Eco-Themed Books You HAVE To Read! Zero Waste Book Recs
I got back into reading in 2023 and you can’t stop me now. I love reading again! While I do read a lot of fiction, I love to sprinkle in some environmental and educational books as well so broaden my knowledge on the topics I talk about online. I think these are great recommendations whether you’re starting zero waste today or you’re a long-timer like me. These books talk about all sorts of different subjects from overconsumption to water conservation and the impact of our tech.
Let’s get into it!
You can follow my reviews on Instagram, Goodreads, or StoryGraph.
Want to read these books? I highly recommend first checking them out at your local library physically or digitally through Hoopla or Libby. Want to own the books for yourself? Check out Thriftbooks to get your copy secondhand or buy from the author directly to support them. As a last resort, check out big book retailers which I have linked.
I’ve finally launched my Eco Book Club! I’ve been dreaming of this for years and finally pulled the trigger on it. Join us for as little as $1 a month on Patreon or YouTube Memberships. We have discussions and calls via discord every month to chat about our books. See you over there!
Consumed: The Need for Collective Change: Colonialism, Climate Change, and Consumerism by Aja Barber
This book is an excellent starting point if you have no idea about overconsumption and fast fashion. If you think you’re well-versed in these subjects, you’ll probably still learn something, but you’re not the target audience for this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it and Aja’s writing.
Here is the synopsis of the book: "A call to action for consumers everywhere, Consumed asks us to look at how and why we buy what we buy, how it's created, who it benefits, and how we can solve the problems created by a wasteful system. We live in a world of stuff. We dispose of most of it in as little as six months after we receive it.”
The main themes of this book are to use what you have, think before you buy, and look into shopping secondhand. Buy high-quality items but also take care of your items so that they last as long as possible.
My rating: 4/5
Sustainable Badass by Gittemarie Johansen
Another excellent book for zero-waste beginners. I read this 6 years into my eco journey and honestly, didn’t find much value in it. Had I discovered the book years ago, though, it would’ve been amazing for me. I just simply knew most of what Gittemarie had to say since I have been living an eco life for a long time. This book is very valuable but 100% geared towards beginners.
Here is the synopsis: “As a lifestyle guide and an introduction to sustainable living, Sustainable Badass shows you why and how to minimize your consumption while effortlessly making your habits greener. Each page has practical tips, tools, and important facts about plastic pollution, overconsumption, and the climate crisis.”
The main themes of this book are eco stats, zero waste swap ideas, and beginner habit changes to live a more low-waste life. It’s the basics of zero waste!
By rating: 4/5
The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard
It’s been a while since I’ve read this gem so maybe I ought to read it again, but it’s another valuable resource. Annie dives into everything we own from tech to jeans and everything in between and just how many resources it takes to create the things we own for usually short periods of time and then throw them away instead of recycling or donating them. It really is the story of all of the stuff we have created and how impactful it is on the planet.
Here is the synopsis: “For most of the world, consumption has been the unquestioned duty of every individual. Then garbage activist Annie Leonard brought her two-hour lecture to Free Range who helped her turn it into a 20-minute animated revolution. Shown in thousands of classrooms, endlessly blasted by Fox News, viewed more than 10 million times, The Store of Stuff finally opens the door to a serious cultural dialog about the costs of consumption.”
The overall themes are overconsumption, think before you buy, and use what you have. The style is a little outdated and what I mean is that there is some climate doomism in this book. While it’s valid and accurate, this take on environmentalism isn’t widely used anymore as it is not all that effective in getting people to make changes. So, be warned about that.
By rating: 4/5
The Intersectional Environmentalist by Leah Thomas
This is a must-read for everyone whether you started zero waste today, 50 years ago, or anything in between. It is extremely important that we make our activism intersectional. What is intersectionality? According to the Oxford Dictionary, it is “the interconnected nature of social categorizations such as race, class, and gender as they apply to a given individual or group, regarded as creating overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage.”
Here is the synopsis: “Thomas shows how not only are Black, Indigenous, and people of color unequally and unfairly impacted by environmental injustices, but she argues that the fight for the planet lies in tandem with the fight for civil rights; and in fact, that one cannot exist without the other.”
The overarching themes are feminism, racism, and inclusion. We need everyone to be an environmentalist, not just rich people, not just able-bodied people, not just white people. And we need the most privileged in the movement to care about everyone, not just themselves and people like them. Your main takeaway will be that we need every social justice movement to work together. Black Liberation is climate liberation. Women’s liberation is climate liberation. They’re all connected, so make your activism intersectional.
