Factcheck. Is het echt duurzaam? 140 vragen en antwoorden voor een ecologischer leven met praktische tips.

by Georgina Wilson-Powell, Amy Child (Designer), Ana Karen Abitia Hill (Illustrator)

Iedereen is het erover eens dat de klimaatcrisis een gigantische uitdaging is voor de mensheid. En natuurlijk zijn we allemaal betrokken partij en kunnen we elk ons steentje bijdragen. Om de juiste groene keuzes te maken is degelijke informatie noodzakelijk, want er circuleren allerlei tips die elkaar tegen spreken en er is heel wat fake news. In Factcheck. Is het echt duurzaam? probeert journaliste Georgina Wilson-Powell antwoorden te vinden op 140 ecodilemma’s uit het leven van alledag. Ze gaat op zoek naar de groenste oplossing of, als die er niet is, naar een verklaring waarom er geen duurzaam alternatief is. Dat doet ze op een overtuigende, enthousiaste manier, niet belerend en niet fanatiek, met wetenschappelijk onder bouwde antwoorden, de nodige cijfers en duidelijke info graphics. Het is niet de bedoeling dat je je hele leven omgooit. Het is veel beter om kleine stapjes te zetten die je kunt volhouden. Zo kun je blijvende veranderingen in je levensstijl aanbrengen die het milieu op lange termijn ten goede komen. Laat Factcheck. Is het echt duurzaam? hierbij je gids zijn.

Genres: Nonfiction, Environment, Science, Sustainability, Nature, Education, Lifestyle

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2020

Reviews

[Lejla · Rating 4 out of 5]

A handy guide to finding out which of our actions are actually beneficial to the environment. Some of it is not possible for the everyday person (building a solar farm) but all good info to know!

[James P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

My takeaway from this clever and concise book is that the human species has a lot of work to do to save the planet. No big news there, but I can see why people would just rather not deal with any of it.

I'm not slamming the book. It's more like I understand the challenge of persuading people to think about the environmental consequences of their actions. There's nothing simple about that challenge.

And, it needs to be said: Why blame individual consumers? Sure, individuals can lead the way. But, more importantly, government, corporations and other large institutions, with their numbers of people and financial wherewithal, could really make much more progress more quickly.

Policy change is key.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Studies suggest that that you would need to read about 25 e books a year for the energy and materials used to produce the e reader to have less environmental impact than the same number of printed books.

Global carbon emissions have increased by 640% since the 1950's.

Nine big problems facing our planet: global warming, deforestation, water security, pollution, waste,biodiversity, ocean acidification, soil erosion and dwindling resources.

Clean with white vinegar, lemon juice and baking soda.

Oat milk is the most eco friendly plant milks.

[Sofia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoughtfully compiled guide, I appreciated the breadth of topics covered and the intention that went into the how the book was produced/distributed

[Krocht Ehlundovič · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tri hviezdičky... ale hneď musím povedať, že vo všeobecnosti, nič moc. Prečo tri - lebo som sa niečo naučil, ale štýl, estetika a spôsob ako to bolo prezentované, na môj vkus jemne biedne. Nemám moc rád takéto "príručky" - nie úplne v danom slova zmysle, ale že ako pre retarďákov/čky.

Bol som zvedavý, čo ponúka Forbes a bol som rád, že je to o ekológii - tú ja môžem a mám bytostne rád. Je to už súčasť môjho ja. Verím v to, že každý z nás by mal rozmýšľať ako žije. A viem, že k týmto myšlienkam sa musí človek dostať... nejak - cez knihy, aj.

Viem, viem, viem... no koľko ľudí číta? Ale to je jedno, lebo i jeden človek je podstatné matematické čislo v systéme inšpirácie, postoja a vzoru. A tu som sa ja váľal ako v bahne. Chcem vedieť, čo najviac o tom ako moc robím bordel - keď to budem vedieť, viem povedať, čo môžem urobiť, aby som nebol totálny debil.

