The Sustainable Book club has stalled a bit recently. Our last meet up didn’t work out, so I decided to change things a bit and have a weekly ‘what are we reading’ thread on a Monday in the Facebook Group which you can join here. The idea is to share info about relevant sustainable books or articles we are reading in the thread each week. I also remain open to suggestions over the direction to take the book club in and if anyone wants to suggest a book to talk about or run a discussion about I’m happy to go with that too. 

Kate (from the group and the brilliant Plastic is Rubbish) has done just that and suggested having another book club meetup about the book: Meat: A Benign Extravagance by Simon Fairlie.  George Monbiot has swung back and forth in his thinking about veganism and has some interesting articles relevant to the book here and here.

We will be chatting about the book in the Facebook group which you can join here on Wednesday 27th April between 12.00 and 13.00 and 20.00 and 21.00!

Join us today on Twitter – look for #susbc and Facebook – here between 12.00&13.00 and 20.00&21.00. Feel free to comment with your answers on this blog post too or even email me on ecothriftyliving@gmail.com

Our next meet up is going to be on 9th December between 12.00&13.00 and 20.00&21.00 and this time we will be reading the Last Rhinos by Lawrence Anthony – I look forward to chatting with you today and then!

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Last week the Sustainable Book Club a.k.a. #susbc had it’s 4th virtual meet up! We read Naomi Klein’s, This Changes Everything and I asked everyone 10 questions about it (read more here).  Thank you so much to everyone who joined in and to those that wrote brilliant blog posts about the book – go read them here, here and here!

I asked for votes for the next book and The Moneyless Manifesto by Mark Boyle was the most popular choice. We will be chatting about it between 12.00 and 13.00 and then 20.00 and 21.00 on the 28th October on Twitter under #susbc and on Facebook here.

The #susbc after will meet on the 9th December.

I have made a dedicated page on the blog for all keeping up to date with all things book club (check it out here).

Please vote for two books you would like to read in the comments below and I will choose the next two books for the book club – thanks!

This is the list of suggested books so far – if you want to add to the list in the comments below please feel free!

• Don’t Even Think About It: How Our Brains Are Wired To Ignore Climate Change, by George Marshall.
• Plastic Free – How I kicked the Plastic Habit and How You Can Too – Beth Terry
• Zero Waste Home, by Bea Johnson
• Happier People, Healthier Planet by Theresa Belton
• To Die for: Is fashion wearing out the world, Lucy Siegle
• Stitched Up by Tansy Hoskins,’
• The Ultimate Guide to Green Parenting by Zion Lights
• Drinking Molotov Cocktails with Gandhi by Mark Boyle
• The Moneyless Manifesto by Mark Boyle
• Don’t Even Think About It: How Our Brains Are Wired To Ignore Climate Change, by George Marshall.
• Plastic Free – How I kicked the Plastic Habit and How You Can Too – Beth Terry
• Zero Waste Home, by Bea Johnson
• Happier People, Healthier Planet by Theresa Belton
• To Die for: Is fashion wearing out the world, Lucy Siegle
• Stitched Up by Tansy Hoskins,’
• The Ultimate Guide to Green Parenting by Zion Lights
• Drinking Molotov Cocktails with Gandhi by Mark Boyle
• The Moneyless Manifesto by Mark Boyle
• Wild by Jay Griffiths
• Rambunctious garden by Emma Marris
• Eearth by Bill McKibben
• Not On The Label by Felicity Lawrence
• How Green Are My Wellies by Anne Shepherd
• The Politics of Breastfeeding – Gabrielle Palmer
• Wild by Jay Griffiths
• Rambunctious garden by Emma Marris
• Eearth by Bill McKibben
• Not On The Label by Felicity Lawrence
• How Green Are My Wellies by Anne Shepherd
• The Politics of Breastfeeding – Gabrielle Palmer
• All You Need is Less by Madeleine Somerville
• Where Our Food Comes From – Gary Paul Nabhan

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This Changes Everything is a book about climate change and the failures of capitalism to stop us from poisoning our world.  The big shock (for me), which comes fairly early on in the book is that unless we do something in the next couple of years about climate change it could be too late – it may become irreversible and that is seriously scary stuff. The thing that wasn’t such a big surprise to me is that capitalism isn’t working. In fact it more than isn’t working, it is driving us towards extinction.

