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The Circumference of Home: One Man's Yearlong Quest for a Radically Local Life
This much is clear to me. If I can’t change my own life in response to the greatest challenge now facing our human family, who can? And if I won’t make the effort to try, why should anyone else? So I’ve decided to start at home, and begin with myself. The question is no longer whether I must respond. The question is whether I can turn my response into an adventure.
After realizing the gaping hole between his convictions about climate change and his own carbon footprint, Kurt Hoelting embarked on a yearlong experiment to rediscover the heart of his own He traded his car and jet travel for a kayak, a bicycle, and his own two feet, traveling a radius of 100 kilometers from his home in Puget Sound. This “circumference of home” proved more than enough. Part quest and part guidebook for change, Hoelting’s journey is an inspiring reminder that what we need really is close at hand, and that the possibility for adventure lies around every bend.
After realizing the gaping hole between his convictions about climate change and his own carbon footprint, Kurt Hoelting embarked on a yearlong experiment to rediscover the heart of his own He traded his car and jet travel for a kayak, a bicycle, and his own two feet, traveling a radius of 100 kilometers from his home in Puget Sound. This “circumference of home” proved more than enough. Part quest and part guidebook for change, Hoelting’s journey is an inspiring reminder that what we need really is close at hand, and that the possibility for adventure lies around every bend.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
October 17, 2014
It started and ended very angsty about global warming, which I wasn't expecting, but I probably should have.
I was looking for something about how he performed the activities of daily living without using motorized transportation. Instead, I got a book about how instead of jet-setting around the world to visit his diasporized family, he stayed close to home and took a monthly walkabout (or bike/boatabout). To get groceries, his wife drove the car. To attempt to climb Mt Baker, his friends carried his gear in their truck while he rode his bicycle.
He learned a lot about himself, and his larger neighborhood, but he didn't really sacrifice anything, he was never inconvenienced. He set an entertaining challenge for himself, but nowhere did it approach the penitential act for his part in climate change that he mentioned in the introduction.
I wanted something other than what this book delivered, and that is the primary reason for the rating. The secondary reason is that I can only take so much purple prose, and this book oozes it.
I was looking for something about how he performed the activities of daily living without using motorized transportation. Instead, I got a book about how instead of jet-setting around the world to visit his diasporized family, he stayed close to home and took a monthly walkabout (or bike/boatabout). To get groceries, his wife drove the car. To attempt to climb Mt Baker, his friends carried his gear in their truck while he rode his bicycle.
He learned a lot about himself, and his larger neighborhood, but he didn't really sacrifice anything, he was never inconvenienced. He set an entertaining challenge for himself, but nowhere did it approach the penitential act for his part in climate change that he mentioned in the introduction.
I wanted something other than what this book delivered, and that is the primary reason for the rating. The secondary reason is that I can only take so much purple prose, and this book oozes it.
July 18, 2010
Concerned about climate change, Kurt Hoelting decides to spend one year living within a 100 mile radius from his home and travelling only under his own steam - by foot, bicycle and kayak.
As an environmental action, this could easily be seen simply as a meaningless stunt. While Kurt does have to forego some income by giving up his commercial fishing activities for one season, his life is not changed substantially in any material way. His wife still uses a car to buy their groceries, etc, they still live in a fossil fuel heated home full of life's mod cons and his walking shoes, bicycle and kayak are probably all made from petroleum byproducts.
But where this book succeeds is in the philosophical and spiritual dimensions Kurt finds while living his year within his small circumference of home. It helps that he is blessed with living in the beautiful Puget Sound area of Washington State in the USA, so that his 100 mile circumference contains some outstanding landscape, and he is also able to spend a large part of that year exploring his circumference rather than merely struggling to survive.
This could have ended up simply being an extended vacation with a difference, but Kurt is a deep thinker and he experiences both spiritual growth and environmental awareness over the course of the year. Initially fearing that he would feel confined and bored within the parameters of his circumference he finds instead that travelling under his own power gives him a connection and initimacy with his landscape that is impossible when flying by inside a metal container travelling at high speed.
