This is a brilliant book, it tackles a heavy subject in such a light way that spurs you into action. I loved reading something that is both educational and engaging.

I have no idea why it’s taking me so long to get around to this review because I LOVED THIS BOOK!

Isabel Losada takes the intimidating and impractical seeming idea of ‘sustainable living’ and turns into something joyful. Through helpful how-to’s and a mishmash of inspiring experiences, disturbing facts this book provides real, constructive ways to make your environmental footprint a little smaller. Her personal journey on the never-ending path of living sustainably is told to you gently, as a non-judgemental friend as she coaches and convinces you that you can really make a difference.

“Don’t be discouraged by people saying your actions are just a drop in the ocean. What’s an ocean except millions upon millions of drops?”

The dual focus on inspiration and practicality throughout is a winning combination. Some parts are to-do lists and don’t lists, which she encourages you to take one by one. You can start small, with a toothbrush or some tote bags and once you’ve mastered one step move onto the next. The crucial bit is that you’re moving and improving your relationship with our planet. Other sections are vibrant storytellings of her own journeys seeking solutions through involvement with peaceful protesters Extinction Rebellion and conversations with leading experts on natural and biodynamic farming practices, sustainable fashion and clean energy.

She takes extreme care to make the challenge an entertaining one, almost to the point of celebration. After reading, you feel even more passionately that the cause worth of your time, effort and energy. It’s impossible to do overnight, but through careful, conscious consideration, childlike positivity and determination it becomes manageable and rewarding.

Isabel’s research is thorough and informative on what our world is doing wrong. She outlines the areas where we’re going wrong, where we’ve been tricked and tripped into using and wanting more than we need. Behind each shocking fact, she makes sure to provide a practical solution. I certainly didn’t finish this book feeling daunted, like a gauntlet had been thrown or a ticking countdown started (although this technically is true). I felt energised and that hopeful energy has stayed with me as I moved into my own space and I seized the challenge! My environmentalism still isn’t perfect but the most important thing is that I’m still moving forward with it. I regularly refer to my notes on this brilliant book to be inspired anew. So truly, thank you Isabel!

My rating: 5 stars!

My recommendation of this book is universal. Although environmentalism will always be a complicated and (I believe unintentionally) classist movement, due to the consumer capitalist world in which we live, there are still important tips and inspiring stories that we can all take away from this book.

From voting to gardening to choosing your bank and energy providers, Losada provides readers with practical tips to make our every day lives more environmentally friendly.
I really enjoyed this book and the way Losada provides tips while telling engaging stories about her own experiences making her own life more environmentally friendly. Many of the ideas outlined in this book are easy to implement in your every day life and are also great for beginners who are just starting to take steps to becoming environmentalists.

*Review copy provided via NetGalley

The great strength of The Joyful Environmentalist is its accessibility. I have read a number of books about climate change and it is hard reading. Of course, it is important that we know what we are facing but we also need to ensure that we do not fall into despair, that we do not find ourselves giving up because we cannot see the point.

It is easy to tell ourselves that it won’t make any difference, but I think that Isabel gives us two responses to that denial. First, we can be certain that the only way that no difference will be made is if we do not do anything to change, and secondly, even if adapting our individual lifestyles doesn’t have the impact we would like on the planet it will have an impact on us.

The Joyful Environmentalist is both practical and hopeful. It encourages you to make real changes to your life, but shows you how this is not a chore, an austere stripping down of all that you enjoy in life, but a journey of playful creativity and community engagement for the benefit of your own well-being and the wider world.

Losada walks through all the key areas of day-to-day life, food, energy, transport, clothing, and considers how these can be changed to produce a lighter impact on the world without diminishing the experience. Mingled between these practical tweaks to the way we live as individuals are some bigger picture thoughts on how we might also influence the world around us through joyful protest or volunteering, to spread the message.

There is definitely a place for trying to jolt people out of their slumber and make them realise the damage that we are doing to the planet and as a result ourselves, but there is also a need to bring people along on a journey of discovery that offers hope and a positive future. This book sits in that latter space with a positive energy and a smile on its face. Jump on board, start making changes now and do it with a song or a drumbeat in your heart.