A kniha mi dala pár vedomostí a to si cením. Neviem všetko aplikovať a ani nechcem, lebo zas niekde hlboko cítim, že byť tak, nie je fér voči ostatným ...a nakoniec aj prírody. Ona nás takých spravila, čiže využime a poznajme a zvážme na základe toho, koľko vieme spraviť - a to stačí.

[Lani · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good, sweeping overview of how to reduce impact of everyday choices for the individual. Some suggestions seem a bit unrealistic for the average person, such as making your own cardboard furniture or swapping toilet paper for recycled cloth - I really don’t see people taking up those suggestions…

However, a lot of good tips that I’m sure would make a difference even if people gradually make a small handful of them regular habits.

I probably didn’t get too much out of this book, except for a healthy reminder of all the damage we humans constantly inflict on the earth unwittingly.

[Rory Lynch · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is a trash fire so bad I'm struggling to articulate how bad and painful it is.
- Facts which sounded fishy (that were uncited) which were easily proven incorrect with some Google-Fu
- repeated use of the naturalistic fallacy
- lack of explanation of important details

This book does not do what is advertised on the cover, and is not worth picking up.

[Bettina Riedle · Rating 3 out of 5]

For someone who cares deeply about our planet and what we are doing to it, I couldn't quite get my head around all of it, and it wasn't an easy read. There is still a lot of good information in there, but could have been presented better.

[Anne-Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a concise and informative summary of green(er) living. It provides useful ‘green’ guidance on all aspects of daily life including the materials we use, the food we eat, how we travel, how we work, how we furnish our homes and even how we care for children and pets. I used the book as a personal audit and concluded that I am currently ‘light green’ in my behaviors; some by design, others by coincidence. To deepen my shading, I have since implemented some immediate changes, such as using the eco setting on my dishwasher and immediately purchasing biodegradable cleaning products. And I have created a list of target changes.

The book explains well the multiple factors that define “green” in relation to each topic presented. This includes how a product is manufactured, the conditions of workers, the source of materials (whether this destroys forests or indigenous lands, harms wildlife or results in the depletion of rare raw materials etc), transport and packaging, and lastly if the product is recyclable or ends up in the ever-increasing landfill mountains. It also looks at the pollution impact of items during and after their lifecycles with micro plastics being a huge culprit. Other learnings for me were that vegan is not always best, palm oil can be a better choice than vegetable oil, or taking the car can be better than the bus depending on circumstances.

An insight for me was the message to stop sending unnecessary emails. Just because they are digital does not mean they are ok. They require storage in data centers which seem to be one of the fastest growing eco threats! Another item certainly challenges you to question your inner eco warrior, as the author recommends recycling old cloths and storing them in a plastic bag between uses, in order to replace toilet paper!

It is a great book to leave on your coffee table for regular reminders to self and even for visitors to pick up and generate discussion on its content. The bitesize presentation enables a quick independent (re)read of any of the topics covered. The opening section outlines the nine greatest threats to humanity and makes the (fair) point that the pandemic proved we CAN reshape our society on a global level within weeks. However, as she says, what is in our gift, is to change our own behavior as a start.

[Sobia A Khan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most suggestions and answers to the questions are the same as in other books on this topic. However, some were very surprising, like the use of reusable bags for groceries and some of the bathroom suggestions (need to get over the yuck factor). Many of the newer published books seem to advocate not having children - "having children is one of the most carbon emission heavy things you can do." Another quote from the same section is "keeping girls in education in poorer countries encourages them to pursue careers, delay marriage and motherhood, and have fewer children." I was surprised to see a section on pets and burial practices. Since this was published this year, there is a section on ways of transportation (electric vs gas cars, flying, and vacationing).

A good one time read or for quick references.

[Victoria Martine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read, it really made me rethink about my perspective on green living.

Very concise book that offers an overview on re-evaluating everyday life, to be more sustainable.

