Green Barbarians: Live Bravely on Your Home Planet

by Ellen Sandbeck

Sandbeck preaches a return to a more primitive way of life—a life with more joy and fewer household products. Green Barbarians demonstrates that by mustering a bit of courage and relying less on many modern conveniences, we can live happier, safer, more ecologically and economically responsible lives..

Genres: Nonfiction, Environment, Health, Sustainability, Green, Reference

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Ellen Sandbeck is an organic landscaper, writer, and graphic artist based in Duluth, Minnesota. Known for humorous writing about sustainable living, she authored Slug Bread & Beheaded Thistles and Eat More Dirt while managing a lively household of family and animals.

Reviews

[Jess]

This was very informative, and a really interesting read. I felt like you have to take everything at face value, this was supposedly a lifestyle guide.. but I think it's impossible to follow every single thing that she says.

I liked her overall concept about big business vs. the environment. I also really liked her beginning concept that people are more afraid of getting sick than they need to be. People are more afraid of dirt then is necessary. I'm all for leaving alone the bottle of "anti bacterial soap", and just using some water and a little hand soap every once in awhile. There's nothing wrong with a few germs, it's what builds up our immune system.

I also couldn't believe some of the facts I was reading about federally subsidized farming and how the government insists people need to eat fruits and veggies but not enough to subsidize those crops. To the point where people with subsidized land will lose their federal funding if they have a tomato garden. Very interesting indeed.

Overall, it was informative, but after awhile it became very dry reading. There were so many facts and so many studies being mentioned that it was impossible to keep all of the information straight. I would give it a 3.5.

[Zoe]

I thought it was ironic that the introduction to this book is all about how we are a nation consumed by fear, but then the rest of the book is essentially trying to scare you into not using any product that is on the market right now. My favorite was the endorsement of using only water to wash your hands...I'm fairly certain that there have been numerous studies that rinsing your hands in water does nothing to kill germs. And yes, some germs are ok, but I don't really want to be going around with salmonella or e coli on my hands, do you? After reading this endorsement of hand-rinsing in the first chapter, I pretty much rolled my eyes through the rest of the book.

[Michelle]

The author is a gardener (landscape architect) by trade, not a scientist, researcher, doctor or academic. Much of her knowledge is based on non-peer-reviewed information or outdated scientific processes. WHile she quotes some journal sources, none of her research should be considered exhaustive or unbiased.

(Specifically, her information about circumcision is not based in current academic knowledge.)

[Dalen]

Okay, okay, there were lots of thoughts and ideas thrown at the reader with not enough evidence . . . But who cares. It challenged my thinking and brought up some long forgotten topics. I liked this book. It doesn’t mean I’ll act on every suggestion but I will think about things differently.

[Kimberly Boenig]

Best read with a grain of salt, as is normal for literature on green living. Take of it what you think will benefit you best and skim the rest.

[Rough Reads]

Helpful and Inspiring

[Casey]

A very illuminating book! I learned a lot about the over-sanitation in parts of our culture, and I'm much less nervous about germy things. Bacteria is not to be feared! The Earth's ecosystem and human health depend greatly on bacteria, so wiping it from every surface and scouring ourselves raw is hugely detrimental to our well-being. I think one of the most important things to be learned from Ellen Sandbeck's book is that over-protecting our children from getting common colds and small infections prevents them from building up immunities that come in handy later in life, and they can sometimes cause ailments like allergies and asthma.

Using many personal examples as well as citing scientific studies, Sandbeck's exhaustive research tells us not to be afraid to play in the dirt, and it's ok to get a little messy sometimes.

[Molly]

I went to see the author do a reading at a Minneapolis bookshop, which put her voice and mannerisms to mind when reading the book.

I love the message of the book--to live in the dirt and not give in to all the nuttiness of big corporations and big fear, but the execution needed work. I would say this could have used strong editing in the integration of narrative with heavy research--in this, the research clearly took away from the reading experience.

Also: I love, love, love the cover.

[Jess]

I enjoyed reading this book. The author provides humor throughout and a little bit of research. I'm not going to sag that I'll follow it like a bible-some reviews, but I will probably implement a few of the practical ideas sprinkled in the text.
The book is a broad overview suitable for people just starting to be interested (or maybe not yet) in stepping out of the mainstream, but probably attracts more readers who are already committed to an alternative lifestyle at some level. These readers don't have as much to gain from the book.

[Anne]

This is another one of those "save the planet" books that I love. All sorts of useful tips and facts and information.

Anti HFCS, pro locavore.

Talks about how to live a green life and defy convention. How much poison we unload into our environment every day with all the products we consume. As americans, we are big consumers of "stuff."

How can we let go of our quest for stuff and live an easy, simple and happy life?

[Krystle Natoli]

This book did more for me than I ever would have expected. I loved how this book was jam-packed with knowledge and eco-friendly ideas for better living. Definitely made me rethink many things, and I have come out of the experience knowing more than I did going in. I highly recommend this book to anyone who finds interest in non-fiction reading. I also loved how she added in personal accounts along with the information she presented- wonderful read!

[Jennifer Miera]

I should use stale bread as napkins and vinegar to kill germs. Oh, Really? No revelations here. The author was also anti-soy, citing that soy foods only came about because the Chinese never wasted anything and so something they normally wouldn't even eat became a main-menu item because it was so readily available as a waste product. Not sure about the research on that one...

[Kelley]

Covers a diverse and wide set of topics. The chapters group the subjects, but within there are a lot of subheaders. Reads more like a blog with little blurbs on the various subjects (just without dates). Some of the things discussed are a little disturbing. Definitely has information worth thinking about.
Does a fairly decent job of documenting where her information came from.

[Suzanne]

Halfway through (okay maybe a quarter through) I stopped reading and started skimming - looking to find the statements that were well researched and had some practical applications - too far and few between in this book!

[Cimuchowski]

Um... thanks some web site that suggested it based on my interest in Collapse.

[Surviving and thriving on pennies]

OMG I love this book! I learned that I not only need to worry about my family but also our pets. Apple's under arm pits to waterless toilets. Its all in there!

[Da277]

I loved this book. By the time I finished the last page it was dog eared, highlighted and underlined like a college textbook. Chock full of interesting tidbits that make you think. I Loved it!!

[Courtney]

Interesting and thought provoking. Will change some of my behaviors, but also heavily biased.

[Dana]

This book is full of useful information about anything "green" you may desire to know. It's a time consuming book but good.

[Siobhan]

Skimmed through a number of sections, but some good ideas in there. Using bread as napkins probably not one of them though.

[Bob]

Couldn't finish it. Not what I thought it would be.

[Amelie]

Good info