Synopses & Reviews
Most eco-friendly books start with terror-inducing lists of the carcinogenic chemicals you are liberally slathering all over every single surface in your house, painting most people as as unwitting eco-villains, happily Lysol-ing your way straight to hell.
Well, readers can just relax and unpack the (plastic) bags no guilt trips today!
At this point I think we all know that cleaning with bleach is bad and pop cans should go into the recycling were beyond that, yes?
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. Its all gotten kind of complicated, hasnt it? These days youre 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 doesnt 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.
From the book:
Stop Using Disgusting Dryer Sheets
Do y'all know that most dryer sheets coat use animal fats to coat your clothes with that 'fresh' fragrance? Yeah. It's disgusting. Switch to wool dryer balls, they're simple to make (plus a fun craft project for kids) and they work like a hot damn.
Use Jars Instead of Travel Mugs
1. You can screw on the lid and literally throw a jar full o' coffee into your purse (no more balancing keys, coffee, files etc!) 2. It takes immense resources to manufacture and sell all those plastic/metal travel mugs which are often lost/forgotten
You have old food jars hanging around anyway, why not make use of them? If they break or get lost,at least they were used one more time before reaching their final destination. I always get lots of compliments on my coffee jar.
Review
"Health. Babies. Dogs. All gone green. And by the way, shes hilarious. This isnt just a list of green living concoctions and tips. Theres anecdotes from her own life. Struggles to get her husband to see her point of view. Struggles within herself at certain points. There wasnt a page that I flipped where I wasnt entertained."
Femme Frugality
"Funny, honest, eloquent, non judgmental and practical... what else could we want from a book on eco-friendly living?"
Bea Johnson, author of Zero Waste Living
"Madeleine manages to craft compelling prose on life's big moments and small. She brings her irreverent, yet always sweet eye, to convey with humour and humility whatever she chooses to illuminate. Highly recommended author."
Ian MacKenzie, Filmmaker "Occupy Love"
"Madeleine Somerville effortlessly blends fresh ideas with a delicious sense of humour to create eco-friendly tips you'll actually want to read. Seen through her lens, living a green life becomes not only attainable, but irresistible, too."
Eden Godsoe, Founder and CEO of SkinnyScoop.com
"Budget tips you'll never read anywhere else."
The Frugal Family
Review
"A very practical and funny, green book on how to consume less and still live a fulfilling life."
New Thought Magazine
"All You Need Is Less does a good job at making green living seem more attainable and manageable, and thats definitely something worth promoting."
TreeHugger.com
"With a chatty, friendly, guilt-free tone, All You Need is Less offers a plethora of ideas for living a greener, healthier, more eco-friendly and sustainable lifestyle."
City Book Review
"This is the PERFECT gift for anyone who wants to learn how to be more eco in their every day lifestyle choices and doesnt know where to start."
Green Kick
"I came away from this book with so many ideas, and this is one that Im going to keep front and center in my bookshelf, knowing that Ill be returning to it frequently to look up recipes or get ideas on how to do something again and again."
5 Minutes for Mom
"Top eco-blogger and new parent Madeleine Somerville has gathered completely original ideas on how to save money and the planet, and have fun in the process."
Edge Magazine
"From the first page to the last, Somervilles style crackles with funny, and I cant get enough! Better yet, All You Need Is Less is chock full of excellent tips, tricks, and advice for 'green living' as a lifestyle and not just a fad."
The Homemade Creative
"Truly attainable greener living by making small changes."
Don't Eat the Paste
"As someone who tries teaching others to realistically live a green lifestyle, I absolutely LOVE this book. It does away with the guilt trip that fills most eco-friendly books and gets straight to what you want mosttips on how to live green that are easy enough for just about anyone and will save you money or not cost you much of anything at all."
Budget Earth
"Hands-on and instructional, and includes sections on gardening, lifestyle, body, and home, with recipes for things like toothpaste, deodorant, cleaners, and general information about living more simply."