A large part of sustainable living comes from ethical sourcing of products/materials, I was so glad to see that consistently throughout this book!

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of good tips on ways to be more green in different aspects of your life. Some of the suggestions seem a bit absurd and not practical, but there are definitely areas I think I will improve by using tips from this book.

[Nouvel Diamant]

Ich fand das Buch okay, aber eigentlich verliert man sich schon (zu sehr) in vielen Details.

Eine Gliederung der 140 Tipps beispielsweise absteigend nach dem zu erwartenden Einfluss schiene mir schon sehr hilfreich.

[Brooke Shackelford · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve read lots of books about living greener. This was more of the same. The one thing I found in this book that I haven’t seen in many others is that this one lists how much energy and water are needed to create many products. It mentions that sometimes things aren’t always greener due to the amount of energy needed to create them or ship them. So sometimes things you think might be green really aren’t and a product or solution you thought wasn’t environmentally friendly actually in some cases is the better option.

[Sophie · Rating 2 out of 5]

God this book needs more editing. Maybe it’s because I’m just finished assignment season and my dissertation but this book is in desperate need of references and sources. There is a bibliography at the end, but it’s done with numbers, eg 130 means ‘here are the sources for page 130’. Not every page was on the bibliography, meaning there are no sources for some pages whatsoever. Most pages that were included in the bibliography only had one source listed. It’s a decent starting point for making your life more eco-friendly for sure but is not by any means the bible on the subject and I cannot stress enough how important it is to do your own research (this is something the author does stress too, esp considering laws and guidelines differ worldwide in terms of things like recycling). Almost everything the author says is not sufficiently backed up with evidence and warrants further research - kind of defeating the point of the book a little bit. How is it supposed to be an adequate guide when you can’t wholly trust any statements the author has made? The lack of referencing or providing evidence has made me come away from the book very dubious about its validity. Also, a lot of it piqued my interest and I want to further read up on it for educational and personal purposes, but if nothing is cited then it restricts the reader from developing their own pov on the same topic. I often find further reading on a subject from the bibliography or reference list, but in this case it’s minimal which is disappointing.

It was published in 2021 and appears to have been written in the immediate aftermath of the onset of the Covid pandemic, which I think was a good idea and the book had great potential but it unfortunately fell short for me. That being said, I probably will refer back to it for bits and bobs and I’m gonna loan it to others to read because it is helpful in terms of making you reconsider your daily choices and prompting individual interest into the area. It did make me very climate-anxious and I’ll probably be a bit unbearable for the foreseeable future and will heavily debate every minor choice I make. There is also a lot of info in it so it’s best to digest it in chunks to avoid overload imo.

I will now list the most ridiculous examples of statements the author made that did not have ANY sources or references provided to support them.

- Page 36 - ‘The practice of routinely pumping livestock with antibiotics, used preventatively in healthy animals and, in some countries, as growth promoters, raises the threat of antibiotic resistance in humans.’ It is so unhinged and also irresponsible to say this and not back it up with sources.
- Page 81 - ‘In one year alone, 14,000 tonnes of suncream can end up swirling in the sea, where chemicals such as oxybenzone disrupt micro-organisms, cause hormonal imbalances which travel up the food chain, and damage coral.’ Page 81 does not exist in the bibliography so there is not one source listed for this. A few lines later she says to avoid suncreams with certain chemicals, but what if it is those chemicals that protect you from the sun? Chemical ≠ bad. I have no idea if this is a legitimate claim and I’m not gonna trust you on that when you havent even listed your sources. I think it’s irresponsible to tell people to buy organic suncreams without even explaining if they’re as effective in protecting you as other ones. Does she herself even know that? Like i dont know bc YOU HAVENT CITED IT.
- Page 73 - ‘Over their lifetime electric razors are only marginally better for the planet than disposable razors.’ Again, Page 73 does not exist in the bibliography. Maybe it’s just me but I would love to see the maths or workings out you did to come to this conclusion. It’s crazy to just say this and not present evidence to support it.
- Page 180 - ‘Studies suggest that some of these [chemicals in condoms] can disrupt hormones and vaginal flora.’ Okay then show me the fucking studies?! Totally wild to claim this and not provide the studies in the bibliography. Later on the same page she says - ‘Studies show that synthetic ostrogen [such as from ‘the pill’] in the water affects egg production in fish, which in turn can disrupt marine ecosystems.’ Once again, the studies are not provided. Wildddddd.

