There were quite a few Kickstarter backers getting multiple copies of the book. I'm starting this wiki/thread for anyone planning to start a book club to discuss the Building a Better World book. I saw Shawn Klassen-Koop mention
the possibility of hosting a virtual club via Zoom. I'm gonna post some basic ideas for how to get started, but would love to get feedback from others. I'd love for this wiki page to have straightforward procedure for starting a
local chapter of Better World Club.
Initial Planning for your Better World Club
Organize the meeting
1. Determine the participants
Family membersFriendsYour local permaculture meetup
2. Determine the location
Coffee ShopYour food forestVideoconference
3. Determine the frequency
How often will you meet?How much of the book will be covered in a meeting
Set the ground rules
1. The first rule of Better World Club is...
The rules for your Better World Club may vary according to how you organized. I would strongly recommend that that the group foster an environment for non-judgemental acceptance and self-reflection.
Discussion Questions and Activities by Book Section
This is currently a work in progress. Feel free to contribute ides for questions or activities!
Parts 0 & 1; Introduction & The Problems
Chapter 1: A Different Approach to Solving the World's Problems
Chapter 2: Environmentalist vs. "Environmentalist"
What are you doing today that would be eco-warrior material?What are some things you do which don't support your own environmental values?What formula would you use to create an eco-poser test?Activity: Present your current household energy costs to everyone under the same roof and brainstorm ways to lower costs.
Chapter 3: The Wicked Lies About Lightbulbs
What are some other examples of industry greenwashing?Is it possible for a consumer-product-goods company to embrace both capitalism and environmentalism?
Chapter 4: Carbon Footprint
What are some steps you have taken in the past to reduce your carbon footprint? Do you still feel they were effective?Activity: Using an online carbon footprint estimator discover what contributes the most to your carbon footprint.
Chapter 5: Petroleum Footprint
Describe your own petroleum footprint.Would removing government fuel subsidies impact your life?In what ways were petroleum used to make your attendance at this meeting possible?
Chapter 6: Toxic Footprint
Activity: Calculate your household's TFD exposure; what can you do today to reduce TFD exposure?Activity: Watch one of the referenced films on household toxicity.
Part 2: General Strategies
Chapter 7: The Wheaton Eco Scale
Chapter 8: Moving Way Beyond Recycling
Chapter 9: Vote with Your Wallet
Chapter 10: Radically Deviant Financial Strategies
Chapter 11: Organic vs Local
Chapter 12: Vegan vs Omnivore vs Junk Food
Part 3: Within the Walls of Your Home
Chapter 13: REALLY Reducing Home Energy Usage
Chapter 14: More People Living Under One Roof Without Stabbing Each Other
Chapter 15: Toxic Gick vs. 20 Years of Your Life
Part 4: More Than Half of Each Footprint Can Be Resolved in a Backyard
Chapter 16: The Huge Link Between Food and Global Footprints (Vegans Too!)
Chapter 17: Double the Food with One Tenth of the Effort
Chapter 18: The Dark Side of Native Plant Enthusiasm
Chapter 19: 20 Things to Do with the Twigs That Fall in Your Yard
Chapter 20: Not Composting
If you compost presently, describe your system.Would you make changes to your food waste habits based on the material in this chapter?
Chapter 21: Better Than Solar Panels: A Solar Food Dehydrator
Chapter 22: Breaking the Toxic Water Cycle with Greywater Recycling
Chapter 23: Harvesting Electricity in Your Backyard
Chapter 24: The Conventional Lawn vs a Mowable Meadow
Part 5: Counter the Footprint of 20 People on a Homestead
Chapter 25: How Vegans Benefit from Caring for Cattle, Chickens, Hogs, Etc.
Chapter 26: Replacing Petroleum with People
Chapter 27: Wrestling with Poop Beasts and Peeing in the Garden
Chapter 28: The Solutions to Colony Collapse Disorder are Embarrassingly Simple
Chapter 29: Destroy Your Orchard to Make a Food Forest
Chapter 30: A Building Design That Solves Almost Everything
Chapter 31: Natural Swimming Pools
Part 6: Conclusion & Appendices
Chapter 32: Hey! You Know What Would Be Cool?
Appendix A: World Domination
Who would you give a copy of this book to and why?
Appendix B: Tabular summary of solutions
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