'Who Cares Wins' was my introduction to Lily Cole's work and I absolutely adore this book. It's gorgeous written.

Lily in the book introduces us to various environmental and social concerns. The tone of the book is serious and caring. There is immense research involved in this book and it's a definite good pick for person of any age!

This book provides an overview about environmental and society concerns with some research into various areas, which the reader can then take to further research in the variety of subjects to get a well-rounded visual. Not all is as black and white here, but the book provides a range of concepts and possibilities for improvements. The concerns in the book will allow And provide a generalised understanding. This could be used as a guide for the concepts on society and the environment.

I'm sorry to say that I found this a rather rambling read - possibly more suited to a series of blog posts than a book.

The book covers a multitude of green and ethical consumer and societal issues; each positive solution seems to have a minus, but other solutions are mentioned as "in development", so perhaps there is cause for some optimism.

The author is obviously an intelligent and caring person, and has done plenty of research. However I had some issues with some of the statistics quoted as they don't match other sources I have read.

All that said, it's still worth a read.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.

Who Cares Wins is a comprehensive look at how our lives impact the planet and how we can seek to respond to the challenges of the climate emergency that we face. It looks at every day-to-day aspect of our lives, from food and fashion to travel and shelter, and the range of responses that are being considered by man, some simple and some rooted in the world of science fiction.

The scope of the writing is enormous, drawing inspiration from the creative wealth of Silicon Valley, the natural simplicity of Walden Pond and almost everything in between. What strikes me most about the book is how messy the world is and how few of our decisions are black and white. We live in a world of grey that we must navigate with hope and humility.

That is an important aspect in the way that the author has approached her topic. A very broad spectrum of thought and ideas has been investigated but they are presented without the pressure for a dualistic judgment of right and wrong. The reader is encouraged to engage with all of the ideas and all of the possible futures and then respond in the way appropriate to them.

Should we look to a new wave of technology to allow us to do the things we do without damaging the environment? Should we remove ourselves from the present technologically driven consumerist society that has caused the damage? What can we learn by listening to ancient indigenous cultures that have for many years been attacked by Western colonialism? How does gender influence the way we live and can we balance masculine and feminine to break the historic patriarchy that has promoted competitive destruction?

Cole is clear that the route to a more sustainable humanity and to a future that combines the limits of the planet with adventurous, expressive human life will not be found through force. It is up to all of us to reflect and look inside to forge our own voluntary and empowered path, in light of the situation we find ourselves in individually and collectively.

Of course, the danger there is that we take the lazy route of not engaging at all, we miss the opportunity for inner contemplation and sleepwalk into continued destruction, but even there we have hope in the regenerative capabilities of nature to move on without us. Who Cares Wins is an invitation to be the best that we can be, working out a future that is collaborative, creative, inclusive and joyful and is one of my favourite books of the year so far.

I loved this book. It is a really well researched, thought provoking read. And Lily Cole is walking the talk as well as using her profile to question current practices and how to live a more balanced life with respect for our environment. It is a book I would dip into time and time again and was so relieved that she gave balanced arguments rather than one sided. I highly recommend this book to anyone who cares about our futures and that of our offspring.
Thank you to Netgalley for a pre-publication digital copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

Who Cares Wins is thought provoking book about how everyone can do their bit to create a better world -from climate change, to social equality and other issues we can all have a positive impact on, regardless of how small we may think we are.

You may remember Lily Cole as that young girl in the Topshop ads many moons ago but you may not know she chose to follow traditional education and graduated university. Not that a degree makes anyone better than others but it can be slightly annoying when celebrities use their status to preach about things. Lily appears to be level headed and uses her fame and connections to add expert subject matter to her research.

The only flaw I can find in this book is that it mixes a lot of different topics. I understand why Lily has chosen to talk about all of them but if this book is anything to go by, I think she has the talent to write standalone books on some of these subjects. I look forward to reading more from her.

Disclosure: I'd like to thank the publisher for my advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.

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This book! I need to talk about this book. There are scientists, inventors and even brand new kinds of bacteria doing incredible things out there right now that I had no idea about!!!

We are told, almost constantly, how destructive our actions and purchasing decisions are to the environment and future of our planet. For good reason, of course. But where is the practical, measurable or even achievable advice to follow it?

