10 gift ideas for ethical and socially responsible shoppers
Over the next few weeks, we’ll be compiling a host of gift guides to help you with your Christmas shopping.
Hush Collection Volume 16: A Piece Of Quiet by various
For the 16th volume of The Hush Foundation’s acclaimed album series, contributors Lior, The Idea of North and Elena Kats-Chernin have consulted Australian children for lyrical guidance. The music on the album grew from these conversations and powerfully conveys the children’s feelings, hopes and dreams.
Grown & Gathered by Lentil Purbrick and Matt Purbrick
Matt and Lentil Pubrick tell you all that they know about growing, gathering, nurturing and cooking their own food. The first part book is divided into three sections: ‘Grow’ shows you how to grow vegetables and fruit in whatever space you have, using the most earth-friendly practices; ‘Gather’ explains how to forage for things like mushrooms, native greens and wild fruits; ‘Nurture’ provides guidance on raising your own animals. You’ll also find delicious wholefood recipes in the second part of the book.
The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben
In this international bestseller, German forester Peter Wohlleben compellingly makes the case that the forest is a social network. He draws on groundbreaking scientific discoveries to describe how trees are like human families: tree parents live together with their children, communicate with them, support them as they grow, share nutrients with those who are sick or struggling, and even warn each other of impending dangers. A walk in the woods will never be the same again!
Beyond the Vapour Trail by Brett Pierce
Australian Brett Pierce has worked as an aid worker for more than 15 years, adapting World Vision’s child sponsorship program to local cultures around the world. In this engaging memoir, he writes movingly of the struggles faced by people in the developing world, across six continents, and also shares the stories and courage of individuals who bring fresh perspectives to life.
The Wilderness Society 2017 Calendar
The images displayed in this stunning calendar are reminders of what a vast country Australia is, made up of so many unique and stunning landscapes – some like nowhere else on earth. We especially love that this calendar is printed using soy-based inks on paper that is totally chlorine free and certified carbon neutral.
Hope: An Anthology by Various
Readings was a supporter of the Brotherhood of St Laurence’s inaugural Hope Prize – you can read more about the Prize and its purpose here. This anthology brings together a collection of recommended stories selected from the 1000+ entries by this year’s judges – Cate Blanchett, Kate Grenville and Quentin Bryce. Royalties from sales of the book will go to future Hope Prizes.
Wild Beauty by Vanessa Hunter and Graham Lloyd
Over the course of four years, journalist Graham Lloyd and photographer Vanessa Hunter sought out Australia’s wildest, most significant and least known natural phenomena. Wild Beauty is an intimate showcase of 26 of these places, representing some of our country’s more special natural treasures.
Chasing Asylum (DVD) by Eva Orner
Chasing Asylum exposes the real impact of Australia’s offshore detention policies and explores how ‘The Lucky Country’ became a country where leaders choose detention over compassion and governments deprive the desperate of their basic human rights. The film features never before seen footage from inside Australia’s offshore detention camps, revealing the personal impact of sending those in search of a safe home to languish in limbo. Please note, filmmaker Eva Orner has also released a companion memoir about making the documentary.
The Field Guide to Australian Produce by Ewan McEoin
Thoroughly researched and beautifully designed, The Field Guide to Australian Produce showcases the most progressive and respected producers at the heart of Australia’s vibrant food industry. From the saffron fields of southeast Tasmania to the Gubinge plantations near Broome, this guide tells the stories of the people growing and producing the most interesting and unique food products with integrity and sustainability in mind.
A Single Tree by Don Watson
A Single Tree assembles the raw material underpinning Don Watson’s award-winning The Bush, including diary extracts, memoirs, journals, letters, histories, poems and fiction. It covers the science of the landscape and climate, and the way we have perceived them; our deep and sentimental connection to the land, and our equally deep ignorance and abuse of it; the heroic myths and legends; the flora and fauna, the waterways, the colours; and more.