If you’re looking for book ideas to gift (or ask for) this Christmas, here’s a list of our favourite eco, environmental and wellness books:
updated: 01.11.19
Books are probably the best and most welcomed Christmas gifts and there is no better time to start a new read than during the holidays, cuddled up on the sofa drinking a hot chocolate. If your new year’s resolution is to read more, asking for one of these inspiring, thought-provoking and beautiful books is the perfect opportunity to get started. For anyone looking for a regular reading commitment in 2020, join our book club.
Here are some of our favourite eco books, covering wellness, sustainability, social justice, the environment and food:
(Make sure to buy e-books on your kindle / iPad or find second-hand copies where possible to save some trees. FSC certified paper is also good, so look out for the label.)
Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker
In Why We Sleep, Professor Matthew Walker explores everything from what really happens during REM sleep to how caffeine and alcohol affect sleep and why our sleep patterns change across a lifetime, transforming our appreciation of the extraordinary phenomenon that safeguards our existence.
The Uninhabitable Earth by David Wallace-Wells
The Uninhabitable Earth by David Wallace-Wells is both a travelogue of the near future and a meditation on how that future will look regarding current politics, modern technologies and the climate crisis. Acting as an almost call to action, the book highlights the responsibility the current population of the earth must take for the current state of the world.
A Life Less Throwaway by Tara Button
Tara Button has become an advocate for a way of living in which we carefully choose objects that will last a lifetime, instead of a few minutes. A life less throwaway outlines 10 steps to mindfully curate your things and letting go of the superfluous all with the aim to live a more fulfilled life as well as helping save the planet.
Read Tara Button’s guide to buying gifts for life, not just for Christmas.
Well Being by Danielle Copperman
Eco-Age contributor Danielle Copperman’s book Well Being is about, well you guessed it, wellness. It explores the topic with a holistic approach, by exploring the connection between the body and mind and providing helpful recipes, practices and rituals for a more mindful living.
Heart Talk by Cleo Wade
Heart Talk is a collection of poems, affirmations and mantras presented as short, inspiring and relatable advice ‘for a better life’. The perfect bedside table book, with a little poem to be consumed just before sleep.
The Nature of Beauty by Imelda Burke
Founder of London-based organic beauty store and website Content, Imelda Burke, collected her knowledge and insights from the world of natural beauty in this ultimate guide to clean cosmetics, organic skincare and botanical beauty rituals. A must for anyone wanting to learn more on the topic.
Sustainable Home by Christine Liu
A resourceful book full of projects and tips on how to create a more eco-friendly househould written by sustainable lifestyle blogger Christine Liu.
Read her piece about How To Reduce Food Waste.
Notes On A Nervous Planet by Matt Haig
Following the success of ‘How To Stay Alive’, this book is an equally raw and honest read about mental health. At a time in which rates of stress and anxiety are rising and the world seems to be moving ever-faster, fuelled by technonogy, the author analyses what this is doing to our minds and how we might be able to how to slow it down in the 21st century.
She Speaks, Yvette Cooper
Part essay collection, part feminist manifesto, She Speaks by MP Yvette Cooper examines the impact of some of the most powerful speeches made by women throughout history. Among some of our favourites are Maya Angelou’s ‘On the Pulse of Morning’ and Michelle Obama’s ‘When They Go Low, We Go High’.
East by West by Jasmine Hemsley
Jasmine Hemsley’s new cookbook is based on and inspired by the ancient holistic healing system Ayurveda. The recipes are designed to help you find the ultimate mind-body balance.
Jasmine is also an advocate for sustainable fashion and you can read about her favourite sustainable fashion brands here and her favourite ethical underwear brands here.
Eat Happy by Melissa Hemsley
Melissa Hemsley’s book Eat Happy features healthy and easy recipes made with easily-accessible ingredients. The perfect gift for the busiest #bosswoman (or man of course!) that wants to feel good and nourished on the go.