Finding the Beautiful Commons: Confessions of a Bourgeois Environmentalist

Environmentally-conscious decision-making can seem like an exercise in self-denial: don’t fly, don’t drive, don’t eat meat. But bringing our tote bags to the grocery store will never be enough to solve the climate crisis, nor will dropping out of society. Many of us crave a collective movement that acknowledges the value of comfort, a framework for making choices that are inherently imperfect, but ones we can live with.

In Finding the Beautiful Commons, historian Cathy Gere offers a relatable and inspiring guide to environmental action in a consumerist culture. Recounting her experiences as a young activist at the Greenham Common Women’s Peace Camp in Berkshire, as an anarchist and guerrilla gardener in a New York City squat, and as an academic working to decarbonize the University of California system, Gere argues for initiatives grounded in common property—streets, libraries, parks, and other shared spaces—where our communal interests can drive sustainability. These are also sites where we can put bourgeois values like beauty and personal enjoyment to good use protecting local landscapes and resources.

Funny, wise, and honest about the contradictions of life during climate crisis, Gere shows us that the commons we already know—the everyday infrastructure of mass transit, natural reserves, and public beaches—is the very foundation for a livable future.