The Living-Green Myth: The Promise and Limits of Lifestyle Environmentalism

By: Michael Maniates

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Synopsis: Major environmental problems threaten our planet and evoke within us a need to act – a need to do something, no matter how small, to slow the damage. But what kind of action? Businesses, governments and some environmental groups tell us that buying environmentally friendly products while living more lightly on the planet is a winning strategy. Do the little things for the earth, the story goes, and others will follow, creating an environmental tsunami of change in norms, values and behaviors. The planet will thrive. Michael Maniates isn't buying it. He believes the mantra of “buy green, live lean, save the planet” is a con of recent and unseemly origin. It fosters pernicious assumptions about social change, separates individuals from their real power in the world, and fuels damaging consumption. It thrives because it meets the short-term priorities of governments and business, not the long-term needs of the planet's human and non-human inhabitants. Environmentally concerned individuals can make a meaningful difference in the world, and living green is a start. But alone, it can do more harm than good. We must embrace more rewarding and effective practices for saving the planet. This book shows us how.