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A review by hflh
Minimal by Madeleine Olivia
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
2.5
TL;DR: This rating would be 3-stars if it weren't for Madeleine Olivia's irresponsible use of facts and skincare advice. I do recommend this book as it's a quick and easy intro to sustainable living and the overall presentation is endearing. BUT, be very critical of the claims Madeleine Olivia is making and what areas she is qualified to give advice on (e.g. consult a dermatologist or esthetician before using essential oil in your DIY skincare)
ON CLAIM-MAKING: When reading, be mindful and critical of which claims are cited and which are not. Madeleine Olivia regularly cites facts about the environmental impacts of consumption, but makes other claims with no sources at all. This is concerning when the claims are surrounding health advice like specific benefits of DIY skincare ingredients or how aluminum in deodorant apparently alters estrogen receptors in breasts (pg. 154).
The latter claim, especially, is something that should not be thrown around without reputable scientific sources. This was the only fear-mongering type claim that stood out to me, but it's still concerning that so much research went into educating the audience about environmental impacts compared to how flippantly health advice was provided. Madeleine Olivia simply states it is important to avoid aluminum in deodorant because of it's impact on estrogen receptors, but does not acknowledge that research suggests the amount of aluminum being absorbed in the body is too minimal to have an impact on your health. The American Cancer Society has a page talking about this claim if it had you worried: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-causes/antiperspirants-and-breast-cancer-risk.html
ON DIY SKIN-CARE: There is a big DIY skincare and clean beauty push in the sustainable living realm of the internet, but sometimes DIY/clean beauty is worse for the environment, ineffective, or unsafe. For example, pure essential oils are often irritating to your skin and lots of DIY recipes don't really do what they claim because they haven't been specifically formulated for that purpose. Using an overripe avocado on your face won't cause you any harm, but it probably won't do much good (but please don't do this with food that's still good to eat -- it's just a waste). Other ingredients like lemon could seriously harm your skin.
I'm not against DIY skincare. Non-comedogenic oils work as great alternatives to expensive, package heavy makeup removers (if followed by an actual cleanser) and certain raw ingredients will actually do what they say. But, definitely be critical of this section and do your own research on what will be good for your skin. Especially if you have serious skincare concerns, a DIY routine will likely not address them in the way you need (speaking from experience :()
If you don't have access to a skincare professional (same :(), there are plenty of dermatologists and estheticians on YouTube who provide more qualified advice. I would recommend Cassandra Bankson - she is a medical esthetician that uses cruelty-free/vegan skincare and is more eco-conscious than some others.
ON "MAKING A POINT" ABOUT PLASTIC USE: At one point, Madeleine Olivia recommends unwrapping produce and leaving the plastic in the store to make a point. This is just rude to service workers and likely won't make its way up the ranks of the store to be able to actually make a point. Similarly, she recommends sending your empty packages to skincare companies to make a point. The only point this makes is that you are willing to buy the product despite the plastic. A better way to make a point to brands is sending emails or letters expressing your concerns -- this has a better chance of making it to the ears of the people who matter.
GENERAL REVIEW:
This book reads like a series of blog posts. I've seen reviews criticizing this, but I think this feature is the book's greatest strength. Yes, you could probably find a lot of the information online (which isn't that the case for most lifestyle books?), but this book puts everything you'd find in several different Google searches into one neat book that you can regularly reference. If you want a tips for a certain area of sustainable consumption, you can pull out this book whenever you need instead of Googling and reading a bunch of different blog posts on the topic every time you want a refresher.
Madeleine Olivia uses a very accessible, conversational tone which you will either find annoying or endearing. I found it endearing. Everything is also broken down into headings and lists. This makes the book easy to skim. If you don't want all the conversational fluff, you can easily skim the headings and lists and then read the parts that stand out to you.
Despite my critiques and low-rating, I would still recommend this book. It's simple, easy to read, and includes a variety of tips on sustainable living that will be helpful to beginners and a good reference for experienced low-wasters just looking for a reminder.
