Hey earth muffins! It is no secret that I absolutely love to read. π€ I’ve written many Recent Reads & Movie Review posts in the past; now, I share my thoughts on the latest books I’ve read on my Instagram! If you are looking for some new book suggestions, I am here to save the day… This post is a list of my favorite books about sustainability. I’ll link each of them to used copies on Amazon, but you could also see if they are in your local library! Let’s jump right into it.
My Top 3 Sustainable Books
1. No Impact Man by Colin Beavan (affiliate link)
This was the book that started it all for me. After reading it in May of 2018, I decided to start on my sustainable journey. π Rebranding my blog to Life of an Earth Muffin soon followed, and here we are today! This book follows Colin and his family on their journey to live with zero impact for a full year. Instead of easing themselves in (which I would highly recommend to any newbie earth muffins!), they decided to just take the plunge and see how they would do. The book is an honest “diary” explaining their successes and failures on this adventure. I think it is an awesome book to show the ups and downs of living eco-friendly; it is definitely full of great tips and information as well!
2. Plastic Free by Beth Terry (affiliate link)
This is another book I read in the beginning of my journey, but it is still a favorite to this day! π If you have never taken an earth science class and/or are new to the whole environmentalist thing, Beth has you covered! She explains the ins and outs of plastic, including helpful tips and guides for recycling, identifying the correct plastic type, etc. On top of that, she provides personal stories about her own journey to give up plastics, which are relatable and make the book worth reading. I’d highly recommend it!
3. Zero Waste: Simple Life Hacks to Drastically Reduce Your Trash by Shia Su (affiliate link)
If you are a visual learner, this one is for you! Shia does such a great job explaining the zero waste lifestyle. Instead of sticking to one thing, she covers simple tips for every area of your home. It is definitely an essential guide if you are trying to be low waste! The book is absolutely stunning in terms of visuals as well. There are many pictures, diagrams, and bright pops of color that makes the read exciting yet informational. π I randomly stumbled upon this one in my local library last year, and I’m so happy I checked it out!
2 More Great Books About Sustainability
4. Garbology by Edward Humes (affiliate link)
This book focuses on one thing: what we throw away. But, it isn’t all just facts about our garbage (even though there are definitely plenty of facts to go round!). For each topic that he discusses, Edward highlights people who are solving this problem in a unique way. Instead of leaving the reader scared about the future (like many environmental books do), he offers solutions and suggestions for turning our trash into a better future for the planet. Trash is something that each individual can personally impact; the book left me inspired to do my part! I definitely enjoyed reading it, so I suggest you give it a read as well!
5. Overdressed by Elizabeth Cline (affiliate link)
While this book is definitely more niche, I thought I would include it anyway. Elizabeth investigates the true costs of fast fashion companies in this read; it is definitely very eye opening! There is no doubt about the fact that fast fashion is absolutely terrible for the planet; but, it is another to read first hand accounts of just how (and who) is impacted by these companies. While I was already buying my clothes secondhand before reading this book, it solidified my decision to thrift instead of shop new. And I have absolutely no regrets! π
In sum, there are plenty of books about sustainability out there. These are my personal faves, but I’ve loved many more that are not mentioned in this post! Some books about the planet can leave you feeling overwhelmed about the future; these ones leave you will action items and the inspiration to make a difference in the world! πβ€οΈ What books have you been reading lately?
Love,
Jenna β₯
Thank you for sharing this list of books about sustainability. Learning more about how you can be more sustainable is very vital for the planet, especially right now. Thank you for sharing.
Lauren http://www.bournemouthgirl.com
No problem – I hope you get to read a few of them! π
-Jenna
I didn’t know any of them but thank you so much for sharing! It’s definitely very nice to know π
kisses!
My blog – Lalabetterdayz
Hi Jenna,
this is such an awesome post! Thank you for sharing x
It’s getting easier to live a more sustainable life (the supermarket where I work now stocks bamboo toothbrushes and cotton buds for instance, it’s slow but it’s a start) but it still takes a little work.
As Consumers we have a lot of power over the stores we shop in and mostly they are trying to help. As I said, I work in retail and under each of the checkouts there are two bins. One is for the coat hangers on clothes customers buy (where they’ll get used again instead of the store ordering more) and the other is for any packaging you don’t want to take home. Stores are happy to sort and recycle it for you.
Of course it would be much better if they didn’t use the packaging to start with but I’m grateful they listen and are trying to cut back. Use your shopper voice though, stores will listen if enough of us do it. Leave those nasty plastic hangers in the store (they break in no time anyway) and keep taking our own bags with us and they’ll get the message.
Thank you for a wonderful post as always Jenna, stay warm and safe, hugs from a chilly UK x
Thank you so much for this – I definitely agree that we have a long way to go. But, at least there is a start! I hope you can read some of these books and that they inspire you even more!
-Jenna
These sound like great books! I haven’t done a lot of research on sustainability, so thanks for giving me a starting place if I decide to learn more!
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Thank you for sharing at #OverTheMoon. Pinned and shared. Have a lovely week. I hope to see you at next weekβs party too! Please stay safe and healthy. Come party with us at Over The Moon! Catapult your content Over The Moon! @marilyn_lesniak @EclecticRedBarn
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