Leave the Lights On - How Joyful Decisions Can Save Our Species

By: Elizabeth Dunn, Jiaying Zhao

Published by Penguin Group, 2026-06-16

"Who knew that saving the world could be so much fun?"—Daniel Gilbert, author of Stumbling on Happiness

How to make an impact on climate change by taking actions that bring you joy

What if the most effective ways to fight climate change made you happy?

Psychologist Elizabeth Dunn and climate behavior scientist Jiaying Zhao challenge everything we think we know about sustainable living. While most climate advice demands self-denial—eat less, travel less, want less—this groundbreaking book offers a counterintuitive truth: you can make your life better while saving our species at the same time. The authors reveal how tweaking everyday decisions around food, travel, housing, and shopping can nudge us toward a tipping point of mass action—without tipping us into burnout.
You will discover that:

• Joy is a powerful climate strategy. When you enjoy the changes you’re making, you’re more likely to stick with them—and spread them.
• You don’t have to go vegan or give up flying. Smart substitutions (chicken over beef, carry-on over checked bags) make a real dent in emissions with less personal friction.
• Small talk matters. Normalizing climate conversations with friends and family helps shift social norms and catalyzes cultural change.

• Give yourself permission to leave the lights on. Focus on higher-impact actions instead of smaller interventions.

Leave the Lights On is a bold invitation to reimagine climate action not as a burden, but as an opportunity to build a brighter future—without guilt, without gloom, and without giving up the things that make life worth living. With warmth, clarity, and a refreshingly optimistic voice, Zhao and Dunn reframe what it means to “do your part.” Because sustainability doesn’t lie in doing everything, it lies in doing something, joyfully.