This was not a favorite.  I was hoping it would be because most of you know of my long commitment to sustainability and conservation.  But in the end, this book really is written by a guilty liberal (as the author describes himself) who is only through the book waking up to the fact that action is more important than sentiment when it comes to saving the planet.

The author, Colin Beavan, spends a year attempting to live in such a way that he has no impact on the planet.  My hope was the book would offer new tips into the pragmatics of such a way of life, as well as some insights into how we change as people if we live this way.  Sadly, the book falls short on both counts.  Beavan often writes like he’s preaching, and his facts seem like they were lifted directly from a Greenpeace or PETA brochure.  There are few new insights and little in the way of pragmatic tips (I mean, c’mon, I already know that reusable bags are better than plastic or paper).  At one point in the book the author mentions his own self-righteousness and admits he has to guard against that in his year of living no-impact; but his self-righteousness comes through loud and clear throughout the book, which is both irritating and feels condescending.  His angst over having to give up things (pizza on a paper plate, for instance) is dull and unoriginal.  And grand conclusions such as, “…the point is not to draw lines between people, but to draw lines around people” smacks of self-help crap one would expect on an Oprah show.  Sorry, but this is a book to avoid.