<i>‘The question Chris Gibson and his colleagues answer in this book is simple: “Why is it not easy being green?” In 20 concise, focused and accessible chapters - from birthing to dying, from toilets to Christmas - they unveil the ambiguities, instabilities and paradoxes of affluent household living in the 21st century. In so doing, they temper the easy rhetoric of sustainable lifestyles with some authentic realities drawn from the affluent world. Earth system science is showing us the deep complexity of our material planet. This book brilliantly reflects back to us the complex materiality of our cultural lives.’</i>
- Mike Hulme, University of East Anglia, UK,
<i>‘The strength of this book is the sound academic research combined with an extensive literature review. Both add significantly to our understanding of the material nature of what and how much we take from the natural environment. . . The engaging style adopted by the authors makes this an engrossing and thought-provoking read.’</i>
- Erika Altmann, Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning,