Review by Booklist Review
Many readers are concerned with the environment and are looking for ways to reduce their impact. Living a life with zero waste can seem like an impossible task, and author, conservationist, and Instagram influencer Watkins recognizes that it is, rather hoping that readers will instead strive to do their best to refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, and rot (compost). This guide spans a wide range of household opportunities to practice these five Rs by making and using a variety of items, including reusable food storage tools, cleaning products, recipes, personal care toiletries, and objects to enhance a kitchen garden. While there is a hint of nostalgia for so-called simpler times, Watkins mostly sticks to a desire to mitigate the waste and environmental harm that is central to contemporary industrialized society. For those living with the privilege and abundance to make these choices, the result will likely provide personal satisfaction and perhaps the space to pressure large-scale polluters to improve practices that create environmental harm on a scale to which individual practices cannot compare.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
With the message that it's not easy to be green, this simple but comprehensive guide from environmental activist and debut author Watkins helps readers eliminate excess plastic, waste, and chemicals from their lives to whatever extent they choose. Emphasizing the importance of setting attainable goals, Watkins cautions that reaching the state of "zero-waste is a process, not an event." Checklists begin each section, with the kitchen chapter list advising replacing plastic utensils, storage containers, and cooking equipment with wood, glass, and stainless steel. People concerned about the safety of commercially available cleaning products will particularly appreciate the section on making one's own chemical-free solutions. Watkins often refers to the homemaking methods of an earlier time, as with her "Tips for Line Drying," where she posits "working methodically with your hands" as a good "way to slow down and be present." The beauty and wellness section includes recipes for common drugstore staples, including toothpaste made with peppermint essential oil and a hair rinse product made with apple cider vinegar. Whether readers want a smaller carbon footprint or an entirely chemical-free lifestyle, this has all the information needed to get started. Agent: Julia Eagleton, the Gernert Co. (Apr.)
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