips from Instagram.

Oh, hey, say no to plastic bags! Buy less stuff! Turn appliances off at the wall!

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two stars for the idea that women hold a lot more power than we realise because of "purchasing power", despite how depressing that is. Political power would be something better to aspire to. Anyhow, because we influence 2/3 of all purchasing decisions and because we still mostly run households, we have a lot of power to shape business decisions. At the checkout.
On the other hand, what's with all the underlining and bold? And the memoir part is a bit tedious.

[Kandyb · Rating 5 out of 5]

10/10 yes, yes, yes!
I already want to be doing more and I love this book and how it actually tells me more about the problems and what I can be doing to help.
I wish I could give this book to all my friends to read and hopefully be inspired too -but who to go first?
It's like sisterhood of the traveling pants but sisterhood of the traveling book.

[Annika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great book, perfect for those who wish to start their journey in helping the environment when they don't where to start. I loved the little tips, diy's, check lists and the tool kits. This book has definitely inspired me to live more environmentally friendly. Highly recommend.

[Olivia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heavy focus on individual behaviour change and I’m surprised another book with content (suggested actions you can take to change) being so similar to what I was reading 10-15 years ago.

[Jemma · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great read. Although I already knew most of the information in the book, it did validate everything I am doing to help live more sustainably 💚

[Peta Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for Low Tox Club book club - March 2019.

[Melanie Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent tool and highly recommended

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book to start for newbies like me.
Easy to read yet informative.

[Zoë · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring, encouraging, this book has given me some extra fuel to want to make more changes in my quest to low waste living.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not anything much new in here, but super easy to read and a great reminder that women make most purchasing decisions. We can do a great deal to changes things by changing the ways we consume.

[Anika Molesworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Natalie Isaacs' book oozes warmth and compassion. Many practical tips are given on how individuals can make meaningful change in their homes in order to help address climate change.

[Joanne · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 stars. A bit too preachy, it just didn't work for me, I much preferred Waste Not by Erin Rhoads.