Endorsements

I’ve had some really lovely reviews and comments from those who have bought and started to use the manual. 

Review by Simon Brown – Coordinator Transition Chester

Written and published by Colin Hastings, the Carbon Buddy Manual is intended to work alongside the Carbon Buddy Project website and provides an extremely accessible way to encourage readers to adopt step-by-step personal goals to make changes in all aspects of living and working in order to tackle the climate emergency.

As the title of the book suggests, this is a workbook to follow alongside a self-chosen ‘Carbon Buddy’ as a way to provide mutual support, enthusiasm and encouragement on the journey to achieve zero Carbon emissions.

Colin Hastings uses insight gained through a career working in the field of organisational psychology to develop this straightforward way for people to work together to tackle what often appears to be an insurmountable and overwhelming problem -  the reduction of human-caused carbon emissions to zero.

For many, the feeling is one of personal insignificance in the face of the magnitude of what needs to be done, resulting in disheartened inaction. This attractive manual helps to combat this and to harness the human desire to work with others and be part of a movement with the like-minded.

As you progress the step by step stages set out in the manual you will be taken on a mutual  journey involving challenges and changes to your life which eventually grows organically into a much enlarged process joining up with and working alongside other carbon buddies. A process resembling biological growth.

The format of the book is a handy size, slightly less than A4, with 126 pages and includes several pages which are designed to be used for making notes and recording reflections.

Scattered through the book are ‘nudge boxes’ which prompt slight diversions and further information and ideas.  (‘Seeds of hope’ – giving referenced examples of positive action by others; ‘How About?’ – a prompt for doing something differently in one’s day to day living ; ‘Dig Deeper’ – a listing of references to enable access to sources of further information and resources.

Having explored this manual in some detail and having embarked upon the Carbon Buddy journey myself, I can see that it is an extremely useful resource for any community organisation which is engaged in practical action tackling environmental issues.

For Transition Groups, particularly, the manual offers a way to engage with a wider public through the use of personal relationships without appearing to be ‘hectoring’. Chester Transition have now invested in a number of copies to help us as a community organisation , as we reach out to new audiences and engage more people in positive change in to tackle the growing climate emergency.

I sincerely hope other community groups up and down the country will invest in a few copies and become ‘propagators’ themselves.

Pippa Stilwell and Mary Lindsey : Climate Ambassadors, Cornwall Federation of Women’s Institutes.

'Colin Hastings, an organisational psychologist, describes this as a practical 'how to' guide for practical 'how to' people. He recognises that climate change is a huge topic and in this manual has broken it down into 'bite size' chunks.  There are 19 steps that you can take at your own pace but with a friend so that you can work together and support each other on this journey. These are all very positive steps that should help you to counteract any anxiety that you may feel about the climate emergency. Step 1 is finding your Carbon Buddy and this is followed by exploring the issues and then measuring your carbon footprint, crunching the numbers and picturing your personal pollution. The manual then goes on to help you prioritise the actions the author characterises as ‘cool’ -  cool consumerism, cool investment, and cool compensation – that is, how might we compensate for our historical and residual pollution, and use our spending power to build a cooler world?

Don’t be put off by the term ‘buddy’!  This is far from being an American book: it was published in Truro and Colin Hastings lives locally. He is very clear about the scale of the challenge we face, but he is also upbeat about the potential for the Carbon Buddy Project to, as he puts it, ‘unleash an avalanche of billions of small actions, each fuelled by emotion, positive thinking, creative problem solving, and collaborative working’.  Just what WI members are good at! And interestingly, many of the things he suggests we do WI members have been doing already – flying less, insulating our homes, campaigning, or just talking about climate change.   However, the manual is detailed and comprehensive, using methods learnt during a long career helping individuals and organisations to change. For some people, working through it step by step with a partner or close friend may seem a bit much. In that case, treat it as a book to dip into, an inspirational (and influential) source of ‘nudges’ to enable us to change our behaviour, which we will suddenly find ourselves discussing in spite of ourselves.

The book is nicely laid out and very accessible – essential given the huge amount of information and advice it contains. It is an excellent guide and handbook for the climate change journey we are all now bound to take.”

Linda Camidge. Penzance Literary Festival

Everyone needs an in-house lockdown buddy –preferably one that’s interesting, stimulating and non-threatening.  The Carbon Buddy Manual meets all those criteria, and although it’s disappointing not to be able to welcome Colin Hastings to Penzance Literary Festival in person this year, reading his book is the next best thing.

“‘Is it all pessimistic?’ Hastings asks in his first chapter. And on the facing page, his answer: ‘No, it’s not!”’A welcome message at the moment. The Manual reminds us that our problems won’t be over when Covid-19 is sent, famously, packing; climate change is a far bigger threat. But it is very encouraging to read that in this case, we are not powerless; there are solutions. And even more encouraging that Hastings presents us with a ‘can do’ guide to making a difference.

The Carbon Buddy Manual  is rather like a Haynes manual. Okay, without those evocative grubby oil-stains –but the format makes clear that this is a workbook.  There are plenty of pages for the reader to make lists, note actions to be taken and record progress.  A great toolkit, perfect for your home education, lock-down life, and plans for the ‘new normal’ future.

Sallie Eden’s review of The Carbon Buddy Manual.
Go to My Blog to read the interview between Colin and Sallie.

Something different for me to review this month – a manual, not a book.

Carbon emissions, climate change, environmental best practice – all issues it’s difficult to avoid these days. For anyone wanting to know more there are endless sources of information from academic treatise to books by well meaning, but sometimes ill-informed amateurs. Thankfully, here we have something much more readable and which lives up to its description as a ‘a clear, structured guide to getting started and keeping going’.

The author acknowledges what many so-called experts frequently overlook: the various barriers to climate action eg the behavioural, financial and practical issues. He also understands that too often people are turned off when they’re faced with the hectoring tones of certain types of activist and frequently conflicting messages.

I liked his approach, which I’d describe as one of ‘you don’t have to run a marathon on day one, you can start with baby steps, even those will get you nearer to where you want to be’, He suggests we should try to encourage and work with others and have fun whilst we’re taking action.

The format is suitable for older children, maybe siblings working together, as well as adults, but would work equally well as the basis of a family or household project or one to carry out with work colleagues.

By the start of Chapter 2 I’d already had an idea of my own to supplement one of Colin’s suggestions (helpfully provided in little boxes alongside the main text). I’m sure if I’d had the opportunity to bounce ideas off someone else I’d have more ideas, even on a first reading.

I really enjoyed this book. It was different, pragmatic, very readable, well-informed and contained an unexpected, but vital piece of advice: it’s ok to reward yourself when you’ve completed your environmental action list (not sure I’d go with pavlova though!).

Highly recommended. Bravo Colin!

Giuliana Hanman, Italian teacher.

Bravissimo! The whole manual builds motivation up steadily. Fragmenting the enormous task into many smaller chunks makes it less daunting. I also very much like the interlude reflections on change. I recognised my own anxiety … [about] the urgency of the personal changes. In bocca al lupo! (Good luck).

More endorsements

Review by Helen Browning, CEO of The Soil Association

Chuffed to bits to be included in Helen Browning’s Christmas reading shortlist alongside gurus such as Jonathan Porritt, Dieter Helm and Paul Hawken of Project Drawdown. I have long admired what she and The Soil Assocation have achieved. Here’s what she says:

“When it comes to the things we could all be doing in our personal lives, The Carbon Buddy Manual by Colin Hastings is the guide we need. It provides a clear step by step guide to reducing your carbon emissions, in ways that are right for you. There’s a website too and loads of opportunities to become part of a growing carbon reduction movement.”