5 Spectacular Sustainability and Nature Books You Need to Read
In 2020, I carefully tracked the 24 books I read during the year. They were great, and you can read all about them in my post, 24 Books I Appreciated This Year and What You Need to Read. Though I didn’t do that again this year, I do want to share some of my favorite sustainability and nature books that I read in 2021.
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- Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer
- Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures by Merlin Sheldrake
- Give a Sh*t: Do Good. Live Better. Save the Planet. by Ashlee Piper
- The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert
- This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate by Naomi Klein
Braiding Sweetgrass
As I was reading Braiding Sweetgrass, it quickly became apparent that this book would become one of my all-time favorites. Robin Wall Kimmerer is a brilliant, skillful writer. Even if you aren’t already interested in the book’s subject, I am confident that you will love it. It has made me look at the world around me with a new–dare I say enlightened–perspective.
Kimmerer identifies as “a mother, scientist, decorated professor, and enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation.” Each of these identities is evident in her writing as she shares western scientific knowledge and indigenous wisdom and spirituality. For example, she explains the relationship between purple asters and yellow goldenrods. The colors compliment each other aesthetically, which can be described by science, not just art. The beauty created by this color combination attracts pollinators and helps the flowers thrive together.
In her endorsement of the book, Elizabeth Gilbert (author of EAT PRAY LOVE) accurately describes Braiding Sweetgrass with this line:
“A hymn of love to the world.”
I cannot praise and recommend this book enough.
Entangled Life
I have always loved plants and animals, and, through his book, Merlin Sheldrake gave me an appreciation of fungi that I never had before.
Read my thoughts about this fascinating book in my post, 11 Things You Need to Know About Fungi. The book thoroughly explains the functions of fungi as food, a mind- and behavior-altering substance, a pesticide, medicine, erosion control, a soil builder, an alga and plant partner, the connector of nodes in the wood wide web, a material for fabrication, the savior of bees, and an essential ingredient in bread and alcohol.
I’m not going to lie; the book made me very interested in the profound spiritual, transcendent effects of “magic mushrooms.” Don’t worry, Mom; I’m not doing drugs.
Give A Sh*t
If you want to start living a more sustainable and eco-friendly life (which I assume you do, since you are reading this), Ashlee Piper’s book gives incredibly practical information to help you improve.
Home
It has a section on being more intentional in your home. This part discusses recycling, rejecting single-use plastic, minimalism, unsubscribing from junk mail, energy efficiency, turning things off when not in use (e.g., sink, lights, appliances), using reusables (e.g., cloth instead of paper towel), green cleaning, and so much more.
Kitchen
The next section hones in on the kitchen. This was the most influential section for me. I have been a vegetarian for most of my life. However, after reading this book and reflecting on the information I learned, I now only eat vegan-friendly food. She lists and explains 11 negative impacts of not being a vegan:
- Climate Change
- Pollution
- Habitat Destruction and Extinction (on land and in the sea)
- Resource Consumption (e.g., water)
- Resource Inequity
- Animal Suffering
- Worker Exploitation and Suffering
- Ethnocentricism
- Poor Health
- Cognitive Dissonance
- Speciesism
While all of these impacts are extremely important to me, the section on animal suffering was compelling. Animal wellbeing was my motivation for becoming a vegetarian in first grade. This section enlightened me to the suffering of cows and chickens raised for milk and eggs in industrial-scale agricultural settings, too. Piper also discusses ethically shopping for groceries and shares vegan recipes in this section.
Closet
After her section on the kitchen, Piper discusses closets. Her advice? Have fewer clothes. If you need to acquire clothes, she recommends buying second-hand, swapping with others, or borrowing from friends. At all costs, reject fast fashion. She explains that the garment industry is destructive to the planet, harmful for people, and bad for animals.
Mirror
Next, she discusses the “Mirror” (i.e., makeup). You do not need makeup; the American beauty ideal is unrealistic, and you are perfect–flaws and all–without it. If, however, you like wearing makeup (like I do), look for cruelty-free, organic, vegan products.
Wild
Finally, in the last section, she describes how to live better “In the Wild,” including some controversial topics, such as sex and family planning. It also includes travel, pets, celebrations, work, and more.
Give a Sh*t is pretty close to the book I would want to write if Piper had not already written it. No matter how far you are in your journey, you will learn something helpful in this book.
The Sixth Extinction
In this eye-opening book, Elizabeth Kolbert delves into the history of extinct species (e.g., mastodons and ammonites), the past five major extinction events, and the scientists who brought this knowledge to light.
She then pivots into describing the “unnatural history” humans are creating right now as our actions cause the sixth major extinction event. She describes modern-day die-offs from a journalistic perspective as she accompanies scientists on expeditions and at research stations. For example, the reader learns about species from the Amazon Rainforest to Great Barrier Reef.
The knowledge she shares is both terrifying and fascinating. How do humans fit into the history of life on Earth? What will humanity’s legacy be on our planet?
This Changes Everything
In This Changes Everything, Naomi Klein describes the terrifying reality of the climate crisis.
You can read my insights into the book in my post, Capitalism vs Climate: Why to Feel Hopeful Despite the Climate Crisis. I describe how capitalism has contributed to the climate crisis, false solutions to the climate crisis (i.e., green organizations, philanthropy, and technology), and true solutions (i.e., the people’s resistance, democracy, divestments, indigenous rights, renewable power sources, and regeneration). As I read the book, I couldn’t stop thinking, “Everybody needs to read this. If people understood, everything would change.”
A couple of other good books that I read this year are Sustainable Minimalism: Embrace Zero Waste, Build Sustainability Habits That Last, and Become a Minimalist without Sacrificing the Planet by Stephanie Marie Seferian and The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative by Florence Williams.
Sustainable Minimalism is a great, straightforward read for people just beginning to learn about sustainability. The Nature Fix takes a journalistic look at studies that provide evidence that being in nature has profound positive impacts on human wellbeing.
Enjoy reading this year and in all your years to come! What are some of your favorite nature and sustainability books?
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