The more he explores the land around him the more he finds there is to see and learn. The 100 miles starts to feel bigger and bigger. Kurt also finds himself living with the rhythms of the seasons and getting naturally fit and strong. He becomes aware of the connection that the native American people had with their land. A connection and understanding that only comes from living in the same place for many generations and living life there at a natural pace and speed.
There is much environmental degradation in the Puget Sound area and it becomes obvious that we are killing our planet because of the speed at which we travel and live our lives. We are so disconnected to place and landscape that we become blinded to the harm we inflict.
This is a very thought provoking book that offers answers to some deep and meaningful questions. It's not an action plan for saving the planet but helps us to look beyond the superficial reasons of greed and consumerism to understand why we have lost our way and started messing in our own nests.
As an environmental action, this could easily be seen simply as a meaningless stunt. While Kurt does have to forego some income by giving up his commercial fishing activities for one season, his life is not changed substantially in any material way. His wife still uses a car to buy their groceries, etc, they still live in a fossil fuel heated home full of life's mod cons and his walking shoes, bicycle and kayak are probably all made from petroleum byproducts.
But where this book succeeds is in the philosophical and spiritual dimensions Kurt finds while living his year within his small circumference of home. It helps that he is blessed with living in the beautiful Puget Sound area of Washington State in the USA, so that his 100 mile circumference contains some outstanding landscape, and he is also able to spend a large part of that year exploring his circumference rather than merely struggling to survive.
This could have ended up simply being an extended vacation with a difference, but Kurt is a deep thinker and he experiences both spiritual growth and environmental awareness over the course of the year. Initially fearing that he would feel confined and bored within the parameters of his circumference he finds instead that travelling under his own power gives him a connection and initimacy with his landscape that is impossible when flying by inside a metal container travelling at high speed.
The more he explores the land around him the more he finds there is to see and learn. The 100 miles starts to feel bigger and bigger. Kurt also finds himself living with the rhythms of the seasons and getting naturally fit and strong. He becomes aware of the connection that the native American people had with their land. A connection and understanding that only comes from living in the same place for many generations and living life there at a natural pace and speed.
There is much environmental degradation in the Puget Sound area and it becomes obvious that we are killing our planet because of the speed at which we travel and live our lives. We are so disconnected to place and landscape that we become blinded to the harm we inflict.
This is a very thought provoking book that offers answers to some deep and meaningful questions. It's not an action plan for saving the planet but helps us to look beyond the superficial reasons of greed and consumerism to understand why we have lost our way and started messing in our own nests.
October 5, 2023
I've read this before, but apparently it never made it to goodreads. I like to read this book. It has shifted me in the way that sometimes I consciously think about walking instead of driving. It helps that my family is always trying to get miles, but still I see the value in slowing down and seeing things from a walking, biking, or paddling pace. I like to work on it.
August 28, 2018
A well-written documentary; highly recommended.
April 7, 2025
Meditative, evocative, and peace-bringing
January 4, 2026
inspiring✨️
February 26, 2017
"After realizing the gaping hole between his convictions about climate change and his own carbon footprint, Kurt Hoelting embarked on a yearlong experiment to rediscover the heart of his own home. He traded his car and jet travel for a kayak, a bicycle,and his own two feet, traveling a radius of 100 kilometers from his home in Puget Sound. This 'circumference of home' proved more than enough. Part quest and part guidebook for change, Hoelting's journey is an inspiring reminder that what we need really is close at hand, and that the possibility for adventure lies around every level."
~~front flap
A very interesting book. It wasn't what I expected: I had thought it would be more about just living your life without benefit of car. Instead the author apparently did so but also embarked on journeys to the farthest arcs of the circle, and the book was more about those journeys than about how he adjusted his every day life to working without a car.
