Confessions of an Eco Sinner
Saturday, 02 January 2010
Some books about the environment can be the modern day equivalent of the Pharisees. They tell you everything that you’re doing wrong and make you feel really guilty about it while not offering any help in solving the problem. When I come across books with words like eco in the title, I tend to get a little bit cynical and suspicious. Even the informative ones can be really dull. So it was a real pleasure to find one was that wasn’t preachy but left me feeling both educated and entertained.
“Travels to find where my stuff came from” is the sub title to Confessions of an Eco Sinner and author Fred Pearce has certainly gone the extra air mile in gathering all the resource material for his book. Some people may condemn him for taking so many flights to carry out his investigations (and he worries about it himself in several parts of the book) but I suspect that if even a few readers take just some action in response to this book, the venture will be more than carbon neutral.
Fred Pearce has certainly gone the extra air mile in gathering all the resource material for his book
It’s a fine art to write a book that is both thorough and interesting. Sometimes the detail can bog down the reader. Although it took me several weeks to read Confessions, it was never a chore. The sheer depth, variety and quality of the evidence – and the fact that so much of it was new to me – easily overcame that danger. As the title suggests, the book deals mainly with the environmental impact of our lifestyles but there is also plenty of focus on ethical consumption in terms of fair trade and social justice.
Confessions covers many topics, most of which have been covered elsewhere, but the detail makes the book much more than a standard reader in environmental living. It’s also packed with fascinating personal stories which help put very justifiable concerns about the planet into a very human context.
The author’s journey – in both senses of the word – takes us to see the source of his stuff. This includes food, clothes, computers & electronics, metals & fuel, and water. He also looks at where his waste and sewage end up. Readers who think they know everything about the environment may be surprised at some of his discoveries. He challenges both the planet trashers and the lazy wannabe environmentalists who don’t bother to research beyond the simplistic green commandments.
He challenges both the planet trashers and the lazy wannabe environmentalists who don’t bother to research beyond the simplistic green commandments
I came away with new revelations about the prawns in our curries, the sheer size of computer waste, and the scarcity of some of the rare metals which are vital for low energy light bulbs and mobile phones that we can carry in our hands rather than strapped to our backs. I also had my concerns confirmed about things like palm oil and carbon offsetting plans.
Another difference between Confessions and most other green books is that this one ends on some notes of cautious hope. The last four chapter titles all include the word ‘can’ (and we don’t mean one that needs to be recycled). Having been shown the sheer extravagance and stupidity of our current lifestyles, the author still clings to the belief that we can do better and turn this world around. For some, reading this book may be the start of being a part of the answer.
Finally, in between each section, Pearce slips brief stories of some of the people who he met on his travels. The book is probably worth reading for these alone. We would recommend Confessions of an Eco Sinner to anyone who is serious about living lightly on the earth. Get it, read it and make 2010 a year of personal action on climate change.
SOME LINKED ARTICLES ON TAKE THE RED PILL
The Great Carbon Conscience Con
Plane Stupid – Gordon Goes Ga Ga and Lizzie Loses the Plot
