Review: The World Without Us...

I’ve been reading The World Without Us, a book by Alan Wiseman which asks the question: what happens to the earth if human beings were to disappear? He starts small, looking at how long it would take for a house to decompose into it’s parts. It’s much shorter than you might realise! Although if you think about how much time we spend cleaning and maintaining our homes, maybe we get an idea of how much effort...

Review: Plan B 4.0 - how to save civilization...

Plan B 4.0 by Lester Brown is just what I needed to read right now - everyone is talking about how our environment won’t survive if we continue with business as usual, but Brown is one of the few people talking about what we might do instead to create a sustainable future. He wants to cut carbon emissions by 80% by 2020, and he’s got a plan… Brown is a respected, long-term member of the environmental...

Review: Ian McEwan’s Solar...

I recently finished reading Ian McEwan’s Solar, a novel about a Nobel prize-winning scientist who might just have the secret to abundant, clean energy for the world. I picked it up because it was highly recommended by a few people, but it turned out to not be my cup of tea. Ian McEwan writes literary novels, not sci-fi or action thrillers. Solar is a really well-written satire, with plenty of character development...

Review: How to Cook Everything Vegetarian...

I’m not a vegetarian, but I’ve been cutting back on the amount of meat I eat lately. As in my previous post on 6 ways to eat less meat, I like to have meat-free months or weeks to push me to learn new recipes. I’ve got a couple of specialty vegetarian cookbooks, but I’m at the stage now where I’ve tried everything in them that doesn’t seem too wacky. I’m ready to move on to something...

Review: Making Animals Happy...

I picked up “Making Animals Happy” by Temple Grandin and Catherine Johnson based on a review by Tim Flannery. It’s about the mental health of the animals we have in our lives, and what we can do to make sure they’re being treated well. You might have heard of Temple Grandin before: she’s an autistic woman who has pioneered research in animal behavior and farming. This book is written from...

Review: No Impact Man by Colin Beavan...

You’ve probably heard of No Impact Man before - he’s the guy who spent a year trying to get his environmental footprint down to zero, and blogged about it. Some people reckon it’s all just a cheap stunt, others think it’s the way of the future. Now you can read his book (or see the documentary about him) and see if you think he’s on the right track or not, because in it he explains exactly...

Review: Enough, by John Naish...

I’ve just finished reading Enough, by John Naish. It’s a great book that I think Go Greener readers will really enjoy. Naish explores how evolution and history have gotten us hooked on having more: more information, more food, more work, more stuff. He then discusses his ideas about how we can, as individuals and as a society, break free from this cycle. He talks to scientists and psychologists, and gives...

Review: The Ethics of What We Eat...

I’ve just finished reading The Ethics of What We Eat, by Peter Singer, an ethicist, and Jim Mason, a journalist and lawyer, who are both animal liberationists. It investigates the food choices of 3 American families to see where it comes from, and what the ethical implications of their choices are. The book includes facts and figures for Australian audiences when it’s different from the USA statistics. The...

Review: Green is the New Black...

Recently I got out Tamsin Blanchard’s book Green is the New Black from the library. It’s a great book about ethical fashion, with plenty of ideas and recommendations for everyone. Blanchard is a UK-based fashion journalist. Her passion for fashion is clear in every page of the book. But she’s not keen on some of the practices of the fashion industry, and she wants us all to think carefully when we make...

Review: How good are you?...

Over the last few weeks I’ve been reading How Good Are You?, by journalist Julian Lee. In it, he charts his investigations into the ethical choices we all face when we’re spending money. This includes environmental topics, as well as social issues like sweatshops, Fair Trade and truth in advertising. There are several chapters about food products, also cleaning products, clothes, investment, marketing and...