I recently obtained a copy of Attainable Sustainable by Kris Bordessa for review purposes. It’s a good book for a time of disruption from Covid 19, and something to have on hand as disruption becomes more frequent as climate change progresses. I am putting my review here at Daily Kos because I suspect many people will be interested in this topic. Here it is:
I'm writing this review as late April 2020 is winding down and the Covid 19 pandemic still has most of the country on lock down. For many people, this has forced a hard look at the way we live our lives; constantly running to the store is not an option. Trying to self-isolate and practice social distancing has left people with a lot more time on their hands - and for some it means real financial hardship.
At the same time the planet we live on is seeing real effects from the shut-down of the high-energy, mass-consumption life styles we have been led into by consumer capitalism. Traffic on the highways is way down. The airlines have grounded large portions of their fleets. The air is clearer than it has been in years, the water cleaner, and wildlife is showing up in places where the normal crush of humans drives them away.
In short, we are getting a massive reality check on the consequences of our lifestyles and what we've traded away in pursuit of making a living, saving time, and 'convenience'.
Attainable Sustainable by Kris Bordessa via National Geographic is a sampler of ways to change to a simpler but richer lifestyle, one with fewer chemicals, less packaging, and less expense. It's organized into six sections: Eat, Make, Clean, Grow, Farm, and Trek. They are grouped into two larger categories: Indoors and Outdoors. Bordessa provides an introduction to each of the six sections and a selection of things to explore in each of them.
The practical purpose of this book is to provide entry points into each of the categories of activities so that readers can experiment with them and find which they want to pursue further. There's a selection of easy projects and basic techniques in each. The biggest investment called for is time and some personal effort. The suggested ideas are at a basic level. Each of them could easily be expanded into books in their own right, so there's plenty of potential for people who discover something they enjoy to go farther. (See below on internet resources from Bordessa.)
Here's what it is in just the section on Eating: Food Preservation 101, Dehydrating, Drying Herbs, Canning at Home, Pickling, Extracting Fresh Juice, Fermentation, Fermented Drinks, Cocktail Hour, Baking Bread, Quick Breads, Yeast & Sourdough, Grains & Legumes, Pantry Staples, Infused Oil & Vinegar, Sourcing Quality Meat, Charcuterie.
There's no telling how long the economy is going to be on stand-by, or what lasting effects there will be from novel diseases like Covid 19, but the reality is that this can be considered a dress rehearsal for the increasing effects of climate change. Learning the basic skills laid out here can be good preparation for a world in which disruption will be more and more frequent.
Make no mistake, the activities in this book can be pleasurable in their own right, but they were once essential tools for survival and may well be again. Decades of shipping manufacturing to other countries, the transformation of farming into industrial agriculture, reliance on supply chains stretching around the world... We're getting a hard lesson in unexpected consequences. Attainable Sustainable is a good way to step back and reconsider where we are - and where we might like to go.
Author Kris Bordessa has a blog at: https://www.attainable-sustainable.net where people can find more information, new recipes and other activities, and exchange tips and ask questions. Bordessa can also be found on Facebook.
While the internet is certainly one way to access this material, the advantage of the book is that it's always available, doesn't crash, and doesn't get choked off by bandwidth limits or ISP glitches. It also makes the material accessible for people who may not be comfortable with doing things on line or have limited access to the internet. It would make a great gift. It’s also a great follow up to Earth Day.
Enjoy - and good luck attaining a more sustainable lifestyle.