All You Need Is Less: The Eco-friendly Guide to Guilt-Free Green Living and Stress-Free Simplicity

By Madeleine Somerville

Most eco-friendly books start with terror-inducing lists of the carcinogenic chemicals you are liberally slathering all over every single surface in your house, painting most people as as unwitting eco-villains, happily Lysol-ing your way straight to hell. Well, readers can just relax and unpack the (plastic) bags – no guilt trips today! At this point I think we all know that cleaning with bleach is bad and pop cans should go into the recycling – we’re beyond that, yes? All You Need is Less is about realistically adopting an eco-friendly lifestyle without either losing your mind from the soul-destroying guilt of using a plastic bag because you forgot your reusable ones in the trunk of your car (again), or becoming a preachy know-it all whom everyone loathes from the tips of her organically-shampooed hair to the toes of her naturally sourced recycled sandals. It’s all gotten kind of complicated, hasn’t it? These days you’re not “green” enough unless you quit your day job and devote your entire life to attaining an entirely carbon neutral lifestyle or throw out all of your possessions and replace them with their new “green” alternatives. This whole eco-friendly thing seems to have devolved into a horrific cycle of guilt, shaming and one-upping, and as a result people are becoming exhausted and getting annoyed and, oh my god, we are living in a world where one of my grocery bags says “This reusable bag makes me better than you.” It doesn’t have to be this way. It is possible to take easy baby-steps towards a more earth-friendly lifestyle without stress, guilt, or judgy eco-shaming. Top eco blogger Madeleine Somerville is here with really original ideas on how to save money and the planet. Her ideas are even fun! Somerville has emerged as the voice of reason on urban homesteading that is stress-free, sanity-based and above all do-able. From the book: Stop Using Disgusting Dryer Sheets Do y'all know that most dryer sheets coat use animal fats to coat your clothes with that 'fresh' fragrance? Yeah. It's disgusting. Switch to wool dryer balls, they're simple to make (plus a fun craft project for kids) and they work like a hot damn. Use Jars Instead of Travel Mugs 1. You can screw on the lid and literally throw a jar full o' coffee into your purse (no more balancing keys, coffee, files etc!) 2. It takes immense resources to manufacture and sell all those plastic/metal travel mugs which are often lost/forgotten You have old food jars hanging around anyway, why not make use of them? If they break or get lost,at least they were used one more time before reaching their final destination. I always get lots of compliments on my coffee jar.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Release date: Apr 21, 2014
• ISBN: 9781936740918

Madeleine Somerville

Madeleine Somerville adores writing in all its incarnations -- dramatic exclamation-filled diary entries, pseudo-journalistic endeavors for small town weeklies, and the disfigured, bastard child of the above, blogging. She has a B.A. in sociology and is addicted to commas and soft cheeses. She became an unrepentant, tree-hugging hippie after moving to British Columbia eight years ago, and daughter and dog suffer the effects of this metamorphosis on a daily basis. This is her first book.Billee Sharp runs an eco cleaning business and is the author of the bestselling Lemons & Lavender:The Eco Guide to Better Homekeeping. She lives with her family in San Francisco, CA.

Reviews for All You Need Is Less

[bookangel_a · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Madeline Somerville is young, very funny, and concerned about doing things naturally to save the earth and to save the health of our families.In this book she addresses ways to simplify and "go natural" in every aspect of life. I agreed with her views most of the time. I must admit I haven't been able to find the time to make some of the things she suggests. For instance, she suggests wool dryer balls instead of dryer sheets or fabric softener. She tells you how to make them, but I bought mine instead. I really appreciated her advice on decluttering, and not buying too much for baby (and pets). I try to follow her advice when I buy things for my daughter (and our family dog!).I would highly recommend this book for anyone looking to simplify and do things that are good for the environment. And did I mention she is FUNNY? I laughed out loud many times while reading this. :)

[shawse_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This book appeared to mostly be a collection of home-made cleaning supplies recipes, many of which I had seen before, accompanied by editorials.

[charitysuzanne · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a fun read on sustainable living! The author has a friendly, chatty style -- for me, this made the book much easier to read, but if occasional rambling irritates you, then you may not like it. She offers practical suggestions for making your life more eco-friendly, but at the same time maintains a realistic approach, recognizing that not all her suggestions will work for everyone. She emphasizes that doing even a few things is better than doing nothing.She's quite thorough, covering everything from cleaning recipes to gardening to holidays. There's a helpful index in the back of the book so that you can find everything quickly. And she included my favorite "green" tip -- wrap birthday presents in comics! (My mom has been doing this as a money-saving tactic for as long as I can remember.)

[kristinmm · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a very approachable read on how to make some simple changes to live a greener life. Somerville explains the need for those changes, and specific options for alternatives. She even includes very easy (small number of ingredients) recipes for everything from home products to body products to pet products. The next time I run out of a cleaner, I'm going to try out her suggestions instead of buying new at the store.

[bbofje · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I received All You Need Is Less from the LibraryThing Early Reviewer program. Although well-written with a "light" attitude, it didn't really offer any new ideas (for me) about living green. Perhaps it's my age, but most of the ideas written about were already well known to me. It could be a nice gift for a newly married young couple. The author was humorous and witty, and I totally agree that "less is more".

