How to Save the World For Free

It’s a terrifying world out there, given the constant climate change and refusal of many governments to do something about it. Every day, each of us is adding to the pollution of the planet. The most important question remains: what can we, as individuals, do to save the world?

In How to Save the World for Free, author Natalie Fee lays out a comprehensive guide to the many little steps we can take to become better citizens for a better future. These are practical things you can do every day that reduce your footprint. It can be as simple as declining a straw at a restaurant or cutting your shower time down by a few minutes. Growing your own food or bringing your own containers when grocery shopping. It doesn’t take much to change your behaviors but it can make a big difference.

The guide starts out with a well written albeit terrifying look at the many issues plaguing our planet. It’s not just the rising temperatures, but a myriad of issues we’re causing as populations expand and we continue to consume at a faster rate. It’s a necessary section with important details that make the following chapters even more compelling.

The rest of the guide breaks the tips down into areas of your life. Eating, drinking, your home, your travel habits - its all here. Each section is full of facts detailing why these little steps matter. It’s written in a down-to-earth style, showing you that all of these tips are possible if you give it a bit of thought and compel yourself to make some changes in your daily life. You’ll finish the book feeling inspired and ready to make the world a better place.

Review to be published on 10/22: http://reviewsandrobots.com/2019/10/22/how-to-save-the-world-for-free-book-review

The ideas herein are fairly simple, but if adopted by everyone (or almost everyone), will add up to great improvements. For instance, use a reusable water bottle/coffee cup/bag, etc. and eliminate so much unneeded daily waste! My students (who, being young, are often less resistant to change than their elders) will enjoy this book.

I really liked this book. It gives you simple and actionable advice that you can do once you put the book down. It also is really well written. Will definitely purchase for library.

An easy read on a tough topic. At times a little skimmable, but overall I did find this book useful. One thing I liked was that she broke things down into the ocean, soil, air, etc. She mentioned the areas that are in trouble, and then she goes into ways we can make small changes to hopefully make a larger impact. For example, I like how she talks about avoiding Palm Oil. I've been seeing more and more on these huge areas of land are being taken over for the cultivation of this, and they do not help the environment at all. I must admit I do not see myself becoming vegan any time soon, but no reason I can't cut back on the meat intake. Some things I never considered was taking in my own containers to the deli counter. Some things I've never heard of, such as Beeswax wrappers. I have been returning the straws for the past year or so, and many times refuse the plastic bags at the stores. We also refill gallon jugs of water and fill our own water bottles. Easy and actually cheaper. Never thought about how much almond milk is taking from the environment. Didn't realize how much water is redirected just for that. Overall, a lot of good tips and advice, that are actually easy and doable. Handy book, and one I highly recommend.

Despite a rather depressive topic this book nicely combines pleasure of reading with effectiveness of learning. It is mainly due to a very approachable "youthful" style and clear content layout. Actually, we start off directly with a conclusion, namely, "Saving the world can be much more fun than you could ever imagine". This puts the whole topic into a completely different frame than in most other publications on this theme.
At the same time, it rises the bar for the author to a pretty high level. Fortunately, for me, extensive expectations are fulfilled almost in 100%. The book is packed with loads of small, middle-sized and huge actions that practically everyone can apply to save our natural environment, so your motivation really gets a boost. And... Yes, it is true that one complete long chapter is about sex life.
A little drawback I found is that the list of "People and Movements to Follow" is not published at author's webpage and the list of references "Downloads & extras" at https://www.laurenceking.com/product/how-to-save-the-world-for-free/ doesn't contain hyperlinks, but just plain text. And the link to 80000hours.org isn't mentioned anywhere. Overall, I strongly recommend this book simply to everybody.

My thanks to Laurence King Publishing Ltd for a digital edition via NetGalley of ‘How to Save the World for Free’ by Natalie Fee in exchange for an honest review.

Written by environmental campaigner Natalie Fee, this is a guide on how to make small practical changes in our everyday lives in order to help the environment and save the planet.

It opens with a section on ‘seven things we need to save’ that includes the oceans, rivers, trees, the soil, the air, plants and animals and us. After this she breaks down key areas where we can make changes including food and drink, clothing, finance, travel, to using the bathroom, exercising, relaxing, our intimate lives, voting and getting involved in the wider world.

I found this quite interesting and certainly useful. It is so easy to feel overwhelmed by the problems facing the world and helpless to effect change. I felt that she was proposing changes that were both effective and possible to do.

She freely admits that not all her proposed changes are free though many are. It is a positive, uplifting book.

Reading through the various sections I was able to see the areas where I was ticking the boxes as well as where I needed to improve and new areas to implement change in my life.

