The Otesha Handbook
Posted on 23. May, 2011 by Jörn Hendrik in Campaigns we support
It’s been a while since I came along this wonderful Project, but I’m still thrilled about it and very happy that Liz responded so quickly to my Mails. So, the following blogpost is a guest posting by Liz McDowell from the Otesha Project UK. I learned about the project through my Facebook stream and immediately downloaded the eBook – it is worth it. But let’s read about the origins of this project, first hand:
Want to live in a more sustainable way but don’t want to get all worthy and accidentally blame a friend for causing climate change?
Then read The Otesha Handbook because that’s almost exactly why we wrote it. At The Otesha Project we spend our days working with young people (this doesn’t make us old people) to transform day-to-day actions into little sustainable revolutions. But for some reason our work didn’t translate easily into good conversation. Perhaps it’s a British thing, but sustainable development never seemed to be our friends’ favorite Friday night topics.
So we decided to write a book about it. We got together as many experts as we could, wrote The Otesha Handbook one chapter at a time over a year, and each month gave a new chapter to the world for free to download, read, share, and contribute to. Along the way, we incorporated stories that people shared with us, ending up with over 25 contributors in all. We wanted to spread and share good ideas – from cycling to free-cycling; from free-range to fair trade – and create social and environmental change through our everyday lives, so we focused on eight different themes – food, fashion, money, trade, water, media, energy and transport – and showcased personal stories, inspiring examples, and individual actions that everyone can take straight away, rather than just hammering on about the problems surrounding all of these issues. Our friends loved it, and people we’d never met downloaded it! Others told us it was better than Harry Potter, we weren’t sure how to take this, although it did make all the late nights fighting with endnotes and formatting templates worthwhile.
Basically, the Handbook is about kicking sustainability into the full light of day and making it dance – on a bike. It tells the story of the thousands of young people who want a more sustainable world now and aren’t going to wait for it. The Otesha Project is about making sustainability irresistible. Have a read and tell us what it kick-starts you into action! Follow us on Twitter @OteshaUK and like us on Facebook facebook.com/oteshauk.
