A Life Stripped Bare [Paperback]

'Very entertaining - as well as full of useful new things to fret about'.

The tone is just right for this book's target market..there is much that is inspiring here. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

In this witty account of his year, Hickman discusses matters that are of importance to us all --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Very entertaining...full of useful new things to fret about. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

The Guardian's ethical columnist, Leo Hickman's wonderfully entertaining diary of a year trying to make the ethical choice at every turn in his and his family's life

His account of the year is very entertaining. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

It is hardly news that a growing number of people want to step back from the brink of western consumerism and find a way to live an all-round cleaner existence - one that is not only easier on the physical body but one that is lighter on the conscience too. So how do we go about it? Most people fight shy of giving up their cars, or their toxic household products, their cheap washing machines, or dodgy, unethical bank accounts in order to make the world a better place but Leo Hickman, resident consumer expert of the Guardian, reckoned he should give it a try and report back on whether it is possible to live a life that is western but aware. Leo's fumbling but hugely well-intentioned and increasingly successful efforts to do the right thing can't fail to involve, educate, inspire - and amuse - his readers.

¡Some of you have asked for more details about my life...so, with as much honesty as I can muster, and in no intended order of importance or apparent impact on the planet or those around me, here goes... 'I eat meat; I don't smoke; I don't own a car; I live in a Victorian three-bedroom terraced house with my wife and our one-year-old daughter; I commute to work by train; I don't exercise regularly; I work in an open-plan office sitting in front of a computer all day; I shower once a day; I vote when asked to; I watch TV - quite a bit...٫ Over the course of a year Leo Hickman conducts an unusual experiment...   Is it possible, in the twenty-first century, to lead a 'normal' life - to have a job, kids, a mortgage, holidays in the sun - but at the same time be respectful to the planet and the people who share it?  Could Leo live a more 'ethical' existence? Or is a 'Good Life' the preserve of fanatical eco-warriors, new-age spiritualists and the organic-product-endorsing Hollywood set? Appealing for help and guidance on the internet, he is inundated with advice from the extraordinary to the extreme: 'The most sustainable food source is skips!' to 'Having children is the most unethical thing you can ever do, so try ceasing that for starters.' Then he invites three 'ethical auditors' into his home.  As they explore the murkier recesses of his life - his bathroom, fridge, holiday plans, shady DIY habits - he discovers that ethical living involves a lot more than changing his brand of washing-up liquid. This the record of an extaordianry transformation.  Both funny and inspirational, it is a mine of information for all of us with a conscience.  Who knows, it might change your life, too.

Leo Hickman is a journalist, editor and consumer expert at the Guardian. He is the author of How to Buy and A Good Life: The Guide to Ethical Living. He is married to Jane, and has two daughters. They live in South London