By rating: 5/5
Downriver: Into the Future of Water in the West by Heather Hansman
I read this book shortly after I moved from Las Vegas, the heart of water in the West problems. I experienced drought and water conservation efforts firsthand and knew I would love this book. Your main takeaway is this: drought in the West will affect the entire nation. Most of our human food comes from the desert SW. If they run out of water, we will have climate refugees fleeing to other parts of the country. The other main takeaway? This is quite an easy problem to fix, we just need state and national governments to finally get on board with the solutions.
Here is the synopsis: “Award-winning journalist rafts down the Green River, revealing a multifaceted look at the present and future of water in the American West. The Green River, the most significant tributary of the Colorado River, runs 730 miles from the glaciers of Wyoming to the desert canyons of Utah.”
You’ll see how water conservation is of utmost importance no matter where you live to protect ourselves, the plants, the animals, and our other resources. Water is life, we must protect it and conserve it before we run out.
My rating: 5/5
The Nature Fix by Florence Williams
Florence beautifully shows us how getting outside not only inspires us to protect our resources and our only home but it can also have extreme health benefits. Clean air, quiet places, learning about plants and animals, and eating locally foraged foods, it’s all important to our brains, mood, and overall health. We’re becoming more and more disconnected from the planet and we become more technologically advanced, but that doesn’t have to be the case. You can enjoy both your iPhone and nature. Heck, even if you hate nature, you can still experience the benefits of it!
Here is the synopsis: “Research is increasingly showing that people are significantly happier and healthier when they spend more time outdoors in nature. Yet we spend the majority of our time indoors, partly because we underestimate these benefits. (For example, American and British children today spend half as much time outdoors as their parents did.) As a result, across the world, we are increasingly suffering from ailments made worse by time indoors, such as myopia, vitamin D deficiency, obesity, and loneliness. Florence Williams’ book sets out on a journey to explore the latest science of nature, showing how nature affects how we think and feel, and how these benefits can be reconciled with our increased urbanization.”
My rating: 5/5
How to Read a Tree by Tristan Gooley
Maybe I’m a bit biased cause I love trees, but I loved this book. It will tell you everything about trees from how they grow in forests vs grow alone from their tree rings to the ecosystems they support. Trees will guide you when you’re lost, they tell stories, and they connect us all. Trees are so special and Tristan really portrays that. I hope this book leaves you feeling connected to nature and inspired to go out, ID some new species, and get to know your plant neighbors and protect them.
Here is the synopsis: “Trees tell a story, but only to those who know how to read it. In How to Read a Tree, Gooley uncovers the clues hiding in plain sight: in a tree's branches and leaves; its bark, buds, and flowers; and even its stump. Leaves with a pale, central streak mean that water is nearby.”
My rating: 4.5/5 (a little dry)
Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers our Lives by Siddharth Kara
Wow, this book is heavy, but it is extremely important. It outlines the true cost of our cell phones, our laptops, and our EVs. This book will make you buy every piece of tech from here on our secondhand, if not for the lower price but for ethical reasons. Mining cobalt and coltan, necessary for our tech, is dangerous, it’s extremely environmentally toxic, it’s hazardous to the people who mine and who live in these towns, and it’s usually done with slave labor in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, or Goma as the people refer to their land. Perhaps you’ve heard about Congo on the internet in the last few months as it is one of the major man-made issues on our planet at this time.
Here is the synopsis: “Cobalt Red is the searing, first-ever exposé of the immense toll taken on the people and environment of the Democratic Republic of the Congo by cobalt mining, as told through the testimonies of the Congolese people themselves. Activist and researcher Siddharth Kara has traveled deep into cobalt territory to document the testimonies of the people living, working, and dying for cobalt. To uncover the truth about brutal mining practices, Kara investigated militia-controlled mining areas, traced the supply chain of child-mined cobalt from toxic pits to consumer-facing tech giants, and gathered shocking testimonies of people who endure immense suffering and even die mining cobalt.”
This is absolutely a must-read since you are reading this on some piece of tech. You need to know where your tech is coming from and the impact you are having by supporting this industry. Again, you can boycott this industry by making your tech last as long as possible, by repairing it, and by buying your tech secondhand from here on out.
My rating: 5/5
I hope you join me in reading eco-themed books to become a better environmentalist and activist. No one can ever stop learning, there is just so much out there to learn about and be inspired by. Let me know your favorite eco-related books and I will add them to part two. Which of these will you read first?
Once again, I highly recommend first checking them out at your local library physically or digitally through Hoopla or Libby. Want to own the books for yourself? Check out Thriftbooks to get your copy secondhand or buy from the author directly to support them. As a last resort, check out big book retailers which I have linked.
Thank you for reading along, I appreciate your time. As always, remember that your small actions make a big difference in the long run
Emma