ON ECO-CONSCIOUS LIVING:
Low-waste living is a really important aspect of responding to our various environmental crises, but eco-friendly consumption is not going to change the world. If this book left you excited to take care of the environment, please take your learning further and look into the different ways you can support climate and environment action through donations, lobbying and other forms activism, etc.
ON CLAIM-MAKING: When reading, be mindful and critical of which claims are cited and which are not. Madeleine Olivia regularly cites facts about the environmental impacts of consumption, but makes other claims with no sources at all. This is concerning when the claims are surrounding health advice like specific benefits of DIY skincare ingredients or how aluminum in deodorant apparently alters estrogen receptors in breasts (pg. 154).
The latter claim, especially, is something that should not be thrown around without reputable scientific sources. This was the only fear-mongering type claim that stood out to me, but it's still concerning that so much research went into educating the audience about environmental impacts compared to how flippantly health advice was provided. Madeleine Olivia simply states it is important to avoid aluminum in deodorant because of it's impact on estrogen receptors, but does not acknowledge that research suggests the amount of aluminum being absorbed in the body is too minimal to have an impact on your health. The American Cancer Society has a page talking about this claim if it had you worried: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-causes/antiperspirants-and-breast-cancer-risk.html
ON DIY SKIN-CARE: There is a big DIY skincare and clean beauty push in the sustainable living realm of the internet, but sometimes DIY/clean beauty is worse for the environment, ineffective, or unsafe. For example, pure essential oils are often irritating to your skin and lots of DIY recipes don't really do what they claim because they haven't been specifically formulated for that purpose. Using an overripe avocado on your face won't cause you any harm, but it probably won't do much good (but please don't do this with food that's still good to eat -- it's just a waste). Other ingredients like lemon could seriously harm your skin.
I'm not against DIY skincare. Non-comedogenic oils work as great alternatives to expensive, package heavy makeup removers (if followed by an actual cleanser) and certain raw ingredients will actually do what they say. But, definitely be critical of this section and do your own research on what will be good for your skin. Especially if you have serious skincare concerns, a DIY routine will likely not address them in the way you need (speaking from experience :()
If you don't have access to a skincare professional (same :(), there are plenty of dermatologists and estheticians on YouTube who provide more qualified advice. I would recommend Cassandra Bankson - she is a medical esthetician that uses cruelty-free/vegan skincare and is more eco-conscious than some others.
ON "MAKING A POINT" ABOUT PLASTIC USE: At one point, Madeleine Olivia recommends unwrapping produce and leaving the plastic in the store to make a point. This is just rude to service workers and likely won't make its way up the ranks of the store to be able to actually make a point. Similarly, she recommends sending your empty packages to skincare companies to make a point. The only point this makes is that you are willing to buy the product despite the plastic. A better way to make a point to brands is sending emails or letters expressing your concerns -- this has a better chance of making it to the ears of the people who matter.
GENERAL REVIEW:
This book reads like a series of blog posts. I've seen reviews criticizing this, but I think this feature is the book's greatest strength. Yes, you could probably find a lot of the information online (which isn't that the case for most lifestyle books?), but this book puts everything you'd find in several different Google searches into one neat book that you can regularly reference. If you want a tips for a certain area of sustainable consumption, you can pull out this book whenever you need instead of Googling and reading a bunch of different blog posts on the topic every time you want a refresher.
Madeleine Olivia uses a very accessible, conversational tone which you will either find annoying or endearing. I found it endearing. Everything is also broken down into headings and lists. This makes the book easy to skim. If you don't want all the conversational fluff, you can easily skim the headings and lists and then read the parts that stand out to you.
Despite my critiques and low-rating, I would still recommend this book. It's simple, easy to read, and includes a variety of tips on sustainable living that will be helpful to beginners and a good reference for experienced low-wasters just looking for a reminder.
ON ECO-CONSCIOUS LIVING:
Low-waste living is a really important aspect of responding to our various environmental crises, but eco-friendly consumption is not going to change the world. If this book left you excited to take care of the environment, please take your learning further and look into the different ways you can support climate and environment action through donations, lobbying and other forms activism, etc.