Description
Book SynopsisKarl Coplan shares his personal journey of attempting to cut back on carbon without giving up the amenities of a suburban middle-class lifestyle.
Live Sustainably Now shows that there does not have to be a trade-off between the ethical obligation to maintain a sustainable carbon footprint and the belief that life should be fulfilling and fun.
Trade ReviewKarl Coplan's vision for living an ethical, meaningful, and sustainable life in the face of the climate crisis is an inspiration to all those who care about the environment. Without losing sight of the need for collective global corporate and governmental action, he shows us that it is possible to enjoy life and have fun without sacrificing the future of the planet for the instant gratification many of us have come to expect from life in the twenty-first century. -- Tatiana Schlossberg, former
New York Times science writer and author of
Inconspicuous Consumption: The Environmental Impact You Don't Know You HaveTalking the environmental talk is one thing, but if you want to walk the walk, too, Karl Coplan's book will tell you how to do it and how to do it happily. -- Colin Beavan, author of
How To Be Alive and
No Impact ManA paralytic feeling can come when deeply confronting the global nature of climate change, given how a multitude of dispersed human activities are contributing to worldwide shifts in climate and coastal patterns that will build and persist for centuries. In this educational, entertaining account, Karl Coplan, law professor and long-distance sailor, argues for and, better yet, demonstrates a completely different kind of reaction—passionate engagement in shaping a fulfilling and fun low-carbon life. -- Andrew Revkin, former
New York Times environmental writer and director of the Initiative on Communication & Sustainability, Earth Institute, Columbia University
In clear prose, sometimes taking a colloquial turn, Coplan walks the reader through questions of individual culpability for global warming, ranging—quite usefully, in my view—between philosophical abstractions and quantifiable realities of daily life. He balances theory and practice with aplomb. -- Mark Hineline, author of
Ground Truth: A Guide to Tracking Climate Change at HomeCoplan reminds us that low-carbon living not only contributes to the cultural shift required for systems-level change, but is satisfying, meaningful, and fun. -- Peter Kalmus, climate scientist and author of
Being the Change: Live Well and Spark a Climate RevolutionPart how-to guide, part entertaining memoir. * Mongabay *
Live Sustainably Now is a personal, practical guide to low-carbon living. * Foeword Reviews *
Table of ContentsPreface
Prologue: Climate March at the Crossroads
1. Climatarianism: Our Personal Moral Obligation
Carbon Diary: September 20152. Why Both Individual Action and Collective Policy Will Be Needed to Address Climate Change
Carbon Diary: October 20153. Some Climate Basics: What We Mean by “Carbon Footprint,” How We Measure It, and Why It Matters
Carbon Diary: November 20154. Sustainability: What Is It Anyway, and Who Can Really Claim to Be Doing It?
Carbon Diary: December 20155. What Is Individual Carbon Sustainability, Then?
Carbon Diary: January 20166. Going on a Carbon Diet to Save the Planet
Carbon Diary: February 20167. Surprising Carbon Impact Comparisons: If You Are Only Going to Sweat One Kind of Stuff, Sweat Big Stuff, Not Small Stuff
Carbon Diary: March 20168. Grappling with the Big Four: Electricity, Heat, Transportation, and Food
Carbon Diary: April 20169. Having Fun on a Carbon Budget
Carbon Diary: May 201610. Medium-Term Goal: Getting to Zero
Carbon Diary: Summer 2016Postscript: Individual Climate Action in the Trump Era: Now More than Ever
Appendix: Sample Carbon Footprint Calculation
Index
