A Good Life; The guide to ethical living

Author: Leo Hickman

Publisher/Date Published: Eden Project Books, 2005

ISBN Number: 1-903-91959-2

By: Preston Li

Outline

A Good Life; The guide to ethical living is essentially a 304 paged manual published by Eden Project Books, replete with facts, tips and sources for additional reading, on how to live the sustainable “ethical” lifestyle. With the ultimate goal of promoting “a mindset that espouses a better awareness and sense of conscience about one’s actions”, Leo Hickman is able to instill a sense of personal responsibility throughout the myriad of choices we make on a day by day basis and imbues us with the realization that we can “make a difference”.

Live the Ethical Life (relevance):

Most of us who encounter the concept of sustainability recognize the intrinsically good intentions that are embedded within it, yet fail to recognize how we can integrate its tenets and values into our daily lives. This book is the answer.

Indulge in slow food, support fair trade produce, use biomass generated energy, embrace the “four R’s” of garbage consumption, take public transportation; all of which are detrimental to living the “good” life.

Despite being written primarily for a UK audience, A Good Life encompasses everything from ethical food and drink practices and responsible energy use to dispelling stress from our workplace and conscientious usage of money , serving as the link between sustainability as a conception and how it can be manifested in the daily lives of all people.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Ignorance is Bliss (opinion):

Sometimes, we take solace in what we do not know. Never had I felt this more profoundly than when I read A Good Life. Make no mistake, The guide to ethical living is a comprehensive and necessary part of any socially responsible person’s library. It’s just disheartening to discover that practically every facet of our modern existence is so significantly dysfunctional, damaging and wasteful.

From the 220,000 worldwide deaths per year of pesticide poisoned people eating green veggies they thought were “good” for them, to the fact that our appetites for travel and tourism actually pit the locals of many desirable destinations into impoverished conditions, there are more problems in modern day life than you could imagine.

Thankfully, Hickman seeks to rectify this with an impressive array of tips and guidelines on how we can all live with less, as well as additional sources and media for further research. Just be prepared for a long read, accompanied by descriptions, terminology and resources best understood and utilized by people living in the United Kingdom.

Rating: 4 out of 5