The Sustainable & Green Living category has 213 audiobooks on Listento.it, with an average listener rating of 4.4★ across 487 ratings. The most-rated is Zero Waste Home.
Zero Waste Home
Summary
In Zero Waste Home, Bea Johnson shares the story of how she simplified her life by reducing her waste. Today, Bea, her husband, Scott, and their two young sons produce just one quart of garbage a year, and their overall quality of life has changed for the better. They now have more time together, they've cut their annual spending by a remarkable 40 percent, and they are healthier than they've ever been. This book shares essential how-to advice, secrets, and insights based on Bea's experience. She demystifies the process of going Zero Waste with hundreds of easy tips for sustainable living that even the busiest people can integrate: from making your own mustard, to packing kids' lunches without plastic, to canceling your junk mail, to enjoying the holidays without the guilt associated with overconsumption. Zero Waste Home is a stylish and relatable step-by-step guide that will give you the practical tools to help you improve your health, save money and time, and achieve a brighter future for your family - and the planet.
©2013 Bea Johnson (P)2017 Tantor
Folks, This Ain't Normal
Summary
From farmer Joel Salatin's point of view, life in the 21st century just ain't normal. Here, he discusses how far removed we are from the simple, sustainable joy that comes from living close to the land and the people we love. Salatin has many thoughts on what normal is and shares practical and philosophical ideas for changing our lives in small ways that have big impacts. >Salatin, hailed by the New York Times as "Virginia's most multifaceted agrarian since Thomas Jefferson [and] the high priest of the pasture", and profiled in the Academy Award-nominated documentary Food, Inc. and the best-selling book The Omnivore's Dilemma, understands what food should be: wholesome, seasonal, raised naturally, procured locally, prepared lovingly, and eaten with a profound reverence for the circle of life. And his message doesn't stop there. From child-rearing to creating quality family time, to respecting the environment, Salatin writes with a wicked sense of humor and true storyteller's knack for the revealing anecdote. Salatin's crucial message and distinctive voice - practical, provocative, scientific, and down-home philosophical in equal measure - makes Folks, This Ain't Normal a must-listen book.
©2011 Joel Salatin (P)2011 Hachette
We Are the Weather
Summary
The New York Times best-selling author Jonathan Safran Foer re-evaluated his meat-based diet - and his conscience - in his powerful memoir and investigative report, Eating Animals. Now, he offers a mind-bending and potentially world-changing call to action on climate change.
Most books about the environmental crisis are densely academic, depressingly doom-laden, and crammed with impersonal statistics. We Are the Weather is different - accessible, immediate, and with a single clear solution that individual listeners can put into practice straight away.
A significant proportion of global carbon emissions come from farming meat. Giving up meat is incredibly hard and nobody is perfect - but just cutting back is much easier and still has a huge positive effect on the environment. Just changing our dinners - cutting out meat for one meal per day - is enough to change the world.
With his distinctive wit, insight, and humanity, Foer frames this essential debate as no one else could, bringing it to vivid and urgent life.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2019 Jonathan Safran Foer (P)2019 Hamish Hamilton
The One-Straw Revolution
Summary
Call it "Zen and the Art of Farming" or a "Little Green Book", Masanobu Fukuoka's manifesto about farming, eating, and the limits of human knowledge presents a radical challenge to the global systems we rely on for our food. At the same time, it is a spiritual memoir of a man whose innovative system of cultivating the earth reflects a deep faith in the wholeness and balance of the natural world. As Wendell Berry writes in his preface, the book "is valuable to us because it is at once practical and philosophical. It is an inspiring, necessary book about agriculture because it is not just about agriculture." Trained as a scientist, Fukuoka rejected both modern agribusiness and centuries of agricultural practice, deciding instead that the best forms of cultivation mirror nature's own laws. Over the next three decades, he perfected his so-called "do-nothing" technique: commonsense, sustainable practices that all but eliminate the use of pesticides, fertilizer, tillage, and, perhaps, most significantly, wasteful effort. Whether you're a guerrilla gardener or a kitchen gardener, dedicated to slow food or simply looking to live a healthier life, you will find something here - you may even be moved to start a revolution of your own.