It seems like a mammoth task to try and help put the brakes on capitalism, to reverse global warming, to make the switch to cleaner power in a couple of years, especially when governments won’t make firm commitments to it. It would be very easy to think what is the point and give up. 

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to give up. My biggest ambition in life is to become a great grandmother and I want to know that my future great grandchild will have a great world to live in. I’m not in denial, the more I read about what we have done to the world, the more I wonder how it is possible we are still alive now, but we are and we still can do things to make it better. My attitude is – let’s at least try to do those things before it is too late. 

The book club meets today on Twitter (follow the hashtag #susbc) and on Facebook (feel free to join the group here) and I have the following questions:

1. What effect did reading the book have on you e.g. did you feel motivated to do something about climate change or did think there is no hope?

2. Do you think that we really do only have two years (or probably less now) to do something about climate change and if so, why are we not all focussed on doing something about it? Why are governments ignoring the issue? Why is this short deadline not all over the headlines all the time?

3. What, if any, practical suggestions for helping to do something about reversing global warming did you glean from the book?

4. Is it better to address the problems of climate change individually or collectively?

5. What would you be willing to do to combat climate change?

6. Is going back to basics the solution to all our problems or should we continue to look for and rely on technological solutions?

7. What political system would support a sustainable future (it can be an imagined one)?

8. Should we all move to the moon?

9. If it is too late and we can’t stop global warming, should we or should we not worry about throwing away rubbish and polluting our planet?

10. Would you recommend this book to your friends and family?

Feel free to answer these questions on Twitter, Facebook or in the comments below.  I can’t wait to hear what you all think! I will be asking 5 of them between 12.00 & 13.00 and the other 5 of them between 20.00 and 21.00 on Twitter and Facebook.

Please help me choose a book for next time by commenting on the blog with the book of your choice! The following books have been suggested / I have picked up the idea for them somewhere:

• Don’t Even Think About It: How Our Brains Are Wired To Ignore Climate Change, by George Marshall.
• Plastic Free – How I kicked the Plastic Habit and How You Can Too – Beth Terry
• Zero Waste Home, by Bea Johnson
• Happier People, Healthier Planet by Theresa Belton
• To Die for: Is fashion wearing out the world, Lucy Siegle
• Stitched Up by Tansy Hoskins,’
• The Ultimate Guide to Green Parenting by Zion Lights
• Drinking Molotov Cocktails with Gandhi by Mark Boyle
• The Moneyless Manifesto by Mark Boyle
• Wild by Jay Griffiths
• Rambunctious garden by Emma Marris
• Eearth by Bill McKibben
• Not On The Label by Felicity Lawrence
• How Green Are My Wellies by Anne Shepherd
• The Politics of Breastfeeding – Gabrielle Palmer
• All You Need is Less by Madeleine Somerville

It’s the third meeting of the Sustainable Book club today, otherwise known as #susbc and we are discussing Feral, by George Monbiot! It is all online and everyone is welcome to join in the conversation between 12.00 and 13.00 and then 20.00 and 21.00 either on Twitter, using #susbc or on Facebook at the group which can be found here. Plus of course you are welcome to chat in the comments section of the blog or send me an email with your comments to ecothriftyliving@gmail.com.

I really enjoyed reading Feral. I didn’t really have a clue what to expect before I read it and now I am seeing the outdoors in the UK in a whole new light. I think George makes his points very clearly and succinctly, which are basically that much of our land and sea has been overly interfered with and we need to leave large connected tracts of it alone (with the exception of reintroducing large predators like wolves and restricting some species that would otherwise entirely take over) to allow eco-systems to regenerate, move around and to have abundance again of wild flora and fauna. Don’t take my word for it though, read the book (if you haven’t already) and let him drum his incredibly important message in loud and clear – we need to let the wild back in in the UK!

