4/5 stars
Several years ago, I was a homeschool mom blogger and I took on the 40 Bags in 40 Days Challenge for Lent. Basically what you do is fill up 1 bag a day of stuff to donate (or discard) for each of the 40 days of Lent. I felt so much lighter after I got rid of that stuff. It was so much easier to keep my house clean. So I just kept going with it. It has made us be more intentional with what we bring in to our home and what we purchase.
Over the last couple of years, I have become more and more aware of how much is being wasted in our society. The rate at which we are redecorating, stores that sell fashionable items for dirt cheap, all of this is contributing to waste. What are we going to do with it all? It won’t decompose. Where on the planet will it all go? We are depleting resources by continually creating these things. The working conditions of the people making these products is often deplorable. I want to be more intentional and so when I saw this book available on Netgalley, I knew I wanted to get my hands on a copy.
Christine Liu does a great job of explaining the global issues of consumerism and materialism.
Then she goes on to explain the benefits of a decluttered space with useful and meaningful items.
Which space would you rather work in?
I used to admire the one on the left, but think that was not where someone actually worked, it was just a design space. I have found that when you get rid of what you don’t need, you can have a workspace like the one on the left.
Christine Liu gives a practical guide to how to decide what to keep and what to toss and gives suggestions on what to do with the things you decide not to keep.
She then goes into energy consumption in the home and making your home more energy efficient. She discusses using plants in the home. She goes into detail about being sustainable in the kitchen, from diets that sustain the planet to growing your own food to how to store your food to what to do with food waste. There are recipes for several plant based meals. She gives advice on clothing that is sustainable for the planet and what to look for. Christine Liu advises getting higher quality pieces that last longer. There is advice on caring for your clothing and laundering your clothing. She also discusses bedding and has a recipe for making your own room spray. From there she goes into being more sustainable in the bathroom from skin care and body care recipes and ideas to hair care and water usage. Ms Liu also discusses greening the workspace, dining out, going places and taking action. This is an extremely comprehensive guide to living a lifestyle that is better for the planet as well as our bank account.
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
This is a tiny little book. It’s the size of my hand only about 100 pages. You can read it in one sitting if you want. I chose to read a chapter, digest it and then read the next. My husband read it with me and we discussed it, which was interesting.