©1978 Masanobu Fukuoka; "To My Readers" copyright 1986 by Masanobu Fukuoka (P)2017 Tantor
Nature's Best Hope
Summary
Douglas W. Tallamy's first book, Bringing Nature Home, awakened thousands of individuals to an urgent situation: wildlife populations are in decline because the native plants they depend on are fast disappearing. His solution? Plant more natives. In this new book, Tallamy takes the next step and outlines his vision for a grassroots approach to conservation. Nature's Best Hope shows how homeowners everywhere can turn their yards into conservation corridors that provide wildlife habitats. Because this approach relies on the initiatives of private individuals, it is immune from the whims of government policy. Even more important, it's practical, effective, and easy - you will walk away with specific suggestions you can incorporate into your own yard. If you're concerned about doing something good for the environment, Nature's Best Hope is the blueprint you need. By acting now, you can help preserve our precious wildlife - and the planet - for future generations.
©2020 Douglas W. Tallamy (P)2020 Dreamscape Media, LLC
The Conundrum
Summary
Hybrid cars, fast trains, compact florescent lightbulbs, solar panels, carbon offsets: Everything you've been told about being green is wrong. The quest for a breakthrough battery or a 100-mpg car is a dangerous fantasy. We are consumers, and we like to consume greenly and efficiently. But David Owen argues that our best intentions are still at cross-purposes to our true goal: living sustainably while caring for our environment and the future of the planet. Efficiency, once considered the holy grail of our environmental problems, turns out to be part of the problem - we have little trouble turning increases in efficiency into increases in consumption. David Owen's elegant narrative, filled with fascinating information and anecdotes, takes you through the history of energy and the quest for efficiency. Owen introduces the listener to some of the smartest people working on solving our energy problems. He details the arguments of efficiency's proponents and its antagonists - and in the process overturns most traditional wisdom about being green. This is a book that will change how you look at the world. Scientific geniuses will not invent our way out of the energy and economic crisis we're in. We already have the technology and knowledge we need to live sustainably. But will we do it? That is the conundrum.
©2011 David Owen (P)2012 Tantor
The Market Gardener
Summary
Growing on just one and a half acres, owners Jean-Martin and Maude-Helène feed more than 200 families through their thriving CSA and seasonal market stands and supply their signature mesclun salad mix to dozens of local establishments. The secret of their success is the low-tech, high-yield production methods they've developed by focusing on growing better rather than growing bigger, making their operation more lucrative and viable in the process. The Market Gardener is a compendium of proven horticultural techniques and innovative growing methods. This complete guide is packed with practical information on: Setting-up a micro-farm by designing biologically intensive cropping systems, all with negligible capital outlay Farming without a tractor and minimizing fossil fuel inputs through the use of the best hand tools, appropriate machinery, and minimum tillage practices Growing mixed vegetables systematically with attention to weed and pest management, crop yields, harvest periods, and pricing approaches Inspired by the French intensive tradition of maraichage and by iconic American vegetable grower Eliot Coleman, author and farmer Jean-Martin shows by example how to start a market garden and make it both very productive and profitable. Making a living wage farming without big capital outlay or acreages may be closer than you think. Jean-Martin Fortier is a passionate advocate of strong local food systems and founder of Les Jardins de la Grelinette, an internationally recognized model for successful bio-intensive micro-farming.
©2014 Jean-Martin Fortier (P)2016 West Coast Permaculture
Vivre simplement
Summary
Dans Vivre simplement, Élisabeth Simard nous guide avec bienveillance sur le chemin du minimalisme pratique, une démarche accessible et moderne qui concorde parfaitement avec l'idée grandissante qu'une vie épurée contribue non seulement à protéger l'environnement, mais aussi à inventer son propre bonheur et à veiller au bien-être de ses enfants. Fruit d'un cheminement réfléchi, l'approche de l'auteure a non seulement fait ses preuves, mais elle s'adapte aussi à une foule de réalités et exclut toute forme de pression ou de comparaison. Élisabeth accueille l'auditeur sans jugement, là où il se trouve et lui confie pensées inspirantes, trucs ingénieux, idées créatives et recettes écolos pour désencombrer la maison, adoucir la vie de famille et lui donner le goût de prendre vraiment soin de lui-même. Lui emboîter le pas, c'est tourner le dos au chaos et faire grande la place aux bonheurs simples.
©2018 Guy Saint-Jean Éditeur (P)2018 Éditions Alexandre Stanké
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
Summary
When Barbara Kingsolver and her family move from suburban Arizona to rural Appalachia, they take on a new challenge: to spend a year on a locally-produced diet, paying close attention to the provenance of all they consume. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle follows the family through the first year of their experiment. They find themselves eager to move away from the typical food scenario of American families: a refrigerator packed with processed, factory-farmed foods transported long distances using nonrenewable fuels. In their search for another way to eat and live, they begin to recover what Kingsolver considers our nation's lost appreciation for farms and the natural processes of food production. Americans spend less of their income on food than has any culture in the history of the world, but they pay dearly in other ways: losing the flavors, diversity, and creative food cultures of earlier times. The environmental costs are also high, and the nutritional sacrifice is undeniable: on our modern industrial food supply, Americans are now raising the first generation of children to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents. Part memoir and part journalistic investigation, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle makes a passionate case for putting the kitchen back at the center of family life and diversified farms at the center of the American diet.