Interesting he talks about how fearful we are of the wild here and I can totally relate to that. Growing up I always felt I was lucky not to have to worry about snakes, spiders, bears, crocodiles and lions. Basically everything feels very safe, neat and tidy here. What I didn’t realise was the price that safety and neatness comes with – the price is both a lack of a fully functioning eco-system in many parts of this country and also a feeling of disconnect with nature. I have no clue what the countryside should look like. I have no clue how many and what type of creatures and plants should be living in my garden. When I went swimming soon after reading Feral, I went in the local swimming pool, right next to the beach, because it seemed safer and easier than going swimming in the sea. Somehow we need to let go of this fear of the wild and find a way to enjoy it and embrace it and let it be!

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the book. I have the following questions for you:

1. Do you think rewilding is the right way forward and if so what impact do you think you can have on the rewilding campaign (read more here)

2. Would you consider eating Venison after reading the book and is it a sustainable option?

3. How often do you go for a walk in the woods and how close is your nearest woods?

4. What do you do or think you could easily do to bring the wild into your life?

5. How has the book changed your outlook on the British countryside?

6. How do you relate to wild spaces and creatures? Are they something you enjoy or would you rather avoid them?

7. Given the choice of a swimming pool, river or the sea where would you go swimming?

8. What wildlife changes have you noticed over the years e.g. if you’ve been fishing have you noticed it getting harder or if you have been spotting butterflies have you noticed any changes?

9. What changes (if any) would you consider making having read the book?

10. What message from the book sticks with you the most?

Thanks for joining in the book club. If you think we should be considering any other questions feel free to throw them in as well!

The next book will be This Changes Everything by Naomi Klein and we will be tweeting / Facebooking between 12.00 and 13.00 and then 20.00 and 21.00 on the 16th September. I look forward to chatting about it with you all then!

If you liked this post please click like on Facebook and follow on Twitter – thanks so much!

I promised to choose the most popular book choice for the next book club as voted for in the comments on my blog. Thanks to the two people that did – Dawn and Pip :). Both mentioned Feral by George Monbiot and I suggested that one too, so that is going to be the next book choice!

I read Stuffocation really quickly as I couldn’t put it down to be honest. It was a very readable book. The author is also very clever at leading you down one path, only to emerge onto a completely different one. I don’t want to give too much away if you haven’t read it, however the end conclusion is roughly that we have too much stuff and that going forward we should spend our money on less stuff and more on experiences.

I knew that was what the book was about before I read it and I did think, knowing that what is the point of reading the book?  Well I think the book is worth a read especially if you are going down a minimalist/ simple living/ good life type road as it challenges the practicalities of those lifestyles and brings them into the real world. It is also really interesting for any salespeople out there and a fascinating prediction of the future.  Plus if you are anything like me after reading the book you will have an irresistible urge to spend all your spare time decluttering, as the problems of too much stuff are spelled out in black and white!

If you have read the book, my questions to you are:

1. Do you feel more or less inclined to be a minimalist or live the good life or the medium chill after reading the book? Why?
2. If you looked at your current spending on stuff vs spending on experiences, what ratio are they in?  Do you plan to change that in future?
3. Do you think you need it is important/ useful to spend money on experiences (as opposed to not spending money on experiences and just enjoying free experiences)?
4. Have you suddenly had an irresistable urge to declutter after reading the book? (Or like me ramped up the urge – I was already on a decluttering mission, reading this book just added fuel to that fire!). Or has your relationship with stuff stayed the same? 
5. If you have had an urge to declutter, how easy do you think it will be to keep the clutter from building back up again? What could you do differently to stop that from happening?
6. What do you think of James prediction for the future? What are the positives of that and what are the limitations?
7. Overall how did the book affect you? What will you remember about it (if anything) in 10 years time?

