A Greener Life, by Clarissa Dickson Wright and Johnny Scott. Newton Abbot, Devon, United Kingdom: David & Charles Publishers, 2007. 256 pages, Hardcover, $30.00.
The term “greener” provokes varying responses. While all sensible people decry the destruction of the environment, in many Chestertonian circles there is a tendency to view self-proclaimed members of the “green movement” as tofu-obsessed hippies who worship the earth, live in tents made from hemp, care more about endangered vermin than human children, and use their own solid waste as fuel; this is by no means a universal application of “green living.” As Clarissa Dickson Wright and Johnny Scott illustrate in their humorous and readable book A Greener Life, the “green” lifestyle can also be synonymous for a Distributist lifestyle. Although Distributism is never mentioned by name (no big surprise), people who wish to integrate Distributist principles into their lives should give this book some serious consideration.
Wright is best known for her wonderful work on the uproarious television cooking show Two Fat Ladies, co-hosted by Jennifer Paterson. After Paterson’s untimely death, Wright began hosting another show, Clarissa and the Countryman, about British rural life and food cultivation and collection, with her childhood friend Johnny Scott. Over the last few years, Wright and Scott have collaborated on several books about nourishment and the state of the countryside in contemporary Britain.
Like most of Wright and Scott’s books, A Greener Life is beautifully printed. Their short essays, recipes, quips, and quotes are artfully arranged, with hundreds of gorgeous photographs of flora, fauna, and miscellaneous materials interspersed throughout the book. It is visually attractive and artfully written.
This book is written as a response to the fact that Great Britain is facing a population shift to the countryside, coupled with a growing concern for environmental wellbeing. The authors note that during the Second World War, when nourishment was scarce, the government actively encouraged its citizens to grow their own food and gather edibles from the wild. As prosperity returned, the government thought it no longer necessary for Britain to be gastronomically self-sustaining, and the nation began importing cheap food from around the world, often at the expense of quality. Wright and Scott mourn the fact that chemically treated, tasteless foodstuffs proliferate at soulless supermarkets, and that the British public is often too lethargic or obsessively dietetic to care that they are being fed fourth-rate food. This book is geared towards people who are sufficiently disgusted with the state of edible affairs to actually do something about it.
Whether one has one’s own farm or just a window box, A Greener Life has tips for anyone who wants to work towards a Distributist lifestyle. Although many people might not be able to tackle the book’s bigger projects, such as raising livestock and growing orchards, A Greener Life is filled with many small projects with which even the most resolutely urban Distributist can dabble. These range from simple crafts and preparations, such as a primer on learning how to knit, and recipes for homemade soap, candles, and other household goods; to tips on composting and flower and vegetable garden planting; to a chapter on home brewing, filled with assorted tips on how to create delicious homemade beer, wine, and cordials.
Although the book has a decidedly British slant, the American edition has been edited so people who live in the United States have some specific tips on how to find better-quality farmers’ markets, reliable organic materials, and who to contact in order to protest inferior food production methods. Also, one of the final sections is devoted to tips on how to make your home more energy-efficient, thereby reducing one’s heating bills.
On the rare occasions when the book veers into “extreme green” territory, such as in the closing section that provides tips on how to live more ecologically, the books tends to lose a little of its credibility. While I personally have no problem with lower thermostat temperatures during the winter, I draw the line at the suggestion that showering is rarely necessary and should be infrequent. After reading the story about the woman who engaged in a bit of carbon foot binding and decided to save hot water by not washing her hair for months on end, thereby discovering that after a few months of an unfortunate but not unexpected ratty appearance, her unwashed hair eventually collected enough natural oils to create a permanent, self-sustaining, soft, silky, emolliated veneer, I wanted to rush to the shower and not leave until I had gone through three large bottles of shampoo and about nine pounds of soap. Improper hygiene does not make you environmentally friendly; it makes you disgusting. Thankfully, the overwhelming bulk of A Greener Life is filled with simple sanity and sound advice.
A Greener Life is in many ways an extended version of Gilbert Magazine’s “The Kitchen Distributist,” but there are many other types of information in this book. Wright and Scott use the food and farming industries to illustrate the corruptions and lunacies of the British government, plus the growing craziness that seems to be inextricably linked to the broader culture. A Greener Life should be required reading for all Distributists.
–Chris Chan
This review first appeared in Gilbert!
