The Selfsufficient-ish Bible (Hardcover)

After all, here is a way of looking at the world that has its own version of Eden (pre-industrial society), The Fall (industrialisation) and a terrifying take on Judgement Day (ecological Armageddon).

The one thing the Green movement lacks that other religions have, however, is a set of rules: a holy book outlining the steps to salvation. But now such a tome exists, courtesy of identical twins Andy and Dave Hamilton. The Self-Sufficientish Bible: An Eco-Living Guide for the 21st Century aims to provide a complete lifestyle plan for the aspiring greenie, touching on every aspect of life, from eating and drinking to work and travel.

As the "ish" in the title implies, the Self-Sufficientish Bible accepts that nobody is going to become an eco-saint overnight: there is no suggestion that you ape Tom and Barbara from the 1970s sitcom The Good Life, chucking in your city job and any form of income to create a self-sufficient Utopia. Each chapter simply outlines small ways in which we can all set out on the path to righteousness.

The Hamilton brothers live in the middle of Bristol, and the boldest claim they make for their book is that its directives can be put to work in an urban setting.

So, at the start of this year, I set out to live my life by their rules in a one-bedroom flat in central Edinburgh.

My challenge was to take just ten of the commandments from their bible and try to live by them. Here's what happened...

* The Self-Sufficientish Bible is published by Hodder & Stoughton, priced £25.

THOU SHALT NOT MAKETH UNNECESSARY WORK JOURNEYS

"MEETINGS can be an inevitable part of office life," says the Self-Sufficientish Bible, "but for environmental reasons as well as financial ones, consider if it's absolutely necessary for a face-to-face meeting to take place."

An interesting one this, particularly from a journalistic point of view. We hacks are always scuttling hither and yon to interview people, but in this age of hi-tech widgets, is it still strictly necessary or just a monumental waste of time and resources? At the end of February, I'm asked to interview a three-man sketch comedy troupe based in London.

A group phone interview would be a nightmare - impossible to figure out who's saying what - but a trip to London would directly contradict the teachings of the Self-Sufficientish Bible.It works a treat. Later the same day I have lunch for an hour with two other journalists and none of us can come up with a single good reason why all interviews shouldn't be conducted in this way.

THOU SHALT NOT BUY UNNECESSARY STUFF

BEFORE buying anything, the twins advise, ask yourself a number of questions, starting with: "Do I really need this?"

They go on to focus on a whole range of products, but the one that catches my eye is clothes. "Repairing and revamping" is the way forward they reckon, so I have now officially given up buying garments of any description (with the notable exception of pants). When the clothes I already own start to wear out, I now take them to a local tailor, where the resident needle'n'thread Jedis do their best to patch them up. I'm learning to darn socks, courtesy of my mum. It's harder than you might think, but only a generation ago everyone was doing it - it was unthinkable that anyone would throw out a good pair of socks rather than spend ten minutes repairing a hole in the toe.

THOU SHALT NOT EAT FOOD OUT OF SEASON

THE twins are right: transporting food all over the globe makes no sense when you consider the impact of carbon emissions and dwindling oil reserves. Seasonal cooking - that is buying and eating fresh, locally grown food wherever possible - is the answer. Checking the labels on everything you buy can be a real hassle, but it's the only way. I've been surprised to discover that even some very green-seeming wholefood shops in Edinburgh still sell fruit and veg from as far afield as New Zealand. Try farmer's markets for the freshest local produce.

THOU SHALT CONSERVE COOKING FUEL

ACCORDING to the twins, the kitchen is "by far the most energy-hungry room in the house", and cooking is largely responsible. One suggested alternative to conventional cooking is the hay box oven. All you do is heat your meal up using a conventional cooker, transfer it to a cardboard box insulated with hay (I sourced some in my local pet shop), right, and leave it to cook in its own heat for four or five hours. It works particularly well with stews. When I tried it, the results proved as tasty and tender as anything you'd get from a slow-cooker. Try not
to spill food in the box, though - hay can be tricky to clean.

