Be the Change: Rob Greenfield’s Call to Kids: Making a Difference in a Messed-Up World

Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s quote, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world”, 25-year-old Rob Greenfield decided to change his life. Starting with small steps, at least one per week, Greenfield embarked on a series of activities that would help the Earth. So began his work as an environmental activist. Greenfield went to extremes in order to grab the attention of people and the media to prove his point, but he does not suggest that readers do the same; he merely wants to bring an awareness to the issues and to encourage people to do whatever they can to save the environment.

Each of the nine chapters in the book begins with an introduction to a specific issue: clutter, trash, food waste, the true cost of food, water waste, energy, transportation, money and connectedness - written by co-author Antonia Banyard. This is followed by Greenfield’s personal account of his journey. Finally, Banyard weighs in again with a section called “What Can We Do About It?” which offers tips for kids and their families. The alternating voices work very well, balancing Greenfield’s often over-the-top activities with more realistic, practical approach that the average person can achieve. (Of course, much depends on the reader’s geographical location. For instance, people who live further north where winters are cold rely on fossil fuels to heat their houses in winter.)

Some of the more outlandish things that Greenfield has done include dumpster diving for food, not showering for 1000 days (he harvested rainwater or swam in the ocean), and wearing a “trash suit” made up of every piece of trash he generated over a 30-day period. Both authors also dispel some myths about recycling and other topics throughout the book. For example, it is estimated that 90% of what people recycle does not actually get recycled. Instead, it ends up in landfills due to contamination or unrecyclable plastics making their way into recycling bins.

Text boxes highlighting young activists and some unique environmental initiatives provide additional information. Some examples include seed libraries where borrowers can check out seeds instead of books; zoos in North America and Europe that convert animal waste into energy; and Donate Don’t Dump, a teen-led organization that donates surplus food and advocates for grocery stores and other food-related businesses to reduce the amount of food that they waste.
Though most of the information in this book is relevant, the chapters about money and connectedness might not resonate as well with kids. It is one thing to say that consumers should not buy packaged food, for example, but it is the adults, not the kids, who purchase the groceries. With respect to some of the other topics in the book, once again, it is the adults who make the major household decisions, such as whether or not to buy a bigger home, a second car or an all-inclusive vacation at a luxury resort. At best, kids could have some meaningful conversations with their parents about such issues, and that’s a start.

With the exception of a few colour photographs on the inside front cover, the illustrations consist of black-and-white photographs, maps, charts and graphs. The majority of the photos are stock photos, but in the sections in which Greenfield discusses his experiences, they are gleaned from his personal collection.

A table of contents, a glossary, an index and a lengthy list of resources- books, reports, web sites and videos- are included.

Without Greenfield’s first-person account of his life-changing journey, Be the Change: Rob Greenfield’s Call to Kids: Making a Difference in a Messed-Up World would just be another book about saving the environment, but, by sharing the story of his often extreme measures, Greenfield shines a light on crucial issues and proves that people can not only help the Earth but also gain much benefit themselves. This title is not only valuable as a source of ideas for a more sustainable way of living, but it would also be useful in a unit on the environment. Greenfield donates 100% of his proceeds from the book to environmental non-profit organizations. His message - that no one is too young, no action too small to make a difference - is an important one.