World Sustainability Day: 5 Powerful Stories About People And The Planet | Lifestyle News

To mark World Sustainability Day, here are five reads that explore how humanity and nature can thrive together in balance.

Stories have the power to change how we see the world and how we care for it. As the world grows more conscious of the need for balance between people and the planet, World Sustainability Day invites us to pause and reflect on our shared responsibility toward Earth.

Writers, researchers, and storytellers everywhere are exploring how our choices in how we live, eat, and connect shape the delicate balance between people and nature. These stories invite us to pause, reflect, and reimagine a more sustainable future rooted in empathy, equity, and shared responsibility.

With a collection of over 23,000 books and more than 2,500 audio and e-books across genres, the British Council’s Digital Library brings together voices that explore our changing planet and the lives intertwined with it. This year, to mark World Sustainability Day, the British Council shares five reads that explore how humanity and nature can thrive together in balance.

1. Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane

Robert Macfarlane’s lyrical meditation on nature challenges readers to see rivers not as resources but as living systems with their own rhythms and rights. Combining science, poetry, and philosophy, Is a River Alive? offers a new language for connection, one that treats the natural world as a companion rather than a commodity.

2. Feed the Planet: A Photographic Journey to the World’s Food by George Steinmetz, Joel K. Bourne Jr., and Michael Pollan

Through striking visuals and thoughtful essays, Feed the Planet takes readers on a journey across farms, cities, and coastlines to reveal how food connects humanity and the environment. From sustainable farming to innovative food systems, this book captures both the challenges and possibilities of feeding a growing world without exhausting its resources.

3. Frog: A Story of Life on Earth by Isabel Thomas, illustrated by Daniel Egnéus

An introduction to biodiversity for young readers, Frog tells the story of life’s delicate cycles and the interdependence of species. Through poetic storytelling and vibrant illustrations, it reveals how even the smallest creatures sustain the planet’s balance inspiring curiosity, care, and a sense of wonder for the natural world.

4. Intertidal: The Hidden World Between Land and Sea by Yuvan Aves and Robert Macfarlane

Exploring the fragile ecosystems that exist where land meets water, Intertidal uncovers the beauty and complexity of coastlines. Through vivid observation and poetic insight, it reveals the resilience of nature’s margins and reminds readers of the balance that sustains life on Earth.

5. Our Oaken Bones: Reviving a Family, a Farm and Britain’s Ancient Rainforests by Merlin Hanbury-Tenison

In this moving memoir, Merlin Hanbury-Tenison chronicles his family’s efforts to restore ancient rainforests on their land. Our Oaken Bones celebrates heritage and stewardship, showing that sustainability begins with care, continuity, and a deep sense of place.

From rivers and rainforests to coastlines, food, and frogs, these works reveal that sustainability is not only an environmental goal, it is a way of living with awareness and empathy.