Mia Swainson is a freelance writer and successful entrepreneur with a passion for sustainable living. Her work in sustainable development, spanning more than 15 years, has taken Mia across Australia and around the world. After having children, Mia focused on creating a sustainable life in the suburbs. By making one small change at a time, Mia is proof that living a greener and simpler life is within everyone’s reach. Mia’s sustainable living column, Sustainable Life, is currently published monthly by HerCanberra. She is President of the Canberra Environment Centre and founding Chair of Canberra’s Zero Waste Revolution. Mia designs and delivers community workshops in Canberra and the region on how people can halve their household waste.
Description
Reviews
“Solving the climate crisis requires changes from the global to garden level and Mia provides a simple and savvy handbook on how to get started in your own home.”
Richie Merzian, Director Climate & Energy Program
The Australia Institute
“Saving the planet often feels like daunting and thankless work, but Mia’s beautiful, thoughtful book shows how taking simple steps to live more sustainably can be joyful. If you’re feeling like it’s all too much, this book will remind you that we can all make a difference and have fun doing it!”
Senator Larissa Waters, Leader of the Australian Greens in the Senate
“Mia’s book is the everyday person’s antidote to the climate crisis. Full of practical and enticing examples, it is a great guide to changes we can all make to create a better climate and save money and be healthier at the same time. It shows how everyone can be a part of the climate solution.”
Professor Mark Howden, Director of the Institute for Climate, Energy and Disaster Solutions, Australian National University. Major contributing author to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Assessment reports two, three, four, five and six.
“Happy Planet Living is for every person who wants to know how they can make a difference to our planet in their own life. Mia guides the reader to understand the choices they have to help shape a better future for us all.”
Dr Tara Shine, CEO of Change by Degrees and author of How to Save Your Planet One Object at a Time
“An inspiring practical guide of how you, your family and community can have lots of fun being climate positive and restoring nature now, wherever you live, to achieve a safe climate and create a positive legacy.”
Michael H. Smith, co-editor of Transitioning to a Prosperous, Resilient and Carbon-Free Economy: A Guide for Decision-Makers
“The climate crisis we face globally requires urgent action. Governments must act, and there’s also a role for individuals and communities. Mia’s book is an antidote for hopelessness and instead provides practical steps to reconnect with our environment, take control in living more sustainably and lead positive climate action”.
Rebecca Vassarotti, ACT Minister for the Environment
“My Office is an independent voice for the environment. I am tasked with enhancing knowledge and understanding of ecologically sustainable development and the environment. At every event, webinar, panel discussion, community members ask me “what can I do to help?” When my office released our 2021 investigation into scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions, the most common question popping up was around “Ok, what now? What can I do?” Happy Planet Living address this exact question. Mia details precise, easy-to-follow and accessibly steps we can all take towards sustainable living and contributing to a healthy climate. Each of us is empowered to make a different to the environment through our lifestyles. This wonderful book provides a guide for changes we can make to our homes, our modes of transport, our food choices that move us towards more sustainable, balanced lives. This comes with no judgement and no demands but rather a lot of fun for the whole family. Mia gives us step by step information that can help us all cut waste and consumption. Next time I am asked that enduring question about what individuals can do to help, I know I will be referring them to this delightful guide. And I’ll be using it myself for the next time one of my own kids has a birthday party to cut the waste and up the fun!”
Dr Sophie Lewis, ACT Commissioner for Sustainability and the Environment
“I’ve known Mia for several years. I’m always blown away by Mia’s quiet persistence and authenticity. She is the real deal. Mia’s passion for making sustainability simple is infectious. What I love about Mia is how she is inspiring and practical, yet not at all judgmental. Her approach is a breath of fresh air in an era when many people are experiencing eco-anxiety. In this book, Mia brings warmth and joy to the choices we can make every day to create a more sustainable planet. And yes, you can even do this as a working mother balancing many different things. Mia’s approach is empowering, showing the incredible power of small habit changes. If we all just adopted a few of her tips, we could enable incredible change for our beautiful planet.”
Serina Bird, author of the Joyful Frugalista and the Joyful Startup Guide