Twenty-two Pleasant
"If you want to learn more about simplifying your own life and going green at the same time, be sure to pick up this book."
A Fulfilled Mommy
"All You Need Is Less is full of practical advice and fun do-it-yourself activities for the whole family to help you green your life and save you money all in an easy to do way."
Family Focus Blog
"I loved that this book was full of inspirationincluding recipes for the budget-conscious and earth-friendly readers. The book more than pays for itself just based on the easy-to-follow recipes for household cleaners and homemade beauty products."
Northern Cheapskate
"Why I love Madeline: she. just. gets people! She writes in a way that is completely relateable, never condemning, and will make you laugh until you cry."
Hands and Hearts More than Full
"Chock-full of ways to save both the planet and money."
Edge
"The next generation of green living."
4 Mothers
"This book covers the basics in a fun and quirky light, but covers some serious issues about todays culture and our obsession with consumerism."
So Easy Being Green
"Witty and light-hearted, and only offers tips and ideas to make your life more eco-friendly without changing every facet of your life."
Found Frolicking
"Perfect for anyone that is trying to become earth friendly and live a more sustainable lifestyle. I enjoyed reading this book from cover to cover."
Grandma Bonnie's Closet
"All You Need Is Less is a funny, real and practical guide to living green while saving money."
Twin Cities Frugal Mom
"There is something here for even the most casually 'green' people to adopt to their lifestyles."
The Broke Mom's Guide to Everything
"Blogger Madeleine Somerville has filled this book with practical tips that you can use to reduce consumption and incorporate repurposing and recycling into your daily life. A simple life can be a big improvement that will lead you to more peace and happiness."
Mama Likes This
"A funny, relatable guidebook to help many of us make green living a reality."
Over 50, Feeling 40
"Health. Babies. Dogs. All gone green. And by the way, shes hilarious. This isnt just a list of green living concoctions and tips. Theres anecdotes from her own life. Struggles to get her husband to see her point of view. Struggles within herself at certain points. There wasnt a page that I flipped where I wasnt entertained."
Femme Frugality
"A funny, almost optimistic, list of things you might actually do to go green and frugal. Peppered with personal anecdotes and words of encouragement, Id describe it more as Martha Stewart goes crunchy granola, than 'this is the only sane way to live.' Doesnt that sound like fun!"
Art of Natural Living
"Funny, honest, eloquent, non judgmental and practical... what else could we want from a book on eco-friendly living?"
Bea Johnson, author of Zero Waste Home: The Ultimate Guide to Simplifying your Life by Reducing your Waste
"Madeleine manages to craft compelling prose on life's big moments and small. She brings her irreverent, yet always sweet eye, to convey with humour and humility whatever she chooses to illuminate. Highly recommended author."
Ian MacKenzie, Filmmaker "Occupy Love"
"Madeleine Somerville effortlessly blends fresh ideas with a delicious sense of humour to create eco-friendly tips you'll actually want to read. Seen through her lens, living a green life becomes not only attainable, but irresistible, too."
Eden Godsoe, Founder and CEO of SkinnyScoop.com
"Budget tips you'll never read anywhere else."
The Frugal Family
"Simple steps you could take immediately to have greater simplicity in your life and free up your energy."
Susyn Reeve, author of The Inspired Life
Synopsis
Most eco-friendly books start with terror-inducing lists of the carcinogenic chemicals you are liberally slathering all over every single surface in your house, painting most people as unwitting eco-villains, happily Lysol-ing their way straight to hell. Well, readers can just relax and unpack the (plastic) bags no guilt trips today!
All You Need is Less is about realistically adopting an eco-friendly lifestyle without either losing your mind from soul-destroying guilt or becoming a preachy know-it-all whom everyone loathes. Its all gotten kind of complicated, hasnt it?
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. It doesnt have to be this way. It is possible to take baby steps towards a more Earth-friendly lifestyle without stress, guilt, or judgmental 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.
