Book review - Diary of a Reluctant Green

A few weeks ago, White Ladder Press kindly sent Greenbang this book – The Diary of a Reluctant Green, by Richard Hallows.

No one had picked it up until the other day, but despite the cover (which you shouldn’t judge a book on), it’s turning out to be a good one. You get a lot of info but it’s easy to read – it’s not right-on, tree-hugging hippy mush, but actually quite practical and he makes some realistic points.

Here’s one example:

“There seem to be as many carbon footprint or environmental impact calculators as there are websites claiming to be able to help you do something about [ooh err, says Greenbang]. The results are somewhat varied. For example:

British Petrolium thinks my household is emitting 24 tonnes of C02 per annum, as opposed to a UK average of 9.85 tonnes. This doesn’t sound good at all…

C02 Balance tells me that I am emitting 46.25 tonnes of CO2 for the household per annum, for which I apparently need to plant 43 trees….

Call me cynical if you like, but it is an uncanny coincidence that the lowest carbon footprint value is produced by the website of a global oil company, and the highest value by an organisation that also provides the opportunity for me to give them money to plant trees on my behalf. Funny that, don’t you think?”

In this diary, he claims you also get: practical tips for saving money by being greener; finding short cuts that remove the hassle and working out where it’s worth putting your efforts – and where it isn’t.

Greenbang wants to interview Hallows, if he’s tuning in…

ISBN 978 1 905410 12 5
Price £7.99