“On every page of this rip-roaring read I found myself, my partner, my neighbour, my colleagues, my family and my friends… every person who berated me for traveling for work with refugees…. I honestly could not put it down. It’s a tour de force for hope. And kindness. And love for the world and the future.”
— Alison Phipps, UNESCO Chair for Refugee Integration through Languages and the Arts, University of Glasgow – host city for COP 26.
From diet to transport to energy use, the dominant culture tells us that the climate crisis is caused by the lifestyle choices we make. Yet whether it’s because of our socioeconomic status or the neighborhood that we call home, these choices are often governed by the systems in which we live.
Nevertheless, demands for purity persist. And from activists eating meat, to climate scientists who sometimes fly, accusations of hypocrisy are rampant.
Taking a tongue-in-cheek approach, self-confessed eco-hypocrite Sami Grover says we absolutely should minimize the impact of our lifestyles, but a clean break from the status quo is simply not attainable for most. Instead, he argues, we need to target what actions we do take so they create systemic change. Along the way, he skewers those pointing fingers, celebrates those who are trying, and offers practical pathways to start making a difference. We're All Climate Hypocrites Now covers:
How environmentalism lost its groove
Why big polluters love to talk about your carbon footprint
The psychology of shaming
How businesses can find their activist voice
The true power of individuals to spark widespread change.
By identifying our greatest leverage, we can prioritize our actions, target the powerful, and build common ground with millions of other imperfect individuals to actually change the system.
Sami Grover is an environmental writer and branding specialist. He's written about everything from composting to e-bikes to international climate politics. Active in the sphere of good-for-the-world business, he has developed branding projects for clients including Burt's Bees, Dogwood Alliance, and Jada Pinkett Smith. Sami currently serves as brand development manager for The Redwoods Group, and lives in Durham, NC. He has three compost bins, and also still occasionally eats steak.
“Nobody knows more about the business of sustainability than Sami Grover. He brings a welcome dose of wit, clarity, and levity to the green movement.”
— Brian Merchant, Best-Selling Author (The One Device)
Featuring interviews with:
Mary Annaïse Heglar, podcaster & climate essayist
Graham Hill, founder (The Carbonauts & LifeEdited & Treehugger).
Jamie Margolin, activist & co-founder (This Is Zero Hour)
Mary Anne Hitt, former national director of campaigns (Sierra Club) & former director (Beyond Coal)
Ketan Joshi, renewable energy expert & author (Windfall)
Amy Westervelt, journalist, podcaster, author (Forget “Having it All”)
Lloyd Alter, architect & author (Living the 1.5 Degree Lifestyle)
Kim Coupounas, global ambassador (B-Lab)
Meg Ruttan Walker, climate justice organizer
Scot Quaranda, communications director (Dogwood Alliance)
Jennifer Jacquet, academic & author (Is Shame Necessary?)
Jennifer & Kevin Trapani, co-founders (The Redwoods Group)
Zakiya McKenzie, academic, nature writer, author (Testimonies on the Histories of Jamaica vol. 1)
Brian Kahn, editor (Earther)
Steve Westlake, academic & no-fly advocate
Elizabeth Koebele, academic & environmental policy expert
Zoe Young, activist & filmmaker
Brian Kateman, founder (The Reducetarian Foundation)
Peter Kalmus, climate scientist & author (Being the Change)
Frederick Alexander, founder (The Shareholder Commons)
Rachel Malena-Chan, communications strategist & founder (Eco-Anxious Stories)
Austin Choi-Fitzpatrick, speaker, educator, author (The Good Drone)
Chris Bruntlett, bike advocate & co-author (Building the Cycling City)
Julia Steinberger, academic, activist & IPCC author
“I found it a helpful spur to creative thinking and action, and I bet you will as well. Read it, and then get out there and change the politics and economics that are driving us towards--well, if not hell, then a place with a similar temperature.”
— Bill McKibben, Author (The End of Nature)
Nobody is perfect...
Sami has spent half his life trying to live a ‘greener’ lifestyle.
He’s installed insulation.
He’s grown his own vegetables.
He even once vowed never to fly again. (He then promptly fell in love with an American.)
As he shares in this video, however, living ‘green’ is hard in a society that encourages the opposite. So maybe we need to rethink our strategies..
“The honesty with which he writes is an invitation, rather than an edict, to join him in making a difference. At a time when the world is in crisis—environmental and otherwise—Grover reminds us that doing our part, however trivial or ineffective it may seem, does matter. It’s simultaneously a hopeful and touching reminder of our collective humanity.”
— Dr. Kumarini Silva, Associate Professor of Communication and Cultural Studies, UNC-Chapel Hill, Author (Brown Threat)
“With our eyes on the stars and our feet on the ground, we can meet ourselves where we are without guilt and act for a more equitable, just, and sustainable world. Let this book show you how.”
—Bill Corcoran, Director, Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign
“…an inspiring call to let go of the "either or" mentality, to fully embrace the "both and" and to remember to go easy with ourselves and each other as we lean in even further into this painful, chaotic yet exciting time of (r)evolution.”
—Danna Smith, Executive Director, Dogwood Alliance
“A thought-provoking, insightful, and witty exploration of the familiar dilemmas we face navigating the world of climate solutions, from personal choices to systemic change, and the interplay between the two.”
— Andreas Karelas, Founder and Executive Director , RE-volv, Author (Climate Courage)
“As someone who teaches environmental advocacy, I know the paralysis, guilt, and self-blame that sometimes hits us when the odds seem insurmountable … Grover’s candid and upbeat approach offers a fresh and inspiring take on climate action that will become required reading in my courses.”
—Dr. David Monje, Assistant Professor and Co-Director of UNC’s Program for Cultural Studies
“…an enjoyable, well-timed tonic for often-bitter debates about whether a focus on personal emissions helps or hurts societal efforts to stop the climate crisis … A thinking person’s call to action, best enjoyed with a cold, well-crafted American beer.”
— Dr. Dan Rutherford, Aviation Director, International Council on Clean Transportation
“It's a great read with an epic span—from the morality of procreation to a wheelbarrow of horse shit and back again. Loved it...”
— Lyle Estill, Author (Small Is Possible), Grandparent, Distiller
“If you are a climate concerned person who struggles with the nuanced complexity of being ‘green’, Sami’s book will help you navigate this contemporary moral maze with intelligent bigger picture thinking plus a rich seam of strategies and initiatives large and small...”
— Maddy Harland, Editor & Co-Founder (Permaculture Magazine), Author (Fertile Edges)
“Sami’s wit, insightfulness and informed knowledge is refreshing and on full display. His “judge not, that you be not judged” accounts in the book are humorous, thought provoking and profound. This book is a must read for all climate warriors.
— Joseph Jackson, Board Vice Chair, Dogwood Alliance, Founder, EcoGrounds Management Systems