3.5 stars rounded up

The first part of the book is pretty surface-level, but a decent introduction to different issues that would be impossible to do a deep dive into all in one book.

The second part of the book has more practical advice for the reader. It is mostly basic information, but she does acknowledge that the aim of the book was to give an intro to actions individuals can take right now.

Some advice was too vague, such as making sure your district isn’t being gerrymandered (how?) or to be on the lookout for greenwashing (what are the signs?).

If you’ve never given much thought to environmental issues before, this book could be a decent place to start. If you’re not a complete beginner, you probably won’t get much out of it. Teens might be a good audience. I do really appreciate that the tone of this book was optimistic rather than doom-and-gloom. We are in a dire situation, but this sort of optimism will be critical for getting solutions in place.

I was a little alarmed to see a citation for Wikipedia rather than the primary source of the info being referenced.


Thank you to NetGalley and Obsidian Owl Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I don't think I was the audience for this, but it was still useful enough that I bought a copy tor my household.

Full review:

"What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make." —Jane Goodall p62

Three (or more) things I loved:

1. I love that this book starts off with optimism. I don't know if I could have taken any other tone, regarding this topic. "We can fix this. History has shown us that when we listen to the best scientific advice of the day and do something about a problem, we can halt the damage and even reverse it.... But you can’t do it alone. None of us can. It’s time for all of us to link up and start pushing hard in the same direction." p7

2. We can't always speak with our dollars. Sometimes we need to do something more direct, which means being part of something bigger. "Systemic changes are up first, because while we can definitely influence things by making small personal changes, we must kick the system hard to get the actions we want as fast as we need them." p.11

3. Why is this book necessary? Because of this: "Coca-Cola, 2 as recently as 2023, said that they sell 1.9 billion servings of their drinks in 200 countries every day. Now, let’s assume we do such a great job of recycling that a whopping 90% of those serving containers are recycled. That still leaves one hundred and ninety million containers in our landfills, oceans, and by the side of the road. 190,000,000. Every. Single. Day." p12

4. Clarke doesn't always do this, but I love it when she acknowledges the human element in the effort, especially human limitations: "So, let’s stop making the fact that some people can’t — or yes, even just don’t want to — knit their own mittens into some kind of moral failing, okay? Let’s instead normalize demanding better of our systems, and using our brains to come up with better ways for everyone to live as they choose." p66

Three (or less) things I didn't love:

This section isn't only for criticisms. It's merely for items that I felt something for other than "love" or some interpretation thereof.

1. This is honestly a lot. I kind of shut down when someone tells me to do 100 things at once. I wish this book had different organization. The info is good, I just want it contained. This book kind of hits you with an information flamethrower!

2. I don't think it was this author's intention to overwhelm the reader by sheer numbers of suggestions to help improve the health of our planets and more immediate environments. But I am fairly overwhelmed! I keep reminding myself that I'm not going to pitch this guide (in fact, I bought a copy) when I'm done with this review read. I also keep reminding myself that this book probably wasn't designed for cover-to-cover consumption, but rather a bit at a time, while the reader applies the most useful suggestions. So if you read this book and get to feeling overwhelmed – stop reading and go apply one of the suggestions!

3. This is an expensive list. Clarke recommends costly suggestions like adding insulation to walls and attics and bringing in contractors regularly to check things like heaters and air conditioners. Even changing out filters can get pricy, if you're doing all of them every three months, which is what Clarke suggests. Clothes as a long-term choice, or eliminating fast fashion, is only reasonable for someone whose body doesn't change much from year to year. As a disabled person with health issues that impact my figure, I can say that this suggestion can be untenable. Why doesn't she just recommend using laundry practices that prolong the life of clothing? She already does, at one point, but only as an energy saving measure, so let me just say: wash in cold water on gentle, use Earthbreeze or another sheet detergent with minimal ingredients, treat stains with a tiny drop of Dawn, and dry on ultra low temperature or line dry. That is an inexpensive approach to laundry that will protect the environment and the life of your clothes.

4. Some of the things Clarke suggests don't even enter into my mind as possible, like home renovations and ten thousand dollar weddings. Based on this, I think Clarke probably wrote this for comparatively wealthy people who are heads of their households. But that's not me, so a lot of this is missing me. That being said, enough of it applies to me in a useful way that I bought a copy for my household.

5. She called "the poor tax" something like "Boots commerce." Which might be a historically accurate term, but people who are impacted by this phenomenon, like me, call it "the poor tax." It's the phenomenon that prevents people of lower socioeconomic status from buying more durable goods, instead of the cheap goods, which cost them more in the long-run. The difference in cost between one good that lasts for X years and the combined cost of all the cheap variations required to last X years...is the poor tax.

Rating: 🍃🍃🍃🍃 /5 Green leaves
Recommend? Yes!
Finished: Oct 12 '24
Format: Digital arc, NetGalley
Read this book if you like:
🌏 environmental activism
🌞 easy guides to challenging topics
🏡 suggestions for a greener home
🏞 sustainability

Thank you to the author Chandra Clark, publishers Obsidian Owl Press, and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of LET'S FIX THIS. All views are mine.

Having studied environmental science I thought I would request this book as the blurb seemed to match up with my views. I’m glad I did as I enjoyed this, along with some other non fiction I’ve recently requested and read from Net Galley. The content is clear and well laid out. The subject matter is obviously crucial for our society and I’m glad books like these are coming to the forefront and promoting the importance of the topic. Great read

Now I have been reading quite a few "But what can I DO?" books about recycling, combatting climate change, etc., and there is very little new to discover once you've read a fair number and have been thinking about this for a while, but I really liked the way this one gives very specific information and encourages the reader to try for some small changes at least, while also, so importantly, acknowleding that not everyone has the resources / ability / energy / health to make their own everything while riding a bike everywhere and running an eco-business. Clarke reminds of this a fair bit and also points out how to spot greenwashing in companies; she also shares resources, for example a list of organisations working on improving public transport around the world and a good book list at the back. So I would recommend this as a primer for thinking about different areas of your house and garden and what you can do to make things that bit better. She does go on about electric cars a bit, though.

Blog review published 25 September 2024: https://librofulltime.wordpress.com/2024/09/25/covid-netgalley-reading-roundup-warona-jay-jack-strange-and-chandra-clarke/

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.