Independent bookshops are helping people fight climate despair with the right stories
In the UK, three indie bookstores are blending climate action and storytelling to help readers find hope, connection, and purpose in the face of planetary crisis.
In short:
- Hold Fast, a floating bookstore in Leeds, curates books that connect readers with nature and personal action, offering everything from folklore to vegan cookbooks to inspire mindful living.
- FOLDE in Dorset is designed around sustainability, even running on 100% renewable energy, and helps customers find books that suit their emotional and activist needs, whether that’s soothing nature writing or books that empower political action.
- Edinburgh’s Lighthouse bookstore goes beyond the page by hosting events with grassroots organizers, supporting fossil-free publishing campaigns, and using books as a launchpad for collective activism.
Key quote:
“The way we see it, books are the starting points of action making and of change making.”
— Jessica Gaitán Johannesson, digital campaigns manager, Lighthouse Bookshop
Why this matters:
These British indie bookstores are rewriting what it means to be a sanctuary in the age of climate unraveling. They aren’t just places to thumb through a paperback and grab a quiet cup of tea — they’re building community, serving as an incubator for constructive action, and providing lifeboats for the eco-anxious, curated by booksellers who are part therapist, part activist, and part literary matchmaker.
Read more: Unconventional pathways to science with Dr. Katharine Hayhoe
