Our planet needs our help to continue being a safe home, and to survive years and years of negative actions carried out by us humans—guests who are as welcome as they are irresponsible. Starting this book was exciting—partly because of the initial Tolkien quote, an author I love and admire deeply—and overall, it was an incredible experience.

Divided into two parts, the book aims to give readers small tips on how to mitigate and improve the Earth's conditions. We still have time to reverse this destructive course, to ensure that our world becomes better, once again an oasis where we can live our lives. The first part is dedicated to collecting suggestions on how to engage the community and, more generally, a larger portion of people toward a common goal. It talks about writing to local governments, companies, and multinational corporations to raise awareness and push for a green evolution of product supply chains. In my opinion, this is also the most challenging part to carry forward. While all the suggestions are effective and potentially feasible, it's important to note that their execution often seems unlikely. The issue is that those in power often don’t care, making it difficult to achieve results, even though the book advises collective action.

The second part is the one I found most fascinating—it covers every day and more "private" actions that can ensure change if we all work together. These are simple activities like setting up compost in your garden, tending to a vegetable patch, saving water and electricity, and minimizing the use and purchase of plastic bags and packaged foods. These are tips we’ve all heard at least once over the past few years, but for some strange reason, many still struggle to put them into practice. However, I find them truly interesting suggestions, explained with great awareness, which stick in the reader’s mind and motivate them to do their best.

"Let's Fix This" is a book that encourages us to be better by offering a common goal, and it does so by simply explaining the benefits of small actions that don’t require much effort in our daily lives but can yield great results if done on a large scale. Of course, the text is based on the idea that a large portion of the population can implement these teachings, working toward a common goal, and perhaps that's a slightly utopian view of things. But it’s also true that we have to start somewhere, and reading these pages makes you want to take action.

A smooth, well organized and detailed read that's a great manifesto for fixing our world. I enjoyed reading this book and the actionable steps from Clarke.

This is a really good quick read for anybody who wants to learn actionable ways to help out the planet and act more sustainably. I especially liked how they focused on actions you can do to put pressure on local, state and national government to make actions that will help on a large scale.

Ever wonder what you can do to help the environment? Well this book is for you. It’s packed full of facts and tips on helping the planet.

Let’s fix this gives you ways to help the planet and yourself in today’s society. It walks you through steps you can take to help with a lot of the issues going on today. You could be the one person that can change everything. I learned a lot about issues going on today that I didn’t even know about honestly. This book will have you questioning a lot but then it breaks down how you can help correct the problems.

"Let's Fix This" is a quick, no-nonsense guide packed with practical tips for helping the environment. It’s full of actionable advice that you can start using right away. The book is written in plain, accessible language, making it easy for anyone to understand and follow. I appreciate the gentle focus and conversational tone—it feels like chatting with a friend who’s passionate about making a difference. If you’re looking for straightforward ways to be more eco-friendly, this book is a great place to start.

Let's Fix This is another quick guide of things you can do to help the environment. The first half the book is probably the most valuable as it covers actions one can do at various government levels. Want municipal compost? Talk to your council. It's age old advice, but the first half didn't feel heavy handed as some advocacy books can get. The only downside is this book is from a Canadian perspective (I'm in the US).

The second half of the book covers things one can personally do. Can't walk to work? Bike. Can't bike? Take public transit. If you must have a car, consider EV (electric vehicle). It's the first book to discuss EVs and that's a huge plus, but it's a little disappointing it specifically named Tesla. Tesla has been known to make cheaply made EVs and the company on the whole is problematic. I was excited until the author mentioned it. I would have preferred even a Toyota being mentioned before a Tesla. A lot of the advice is rudimentary if you've been following the environmental movement as long as I have. I do like that the author asks "why do you want to remodel" and do you really need a gut job?" On the flip side, I found the discussion on insulation to talk about fiberglass insulation when I know there are environmental options out there (maybe it's cause it's wool and it's problematic on it's own?) There were a few points where it felt contradictory and repetitive. It's also interesting that some recommendations the author had, I have heard the opposite.

Overall, if you're looking for a place to start, this is is a good book to start with. It is primarily Canadian focused, so it take a minute as a US reader to convert things as needed. The first half on advocacy is probably the most useful to seasons environmentalists.

I was positively surprised. Expecting a book of, mainly, feelings, I got a book of, mainly, facts. And of particular, actionable advice. Written competently and invitingly, this book fulfills its purpose.

3.5 rounded up. I deeply appreciated what this book was doing; as a passionate environmental steward, I found it basic, high level, and frustratingly diluted to be compatible with capitalism… which I can totally live with, I’m probably not the intended audience here. If this wee book gets one person to do something different, have a conversation, or learn something, it’s worth championing.

Written in accessible, plain language, with a gentle focus and a conversational tone, this is a solid primer for humans looking to reduce the amount of planetary harm they cause as individuals. Geared toward a Canadian audience, this book outlines the obstacles we face as planetary stewards and gives some basic ideas about driving systemic change on local, regional, and national levels. As a Canadian living abroad, I appreciated this book from a Canadian perspective, especially around topics like public transport infrastructure, waste collection/disposal, HVAC considerations, and more. But, if you’re reading this from more environmentally aware regions or with different contexts, (like my adopted Scottish city that already do a lot of the things in this book), your mileage may vary.

The issues I take with this book are largely due to the singular focus of the book without spending time on the indirect causes of deep planetary harm that intersect with many of the themes presented. For example: I’d have liked to see more challenges of the capitalism model rather than limiting our solutions to the confines of same. Ditto for party politics and “job creation” rhetoric. I also struggled with some of the harmful language particularly in the where the safety of public transport is blamed on people who struggle with substances (“addicts”), poverty, and “untreated mental health conditions”. Plus, the EV section only referenced Tesla. There are a tons of EVs out there, don’t support Tesla.

All that to say, while I didn’t get as much out of this as I’d hoped, I think it’s a valuable book to have circulating. It’s accessible style, gentle approach, and positive outlook may resonate with a lot of readers. I hope it does! There’s a lot to explore within these pages for the curious!

Thank you to Obsidian Owl Press for making this title available on NetGalley!

Let’s Fix This is a detailed and practical guide to protect the environment.
It offers feasible strategies in a range of topics and I liked how Clarke gathered and put this together. It feels like a comprehensive manifest.

I just left a note with the author. Thank you for a beautiful read. It was smooth to read and very informative.