Celebrating Earth Day: Books For Education and Change

Today is Earth Day, where we come together to recognise the necessity of and take action towards a green revolution.

Organised by EARTHDAY.ORG, the largest recruiter of the environmental movement worldwide, this year's theme is centred around engaging over 1 billion people, governments, institutions, and businesses who participate in the occasion to realise and understand the collective responsibility we all have in making the transition to a green economy for everyone across the globe a reality.

In celebration of such an empowering and inspiring movement, I have curated several books that I hope to read at some point in the near future to educate me on the finer and often hidden details of the climate crisis, to understand my role within it.

The Life Cycle 8,000 Miles in the Andes by Bamboo Bike, Kate Rawles

Publishing on June 1st, Rawles' book tracks her incredible 13 month journey across the length of the Andes on her bamboo bicycle as she undertakes a mission to find out more about the importance of biodiversity and what is being done to protect it. I am not only looking forward to reading this book, but also seeing Rawles at Stanfords bookshop in London in early June to celebrate the publication of her book.

The Responsible Traveller: A Practical Guide to Reducing Your Environmental and Social Impact, Embracing Sustainable Tourism and Travelling the World With a Conscience, Karen Edwards

We know I am a huge traveller and I adore exploring the world and its many gems. But I am ever conscious of my impact on the planet when doing so. So, I think Edwards' book will help me pick up some handy tips to implement on my own travel adventures which I can also pass on to my lovely readers.

The Intersectional Environmentalist: How to Dismantle Systems of Oppression to Protect People + Planet, Leah Thomas

This book feels vitally important. Written by the person who coined the term "Intersectional Environmentalism", the book is for 'the next generation of activists looking to create meaningful, inclusive, and sustainable change and seeks to educate on 'the inextricable link between environmentalism, racism, and privilege.' I am really interested to know more about how our fight for the planet is indivisible from the fight for civil rights, and I think this will be a truly empowering read.

Climate Justice: A Man-Made Problem With a Feminist Solution, Mary Robinson

Barack Obama said 'Mary Robinson has not only shone a light on human suffering, but illuminated a better future for our world' with this book. Robinson is an accomplished campaigner for women and for human rights in general, and this book aims to show how women across the world are battling climate devastation and working towards climate justice.

Ravenous: How to get ourselves and our planet into shape, Henry Dimbleby & Jemima Lewis

The food industry fascinates me, so when I found out the co-founder of the Leon restaurant chain, the government adviser and the author of the National Food Strategy had written a book examining the fact we do not have control over what we eat and the environmental damage that is being done by the food system, I could not have been happier.

How Women Can Save The Planet, Anne Karpf

In a similar vein to Robinson's book, Karpf's promises a delve into 'the radical ideas, compelling research and tireless campaigns, led by and for women around the world' that show it is possible for global climate policies to be gender-inclusive and promote gender equality.

Consumed: The need for collective change; colonialism, climate change & consumerism, Aja Barber

Finally, I would love to read Barber's Consumed. Whilst the first half of the book focuses on 'the endemic injustices in our consumer industries and the uncomfortable history of the textile industry', the second aims to help us 'to understand the uncomfortable truth behind why you consume the way you do.' The promise that it will teach us 'how to be a citizen not a consumer' is fascinating and urgently necessary.

What are you reading this Earth Day? Let me know over on Instagram.

#InvestInOurPlanet

Featured image courtesy of Casey Horner on Unsplash. Image license can be found here. No changes were made to this image.