[gerrysbookshelf · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

All You Need is Less is a how-to guide to simplify your life and help the environment at the same time. There are chapters about using non toxic cleaners, personal care items, lifestyle changes and eco-friendly tips for baby and pet care. A number of the ideas in the book I've used for years and can testify to their effectiveness. Other items I can't wait to try. Who doesn't want to get rid of those overly perfumed chemical infused dryer sheets? The author's writing style is very engaging and fun to read, while at the same time giving lots of ways to make your home and the world a healthier place.

[livelylady · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What a delightful consciousness raising book about our consumerism with ideas on how to lessen our footprint in the environment some. I found some of the do-it-yourself recipes for toothpaste and dog shampoo very "tryable." But my favorite idea was instead of buying a set of new dishes going to thrift stores and collecting white dishes to form a very eclectic set of new dishes. Unfortunately, I just bought a new set, but am tempted to begin collecting anyway. This would be a good book for just about anyone!

[etxgardener · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is a breezy, non-preachy guide to living in a more sustainable way. It's full of good ideas on how to eliminate household cleaners that are full of toxic chemicals. It seems that almost every household problem can be solved with vinegar, baking soda and dish soap. I'm going to try some of the recipes in this book in my own household.

[janeslist · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is a good addition to the how-to-go-green genre. I have been actively involved in trying to be "green" for a while and yet this book gave me some new and interesting ideas. Author Madeleine Somerville not only describes things to do, but also how to get your head around the idea of the change so that it actually happens. I especially like that this book was about reducing consumption instead of "just" reusing and recycling. She emphasizes quality over quantity, but also talks about how not getting things you don't need can free you up for the things you really do need, or that is of better quality. For example, if you are buying something secondhand, it will probably be of better quality (and has already shown it can last a while) than to get something new for the same price. The emphasis is on improving quality of life while also making green changes.Somerville's perky and casual tone is not really my style (she uses phrases like "guys, you need to try this!") but she's likable. The style made me think of the Kiss My Math series by Danika McKellar, but for the green movement.I already have two people on my list to pass this book to so they can skim it for ideas, and a list of ideas to try myself. I'm giving this book 4 stars.I received this book as part of the LibraryThing Early Reviewer program

[willowone_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved this book and am happily trying many of Madeleine Somerville's tips and recipes. She is able to write about "going green" so that it makes it easy and she also gets the point across as to "why" it is necessary to make the change, gradually. Her writing is too the point yet funny. I have been passing her tips and recipes on to friends and family and many of them are also making some changes. I was hesitant at first about the shampoo and conditioner recipe but I have found that it is easier, cheaper, better for the environment and my hair feels and looks wonderful. I wish I had listened sooner because I haven't had one tangle since I started using her recipe. I haven't gotten brave enough to try the toothpaste but that may eventually come. Many of the cleaning tips I already do so getting more tips on new things will help me to make that change a little bit more. I highly recommend reading this book and making the life change. We shouldn't have to own everything we see or want. When do we say enough is enough and become happy with what we have. Reduce, re-use, recycle.I was given a copy of this book for the purpose of review.

[kellswitch_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I don't normally read guide books, or if I do I just skim through for the ideas or recipes I am interested in. This one has been different, the authors approach is so light, non-judgmental and engaging that I have found myself reading sections that do not and probably never will apply to me (the odds of me owning hard wood floors or glass shower doors are slim to none). I'm not going to lie and say I've implemented many, or any, of her suggestions and recipes but I can say I am going to try several of them and her advice and stance of things such as compulsive consumerism, organizing and what is really important in life and have definitely given me much to think about and I am hoping to apply at least some of her approaches to living in my own life. And I am definitely trying the shampoo and conditioner recipes...the toothpaste one I'm not so sure on. This is a life guide book I am very glad to have found and read and even if I only adapt one or two ideas from it I think my life would be better.

[grammargoddess · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I got some useful takeaways from this book, including the very good reminder of the fact that besides reusing and recycling items, we should truly strive for reducing. In other words, you don’t have to be concerned with storing, cleaning, insuring, worrying about, reusing, or recycling an item if you had the wherewithal not to *acquire* it in the first place. I already used that lesson a couple times since reading the book; thinking a lot about how I “needed” an item, e.g., a tool for yardwork—even going so far as to visit a store to price the item—then backing off and telling myself that I did not need to acquire the item.Having said that, while I appreciate that the overall approach the author was trying to take was to get away from the all-too-frequent guilt trips that seem to accompany advice on how to be less materialistic or “greener,” the “hilarious” tone was often over-the-top for my taste. That is, she was truly funny in many instances and I laughed, but after awhile I just felt like she was trying a bit too hard to be funny/force a laugh.The book contains quite a few recipes for mixing up everyday household products. Picturing my figuring out what all the ingredients she mentioned were (so many were ones I never heard of before), finding them in my smallish town, and actually whipping them up all got a bit overwhelming. (And this was just picturing; not actually doing!) At this point, I can’t paint myself in that picture, but she did mention near the end that she did not recommend making a sudden turn in your lifestyle, but rather introducing changes gradually.I am fairly sure that any reader can take away at least one or a handful of ideas of ways to change either their purchasing thought process or ways to change their usage of resources to be kinder to the ecosystem.