Most of the books I’ve been reading lately are in some way related to sustainable living or urban homesteading, as I’m (slowly, slowly) doing a literature review for a project I’m working on. Here are some snippets:
“…for each daily need that we re-learn to provide within our homes and communities, we strengthen our independence from an extractive and parasitic economy. As we realize the impact of each choice we make, we discover ways to simplify our demands and rebuild our domestic culture.” (p. 83) Radical Homemakers, Reclaiming Domesticity from a Consumer Culture by Shannon Hayes.
“Consider: if the Chinese come to own cars at the same rate that Americans do, the current 800 millions autos on planet earth will be joined by 1.1 billion in China alone. And then there’s India, where Tata just started selling a $2,500 coupe. It can’t be done-not enough steel, not enough rubber, not enough gas, and definitely not enough atmosphere to store the effluents.” Ecopreneuring: Putting Purpose and the Planet Before Profits by John Ivanko & Lisa Kivirist
“Because we’ve been trained to believe that mistakes must be avoided, many of us don’t want to attempt to make or fix things, or we quit soon after we start, because our initial attempts end in failure.” Made by Hand: Searching for Meaning in a Throw-away world By Mark Frauenfelder (the subtitle of the new edition – which I’ve linked to – is actually ‘My Adventures in the World of Do-It-Yourself’, but I read the older edition, no longer available, and I like that subtitle better).
“Recognizing myself as a creative is not about giving myself permission to ‘make crafts’ but is about a transformation in how I understand myself and view the world.” Nurturing Creativity: A Guide for Busy Moms, by Renee Tougas.
” I enjoy clean, tidy, uncluttered rooms… but don’t like to clean – minimalism scratches that itch.” “Minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of anything that distracts us from it.” Simplify by Joshua Becker
‘The compulsion to identify with consumer products reaches deep into our lives – from our choice of homes to what we put in them.’ (The Joy of Less, Francine Jay)
There are lots more books I’m looking at or have read, but I’m mostly borrowing from the library (or reading electronically), and I’m reading slowly with my very little bit of free time. I will probably keep updating this post every so often, adding new books to the top, and bring it to the top of the blog again each time I do. Right now, I should really go back to reading Shannon Hayes’ awesome book, Radical Homemakers, Reclaiming Domesticity from a Consumer Culture.
(I’m making an exception in this one case and linking to some of these books on Amazon, because they’re only available electronically.)