All you need is less: an irreverent guide to eco-living, eco-loving, and how to go green without going crazy

Description

Foreword: Less Is More; Introduction; Chapter 1: Home; The Ugly Duckling of the Environmental Movement; The Cost of Consumption; Shopping Secondhand; Make It; Laundry detergent; Alternatives to dryer sheets; All-purpose cleaner; Tub scrub; Soap scum remover; Hands-free silver polish; Floor cleaner; Hardwood floor polish; Window spray; Floor duster; Stainless-steel appliance cleaner; Stainless-steel pots and pans polish; A Word About Plastic; Chapter 2: Body; Basic Hygiene Boot Camp (and I Mean Reeeally Basic); Choosing Cosmetics; Make It; Eye makeup remover; Moisturizer; Whipped body oil;"All You Need is Less is about realistically adopting an eco-friendly lifestyle without either losing your mind from the soul-destroying guilt of using a plastic bag because you forgot your reusable ones in the trunk of your car (again), or becoming a preachy know-it-all whom everyone loathes from the tips of her organically-shampooed hair to the toes of her naturally sourced recycled sandals. It's all gotten kind of complicated, hasn't it? These days you're not 'green' enough unless you quit your day job and devote your entire life to attaining an entirely carbon neutral lifestyle or throw out all of your possessions and replace them with their new 'green' alternatives. This whole eco-friendly thing seems to have devolved into a horrific cycle of guilt, shaming and one-upping, and as a result people are becoming exhausted and getting annoyed and, oh my god, we are living in a world where one of my grocery bags says 'This reusable bag makes me better than you.' It doesn't have to be this way. It is possible to take easy baby-steps towards a more earth-friendly lifestyle without stress, guilt, or judgy eco-shaming. Top eco blogger Madeleine Somerville is here with really original ideas on how to save money and the planet. Her ideas are even fun! Somerville has emerged as the voice of reason on urban homesteading that is stress-free, sanity-based and above all do-able"--