THOU SHALT BANK WITH AN ETHICAL BANK

"WE DON'T wish to name and shame the banks with the worst records," say the twins, "but just try typing 'ethics' and your bank's name into Google and ask yourself how comfortable you are about the way your money is being used.This gives all sorts of goods and services an "ethiscore" out of 20. My bank, RBS, scores a shockingly bad two out of 20. This leaves me with a dilemma. I'm far from comfortable about some of the claims made on the Ethical Consumer site, but I like the people at my local branch of RBS and they have provided excellent service over the years. In the interests of good sportsmanship, here's what I'll do: if the RBS can convince me Ethical Consumer have got it wrong, I'll carry on banking with them. Otherwise I'll move my account. Can't say fairer than that.

THOU SHALT NOT WASTE WATER

LIVING in rain-sodden Scotland, it's difficult to conceptualise water as a valuable resource, but as the twins point out: "Huge amounts of energy are used to supply us with water, purify it and take it away after we've used it." My area of highest water consumption? The shower. Nothing relaxes me after a long day at work, or eases the pain after a bruising game of five-a-side, quite like a very long, very hot shower. But not any more. Now I am a slave to my in-shower timer. The twins suggest a maximum shower time of five minutes.They also suggest cutting down to three showers a week. So far, though, I've been unable to break through the one-a-day barrier. Maybe something to do with living in a freezing cold flat.

THOU SHALT INSULATE THY HOME (OR THYSELF)

THE first chapter of the Self-Sufficientish Bible focuses on the actual fabric of the home. A lot of space is devoted to installing wall and loft insulation and energy-efficient windows - but all of these things cost money.

However, there is also a section entitled "Keeping warm without heating" which, when you think about it, is by far the greenest option. Nobody need burn fossil fuels to make double-glazing units, transport them to your home or install them.

All you have to do is turn the boiler off and start finding other ways to keep warm. The twins recommend a variety of measures to keep the cold at bay, so I give them a go.

Shutting doors and drawing curtains proves reasonably effective, but on chilly winter evenings their "add another layer of clothing" suggestion is the only answer.

After a little experimentation, I discover that a woolly hat, two thick woolly jumpers and a pair of salopettes on top of whatever I'd normally be wearing is sufficient to keep me toasty on even the coldest nights. And the cost to me? Zero. In fact, my most recent quarterly fuel bill wasn't a bill at all, but a cheque from Scottish Power because I'd used less fuel than they'd estimated I would.

THOU SHALT NOT FLY HALF WAY AROUND THE WORLD ON HOLIDAY

BROTHERS and sisters, I have sinned. In the past three months I have made two - yes, two - return flights overseas, in order to indulge in recreational snow sports.To put that figure in context, it is estimated that for 6 billion people to live sustainably on planet Earth, we should be releasing a measly 2 tonnes per per per annum. In flights alone, then, I've already produced way more than my fair share of CO2 for the year.

So is there any point trying to obey commandments one to nine if I'm going to carry on flying to far-flung places? Of course not. The Self-Sufficientish Bible advocates overland travel as an alternative. Eurostar to Paris and then a train to the French Alps? A ferry from Newcastle to Norway and a train north from there? No reason why not. It'll be a lot easier than living without heating in January.

THOU SHALT RAISE THINE OWN ANIMALS

PIGS, ducks, chickens, goats, bees ... the Self-Sufficientish Bible gives detailed instructions on how to care for all of them. Chickens appeal the most - all those free eggs - but I barely have room in my flat for the recently acquired plant pots.For me, though, rearing animals is still something for the future.

THOU SHALT GROW THY OWN CROPS

I'D LOVE to grow my own apples and potatoes, but it's just not practical: the only "outdoor" space I have comprises two wide-ish windowsills. Apparently these can be converted into "an excellent herb garden," though, so I'm giving it my best shot.

One early experiment nearly resulted in the untimely death of a little old lady (it was a windy day and my flat is on the first floor), so now my plants live on the safer side of the glass. With a bit of luck, I should never have to shop for basil or coriander again.

Review
"If you incorporate a chunk of the advice of this book into your life – and request your friends to read it and do the same – you’ll have made a difference" (Countryfile Magazine )

'A one-stop book full of ideas and practical tips covering everything from how to darn a sock to how to keep food cool without a fridge.' (The Ecologist )

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