Synopsis
Green Your Life and Your Wallet Did you know that wool dryer balls work like magic to keep your laundry fluffy, without coating your clothes in animal fat that store-bought dryer sheets leave behind? They’re simple to make and a fun craft project for kids, too. And did you know 7 million trees are cut down annually for the paper cups your coffee is served in? Recycle a jelly container from home and you will save an entire forest while getting lots of compliments on your coffee jar.
Top eco-blogger and new parent Madeleine Somerville has gathered completely original ideas on how to save money and the planet, and have fun in the process, in All You Need Is Less. Learn how to create and not just consume! This guide to the guilt-free green life is packed with dozens of DIY ideas for shampoo and eco-cleaners, worm compost your garden will love, yummy recipes and even homemade holiday gifts and de´cor. You’ll wonder how you ever lived without this book!
Creative ideas inside:
- Eco-friendly baby solutions, from recipes for rash cream to biodegradable wipes
- Dog and kitty care, including make-it-yourself litter and flea spray
- Simplicity is sexy: whip up your own moisturizer and body scrub
About the Author
Madeleine Somerville adores writing in all its incarnations dramatic exclamation-filled diary entries, pseudo-journalistic endeavors for small town weeklies, and the disfigured, bastard child of the above, blogging. She has a B.A. in sociology and is addicted to commas and soft cheeses. She became an unrepentant, tree-hugging hippie after moving to British Columbia eight years ago, and daughter and dog suffer the effects of this metamorphosis on a daily basis. This is her first book. Billee Sharp runs an eco cleaning business and is the author of the bestselling
Lemons and Lavender:The Eco Guide to Better Homekeeping. She lives with her family in San Francisco, Ca.
Table of Contents
introduction
HOME
the ugly duckling of the green movement
the true cost of consumption
why buy secondhand?
make it:
o laundry soap
o all-purpose cleaner
o tub scrub
o shower soaker
o silver polish
o floor cleaner
o hardwood floor polish
o window spray
o floor duster
o stainless steel cleaner
o ceramic stovetop cleaner
alternatives to dryer sheets
a word about plastic
BODY
basic hygiene boot camp
how to choose cosmetics
make it:
o eye makeup remover
o body oil
o whipped body oil
o microdermabrasion
o simple body scrubs
o shampoo and conditioner
o toothpaste
o deodorant
o skin toner
lady time
hair removal
LIFESTYLE
how being green is good for the waistline
home, sweet home
why beg, barter, borrow should be the new eat, pray, love
remembering your reusable bags
make it:
o clothesline
o rain barrel
addictions
FOOD and DRINK
eating simply
reducing waste in the grocery store
taking on take-out
make it:
o punch yourself in the face salsa
o delicious tzatziki
o zero-electricity, cold brewed, basically-the-solution-to-global-warming, coffee
o jar travel mug
o boho table settings
all about organics
simple food storage
GARDENING
a word from the gardening guru imposter
make it:
o herb garden
o raised garden beds
o pesticide free gardening
o compost bin
o worm compost
o weed killer
o weed barrier
RELATIONSHIPS
what to do when your partner is a soul-sucking planet killer
quiz: are you an insufferable enviro-nag?
self
how living green can save your relationship
giving the gift
make it:
o personal lubricant
o massage oil
HEALTH and WELLNESS
apple cider vinegar cures everything
how (and why) to stick a small ceramic teapot up your nose
alternative therapies
make it:
o magic tea for cold and flu season
o epsom salt aromatherapy bath
PET
your dog does not need a sweater (or a stroller)(or boots)
make it:
o stinky dog spray
o upcycled pet bed
o flea spray
o pet toothpaste
o litterbox tips for sexy cat ladies
BABY
welcoming your adorable little waste machine
why craigslist should be your babys middle name
toys, toys, toys
keeping it neutral
cloth diapering
baby skin care
make it:
o belly butter
o baby wipes
o wipe solution
o diaper rash cream
HOLIDAYS
how to curb holiday excess without becoming a Scrooge
make it:
o wrapping paper
o recycled paper bow
o a difference
CONCLUSION
REFERENCES