Everything seems to come with added problems. Switch to plant-based dairy products but the packaging won’t biodegrade and the process will use too much water. Switch to an electric car but a lot more energy and materials are needed in its manufacture. Don’t take long haul flights but trains are slower, much more expensive and unreliable. Apple has some of the best green offices around but their products need replacing every few years. Where are the better solutions, where are the humans kicking ass and already working on better solutions?

They’re in this book. For real.

This book is a very, VERY welcome, highly-researched masterpiece into what COULD save not only our planet, but potentially humanity. If we listen and support the right ideas.

It covers a huge amount of important topics. From obvious ones like food consumption, waste disposal and travel methods, to less obvious ones like community, working hours, the media, and artificial intelligence.

It’s an uncomfortable read, full of truly shocking statistics, but it’s also the absolute best at injecting hope into the wound straight after too. Laws ARE being changed. And solid goals with dates ARE being set.

Favourite quote: Apocalypse has long haunted our imaginations, like a burning shadow. Yet it is not just the artists, mystics or zealots who are raising the alarm. This time, it’s the scientists.

Who Cares Wins will be released at the end of July and, in my humble opinion, I think it should be added to every school curriculum!

A great insight into the major issues affecting us right now from climate change to fast fashion and everything in between.

Lily Cole is an influential name for any 80s or 90s baby who grew up with any modicum of interest in the fashion and beauty industries. Here she offers her grown-up take on global consumerism, and the multitudinous complex issues related to it, for those of us who have grown up in parallel to her and her career.

This book is careful, considered and never scared to confront the complicated. Through the lens of her own personal education, Cole offers well-researched and balanced insights into the changes that need to and are happening across the world. This means that Cole avoids a 'holier than thou' tone and instead invites her reader to join her in conversation and reflection. The book does not shy away from scary statistics, but in contrast to other works that propose it is 'all too late' this book motivates its reader by showing how tangible the impact of change can be.

Each chapter is split into small sub-sections with Cole's overarching personal narrative balanced out by more general (but not overused) facts and figures that are interspersed between paragraphs. This means that the text is utterly digestible and in no ways over-facing; perfect to be consumed on the commute or dipped in to during a coffee break.

Everyone needs to read this book! It is an inspirational look at various intersecting issues around the environment from science and technology to feminism to individual responsibility. As Cole says herself “This book seeks to offer more questions than it answers, because – at this critical moment in time – I believe the most important thing for us to do, is to listen to one another.“ And I wholeheartedly agree.

But while it doesn’t necessarily provide the magic answer to the issue of the environment, it provides so many discussion points and all of them are explained in ways which even I (keen to understand more about what I can do to help the planet but not having read enough on the subject) can understand. This is what ultimately makes it such an inspiring read. It has given me plenty of ideas and a better understanding of the issues. I hope that many, many people will read it in the coming years and that Cole may be interested in writing further books as time moves on and things change and develop. I also hope that those in positions of power as well as other groups and individuals find inspiration in this book to try things that may or may not help the planet. One of the quotes that Cole uses states the importance of trying, even if not everything is a success. That’s a mantra for life!

I wish to say a huge thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in advance of publication and to Cole for what must have been a huge amount of research and effort. The results really are wonderful!

One note for the publishers is that I assume when finished that there will be clearer distinctions between the text, quotes and footnotes etc. There weren’t in the version I read which did make it a bit difficult for the information to flow and for me to read but it was still worth the extra effort!

An optimistic view of how we can change the world around. Lily Cole is a fashion model who has looked into how fashion can be made more sustainable - rather than ending up in landfill within a year of being bought. In fact she looks at all areas of wasted energies by the people of today.

A much deeper book than I first expected. Just shows that you shouldn't assume about people by the stereotype.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I read an advance review copy of the book. This review is voluntary, honest and my own opinion.

This is a wide-ranging book covering a multitude of ways in which the human race is destroying life on our planet and looking at possible solutions.. There was much that I knew and in the early chapters I wondered how much I would learn, but the further I got into the book the more information I found that is new to me, especially in the section on innovative technology.

I just wish I shared the writer's optimism that our world can become cleaner, fairer and a place fit for future generations to thrive.