House & Home

"A Kind Life takes readers on a personal journey, laying a pathway of how to live more kindly on the earth"—Keegan Kuhn, co-director of Cowspiracy

What does it mean to live a kind life? In this inspiring book, a mother-of-two provides a blueprint for how she and her family adopted a sustainable, plant-based lifestyle, sharing the eye-opening facts that convinced her they needed to make a change.

Carina Wohlleben grew up at nature’s doorstep, in a mountain lodge surrounded by forests and fields where her family grew vegetables and raised animals. Her father, the forester and bestselling author of The Hidden Life of Trees, taught her about the value of wilderness and the importance of preserving nature for everyone.

But it wasn’t until she was a new mom that she had an epiphany about how her own daily habits were connected to the ecological crisis we are facing and the importance of living sustainably.

After learning that we can reduce our environmental footprint by 25 percent simply by forgoing animal products, she transformed her life, adopting a vegan diet, rethinking all her travel and consumption choices, and rediscovering her connection to nature.

Carina writes candidly about the challenges of making this transition as well as the health benefits she and her family noticed after cutting out animal products. She also addresses issues such as unsustainable agriculture and forestry practices, the environmental impact of our transportation and shopping choices, and how slowing down and making do with less is not only better for the planet but improves our own sense of belonging in nature.

Carina's account of balancing motherhood with environmental choices is interspersed with profiles of young people around the world who are making a difference. This book is a must-read for anyone who is considering a change, and anyone who believes it’s not too late to save the planet.

From Peter Wohlleben, the New York Times-bestselling author of The Hidden Life of Trees, and his wife, Miriam, comes an inspired, practical memoir of creating a sustainable homestead amongst the trees.

Called "a veritable tree whisperer" by the Wall Street Journal, Peter Wohlleben is known across the world for his illuminating books about forests and how to help them thrive. Now, the German forester invites readers into his home for the first time in Our Little Farm, describing the steps he and his wife, Miriam, have taken to live sustainably and in harmony with nature.

Peter and Miriam moved from the city to a remote forest lodge in the early nineties. Amidst juggling careers and raising a young family, they learned how to plant and rotate crops, harvest and preserve nature's bounty, and tend to the unique needs of their animals and environment. Along the way, they made mistakes and abandoned some projects (sheep raising was not their thing) but maintained a sense of joy in their shared goal.

Brimming with insights, wisdom, and tips on everything from constructing farm buildings to choosing the perfect chicken, Our Little Farm shows that, with a little grit, humor, and self-compassion, it's possible to live according to our values and to care for the earth even as we care for ourselves, our homes, and our families.


Published in partnership with the David Suzuki Institute.

How the mindset of traditional Japanese society can guide our own efforts to lead a green lifestyle today.

If we want to live sustainably, how should we feel about nature? About waste? About our forests and rivers? About food? Just Enough is a book of stories and sketches that give valuable insight into what it is like to live in a sustainable society by describing life in Japan some two hundred years ago, during the late Edo period, when cities and villages faced many of the same environmental challenges we do today and met them beautifully and inventively.