©2007 Barbara Kingsolver (P)2007 HarperCollins Publishers
Kiss the Ground
Summary
Discover the hidden power soil has to reverse climate change and how a regenerative farming diet not only delivers us better health and wellness but also rebuilds our most precious resource - the very ground that feeds us. Josh Tickell, one of America's most celebrated documentary filmmakers and director of Fuel, has dedicated most of his life to saving the environment. Now, in Kiss the Ground, he explains an incredible truth: By changing our diets to a soil-nourishing, regenerative agriculture diet, we can reverse global warming, harvest healthy, abundant food, and eliminate the poisonous substances that are harming our children, our pets, our bodies, and ultimately our planet. Through fascinating and accessible interviews with celebrity chefs, ranchers, farmers, and top scientists, this remarkable book, soon to be a full-length documentary film narrated by Woody Harrelson, will teach you how to become an agent in humanity's single most important and time sensitive mission. Reverse climate change and effectively save the world - all through the choices you make in how and what to eat.
©2017 Joshua Dupre Tickell. All rights reserved. (P)2017 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.
Teaming with Microbes
Summary
When we use chemical fertilizers, we injure the microbial life that sustains plants and then become increasingly dependent on an arsenal of toxic substances. Teaming with Microbes offers an alternative to this vicious circle and details how to garden in a way that strengthens, rather than destroys, the soil food web. You’ll discover that healthy soil is teeming with life - not just earthworms and insects, but a staggering multitude of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms. This must-have guide is for everyone, from those devoted to organic gardening techniques to weekend gardeners who simply want to grow healthy plants without resorting to chemicals.
©2010 Jeff Lowenfels and Wayne Lewis (P)2020 Dreamscape Media, LLC
The Vegetarian Myth
Summary
We’ve been told that a vegetarian diet can feed the hungry, honor the animals, and save the planet. Lierre Keith believed in that plant-based diet and spent twenty years as a vegan. But in The Vegetarian Myth, she argues that we’ve been led astray - not by our longings for a just and sustainable world, but by our ignorance. The truth is that agriculture is a relentless assault against the planet, and more of the same won’t save us. In service to annual grains, humans have devastated prairies and forests, driven countless species extinct, altered the climate, and destroyed the topsoil - the basis of life itself. Keith argues that if we are to save this planet, our food must be an act of profound and abiding repair: it must come from inside living communities, not be imposed across them. Part memoir, part nutritional primer, and part political manifesto, The Vegetarian Myth will challenge everything you thought you knew about food politics.
©2009 Lierre Keith (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.
Lagom: Not Too Little, Not Too Much
Summary
Derived from the Swedish phrase Lagom är bäst, meaning "the right amount is best; in moderation, in balance", langom is a deeply held philosophy closely tied to the Swedish cultural and social ideology of fairness and equality. Lagom is believed to have begun with Viking culture: at gatherings, when a bowl of mead was passed around in a circle, it was important that everyone sipped "just enough" or their "fair share" so there was enough to be enjoyed by all. Deeply ingrained in the Swedish psyche, lagom is about enjoying balance in every aspect of life - from work and leisure to family and food and everything in between. Experienced bakers know by touch when dough they're kneading is lagom - not too moist and not too dry. At the office, professionals who work hard - but not to the detriment of other aspects of their lives - are following the ideal of lagom. In this inviting, inspirational guide, Niki Brantmark explains lagom and explains how to incorporate it into your own lifestyle, including: Home: declutter, keep items you love; buy consciously Work: take regular coffee breaks away from your desk, Swedish style; learn to "switch off" at home Money: more isn't happiness - live within your means and be thrifty without sacrificing quality Body and mind: exercise that fits your life and healthy habits that make you feel better (starting with more sleep) Food: enjoy that slice of cake, but remember, portions in moderation Vacation: make the most of holidays and time off Leisure: get out in nature - take a hike in the woods or a dip in the sea Family: keep it simple and organized Friendship: form bonds that will last a lifetime And much more In an interconnected world filled with goal-oriented perfectionists, Lagom reminds us to slow down, to decompress and destress, to be mindful of sustainability yet not deny ourselves pleasure. But lagom is not a rigid set of rules - sometimes you need more, sometimes you need less, and that's fine, too! With this idea-filled guide, you can learn to find greater balance, well-being, and harmony - and, most importantly, make time for the things that matter most in life.
