Too Green or Not Too Green

Posted on April 17, 2011 by vicbooks

Walking home from an unplanned trip to the grocery store a few months ago I ran into a friend of mine who took one look at me and shook her head in criticism “Plastic Bags???” Ever since then I have made an effort to carry a spare eco-friendly bag with me just in case.

Although I am all for conservation (I did my masters in the subject), I sometimes wonder how many of our sustainable practices are about a real desire to impact the Earth positively, and how many are just about trend and social pressure.
The eco-trend has certainly been an obvious one in book publishing over the past few years, with many authors and publishers compiling how-to guides and “My Year Living in Such-and-Such Way” memoirs that are part entertainment, part advice, part “learn from my mistakes.” But how many of these books actually help the rest of us live more sustainable lives? Is this kind of sustainability even a reasonable goal for the average person? To try to answer these questions, I have taken a closer look at a few titles in the genre, many of which have the added advantage of being New Zealand specific.
Check the reviews here.