Believe it or not, I did actually enjoy this book. However, I cannot get past the serious lack of referencing as it’s very irresponsible and it bothered me the whole time.

[Yvonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a reasonably quick book to read and one that I have been dipping in and out of over the past few days. Green issues, the environment, recycling, biodegrading and plastic use are something that has become very prominent as human behaviour is having a very obvious problem.

I have often wondered just how "green" it is to use "green products" and how beneficial it is to the environment to produce these products. I try to buy local food and vegetables and I do grow my own. Finding ways of cutting down on pollution is great but am I doing the best for the environment when I try to use these products or not.

This book does put things into some sort of perspective and it does answer a lot of questions and gives a good deal of food for thought. While this book is very informative I do think it is useful for the present as advances in technology and manufacturing change then so the advice will change.

The book is laid out in clear sections and it makes for a really interesting read and gives many things to think about.

I did enjoy reading this and I would recommend it.

[Alisea Thenea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stručná, trošku stereotypná, ale nápomocná kniha k ekokolgickejšiemu spôsobu života. Nájdete v nej nápady a odpovede na rôzne ekologické dilemy v domácnosti, v záhrade a v bežnom živote. Pokrýva veľké množstvo tém, čo strana, to iná dilema, porovnanie atď.
Pár nápadov som si z nej zobrala, pár vecí si ujasnila, takže za mňa môže byť.

[Irena Andrašková · Rating 5 out of 5]

Konečně kniha, která se na ekologické aktivity v našem každodenním životě nekouká jako bláznivá eko-teroristka. Jak žít ekologicky je naopak kniha plná tipů a vysvětlivek - nenutí čtenáře bezhlavě následovat poučení autorky, ale trpělivě vysvětluje, proč to dává smysl. Za mě super parťák do mé eko sbírky.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was slow-going but I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone interested in the environment and what it means to be green. I learnt a LOT of stuff and will definitely be making some notes for future before I pass this book on!

A brilliant peek at what a sustainable life entails.

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was skeptical of this book and wondered how much was greenwashing compared to actual facts. To test this, I read the chapter on electric cars before purchasing. It gave a fair and honest review. Instead of saying that electric cars are absolutely perfect and the best thing ever for the environment, they not only talked about how materials needed (especially for the battery) are mined, but also the fact that it's not 100% emission free as you still have tire and brake wear.

Most of the stuff in this book however, I was already familiar with, or it was common sense. There wasn't too much that really stuck with me for being significantly ground breaking or revolutionary. There was a lot in here that was also quite depressing and defeating as the lengths you would have to go to achieve some of the things in here are realistically out of reach for most people. The book also makes you feel like all of the responsibility is on the individual to save the planet, when really more of the focus should be on the companies if a significant difference is going to be made. How big of a difference is one person really going to make? Even if they are influencing others to make a similar decision (Greta Thunberg and her flygskam - shame of flying impacting the number of people taking planes) there are still going to be millions (billions?) of people who aren't being influenced and continuing with life as usual. Until companies are mandated to make a change, they aren't going to because it's not in the best interest of shareholders and capitalism as a whole.

Another issue I had with this book is the lack of concrete examples of companies, instead deflecting back to us that we should do our research on our own. I understand the desire to not endorse companies, especially when their policies could change or may about them is discovered, but you could still say what you should look for in companies and what questions to ask while listing some companies that seem to currently be doing a good job.

