The 100 Thing Challenge

Posted on February 16, 2012 by

The 100 Thing Challenge: How I Got Rid of Almost Everything, Remade My Life, and Regained My Soul, by Dave Bruno.  Harper, 2010.

Dave Bruno, a fairly average guy, decides to set himself the challenge of living for a year with only 100 things for his personal use. He spends a year reducing his possessions down to that number, and setting the rules of how he will proceed. I really liked that the guy was thinking and blogging about this, honestly trying to stop buying stuff that leads to clutter and no additional happiness, followed his plan for a year and wrote a book about it. He stopped going to malls and doesn’t own a TV. His wife and three daughters are OK with him doing the challenge although they don’t set themselves the same challenge. By the end of the challenge year, he seems to have changed in ways that will last. Continue reading →

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EcoMind

Posted on January 4, 2012 by

EcoMind: Changing the Way We Think, to Create the World We Want, by Frances Moore Lappe. Nation Books, 2011.

Scientists are telling us a lot of depressing news these days about climate change, species extinction, overpopulation, and dwindling resources. In addition, we have unrestrained corporate power, vast wealth disparity, and workers in crisis. It can seem hard to stay hopeful and engaged–until, that is, you encounter Lappe’, who has taken on the role of cheerleader to show us positive efforts currently underway. Continue reading →

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Beyond Religion

Posted on December 23, 2011 by

Beyond Religion: Ethics for a Whole World, by His Holiness the Dalai Lama XIV. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011.

I agree with the Dalai Lama that only if the world’s people succeed in finding common ground Beyond Religion is there a chance of working together for any kind of a sane future. I wondered what he was going to suggest, and found myself reading with interest. He describes compassion–the foundation of secular ethics–in detail, what it is and isn’t (e.g. it isn’t meekness). He shows why the practice of compassion and restraint is necessary for a sustainable environment, stable governments, as well as personal well-being, and why such efforts must be undertaken outside of religion to succeed globally. Continue reading →

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Plenitude

Posted on November 20, 2011 by

Plenitude: The New Economics of True Wealth, by Juliet Schor. Penguin Press, 2010.

Schor begins by documenting why our current lifestyles are unsustainable, then presents information on various innovations and solutions to move us in a more planet-friendly direction. A few ideas were new to me, such as fab labs and wall gardens, but I’d mostly heard it before. Schor sees the society of the future as being more satisfying than today’s business-as-usual. She’s upbeat, downplaying what I anticipate will be a tremendous social upheaval in moving from present consumption levels to part-time incomes, self-provisioning and sharing. People love their electronic toys and cheap airfares, and will resist change. It’s a positive direction, though, and will be mandatory, so we need to start thinking about it.

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Whitewash

Posted on September 5, 2011 by

Whitewash: The Disturbing Truth About Cow’s Milk and Your Health, by Joseph Keon. New Society, 2010

Keon gives us a comprehensive look at what the dairy industry is NOT telling us. By analyzing numerous studies, he chips away at, and ultimately demolishes, all the reasons we’ve been given to drink milk, and instead shows how hazardous it is. For adult humans to “nurse” from another species is pretty bizarre at the outset, when you view it objectively. The author’s stated purpose in writing the book is to show that instead of supporting bone health, dairy products actually undermine it. Countries with the highest rates of osteoporosis are those with the highest consumption of dairy. Continue reading →

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Just Food

Posted on August 4, 2011 by

Just Food: How Locavores Are Endangering the Future of Food and How We Can Truly Eat Responsibly, by James E. McWilliams. Little, Brown, 2009.

Want to get a lively discussion going among people who care about food sustainability? This book will do it!

The author hits the ground running with a spot-on sendup of the locavore mania, and not a moment too soon. Then we get chapters on organics and GM food, which I’m still digesting (pardon the pun). I’d thought it was clear that organics should be embraced and GM foods opposed, but here are considerations that were new to me. The uncompromising chapter on livestock had me cheering “You tell ‘em!” and wondering if the author is also a vegan. Not yet, we find out: he tells us he’s given up eating land animals, but still looks favorably on aquaculture, as detailed in the following chapter. (Later note: McWilliams is now a vegan advocate. Follow his blog Eating Plants.) Continue reading →

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Vegan’s Daily Companion

Posted on June 24, 2011 by

Vegan’s Daily Companion, by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau.  Quarry Books, 2011.

Colleen has expertly compiled page after page of helpful and uplifting information for those on the vegan path. She includes stories and photos of rescued animals, how to handle awkward moments when omnivorous friends question the vegan lifestyle, recipes and food lore, and much more. This lovely guide would be the perfect gift for someone new to veganism, although Colleen’s encouraging words would surely be welcomed by everyone trying to live a more compassionate life.

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The Party’s Over

Posted on May 16, 2011 by

The Party’s Over: Oil, War and the Fate of Industrial Societies, by Richard Heinberg. New Society, rev.ed 2005.

Heinberg has helped thousands of readers understand what our energy future may look like. He considers what we know at this time, the science of what various alternative energy sources can provide, and the opinions of experts in a variety of relevant fields to form his predictions. He speaks calmly and in as positive a tone as he can wring from the facts. He avoids deadening the discourse with excessive detail, and includes practical suggestions to prepare for the future. This is a good introduction for nonscientists to the coming energy descent.

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The World Peace Diet

Posted on March 11, 2011 by

The World Peace Diet: Eating for Spiritual Health and Social Harmony, by Will Tuttle.Lantern Books, 2005. Well-Read Veg Book Club selection

Will Tuttle proposes that all the violence, exploitation, and dysfunction we experience in our society has its origin in what he calls the “herding culture”, our millennia-long practice of using animals for food. It’s a compelling idea, and I read the entire book to see where he was going with this. As a long-time vegan, I’m well aware of the horrendous cruelty we inflict in raising, confining, and torturing animals in factory farms; Tuttle’s chapters describing this are vivid and convincing. That our collective health suffers greatly from eating animal products is also well-established. He points out the depth of invisibility and unquestioned support that characterizes meat-eating and animal exploitation. I liked his chapters on the role of religion and science in this, and his description of his own personal journey. By emphasizing the spiritual aspect, he inspires as well as informs. Continue reading →

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The Ten Trusts

Posted on January 16, 2011 by

The Ten Trusts: What We Must Do to Care for the Animals We Love, by Jane Goodall and Marc Bekoff.  Harper San Francisco, 2003.

Goodall, along with co‑author Bekoff, begins by relating true stories of clever and caring animal behavior, such as extrasensory (to us) perception, astounding migration over great distances, and saving the lives of humans or individuals of other species.  She follows this up with a review of issues relating to animal cruelty: medical research and student dissection, circuses and zoos, fur, meat‑eating, poaching and deliberate habitat destruction, and much more.  The authors’ tone is friendly, not designed to overwhelm with too much detail of abuse, and filled with encouragement that whatever kindness‑‑no matter how small‑‑an individual can do for an animal matters.  Even giving up meat for one day a week makes a difference. Continue reading →

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