New Books Network Michael Maniates, "The Living-Green Myth" (Polity Press, 2025)
Nov 2, 2025
Michael F. Maniates, a renowned scholar in environmental politics, delves into the flaws of the living-green narrative in his latest work. He argues that individual actions alone can't instigate systemic change and critiques the buy-green mantra as misleading. Maniates highlights how this myth emerged from environmental movements and business interests in the 1980s. He advocates for organized actions over personal green choices and emphasizes the importance of community engagement and institutional change for sustainable solutions.
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What Living Green Means
- Living green centers on day-to-day consumption choices, home production, and voluntary simplicity.
- Maniates defines it as conscientious lifestyle practices people adopt to express environmental care.
The Aggregation Myth
- The myth is believing aggregated individual green acts will drive major political and economic change.
- Maniates calls the belief that personal consumption choices alone will topple corporations "utter nonsense."
Leverage Habits Into Political Action
- Value individual green acts for personal ethics, well-being, and community ties but not as the main lever of systemic change.
- Use lifestyle commitments as starting points to engage in organized political and institutional action.
