Review: This book, subtitled 'sustainability, lifelong learning and everyday life' is an account of one person's thoughts about the processes of education and sustainable living. The basic tenet is that changes should be lifelong, involve education and provide a more sustainable outcome. As such, it continues a tradition of environmentalist thinking that small changes, multiplied, can make a significant difference. The idea for the book started when the author was forced to confront a flood whose impact had been made worse through human impact in the area. From here, the reader is taken into some of the conceptual background in the ideas of sustainability and lifelong learning. Chapter two discusses the dynamic relationship between needs and satisficer behaviour. The argument is that we might be buying goods at a cheap price but the ultimate cost might well be far greater: we need to be more aware of what we really need. Chapter three examines some of the most influential projects that combine education and sustainability with the world famous Centre for Alternative Technology being a prime case. It discusses not only the ideas of the projects but also the philosophy behind them. There's also a critical analysis of the approaches that they have made in blending education, sustainability and ultimately tourism into one philosophically coherent package. Visiting specific centres is useful but the real change comes at home. In chapter four the author argues that we need to create not just a sustainability education but also a community that has sustainability at its core - a local, democratic organisation running local events. It's an interesting idea that has some merit but one must wonder as to the time it would take to create such a place. Far more pragmatic, and with a greater history of success, is the idea of community action to influence public policy. A range of examples are given each of which shows that local action can work but that, in keeping with the book, it can also be used as a learning activity. A similar theme is taken up in chapter six looking at media. Here though the base for discussion is far broader ranging from education about the media (the useful idea of media literacy) to using the media, to discussions about the history of nature broadcasting e.g. BBC. A final chapter looks at ways we can re-educate people in all aspects of life to be more sustainable citizens from the use of ICT to reduce travelling to moving businesses towards more responsible production.

This is a very thoughtful text. It's not a polemic per se but it still focusses on one specific way of delivering a message. As such it provides the reader with an ideal platform from which and with which to explore their own ideas of sustainability and how it may be achieved. given recent research into student opinions on global issues such as the greenhouse effect its certain that whichever route is chosen, education is the key. This book provides us with a way of more critically choosing the right path.