Easy point for the rich
DO Good Lives Have to Cost the Earth? questions the supposition that a good life is one that supports the economy through constant spending through the winning manifesto that we need to "stop working so much... and start to party."
This notion is supported by 22 essayists, all of who come from diverse backgrounds.
The pieces range in seriousness and readability, yet, whether espousing an "environmental revolution," the "need to rediscover the value of durability" or the "decommodification of fun," the book brims with an optimism that's at odds with most texts on climate change.
Collecting the pieces into convenient sub-sections - be that political responsibility, food or design - makes it perfect for dipping into and it makes many valid points that do well to emphasise that a green life does not necessarily mean renouncing luxuries.
This point, however, is easy for the contributors to make given that they're universally wealthy and Western.
SUSAN DARLINGTON