While on many topics, Wilson-Powell did not shy away from their recommendations regardless of how impractical they were, it was weird that they shied away from veganism. I realize that a lot of people struggle with the idea of going veganism, but it's really what's best for the environment however Wilson-Powell really pulled their punches when it came to this. They did state that veganism is best for the environment, but then also gave a bunch of outs and alternatives which wasn't really done for any other topic.

I like to think that I'm generally pretty eco-friendly/conscious, however you want to word it, but I'm far from perfect. With that said, I think that there were only a couple (maybe five at the most) things that I would consider changing about my lifestyle after reading this book, and will probably only end up doing a few of them (the one that comes to mind that I will definitely start doing is trying to recycle my contacts, and if I can't throwing them away rather than washing them down the sink like I was doing - I was under the impression that if contacts were in water long enough they would dissolve as several eye doctors told me this). I don't think that I'm so "green" that I'm already doing everything in this book, but a lot of the things in this book I was already doing, and then a lot of things are just too impractical.

I wanted to like this book and get more out of it, but it just didn't really work out that way.

[Big Fat Bear Living Somewhere Nice In Canada · Rating 1 out of 5]

here's the thing: the individual tips throughout the book are good, but the execution and organization leave much to be desired.

issue #1 for me: there is SO much more research to be done outside this book for readers. easily 10+ hours of research that the author expects readers to do on their own (which 99% won't do since that's exactly what they're reading this book for). every solution offered is vague and comes with the caveat "do your own research for your area because everywhere is different." while this is true and not the author's fault, i wish the author had picked a location to do research on, for example the UK, and explained what grows locally, how to recycle certain products within the region, and what the best companies to buy from are. other times the author could have done better to offer relevant information but didn't. example being "look up recipes for homemade deodorants online" instead of offering a source or a recipe within the pages. another example being not offering internationally-available companies to look for in supermarkets or resources/websites to use to look up the sustainability of companies.

issue #2: i feel like the book needed a different way of organizing of ideas beyond category of solutions (ex: eco-friendly kitchen ideas, eco-friendly bathroom ideas, etc. room by room) what i felt the book really needed is a categorization of importance. the beginning of the book could have been the biggest and most important things you can do to reduce your environmental footprint followed by later chapters on small, easy things to do that won't significantly reduce your footprint but still helps. being presented with 50+ small, minute changes felt overwhelming and impractical, especially when all of them required your own research into what brand to buy or place to buy it from. if the author focused mostly on large ideas to incorporate at the beginning, it would have been more user-friendly to follow along and know what's really important vs. small potatoes.

issue #3: there's also a strong naturalistic fallacy bias throughout -- the idea that the more natural something is, the better it is. while this is sometimes the case with becoming more eco-friendly, the author referred to a food as being full of "chemical nasties." chemicals are in natural products too, wilson-powell! chemicals are the basic building blocks of life, and i don't see the need to dismiss them with blanket statements without referring to individual offenders in a product taking into account dose used, role, and human studies (not rats as she did once). not to mention she takes
a strong stance against GMOs despite their positive environmental impacts in reducing pesticide use and increasing crop yield. i also felt the discussion of conventional vs. organic farming is more nuanced than she let on, only furthering my point that you need to research practically everything in this book instead of being presented with all the information you need to make a decision.

so what did i like? there are some good, small suggestions to make eco-friendly changes in your life. i learned new things about organic certification and how to increase your chance of having something recycled. but did i need to read the book to find them out? probably not. i'd rather recommend people to watch youtube videos from local sustainability channels that are more digestible and offer more relevant regional information.

[Frank Lang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was ist wirklich nachhaltig? Eine gute Frage, die an mancher Stelle nur schwer zu beantworten ist. Georgina Wilson-Powell nimmt sich des Themas an und wirft einen Blick auf die unterschiedlichsten Themengebiete, um dem Leser handfeste Tipps zu geben.

