Caldwell - Better : the everyday art of sustainable living

PRAISE FOR

Caldwell reminds us of the oft-ignored power of spirituality and art in making personal and planetary change and gives readers a practical philosophy of how to do so, via a touching memoir of how she figured it out herself. Youll walk away from Better inspired and enlightened.

Starre Vartan, founder and editor, Eco-Chick

We need to explore new models of living with greater respect for the earth and our fellow earthlings, both human and nonhuman. Better describes how to live more consciously and harmoniously. It engages our hearts and aspirations, while also providing practical advice for developing healthy habits. Fundamentally, the book urges us to live mindfully and according to the best of our humanity, and ultimately to make the world a better place.

Gene Baur, President and Co-Founder, Farm Sanctuary

Wow, am I excited about this book! I expected the usual depressing list of problems and boring list of solutions, but was I wrong. I was surprised and delighted! Nicole Caldwell is a great writer, creative thinker and in particular a good storyteller. I came away feeling expanded and hopeful inspired by her ability to communicate exuberance for new ideas and by her belief in our ability to change especially her faith in the idea that we are better together.

Cecile Andrews, author, Living Room Revolution, Less Is More, Slow Is Beautiful, and Circle of Simplicity

Provocative, practical and inspiring, Nicole Caldwells Better will put a spring in your step as you head into your garden or community to become the artist of life were all destined to be. In so doing, we can transform the world for the better.

John D. Ivanko and Lisa Kivirist, co-authors, Homemade for Sale and Farmstead Chef

Feeling stressed and trapped in a no-win world? Curl up with a cup of tea and this book and begin dreaming of a sustainable future in a better world.

Deborah Niemann, author, Homegrown and Handmade and Ecothrifty

Copyright 2015 by Nicole Caldwell.

All rights reserved.

Cover design by Diane McIntosh.

Wooden Frame iStock robynmac. Beach background iStock titlezpix

First printing May 2015.

New Society Publishers acknowledges the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund (CBF) for our publishing activities.

Paperback ISBN: 978-0-86571-794-7

eISBN: 978-1-55092-587-6

Inquiries regarding requests to reprint all or part of Better should be addressed to New Society Publishers at the address below. To order directly from the publishers, please call toll-free (North America) 1-800-567-6772, or order online at www.newsociety.com

Any other inquiries can be directed by mail to:

New Society Publishers

P.O. Box 189, Gabriola Island, BC V0R 1X0, Canada

(250) 247-9737

New Society Publishers mission is to publish books that contribute in fundamental ways to building an ecologically sustainable and just society, and to do so with the least possible impact on the environment, in a manner that models this vision. We are committed to doing this not just through education, but through action. The interior pages of our bound books are printed on Forest Stewardship Council-registered acid-free paper that is 100% post-consumer recycled (100% old growth forest-free), processed chlorine-free, and printed with vegetable-based, low-VOC inks, with covers produced using FSC-registered stock. New Society also works to reduce its carbon footprint, and purchases carbon offsets based on an annual audit to ensure a carbon neutral footprint. For further information, or to browse our full list of books and purchase securely, visit our website at: www.newsociety.com

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Caldwell, Nicole, author

Better: the everyday art of sustainable living / Nicole Caldwell.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Issued in print and electronic formats.

ISBN 978-0-86571-794-7 (paperback).--ISBN 978-1-55092-587-6 (ebook)

1. Sustainable living. I. Title.

Contents

Only after the last tree has been cut down, only after the last river has been poisoned, only after the last fish has been caught only then will you find that your money cannot be eaten.

Cree Indian Prophecy

A Single Step

B ETTER IS A BOOK ABOUT HOPE.

This is a book about reconnecting to our animalness. Our humanness.

There is no shortage of books outlining bleak environmental theory. Better on the other hand was written to inspire you to create change in your everyday life that will in turn inspire people around you to make changes. Better depends on the power of each of us to have more purpose, be more joyful, more empathic and more loving to the Earth and each other. We need to understand where we went wrong, and we need the imagination to do better. Better provides a birds-eye view of the desperate state the natural worlds in and offers pragmatic options for changing that status quo one sustainable, creative action at a time.

Better invites you to change your perceptions and see adversity as opportunity. Instead of thinking outside the box, this book wants you to destroy the box entirely and ditch it in your compost pile. Hasta la vista. See ya later, Alligator. Cest la vie. Better is about reimagining what our lives can be and repairing our relationship with the environment. This book is a call to arms: to take chances, bark at the moon, use less, play more, grow food, heed the power of coincidence, smile at strangers and turn your life into your greatest artistic achievement. Because no amount of doom and gloom can change the fact that a land of opportunity awaits us. When we change our perceptions and how we frame them, we change the world. Its like the fortune cookie says: Everything you are against weakens you. Everything you are for empowers you.

All change begins with the acknowledgment of facts. We must fess up. It is time for us to admit what we are doing to each other, the planet and ourselves. Anxiety is bred from the outer edges of awareness a refusal to look at and address hard issues at hand. It is time for us to empower ourselves to stare our situation right in the face, understand the problems and make new plans. This is a painful process. It is not easy to own up. Its not easy to open Pandoras box. And sometimes, solutions are hard to come by.