©2017 Niki Brantmark (P)2017 HarperCollins Publishers Limited
Give a Sh*t
Summary
Stop thinking you give a shit and start living like you give a shit - about your health, your footprint, and your planet. Give a Sh*t is the first eco-friendly handbook of its kind for these dire times when the Earth needs us most. Distilling the most crucial knowledge and advice from your favorite sustainable lifestyle brand, vegan cookbook, and eco-friendly beauty guide, Give a Sh*t guides you through small-but-impactful shifts you can make: At home - Room-by-room tools and tips for a chic, affordable, healthy, eco-friendly living space In your closet - How to build a polished, ethical wardrobe in a world of fast fashion In the mirror - Products (from perfume to foundation to ladytime provisions) that are safe, cruelty-free, and effective In the kitchen - 20 super simple (less than 15 ingredients and finished in no more than 40 minutes), delicious recipes for pantry staples such as Basic Bitch Almond Milk, everyday meals like Tofu Carnitas Bowls, and fancier fare such as Quinoa-Stuffed Acorn Squash In the wild - How to maintain your values and moxie at work, in your social life, and when abroad No longer shall your intentions be ill-aligned with your actions. With eco-lifestyle expert Ashlee Piper's succinct, no-nonsense advice, it's never been easier to live more thoughtfully and true to your values, get healthier, and give a shit about the planet. PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
©2018 Ashlee Piper (P)2018 Hachette Audio
Miraculous Abundance
Summary
When Charles and Perrine Hervé-Gruyer set out to create their farm in an historic Normandy village, they had no idea just how much their lives would change. Neither one had ever farmed before. Charles had been circumnavigating the globe by sail, operating a floating school that taught students about ecology and indigenous cultures. Perrine had been an international lawyer in Japan. Each had returned to France to start a new life. Eventually, Perrine joined Charles in Normandy, and Le Ferme du Bec Hellouin was born. Bec Hellouin has since become a celebrated model of innovative, ecological agriculture in Europe, connected to national and international organizations addressing food security, heralded by celebrity chefs as well as the Slow Food movement, and featured in the inspiring and COLCOA award-winning documentary film, Demain. Miraculous Abundance is the eloquent tale of the couple's evolution from creating a farm to sustain their family to delving into an experiment in how to grow the most food possible, in the most ecological way possible, and create a farm model that can carry us into a post-carbon future when oil is no longer moving goods and services, energy is scarcer, and localization is a must. Today, the farm produces a variety of vegetables using a mix of permaculture, bio-intensive, four-season, and natural farming techniques - as well as techniques gleaned from native cultures around the world. It has some animals for eggs and milk, horses for farming, a welcome center, a farm store, a permaculture school, a bread oven for artisan breads, greenhouses, a cidery, and a forge. It has also become the site of research focusing on how small organic farms like theirs might confront Europe's (and the world's) projected food crisis.
©2016 English translation copyright by Chelsea Green Publishing (P)2017 Chelsea Green Publishing
Lightly
Summary
Do you ever feel like life is weighing you down? Like the stuff in your home, the to-dos in your schedule, the worries in your heart are too much? Make "lightly" your mantra, one lovely little word to live by, and transform your life. There's no shortage of decluttering books on the market, but Lightly is different. It goes beyond decluttering - far beyond - to uplift your thoughts, your actions, every moment and aspect of your life. Learn how to lighten: Your stuff: create a serene space with your favorite things Your step: consume less and live in harmony with the Earth Your stress: be less busy and breeze through your days Your spirit: clear emotional baggage from your mind and heart Lightly is like a recipe book for minimalism, designed so you can dip into it anytime for advice and inspiration. Whether you want to clear out a closet, free up some time, or get rid of a nagging guilt, you can listen to the relevant section for the help you need. What's more, Lightly is a complete philosophy of life. When you're tempted by an impulse purchase, trying to resist a chocolate donut, or struggling to say no to another obligation, all you have to remember is one word - "lightly" - to boost your resolve and make beautiful choices. It doesn't get any easier than that. With this book, Francine Jay makes minimalism more doable and delightful than ever. In just minutes a day you can cast off the weight, and glide through life more lightly and gracefully.
©2019 Francine Jay (P)2019 Audible, Inc.