Zuerst aber ein anderer Gedanke, der mir hin und wieder kam. Die Autorin ist Engländerin und das Buch wurde zuerst in England veröffentlicht. Sind die Tipps dann überhaupt für Deutschland anwendbar? Hier muss ich dem deutschen Team ein großes Lob aussprechen, denn an vielen Stellen merkt man, dass das Buch an deutsche Gegebenheiten angepasst wurde. Nötig ist dies allerdings nur in bestimmten Fällen, denn oftmals sind durch die Globalisierung die Effekte in Großbritannien die gleichen wie in Deutschland oder den USA. Dies wird auch daran deutlich, dass die Quellen, auf die sich die Autorin stützt, weltweit veröffentlicht wurden. Das Buch beschränkt sich also nicht auf ein Land, sondern eher auf die westliche konsumgetriebene Welt.

Wer sich schon ein wenig mit den Themen Nachhaltigkeit und Umweltschutz auseinandergesetzt hat, wird wissen, dass es an manchen Stellen sehr schwierig ist, herauszufinden, was denn nun besser ist. An vielen Stellen des Buchs wird deutlich, wie intensiv sich die Autorin mit dem Thema auseinandergesetzt hat, wodurch die Tipps, die sie gibt, in jedem Fall praxistauglich sind. Das gilt auch für den Fall, in dem es keine schwarz-weiß-Lösungen gibt. Manchmal wird ein nachhaltiges Verhalten durch mehrere Faktoren beeinflusst, so dass eine Empfehlung nicht immer eindeutig gegeben werden kann.

Der geneigte Leser wird nicht alle Tipps umsetzen können (weil z.B. durch die Wohnsituation einfach bestimmtes nicht anwendbar ist (Stadt vs. Land)) und so mancher Tipp schießt deutlich über das Ziel hinaus. Deshalb würde ich aber gleich das gesamte Buch in Frage stellen, denn dafür enthält es zu viele konkrete Tipps und Hintergrundwissen.

Fazit

Wer auf der Suche nach einem Buch ist, in dem viele praxisnahe Tipps zu finden sind, wie durch das eigene Verhalten der negative Einfluss auf die Natur reduziert werden kann, sollte diesem Buch auf jeden Fall eine Chance geben. Auch wer sich schon mit Materie auseinandergesetzt hat, wird bestimmt noch den ein oder anderen Gesichtspunkt zu lesen bekommen, den er noch nicht kannte. Ein gut recherchiertes Buch mit konkreten und handfesten Empfehlungen für jedermann.

Auf meinem Blog mache ich mir auch ein paar persönliche Gedanken zu diesem Thema.

[María Alejandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are some things in this book that I NEVER thought about. And they give you many options to use instead. A most read to increase our sustainability and be conscious of the impact we have on this planet!

Here are some of the learnings I'll take with me:

- e-reader or paper books? If you read more than 25 books a year, an e-reader is more sustainable for you.
- Your showers should be less than 7 minutes and you should use solid soap (lasts longer and polutes less)
- Toilette paper is actually very bad for the environment, and 4-ply is the worst.
- Don't use wipes!
- For packaging: prefer metal or glass over plastic.
- Avoid wrapping paper (think about it, you buy it to wrap something so someone else can rip it out... so much waste!), you can use fabric or newspaper.
- Real xmas trees are greener (if they are locally produced) than plastic ones. You can also rent one for the holidays that will be replanted after.
- Stop with balloons and confetti, they are very bad for the environment (and I hate them :p)
- Carry on your cutlery set and metal straw.
- Don't leave your electronics on stand-by, they still consume electricity and produce heat.
- Newspaper and magazines? Go digital (cheaper and faster!)
- Have you wondered what's the greenest contraceptive method? IUD
- Sorry to break it to you, but pets are not green.
- Induction stoves are the greener.
- You really need to wash the plastic before recycling it.
- Using the dishwasher consumes less water than the traditional way.
- How to reduce food waste? Meal planner, shopping list, freeze.
- It's not greener to eat organic, think about that.
- Choose food that hasn't travel too far and eat seasonally.