It is always nice to read a lighthearted climate change book. I’m really into the books as to what an individual can do as to not get bogged down in OCD (obsessive climate disorder) quoted from this novel.

Losada’s voice is upbeat, inspiring, and easy to read (she adds in a lot of hahas, likes her wine, and will often put in full interviews/conversations). The drumming part dragged for me, and the chapters in no particular order hurt my brain a little but overall I really enjoyed this novel. There is a lot of UK specific data and recs given the author, now I’m googling to find out more in the US. Also really makes me want to move up Isabella Tree’s Wilding novel from my TBR as there is a chapter based on her “rewilding” land.

Cover is beautiful too.

Interesting! tbh I didn't expect that much from this book, I've read enough books about the environment but nothing quite like this one (or perhaps I should read more books). I thought this book is about someone trying to convince the reader to do this and that to save the planet. That is not the case with this book. I like Losada's writing style, I like at the very beginning after I finished one chapter, I said I liked her already and I will finish this book. This is narrative non-fiction, which makes this special and interesting because you read her experiences, experiments, frustrations like you could feel it as you read fiction. I wish find more books like this one.

It's rare that a book about the environment brings a smile to my face but this one did. I loved this excellent, comprehensive guide to greener, planet-friendly living. I related deeply to the challenges the author faces as she tries to live in an eco-conscious way while maintaining a joy-filled orientation toward life and I especially loved the many, many solutions she offers that we can adopt too.

When I say that this book is comprehensive, I mean it REALLY is comprehensive, covering everything from the small (where to find plastic-free lip balm) to the huge (living off the grid so you can be both eco-friendly and free from the corporate grind). I also appreciated the extensive appendix with ideas for future reading, including inspiring cookbooks. Everyone can find ideas here, no matter what scale of change you are prepared to make to help our planet.

I will be recommending this title to my library and to the youth I work with as I think it would be exceptionally inspiring for young people navigating independent live. But really, it's a must-read for us all.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for a fair review.

I wish to thank Isabel Losada, Watkins Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced copy of The Joyful Environmentalist How to Practise without Preaching in exchange for an honest review.

This is an engaging read; Isabel Losada has a gift in the way she communicates, upbeat and light hearted. From her frustration at the lack of reusable cutlery, her productive tick infested volunteering in the Scottish highlands and the many suggestions offered to replace plastics, Isabel gets the message out there. The interview with Guy Singh –Watson is impressive, he tells it as it is.

The accounts of the Extinction Rebellion meeting and protests were written with positivity and highlighted the importance of this activism. I was disappointed in the anecdotal evidence regarding RF-EMF exposure from smart metres. I like to see cited peer reviewed evidence based research when claims are made and when statistics are used to make a point, evidence is everything.

This book didn’t leave me joyous. For me, the lack of political will and the escalating environmental crisis is joyless. I am left with some optimism stemming from the dedication, intelligence and power of the emerging generation.

This was a pure delight and very informative and I can't wait to add Isabel Losada's backlist to my TBR list.

Simple, joy-filled chapters about how we can bring environmental change about in our daily habits...from carrying our own forks to Whole Foods with us so we don't make a scene (hilarious chapter!) to volunteering to plant new trees with non-profit organizations. And Isabel even argue that even ticks have a purpose "in the great complex tapestry of life."

Some of the chapters are swift reads: lists with "how to remove plastic from your home" (beginning with pens!) and a list of totally unnecessary plastic items that Amazon sells, and others are longer and essay-like. I loved this change of pace - sometimes I have loads of time to read, and sometimes I only have 10 minutes. So I would choose the shorter bits to read (and take notes from!) when I had less time.

I came away from this books armed with some great tips, new instagram accounts to follow for great environmental inspiration and a brand new search engine to use so I can feel a little better about my online presence (they plant trees in exchange for you using their search engine).

Highly recommend!