I think he cheated in the "adjusting his every day life" portion of his challenge. His wife didn't share the challenge, so he didn't have to figure out how to get the groceries home on a bike, or how to get the dog to the vet on a bike, or how to get himself in a tuxedo to a gala event at night on a bike, or any of the mundane chores we all deal with on a daily basis. I have a friend who decided not to have a car so I'm familiar with how that challenge goes. She walks or uses public transportation a lot, but she also gets rides from other people (which the author did not do.) She lives downtown so most places she needs to go are within walking distance; she only gets ride to events that are difficult to get to using public transportation.
So at first I wanted to shrug off his experience, and justify my own carbon footprint as unescapable. I also am a rabid environmentalist, more so than almost everyone I know. And yet, I own a car and drive everywhere I need to go. I live in the suburbs, and the nearest bus stop is over a mile away and since I currently am in need of a complete knee replacement, I soothe my conscience by insisting that walking or bike riding is impossible for me. But I've lived here for almost 20 years and my knee hasn't been bad that long, and I've never done anything but drive my car. And as I was thinking about what to say in this review, I reluctantly began to understand that I have been fooling myself: recycling almost everything doesn't make up for the carbon I spew into the air whenever I drive my car. Definitely food for thought!
The author's descriptions of his travels during this year were more about the difficulties of making such long excursions either by bicycle or shank's mare. I would have enjoyed the book more if he had been more descriptive of the country he traveled through.
~~front flap
A very interesting book. It wasn't what I expected: I had thought it would be more about just living your life without benefit of car. Instead the author apparently did so but also embarked on journeys to the farthest arcs of the circle, and the book was more about those journeys than about how he adjusted his every day life to working without a car.
I think he cheated in the "adjusting his every day life" portion of his challenge. His wife didn't share the challenge, so he didn't have to figure out how to get the groceries home on a bike, or how to get the dog to the vet on a bike, or how to get himself in a tuxedo to a gala event at night on a bike, or any of the mundane chores we all deal with on a daily basis. I have a friend who decided not to have a car so I'm familiar with how that challenge goes. She walks or uses public transportation a lot, but she also gets rides from other people (which the author did not do.) She lives downtown so most places she needs to go are within walking distance; she only gets ride to events that are difficult to get to using public transportation.
So at first I wanted to shrug off his experience, and justify my own carbon footprint as unescapable. I also am a rabid environmentalist, more so than almost everyone I know. And yet, I own a car and drive everywhere I need to go. I live in the suburbs, and the nearest bus stop is over a mile away and since I currently am in need of a complete knee replacement, I soothe my conscience by insisting that walking or bike riding is impossible for me. But I've lived here for almost 20 years and my knee hasn't been bad that long, and I've never done anything but drive my car. And as I was thinking about what to say in this review, I reluctantly began to understand that I have been fooling myself: recycling almost everything doesn't make up for the carbon I spew into the air whenever I drive my car. Definitely food for thought!
The author's descriptions of his travels during this year were more about the difficulties of making such long excursions either by bicycle or shank's mare. I would have enjoyed the book more if he had been more descriptive of the country he traveled through.
January 27, 2015
A thoughtful exploration of what it is to forego the car and rely on walking, bicycle, paddle, and public transportation. Hoelting shares how this voluntary practice changed his approach to where he lives and also awakened him to the reality that many people are car-free involuntarily. His attention to the connection between environmental justice and social justice is keen and persistent, and part of his embracing the beautiful and the ugly, the good and the bad history and present, and tending to what is.
Living in a mountainous rural area without public transportation, bike-lanes, or sidewalks Hoelting's particular challenge would be even more difficult, though I know a few people who cycle regularly as transportation. I contrast that to my life in cities where car-free living was relatively easy - and where population density makes mass transit sensible and affordable - and where the majority of the world's population now lives. Non-car travel lanes (bike, horse, pedestrian, wheelchair) in our towns and rural areas would also make it easier for people like me who use wheelchairs to travel more safely on our own.
Living in a mountainous rural area without public transportation, bike-lanes, or sidewalks Hoelting's particular challenge would be even more difficult, though I know a few people who cycle regularly as transportation. I contrast that to my life in cities where car-free living was relatively easy - and where population density makes mass transit sensible and affordable - and where the majority of the world's population now lives. Non-car travel lanes (bike, horse, pedestrian, wheelchair) in our towns and rural areas would also make it easier for people like me who use wheelchairs to travel more safely on our own.