Never Home Alone
Summary
A natural history of the wilderness in our homes, from the microbes in our showers to the crickets in our basements Even when the floors are sparkling clean and the house seems silent, our domestic domain is wild beyond imagination. In Never Home Alone, biologist Rob Dunn introduces us to the nearly 200,000 species living with us in our own homes, from the Egyptian meal moths in our cupboards and camel crickets in our basements to the lactobacillus lounging on our kitchen counters. You are not alone. Yet, as we obsess over sterilizing our homes and separating our spaces from nature, we are unwittingly cultivating an entirely new playground for evolution. These changes are reshaping the organisms that live with us - prompting some to become more dangerous, while undermining those species that benefit our bodies or help us keep more threatening organisms at bay. No one who reads this engrossing, revelatory book will look at their homes in the same way again. PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2018 Rob Dunn (P)2018 Hachette Audio
The Story of Stuff
Summary
How Our Obsession with Stuff is Trashing the Planet, Our Communities, and Our Health - and a Vision for Change
We have a problem with Stuff. With just 5 percent of the world's population, were consuming 30 percent of the world's resources and creating 30 percent of the worlds waste. If everyone consumed at U.S. rates, we would need three to five planets!
This alarming fact drove Annie Leonard to create the Internet film sensation The Story of Stuff, which has been viewed over 10 million times by people around the world. In her sweeping, groundbreaking book of the same name, Leonard tracks the life of the Stuff we use every day where our cotton T-shirts, laptop computers, and aluminum cans come from, how they are produced, distributed, and consumed, and where they go when we throw them out. Like Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, The Story of Stuffis a landmark book that will change the way people think and the way they live.
Leonard's message is startlingly clear: we have too much Stuff, and too much of it is toxic. Outlining the five stages of our consumption-driven economy from extraction through production, distribution, consumption, and disposal, she vividly illuminates its frightening repercussions. Visiting garbage dumps and factories around the world, Leonard reveals the true story behind our possessions why it's cheaper to replace a broken TV than to fix it; how the promotion of "perceived obsolescence" encourages us to toss out everything from shoes to cell phones while they're still in perfect shape; and how factory workers in Haiti, mine workers in Congo, and everyone who lives and works within this system pay for our cheap goods with their health, safety, and quality of life. Meanwhile we, as consumers, are compromising our health and well-being, whether it's through neurotoxins in our pillows or lead leaching into our kids food from their lunch boxes and all this Stuff isn't even making us happier!
©2010 Annie Leonard (P)2010 Simon & Schuster
Mini Farming
Summary
Mini Farming describes a holistic approach to small-area farming that will show you how to produce 85 percent of an average family's food on just a quarter acre - and earn $10,000 in cash annually while spending less than half the time that an ordinary job would require. Even if you have never been a farmer or a gardener, this book covers everything you need to know to get started: buying and saving seeds, starting seedlings, establishing raised beds, soil fertility practices, composting, dealing with pest and disease problems, crop rotation, farm planning, and much more. Because self-sufficiency is the objective, subjects such as raising backyard chickens and home canning are also covered along with numerous methods for keeping costs down and production high. PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
©2010 Brett L. Markham (P)2017 Tantor
The Conscious Closet
Summary
From journalist, fashionista, and clothing resale expert Elizabeth L. Cline, “the Michael Pollan of fashion”*, comes the definitive guide to building an ethical, sustainable wardrobe you'll love. Clothing is one of the most personal expressions of who we are. In her landmark investigation Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion, Elizabeth L. Cline first revealed fast fashion’s hidden toll on the environment, garment workers, and even our own satisfaction with our clothes. The Conscious Closet shows exactly what we can do about it. Whether your goal is to build an effortless capsule wardrobe, keep up with trends without harming the environment, buy better quality, seek out ethical brands, or all of the above, The Conscious Closet is packed with the vital tools you need. Elizabeth delves into fresh research on fashion’s impacts and shows how we can leverage our everyday fashion choices to change the world through style. Inspired by her own revelatory journey getting off the fast-fashion treadmill, Elizabeth shares exactly how to build a more ethical wardrobe, starting with a mindful closet clean-out and donating, swapping, or selling the clothes you don't love to make way for the closet of your dreams. The Conscious Closet is not just a style guide. It is a call to action to transform one of the most polluting industries on earth - fashion - into a force for good. Listeners will learn where our clothes are made and how they’re made, before connecting to a global and impassioned community of stylish fashion revolutionaries. In The Conscious Closet, Elizabeth shows us how we can start to truly love and understand our clothes again - without sacrificing the environment, our morals, or our style in the process. *Michelle Goldberg, Newsweek/The Daily Beast PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2019 Elizabeth L. Cline (P)2019 Penguin Audio