Real-world solutions to sustainability without preaching

Better, Bolder, Different: Inspiration for sustainable living— Ethically Kate Allen& Unwin, $39.99) Reviewed by Louise Ward, Wardini Books

Fashion fan Kate Hall had a moment of clarity, an epiphany if you will. After watching fast-fashion documentary The True Cost she decided that she would try her best to find out who made her clothing and what it is made from.

Since then Kate has made daily decisions with people and the planet inmind and this book is her guide about how we might do that too.

Kate is not at all pushy about this, eschewing expensive and industrialised versions of “self-care” and planet care. She acknowledges that we all have different demands on our time and resources; before she talks to people about how to go about making change she will ascertain how able they are to achieve change from a social, cultural and financial position. There’s no preaching or lecturing here.

The book begins with a section on wellbeing, but not as we know it.

Kate talks about doing things differently, mixing itupa bit to reset and take stock: simple things such as brushing your teeth with your nondominant hand, changing the side of the bed you sleep on to literally see things differently, and my personal favourite, showering in the dark.

Further chapters deal with the three Ss (sleep, stuff and self), connection, food and clothes, lending practical advice that enables the reader to do something without becoming guilt-ridden, or a martyr.

There are real-world solutions to things— making your favourite clothes last longer, buying less stuff, embarking upon a home waste audit.

“Busy” has become a badge of honour, but really we’re facing burnout in this fast-paced digital world, and Kate’s book offers an antidote to this. Put down your phone and consider how you interact with your world, your people and your stuff. It doesn’t have to be so complicated. Whata relief.