Top Ten Green Books for Eco-Warriors

Let's change our planet for the better. Let's save it. Let's make a difference. These are the best green books, for inspiring, educating and influencing the environmentalists in your life. Why not tell us about your favourites?

Review of The Self-sufficientish Bible by Andy Hamilton and Dave Hamilton Lifestyle This book draws together information on all aspects of a modern eco-life, such as travel, the eco-friendly home, renewable energy, clothing, growing fruit and vegetables, ethical shopping and recycling. It is a well-written interesting, entertaining and encouraging read, as well as being a source of guidance and information. Full Review

Review of I Count by icount.org.uk Home and Family A breezy, upbeat book that will get your feet on the path towards a carbon-reduced lifestyle. It's easy to follow, has great advice and is full of humour. I Count would make a wonderfully virtuous gift but is perhaps a little too graphics intensive for some. Full Review

Review of Shopped by Joanna Blythman Politics and Society This is scary stuff. Shopped is a shocking indictment of just how little choice supermarket consumers really have and a very frightening analysis of the cost of that lack of choice. This should be required reading for all British consumers. Read it and weep. Still better, read it and do something about it. Full Review

Review of Silent Spring by Rachel Carson Popular Science More than just an anti-pesticide, pro-environment polemic, Silent Spring has lyricism and beauty too. The seeds of Jim Lovelock's Gaia theory began with Carson's "web of life". For anyone interested in green issues, this book is a must-read. Full Review

Review of On Guerrilla Gardening: A Handbook for Gardening Without Boundaries by Richard Reynolds Home and Family Guerrilla gardening is a form of direct action, reclaiming abandoned land and giving it a new purpose. It is also a political stance, challenging issues of land ownership, the misuse of urban land and the deterioration of the urban environment. This informative, entertaining and inspiring book outlines the history of the movement and gives many examples of individuals who have strived to make a difference. Highly recommended. Full Review

Review of Heat: How to Stop the Planet Burning by George Monbiot Politics and Society Heat is a powerful and practical exhortation to save the planet, and ourselves. There is a lot of science, a lot of maths, and a lot of technology, but it's written with a journalist's ease and some wit mixed with the rancour. Buy it today. Full Review

Review of The Everyday Activist by Michael Norton Home and Family A bible for people who want to make a difference however big or small. There's all the information you'll need to enthuse yourself and to organise the sort of changes that can make the world a better place. Full Review

Review of After the Flood by L S Matthews Confident Readers A beautiful fable set in a post-fossil fuel Britain. It combines a slightly dystopian future existence with a story of a precious relationship. Beautifully told with an elegant but piercing simplicity. Full Review

Review of The Food We Eat by Joanna Blythman Popular Science If you can get hold of a copy of this book it really could change your life. You'll realise just how poor some of the food you've been eating really is and you'll have the knowledge to make informed and better choices. It's ten years old but still worth reading. Full Review

Review of Eating by Peter Singer and Jim Mason Politics and Society Eating is an honest, searing deconstruction of modern food production. Its strength lies in its deconstruction of very complex issues. However, it is too US-centred to be the best primer for a British shopper interested in taking the first steps along an ethical path. Full Review

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