Laurie David has been at the forefront of the sustainability movement for more than two decades. From her documentary work, including her role as an executive producer in the Academy awardwinning film “An Inconvenient Truth,” to her numerous public education and action campaigns, she has tackled the climate crisis in the public sphere on many fronts. Co-authored with Heather Reisman, David’s latest book, “Imagine It!” is a testament to her accumulated environmental expertise, and makes the perfect beginner’s handbook to sustainability. “Everything I know is in this book,” David told The Times.
David and Reisman divide “Imagine It!” into seven environmental footprints that must be reduced: plastic, food, clothing, chemical, paper, water, and transportation. They begin each chapter with some quick facts, such as the world produces more than 380 million tons of plastic waste worldwide each year — before giving us “the short story.” With “the short story,” David and Reisman effectively explain how each of these footprints negatively impacts the environment, and the role that each of us play in that process. They break down an immense amount of information with notable ease, making the text remarkably approachable for those new to environmentalism and sustainability.
The rest of each chapter is broken into two steps: building awareness and taking action. Here, David and Reisman give tips on how to evaluate your footprint and, more important, how to reduce it. Each tip is a practical, actionable item or small change you can make in your day-to-day life to make a positive impact on the planet.
To reduce your food footprint, David suggests three quick tips. First, she says to take expiration dates with a grain of salt. Since expiration dates aren’t regulated, it’s better to test by smell and taste before tossing anything away. Next, she suggests loading your refrigerator with food waste in mind. After grocery shopping, place the new food items in the back so the older items are more prominent, and more likely to be used before they expire. Last, rather than throwing away older and uglier vegetables, David recommends making soup with them.
Finally, each chapter ends with a section titled “Become an advocate,” which includes advice on how to enact larger changes in communities, companies, and government.
David says she decided to write “Imagine It!” to equip and empower others with the knowledge needed to combat climate change. As Reisman told her on their many walks together, plenty of people care about the environment, but are unsure of where to start. David believes if people knew the impact of their actions, they would ultimately make more positive choices.
“It feels to me like we’re in the middle of a really dysfunctional relationship with our most important partner, which is Mother Earth,” said David. “We have been taking and taking and taking, and not giving a hell of a lot back. But we can still course-correct, and I wrote this book to help people do that.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has also made “Imagine It!” even more timely on two fronts, said David. First, coronavirus illuminated for many Americans the relationship between environmental injustice and racism. As David points out, people of color in the U.S. were disproportionately affected by the pandemic because of their predisposition to lung disease, asthma, and other pollution-related illnesses. Second, COVID-19 demonstrated that given a significant enough issue, Americans are willing to make sweeping changes in their day-to-day life for the greater good. If Americans can alter their behavior for the pandemic, they can do it for the climate crisis, said David.
“Luckily, there is a vaccine for the pandemic, but there is no vaccine for the climate crisis,” said David. “We really have to start addressing this with the urgency that the problem demands.”
After nearly a quarter-century of environmental activism, David is still confident that Americans can successfully mitigate and conquer the climate crisis. “I actually can imagine it. I can imagine a greener, healthier future. I am optimistic, and I don’t know a single environmentalist who isn’t,” said David.
“Imagine It! A Handbook for a Happier Planet,” by Laurie David and Heather Reisman. Available at Bunch of Grapes, Vineyard Haven, at Edgartown Books, and online.