If you liked this post please click like on Facebook and follow on Twitter – thanks so much!

I started the book club on the spur of the moment and chose the book because Karen Cannard of the Rubbish Diet mentioned it on Twitter. When I actually looked a bit closer at what the book was about I had in my mind that I knew it all already and didn’t need to read the book – I was wrong.  I  knew that most of the clothes we donate to charity end up overseas and had some idea of why that might not be so great, but the book went way beyond that.  It gave an incredibly fascinating history through the context of the global textile market of some of the reasons why poverty and wealth are geographically located the way they are and how capitalist companies keep seeking a ‘spacial fix’ by moving production and manufacturing to countries where they are able to find people who will work long hours for very little often in poor working conditions.  The book is well worth a read and is a big education!

Having read the book and many articles about the environmental impact of the textile industry I recognise even more the urgent need for things to change.  A while ago I wrote a series of articles about clothes swapping and how we should all stop buying new clothes now (read more here).  I felt that we should make use of what we already have (i.e. enough unwanted secondhand clothes to be able to dress the population of whole other countries!). Another blogger – Meg – felt that instead the best solution is to buy long lasting good quality clothes and wear them out entirely – read more here.

I agree with Meg’s point of view and I agree with my point of view as they reflect our different needs and wants.  I think they are both part of the solution at the individual level.  As individuals I think we need to instigate, take part in and encourage a cultural shift towards the following:

1. Use up or give away to friends / family / strangers (in this country) our unwanted clothes
2. Go forward with only:

• buying really good quality ethically sourced long lasting clothes containing only sustainable natural fibres and/or 
• buying or receiving unwanted secondhand clothes from family, friends and strangers and/or 
• making your own good quality long lasting clothes from environmentally conscious and ethically sourced fabrics

3. Hire clothes that will only be worn once or twice e.g. suits and dresses
4. Share and pass on clothes to friends/ family / strangers / charity shops (in this country) that are only worn for short periods of time e.g. maternity wear, kids clothes and clothes that no longer fit due to weight gain or weight loss.
5. Swap clothes if you want a wardrobe refresh (whilst still in good condition) with others.
6. Mend and repair clothes that are damaged.
7. Upcycle clothes that are no longer useful in their original form
8. Compost any rags that are no longer of any use.

If this shift occurred overnight it would cause major problems for the countries that are relying on our clothes buying habits and our secondhand clothes exports and could even have a devastating impact on some.  It would also impact on all the charities that are making large sums from selling secondhand clothes overseas. It isn’t going to happen overnight though and although there are a core of people swimming against the tide of fast fashion many are being swept away by it. So I think that anyone reading this (or similar articles) should take immediate steps to stop buying new cheap fast fashion clothes and hopefully follow my suggestions above.  If enough people do manage to turn the tide and we get to a point where we are no longer buying new and exporting old clothes at exponential rates, what would happen though?

Thinking out loud here – we don’t know long term what the impact would be if we in the West stopped buying ridiculous amounts of clothes and then sending our unwanted secondhand clothes overseas.  It may be that countries without clothing industries suddenly start producing and making their own clothes, or it may be that they import cheaply manufactured clothes from other countries (or possibly a combination of the two).  People who can’t afford anything other than the cheapest option, will buy the cheapest option whatever that is and it may not be ideal (even people who can afford to buy something more expensive will often go for the cheapest option). So beyond the individual level I think things do need to change on national and global scales as well.

On a slightly lighter note you can see the whole book club discussion on Twitter below and can follow it and join in with it in future under #susbc.  The next meetup will be on 17th June between 12.00 and 13.00 and 20.00 and 21.00 (although you are welcome to tweet about it at other times).  The book will be Stuffocation by James Wallman.  Looking forward to tweeting with you about it!

#susbc Tweets

I also tried to start up a conversation on Facebook under my Ecothriftyliving Facebook group which anyone is welcome to join here (not very successfully though – maybe I’ll have better luck next time