And last and more importantly (and my own advice): complain to anyone you can about climate change, tell them about your practices and get change moving wherever you live. There's no planet B!

[Amanda Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

5-stars because I acted on some of the suggestions before I was even all the way through. It's true that some things may be oversimplified and context is always important. I mean how much water does it really take to grow an avocado? Before my aunt chopped down her avocado tree, it was bearing hundreds of avocadoes annually - with just the seasonal rain that would have fallen anyway ....

Are avocadoes grown in areas of the world where the trees require artificial irrigation?

Anyway, 5-stars because it's simple, accessible, packed with info and ideas that can be acted upon and most of us want to do more but not be overwhelmed with detail and complexity.

The layout is also makes it a useful book to keep handy. You can reach for it when thinking twice about a purchase decision you need to make - and get some direction.

I can also recommend 'How Bad Are Bananas' by Mike Berners-Lee. 'Is it Really Green' is dedicated to thinking about personal consumer choices but 'How Bad Are Bananas' has answers to bigger questions as well. How bad is a war, for instance?

'Is It Really Green' is a great book to get started - but if you're already doing most of what's recommended here and you're ready to live off the grid and start your own permaculture backyard farm, this isn't the book for you.

[Alyssa Soppe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a great, approachable way to dive into environmentalism and what the common person can do to help the ongoing climate crisis! The book is split into 10 overarching sections, and each section is split into tiny 1-2 page mini-sections, making content digestion really easy. Each section of the book included several options and actions that can be taken in an effort to be more “green.” Although a lot of the data and examples seemed to be UK-based, I didn’t feel excluded or at a loss as an American reader. I took lots of notes, learned a ton, and am excited to start trying some things out in my day-to-day life

[Sofia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kniha plná otázok a odpovedí na ne, väčšina je človeku, ktorý sa touto témou zaoberá a žije vcelku známa a jasná, kde tu sa objavilo niečo, čo som nevedela, celkovo obsažná kniha a skôr taká príručka ako na to. Pre začiatočníka môže byť nesmierne prerastajúca cez hlavu, lebo zmeniť všetko naraz bude ťažké a pod váhou výčitiek svedomia by asi radšej zaliezol pod perinu ako začal separovať. Ale inak dobrý súhrn...

[Tommaso Querini · Rating 3 out of 5]

The intention of this book is good and the author looks at a lot of different sides of our life as consumers. I missed a more general perspective: which of the different life changes may lead to the highest impact?
Other points: GMOs are considered bad by default, but there is not a critical discussion of this idea. Streaming is not mentioned as a source of emissions, despite being such an important part of our everyday life.

[Sophie Drt-Pmllr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very practical advice and lots of ideas for incremental changes one can make to have a more planet friendly footprint 🌍 Feeling inspired to kick off new and improved habits in 2025!

Only problem with it - there are a couple of sections where the advice is contradictory (e.g. be weary of second hand toys but do pass on used toys) and the editor/proofreader clear sped through the last few chapters.

[Deborah Makarios · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heaps of options considered so you can decide what part of your world you're going to change next.
Though I was slightly disturbed by the assumption that washing dishes by hand normally involves having the hot tap running the whole time. Who the hell uses "up to 100 litres" to wash a load of dishes???

[Steffi steffi_elena_94 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ein sehr informatives und umfangreiches Buch! Ich bin sehr überrascht, mit welchen Kleinigkeiten, die man ändern kann, nachhaltiger Leben kann und somit etwas für unsere Welt tut! Ich werde definitiv einiges ändern und kann dieses Buch jedem nur empfehlen, um mit kleinen Schritten Klimafreundlicher zu werden!