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Ask most people how they started their sustainable, eco, conscious or zero waste journey and they’ll probably tell you that those initial first days involved a lot of learning. For some that means following the #sustainable hashtags on Instagram and learning from the zero waste influencers about how to make thrifting look good or compost their food waste.
For others, it’s the podcasts that teach them about the woes of the fast fashion industry or how to reduce plastic use. And, then there are the people who just love a good book. Sometimes it’s just nice to put technology and the endless scrolling aside and sit down with something that doesn’t have a screen in our hands.
This list of sustainable books is for book lovers seeking insights on both how and why we should all reduce, reuse and recycle. Some focus on the fashion industry, while others share ways about how to have an eco-friendly home. Some are even written by influencers, bloggers and podcast hosts who you can follow online. And, all of them offer valuable tips about how to live a sustainable lifestyle.
Live Green: 52 Steps For A More Sustainable Life by Jen Chilingsworth
Read If: You like New Year’s resolutions.
Jen Chillingsworth wrote one of those sustainable books that takes it one-week at a time… literally. With 52 steps – one for each week of the year- Jen offers her readers a way to become more environmentally friendly in a one-step-at-a-time kinda way. From choosing cleaning products to creating capsule wardrobes, this book offers small doses of a sustainable advice that you can slowly adopt into your life.
The Sustainable Kitchen: Recipes and Inspiration For Plant-based, Planet-conscious Meals by Jaynie McCloskey, Heather Wolfe
Read If: You’re seeking a holistic guide to conscious eco-friendly cooking.
This cookbook is the holy grail of sustainable cookbooks. It’s a collection of plant-based recipes that are nourishing to our bodies and have the power to reduce our environmental impact. The authors give insights about how shopping local, plant-based and organic foods can make a difference while offering delicious recipes that feel practical and easy to add to your everyday life.
Sustainable Home: Practical Projects, Tips And Advice by Christine Liu
Read If: You want to make every room in your home eco-chic.
Go on a home tour with sustainable blogger Christine Liu. Only, this time she’ll walk you through your home to share thoughtful ways about how you can adopt more reusable items, renewable energy, reduce waste and even make a few of your everyday basics that are good for the planet. This is definitely one of those sustainable books that you’ll want to have on hand for everyday advice about how to be a conscious consumer and live green.
Six Weeks to Zero Waste A simple plan for life by Kate Arnell
Read If: You’re ready to make your biggest lifestyle change yet!
Released just as the world slid into the pandemic UK TV presenter Kate Arnell highlighted another pandemic that the world is in the midst of- waste. This is one of those sustainable books that offers tips to reduce plastic and add in more reusable products. With a eye on reducing our consumption patterns and minimizing what we send off to the landfills, Kate offers easy to follow tips to refuse, reuse, recycle and rot.
Sustainable Minimalism by Stephanie Marie Seferian
Read If: You’re a minimalist and environmentalist at heart.
This book is the ultimate guide to help you learn how to live with less. With a nice introduction about the environmental impacts of over-production, this book focuses on how our everyday buying decisions impact the environment and what we can do about it. Stephanie doesn’t only help you adopt a minimalist lifestyle, she tells you way along with easy-tips to slowly move towards living with less and eventually in a zero waste home.
Naked Fashion: The New Sustainable Fashion Evolution by Safia Minney
Read If: You’re interested in learning more about the fashion supply chain.
Safia Minney is the founder of the sustainable fashion label People Tree and penned this helpful guide for eco-conscious shoppers to gain a deeper understanding of sweatshop labour and fair trade. If you’re desiring a behind-the-scenes look at how clothes are made, then this is a nice introduction highlighting the highs and lows of clothing production. By the last page, you’ll walk away wondering if $5 is worth the exploitation of humanity and this earth. (Spoiler; it’s not)
Slave To Fashion by Safia Minney
Read If: You’re a sustainable fashion activist and you liked Safia’s first book.
Safia’s second book about the fashion industry takes a deeper look behind the scenes, but this time she offer more tools for the readers to challenge the system. With this deeper comes an analysis about how governments and business leaders play a role in consumerism. Not one to only offer facts, Minney gives dolls out solutions too with suggestions about how to to stand up for ethical labor practices.
Magnifeco: Your Head-to-Toe Guide to Ethical Fashion and Non-toxic Beauty by Kate Black
Read If: You’re an ethical activist wanting to shop better.
Kate Black offers actionable tips about how to be a conscious shopper. What’s most impressive are her in-depth explanations about exactly what makes the fashion and beauty industries ‘dirty’. Just so you won’t feel hopelessly sad, Black suggests a few eco-friendly brands that land at every price point. Her call to arms also throws in a few conscious shopping tips you can follow when seeking out brands for your closet and beauty cabinet.