Conscious Spending, Conscious Life  is travelling the London Underground. Really! As the above picture shows, it entered via West Kensington Station to participate in an imaginative program to turn the London subway system into a library for commuters.

An article by Tyler Brockington in “Campaign Brief” describes it this way: “Books on the Underground is as simple as it sounds; books travelling around the London Underground network waiting to be read. Says Hollie Belton, who established the movement last year: ‘I started it by leaving my own books, or raiding charity shops. The idea is to take an incredible book you want to share with the world, sticker it up, and leave it on the tube, where it can be taken, read, shared, and most importantly, enjoyed. Think of us as your local library, but without the late fees. Just be sure to put them back when you’ve finished.’ ”

I’m delighted to be part of it. Here are some of the things I hope London commuters will gain from reading Conscious Spending, Conscious Life :

• Inspiration to create their own lives rather than reacting in a knee-jerk fashion to the agenda of the consumer culture
• Information to help dodge pitfalls inherent in the consumer culture
• Insights into consumer issues, and questions to ask before making decisions
• Common-sense perspectives that will lead to financial sustainability

In a consumer world, it’s incredibly easy to make poor choices that haunt us for years. Commercial interests and sophisticated strategies do not take our well-being into consideration. I hope this book will level the playing field.