A twice-weekly sharing of eco-shwag.

Today’s freebie is a beautiful hardback copy of Just Enough: Lessons in Living Green From Traditional Japan by Azby Brown.

Just Enough takes a close looks at life in Japan during the Edo period about 200 years ago — and draws lessons on how we could live happier and more sustainable lives today. The book’s organized in 3 sections to look at 3 ways of life — for the farmer in the village, the carpenter in the city, and the samurai — illustrated with simple line drawings and described in storybook fashion from the perspective of an imaginary traveler visiting Edo Japan.

Each section’s followed by a number of lessons people today can draw from these lifestyles of the past. Of course, we don’t want a simple return to this past period — when class divisions are extreme and infanticide’s a common method of population control. But other takeaways from the book are valuable and applicable — like the suggestion to “rethink the meaning of comfort”:

Our notions of comfort have led us to expend far too little physical energy in the course of our daily lives and to consume fuel for reasons that are difficult to justify on the basis of health or well-being. Walking and biking are healthier than driving or riding, and they consume little or no fuel. A simple increase in these activities, which would mean increasing the pedestrianization and bikeability of our communities, would go a long way toward reducing our already dangerous obesity levels.

Just Enough offers an interesting and engaging perspective on Edo Japan for those who enjoy reading about cultural history, alongside sustainable ideas relevant today. Comment by Tuesday to get into the drawing for Just Enough, which’ll happen Wednesday (more info on freebies here). US addresses only.

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