5 Books That Will Teach You About Sustainability
Summer is around the corner, which means many of us will find ourselves reading outdoors in our yards and on the beach. Reading has been my favorite hobby for my entire life. I read mostly contemporary fiction, but since January, I’ve been addicted to listening to nonfiction audiobooks about the planet. If you’re in the market for environmental books, keep reading for five of my favorites that will teach you something new.
1. Inconspicuous Consumption by Tatiana Schlossberg taught me about the environmental impact I didn’t even know I had. She discusses the internet and technology, food, fashion, and energy. Schlossberg connects the dots between our actions and the planet in a manageable way, and you will finish reading with more confidence in how to make environmentally-friendly choices.
2. Fashionopolis by Dana Thomas is great for anyone curious about why we can buy clothes at such cheap prices. You will learn about the hidden costs of fashion and the people who are affected by the downfalls of the industry. Thomas also covers companies who are doing a great job at tracking their supply chains and humanely treating all their employees, including factory workers.
3. I loved The New Farm by Brent Preston. While listening to the audiobook, I always had our East End farms in the back of my mind. Preston explains how he and his wife created a sustainable, organic farm amidst adversity. His anecdotes made me smile, but also highlight the hard work farmers dedicate their lives to in order to feed their communities.
4. American Catch by Paul Greenberg is a must read for all East Enders. The majority of the fish and seafood Americans eat comes from abroad, but we export most of the fish caught on American shores. Greenberg also includes an interesting story on oyster restoration in New York in an attempt to clean our waters. American Catch is a great read if you want to learn about the American seafood system.
5. The Year of Less by Cait Flanders will motivate you if you feel that there is too much physical clutter in your life. Flanders realized that nothing she was buying was making her happy, so she put herself on a year-long buying ban while she purged her life of unnecessary items. Buying less means you are consuming fewer resources, so your environmental footprint is reduced! My favorite takeaway from the book was that buying less will look different for everyone, but it can lead to the same feelings of fulfillment.
Five books on sustainability
Bonus Book: I am in the middle of listening to Collapse by Jared Diamond, per the recommendation of the owner of Burton’s Bookstore in Greenport. It’s about how various societies have collapsed throughout history due to severe ecological damage, even established and successful societies, like the Mayans.
Personally, I enjoy listening to nonfiction much more than reading it. Suffolk County Libraries use the Libby app as an ebook/audiobook platform and you can easily create an account if you have a valid library card. So far, I have had access to every audiobook I was interested in through Libby. If you prefer the feeling of holding a book, call your local East End bookstore to see if they have any of these books in stock. My favorite is Burton’s Bookstore.
Have you read any eye-opening environmental books? What are your favorites? Let us know and tag Group for the East End on Facebook and Instagram!