I feel that it would be a perfect book for families to open up discussions about the environment and to implement changes together.

Overall a practical and educational guide that I happily recommend.

Topical, funny and user-friendly.
Whether you are already trying to be green (beyond recycling correctly that is) or whether this is all new to you, there will be something to learn and take away.
Let's start with a staggering fact though: "In the case of straws, coffee cups, lids and stirrers, we're using a material which lasts forever, to make things we'll use for only a few seconds."
So yes, there is a problem. With plastic and many, many other aspects of our every day life.
While you may not be able to go out and buy a full new wardrobe of bamboo clothing tomorrow (that would not be free AND be wasting the clothes you have already), there are lots of things to take from the book, and many more mental notes to take for the future as well.
From eating (it takes 180 showers' worth of water to make a single pound of beef) to travel, to sex and porn (yes, you read that right), there are things we can change in every aspect of our lives.
The truth about the state of our planet is sad, but you will have some laugh-out-loud moments reading this!

This is an amazing, practical guide of how to begin to make changes in your life, small changes that aren’t hard but will make a difference to the planet. It’s hard to know where to start and that’s where this book is so useful, full of practical suggestions, great chapters and subheading for different sections, it’s easy to navigate and even easier to understand. Yes, not all is completely free, but will save you money long term and more importantly could help save the planet. Great practical and moral help.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

You think you know everything about climate change. Well think again!
This informative book taught me a think or two. The first section is on how the world is falling into the crisis. From deforestation to eroding soil.
The second part is more on the way we can make a change.
If everyone only did 5-10 things listed in the book imagine what a better world could could live in.
Well done Natalie Fee on a fabulous book.

This is a short, helpful book on ways to make a real difference for the world and environment in all different ways, from at play to in politics. There's even a section on how to save the world in the bedroom. While a lot of the tips were standard for me (though not some of the bedroom ones), I've been an environmentalist for a long time and would expect as much.

Fee is cheerful and enthusiastic, and while she gives sobering, saddening and infuriating information throughout the book, the ultimate take-away is that change is really possible and all of us can make a difference.

I especially appreciated the last section, on how to change the world through politics. She gives real examples of ways that groups of people have changed democracy and our corrupt political system, and gives lots of organizations to follow.

My one criticism is that most of the book is along the lines of what some modern environmentalists deem "wreck the world slower" advice compared to action that actually improves the world. If you want more hardcore suggestions, I suggest reading through the forums on permies.com.

Before I start to discuss details, I just want to say that it is a wonderful book.
Book that every teenager should read so that their behaviour is modified for good and we may collectively stem the damage being done to our planet.
Almost all we know we need to act to save planet and ourselves; but few know how late we are already and possibly entering a phase from where things would be irreversible.
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Book is simple, enjoyable, crisp and divided into relevant chapters.
You learn that without spending too much money, we can still contribute when we are living our normal lives.
Just a few changes in your daily routines can help all animal and plant species a lot.
Data is presented in simplified way.
At certain instances author has used humour to good effect.
I will certainly like all my friends to read and connect to rebels who can see past capitalism to preserve and possibly rejuvenate our planet.
So that we don't need Mars missions to save us.
Thanks netgalley and publisher for review copy.

I really enjoyed this book. I have been learning a lot recently about the environmental impact or plastics, recycling or lack of it. It's both eye opening and fascinating. I always thought I was a fish swimming upstream. I dind't know how to make changes that would truly benefit the world we live in. How could I as one person make an impact. But that's the thing with this book. Its engaging and uplifting. I'm not just one person I am one of many. I already use water bottles that are reuseable and bamboo trtavel mugs for my coffee. I switched my coffee for recyceable containers and grounds. I give coffee grounds to family and friends for their allotments.
I have most recently read a few really good books about plastics, marine life and how we can help. I have even been looking at truly rececyleable brush heads for my oral b toothbrushes as we have 4 of them for the family. It's not easy trying to make a change but the tips and tricks that Natalie shares in htis book really are great. I feel that some are easier to implement than others, some we as a family are already doing but others, hadn't even occurred to me and there are changes that I will try and make going forward.
This book is user friendly and not at all overwhelming like some books on this subject can be. I read some of it with my girls are talked about the changes we can make. It has made them think about how we are using things and how mindless our shopping can be, the first change they wanted to make was cutting out palm oil (chocolate spread from sustainable sources) which for a 7 and 8 year old is pretty huge. The second was the bamboo coffee mugs and reuseable water bottles. We now buy our juice in large containers and split it into their bottles for school lunches instead in buying little cartons. Ideas that were generated by Natalies brilliant book!