Like many Americans, Doug Fine enjoys his creature comforts, but he also knows full well they keep him addicted to oil. So he wonders: Is it possible to keep his Netflix and his car, his Wi-Fi and his subwoofers, and still reduce his carbon footprint? In an attempt to find out, Fine up and moves to a remote ranch in New Mexico, where he brazenly vows to grow his own food, use sunlight to power his world, and drive on restaurant grease. Never mind that he's never raised so much as a chicken or a bean. Or that he has no mechanical or electrical skills. Whether installing Japanese solar panels, defending the goats he found on Craigslist against coyotes, or co-opting waste oil from the local Chinese restaurant to try and fill the new "veggie oil" tank in his ROAT (short for Ridiculously Oversized American Truck), Fine's extraordinary undertaking makes one thing clear: It ain't easy being green. In fact, his journey uncovers a slew of surprising facts about alternative energy, organic and locally grown food, and climate change. Both a hilarious romp and an inspiring call to action, Farewell, My Subaru makes a profound statement about trading today's instant gratifications for a deeper, more enduring kind of satisfaction.
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"This funny fascinating book taught me about the struggle of going green. Mr. Fine was/is determined to live green and has taken great care to grow his own food, change his mode of transportation while not utilizing fossil fuel. His true tale is as entertaining as it is informational. Great read!"
— Marilyn (4 out of 5 stars)
" What an awesome book. Reading this makes me want to become complete self-sufficient and off the grid. Even more, after reading this book I think I actually could become self-sufficient! "
— Shan, 2/13/2014" Audio(Playaway)was read by the author (who did a really good job). Fun, informative and fits in great with the whole "living green" thing. "
— Bayneeta, 2/11/2014" Extremely fun read about a common urbanite moving out to NM and becomming an off-grid farmer. "
— James, 2/9/2014" It's a fun read, gets a little preachy at times but I'd recommend it. "
— Ethan, 2/7/2014" Listened to it on audiobook while working out. It was entertaining. There's a lot of this sort of experiementation followed by documentation going on these days I guess. I don't know how this compares with others, but I enjoyed hearing about his experience. "
— Angrysrilankan, 2/1/2014" This was a fun read. I expected it to be about going car free in an urban environment. But it was actually about a guy who leaves it all behind and moves to a ranch in rural New Mexico. He wants all the mod cons without the carbon footprint. So it's really the story of how a city boy learns to convert his house and car and food to go off the grid. Not as detailed as Animal,Vegetable, Miracle, but much funnier. One question though -- why does every autobiography have to include recipes??? This book had only tangential references to food (a small section on growing his first garden) yet every chapter had a recipe! Very strange trend in modern literature. "
— Anne, 1/28/2014" Actually I would give this book a three-and-a-half. The author describes in detail how difficult and expensive (initially) it is to go green. I don't think I could do it. He uses some clever similes and metaphors to keep it light and amusing. "
— Betty, 1/17/2014" This is a great read. "
— Leslie, 1/14/2014" Like his take on life, his simplified life thus complicated by trying to provide the necessities on his beautiful, little ranch high in the mountains of New Mexico. Really enjoyed his appreciation for goats as I've helped to raise goats too. "
— Elizabeth, 12/10/2013" Enjoyable and easy read. Didn't sugarcoat the difficulty of limiting your carbon footprint. I wasn't looking for a bible on sustainable living, just some motivation. This book provided it. I loved the facts that were interspersed throughout. Informative and entertaining. "
— Denise, 11/21/2013" A very quick fun read about how one man, Doug Fine attempts to reduce his "carbon footprint" and live a "greener" life. Much more humorous than Animal, Vegetable, Miracle but still has some very good information in it. Take an afternoon and read and enjoy! "
— Terry, 11/14/2013" I Loved this book. Had me laughing out loud many times. Not only is he funny, the book carries a great message. "
— Holly, 11/13/2013" A good, quick, entertaining read. "
— Becky, 10/16/2013" This is a fun read (Tommy, it remind me of you) written with humor as Doug Fine works to get off the grid. "
— Bev, 9/5/2013" A bit abbreviated, but a good book in all. Have run into some of the same conundrums as I try and lower my carbon footprint and live more responsibly. "
— Robbi, 2/10/2013" I loved this quick little book! One too many pop culture references for my taste but still, an inspirational story of environmental living. "
— Myev, 11/22/2012" I enjoyed reading this book. It was entertaining, but I'm not sure it gave a picture of how moving to a more sustainable lifestyle would or could look. Will admit that it took me so long to get into the book that it sat on my shelf for almost a year before I read it. "
— Jennifer, 3/6/2012" Having grown up in New Mexico, I enjoyed reconnecting with land, people and culture that were inherent to this book. While it was not the best written book I have come across, it was a quick read and it recounted several funny stories about moving off the grid and homesteading. "
— Deniseh, 2/20/2012" Fine uses a lot of Bush-isms and likes to write in cliche. This got a little tiring, but I still found this book to be "heartwarming" and "inspiring". "
— marmix, 2/19/2012" Very entertaining, left leaning, right bashing. "
— Stephanie, 12/17/2011" A very readable account of in important experiment. "
— Stephen, 11/13/2011" Kind of obnoxious and I didn't really come away with much. I wasn't really shocked to discover that you almost have to be a millionaire to be able to afford self-sustained green living. It was a somewhat fun read though. "
— Andrea, 5/14/2011" A mildly entertaining story of self-sufficiency. "
— Mike, 4/30/2011" light and slight, but fun, particularly because that part of New Mexico is familiar "
— Odoublegood, 4/20/2011" Made me laugh and think. Win/win. "
— Michael, 3/25/2011" Doug Fine invites the reader to share his experiences in green living on a New Mexico ranch, and rattlesnakes, coyotes, and the weather conspire to prove it's not easy being green. "
— Mary, 2/18/2011" I liked this book only because it was funny, but it also proves the impossibility of the "green" lifestyle. Doug Fine thinks he helped save the earth from his carbon footprint, but he really only saved his goats. "
— Melissa, 1/30/2011" A funny and informative book on what its like to make the effort to go 'green.' "
— Kris, 12/9/2010" It was okay--- the author is self indulgent and I'd be surprised if an editor was involved at all, but it's mostly a madcap eco year-in-the-life. "
— Mary, 10/13/2010Doug Fine, a contributor to NPR and Public Radio International, has reported from remote perches in Burma, Rwanda, Laos, Guatemala, and Tajikistan. He is the author of Not Really an Alaskan Mountain Man, and lives in southern New Mexico.