7 Books, movies and people that inspire change!

While we’re having a heatwave in the UK, I’ve been spending my evenings catching up with my reading list.

What better way to escape the heat than to get lost in a good book!

And it got me thinking about some of the books, films and people that have inspired me over the years and helped me be more sustainable. In no particular order, here are some of my favourites:

Karen Cannard

Back in 2008, I read Karen’s blog “The Rubbish Diet“. She took part in her council’s Zero Waste Week challenge and only threw away one plaster! Rather than be daunted by the concept I was totally inspired. While Karen no longer writes her blog, she is still out there as an advocate for helping people slim their bins and makes regular appearances as a speaker on waste issues.

Dirt! The Movie

I can’t begin to tell you how much I learned from Dirt! The movie! It covers the important topic of, well, you’ve guessed it – dirt! Yep, that brown stuff that covers the earth’s surface. It’s fast paced and is humorous, while covering a serious message about how we need to have more respect for dirt. It covers soil erosion, loss of habitat and everything else you could possibly imagine!

The Age of Stupid

The film “The Age of Stupid” stars Pete Postlethwaite as a man living in 2055. He’s watching footage from 2008 and asking “Why didn’t we stop climate change when we had the chance?”

As part documentary and part drama, this film addresses the concerns of climate change really well and gives you something to think about.

Leftover Pie: 101 ways to reduce food waste

This fantastic book by Anna Pitt delves deep into the history of food waste, WHY we waste food and what we can do about it. Anna has filled the book with 101 recipes from chefs, bloggers and zero waste campaigners which means there is something for every one. What I love about this book is it’s accessible for the whole family and is educational as well as a useful recipe book.

An inconvenient Truth

This was the first ever environmental film I watched and it woke me from a deep sleep. It is quite frightening but it definitely pulls your head out of the sand with its presentation. If it doesn’t move you from apathy to taking action, then I don’t know what will.

Paul Connett

Check this guy out! He is totally amazing in his tireless campaigning for a zero waste society. While many of us may have pie-in-the-sky ideas, Paul Connett is grounded and well researched in his message. He has tonnes of energy and I’ve had the pleasure of listening to three of his talks. If he does a talk near you, don’t miss it.

Dolores Rubio-Turtle

I had the pleasure of speaking to Dolores for the first time this week. Dolores is founder of Orethic, where she specialises in helping women buy safe, allergen free products for their bodies and homes. She was one of the first people to introduce washable nappies in Spain and now educates young girls on the importance of honouring their bodies with reusable menstrual products. She spent TEN YEARS researching and developing the first completely organic, fairtrade plastic-free washable menstrual pad!

What about you? I’d love to hear about the people, books and movies that have inspired your sustainably journey.