Planting a Seed: Three Simple Steps to Sustainable Living

by Kate Gaertner

Overview

2022 Nautilus Award Winner: Silver, Green/Restorative/Sustainable Practices.

Discover your path toward a more sustainable life.

The science on climate change is in, and its impacts are being felt around the globe. It’s time for every one of us to start finding a new way of living, working, and moving around our planet. The good news is, it doesn’t have to be hard, and it doesn’t have to feel like a sacrifice. By understanding how you fit into the global picture, and investigating what changes work best for you, you can soften your impact on the planet in as many areas of your life that feel right and work for you. It just takes some planning, some action, and some practice.

In Planting a Seed, corporate sustainability expert Kate Gaertner shows you how to develop an action plan that will help you develop new habits and ways of living that fit into your daily life. You’ll gain greater insight into how you are personally connected to the larger ecosystems and environmental issues, and start discovering and embracing your values every day through your actions, commitments, and purchases.

You’ll learn about the six impact categories where your actions can be felt, and customize an adaptation plan that builds from where you are. Offering ideas for sustainability at a small, medium, and large level, Kate shows that living lightly can also mean living well. Accessible and lively, Planting a Seed charts a way toward a greener future by encouraging each of us to find the sustainability path that feels just right.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781774580486
Publisher:	Page Two Books, Inc.
Publication date:	10/19/2021
Pages:	216
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Kate Gaertner is a leading expert, sought-after speaker and consultant in corporate sustainability with 25 years of combined corporate and entrepreneurial experience. She holds a Masters of Science in Sustainable Management from the University of Wisconsin, an M.B.A. from the Wharton School, and an A.B. from Dartmouth College.

Kate serves on the board of the XXcelerate Fund, a business-accelerator and fund for women-led businesses and has held positions at XM Satellite Radio, Ziff Davis Media, and Time Inc., as well as worked as a consultant to Fortune 500 companies developing go-to-market business strategies. She also founded a sustainable women’s activewear lifestyle brand, OMALA.

Kate is married with two great kids, and lives in downtown Portland, Oregon.

Table of Contents

A Note from the Author 1

Introduction 3

Part I Planting Seeds

1 Sustainability: An Old Idea with Renewed Relevance 9

2 Know What You Value 27

3 Committing to Change 43

4 Getting Curious about Carbon 57

5 Bias to Action 65

Part II Nourishing Seeds

6 Living Lightly, Living Well 73

7 Transportation 81

8 Energy 93

9 Home and Property 107

10 Food 127

11 Material Goods 145

12 Water 165

13 Trash 177

14 Ownership 191

Part III Growing Seeds

15 Curating a Sustainability List 211

16 Finding Your Voice 229

Conclusion: Being a Lodestar 241

Acknowledgments 245

Notes 247

Additional Resources 255

Editorial Reviews

08/16/2021

Gaertner, a sustainability consultant, encourages people to adopt a more eco-friendly lifestyle in her straightforward if somewhat superficial debut. Emphasizing that “a sustainable life... is a marriage of what you value with what is valuable for sustaining the world you know and love,” Gaertner delineates four categories of values that can be used to support sustainability—budget, wellness, community, and the environment—and tailors her tips to inspire readers motivated by frugality, fitness, fellowship, or concern for the environment. The bulk of the advice explains major categories of consumption—including transportation, energy, food, and trash—for which the author proposes sustainable options, among them to consume less fossil fuel, meat, and nonrecyclable goods, and to “keep choices simple. Limit over-buying. Make things last.” Her approach is orderly, logical, and always positive: “Remember, sustainability is not a sacrifice. It’s a change in lifestyle that allows you to flourish.” The author’s efforts to remain apolitical are a mixed bag, however, and though the focus on one’s personal choices rather than policy prescriptions is refreshing, there’s a tendency to sidestep sticky issues, such as trade-offs one may have to make and the personal privilege necessary to afford many sustainable options, while GMOs are addressed in an oversimplified manner. However, for those looking for a starting point to creating a greener lifestyle, this is a fine option. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

Her approach is orderly, logical, and always positive... Refreshing…. For those looking for a starting point to creating a greener lifestyle, this is a fine option.” —Publishers Weekly

“For many years, Kate Gaertner directed her sustainability expertise towards greening companies. Now she's using that knowledge to empower individuals on the path to sustainability. Planting a Seed is packed with practical tips to help lighten your family's impact on the planet. Whether you're a nature lover, penny pincher or brand new to going green, Kate will help you create a customized sustainability action plan that is sure to inspire you to become a personal change-maker.” —Adria Vasil, bestselling author of the Ecoholic book series

“Planting a Seed: three simple steps to sustainable living clearly provides readers with accessible actions they can take to begin living more sustainably. Kate Gaertner helps simplify what can seem a very complex process for many people, identifying value drivers that the average person can easily identify in their daily life, and what steps we can take as individuals to make changes in seven clear impact categories. Kate's core message: Start small, do what works for you and your family, and larger positive changes both personally and for the greater community will follow!” —Melissa Bruntlett, author of Building the Cycling City and Curbing Traffic

“Kate Gaertner explains how each of us can—must—work to reverse global warming. She reminds me of Body Shop co-founder Anita Roddick, who contrasted the pessimism of the thought with the optimism of the action. It's time for optimism and action.” —John Elkington, Founder & Chief Pollinator at Volans, and author of Green Swans: The Coming Boom in Regenerative Capitalism

“It's clear that joining movements for change in our political and economic systems is the main way we'll fight climate change—but while you're doing that there are plenty of things around your home that can make a difference too, and this book provides lots of handy ideas!” —Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature

“Planting a Seed is a compelling read, lively and fun, with relatable stories and metaphors that simplify otherwise complicated concepts. Kate Gaertner makes sustainable actions accessible to everyone. Buy this book!” —Gregg Semler, CEO of InPipe Energy

“Now it's personal. Individuals are stewards of sustainable change. In her uplifting book, Kate Gaertner provides the knowledge, tools, and easy-to-adopt frameworks for lowering environmental impact in all parts of one's life.” —Dan Kalafatas, co-founder and chairman of 3Degrees

From the Publisher