November 28, 2012
A great book to read upon returning to the PNW. I greatly admire Kurt Hoelting's personal challenge, and love how he shares his account through anecdotes, native history lessons, and current scientific research.
From having read this, I do feel compelled to improve my daily mindfulness regarding my carbon footprint - yet I wish his call to action was stronger. It is very much a story about his personal journey, and is up to the reader to apply it to your own situation. In addition to writing, Hoelting makes his living as a commercial fisherman in Alaska (salmon). I really wanted him to discuss commercial salmon fishing from the perspective of climate change, but he did not.
I also would have loved a more detailed map to be included with the text, as the only map he has is small and lacking context for many of his adventures.
Overall, a great read!
From having read this, I do feel compelled to improve my daily mindfulness regarding my carbon footprint - yet I wish his call to action was stronger. It is very much a story about his personal journey, and is up to the reader to apply it to your own situation. In addition to writing, Hoelting makes his living as a commercial fisherman in Alaska (salmon). I really wanted him to discuss commercial salmon fishing from the perspective of climate change, but he did not.
I also would have loved a more detailed map to be included with the text, as the only map he has is small and lacking context for many of his adventures.
Overall, a great read!
June 18, 2012
I was inspired and many times in awe at the undertaking Kurt Hoelting took on as his personal challenge in 2008. He vowed he would not drive or ride in a car; instead he would walk,take busses, kayak, or ride his bike 60 kms in all directions from his home on Whidbey Island. It was inspiring in many ways and I have been attempting in my own small way to avoid car dependence. Mr Hoelting is also very sensitive to the environmental changes he sees in his journey and I learned a lot about the Puget Sound area thru reading his book. He has a very enjoyable way of telling his story. Even if you don't live in the area, I think there is something to be learned in his years journey.
May 29, 2011
A nice affirmation of my view that less is more. After a year of not venturing outside of a radius of 100 miles from home, the author finds much that is overlooked when he stops long enough to take a close look. Also a good close up look at a part of the world (Pacific Northwest) that I have visited, but never long enough to know well. At last someone gets it that I can spend an hour trying to decide if an earthworm knows up from down! (My conclusion: they do!)
October 5, 2010
This is another in the long list of "one year" books that are faddish. The author abandons private automobile and commercial air travel in favor of places he can journey to under his own power or with public transportation. As with many of these types of efforts, too many compromises are made for the book to be revolutionary, but the objective is in the right place.
May 17, 2010
I loved reading about all the local geography, as well as the inspiring tales Hoelting had to share. So many of the places he visits I drive by all the time, but have never taken the time to observe. I'm definitely going to be riding my bike more this summer because of this book!
March 11, 2012
Very interesting log of a guy's travels within 100 miles of home. Since home is Whidbey Island, and I am headed that way, this had a special interest. He bikes and kayaks the valleys, mountains and Sound. Good fun.
July 5, 2012
Great book, leading my interest into The Puget Sound with plans to follow it by reading Emmet Watson's, Once Upon a Time in Seattle, The Street Smart Naturalist: Field Notes from Seattle by David Williams, and Knute "Skip" Berger's, Pugetopolis.
September 23, 2012
An open-hearted telling of the story of place, a particular place (central Puget Sound, and the meaning of place, as well as an inspiring story of how one man moved from despair to hope by creating a challenge for himself and seeing it through.
September 5, 2014
A men attempts to live locally (no long distance travel) and not use a car for a year. I was disappointed it didn't really get into the practical aspects of how people can deal with those limitations, but instead involved a lot of philosophical musing on living locally and hiking and nature.
June 21, 2011
Good book- really makes you think about our place in the world and our responsibility for taking care of it.
January 10, 2012
Great book for people living in the Puget Sound region.
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September 18, 2013Couldn't finish. Too boring
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews