The Green Ages: Medieval Innovations in Sustainability by Annette Kehnel Book Review

Old Wisdom for a New Crisis

In The Green Ages, historian Annette Kehnel challenges the myth that the Middle Ages were "dark." Instead, she reveals a period of sophisticated sustainability, offering a historical survival guide for our modern ecological crisis.

Kehnel argues that the "circular economy" isn't a new invention, but a forgotten heritage. Through four pillars—sharing, recycling, microfinance, and minimalism—she demonstrates how medieval society flourished by prioritising the common good over limitless growth. From the communal management of Lake Constance fisheries to the medieval paper industry’s reliance on recycled rags, the book proves that our ancestors were masters of "intellectual upcycling."

The most fascinating takeaway is that sustainability isn't a high-tech problem to be solved with new gadgets; it is a cultural one. Kehnel suggests that we can find a path forward by reverting to the values and skills of the past. She highlights that figures like St. Francis of Assisi weren't just religious icons but also economic pioneers who championed minimalism and a "sharing economy" long before those terms became buzzwords.

While some critics argue these small-scale methods cannot support a global population of eight billion, Kehnel’s point is about shifting our underlying logic. By moving away from extractive, Enlightenment-era economics and embracing the "common sense" of the medieval commons, we can rediscover a way of life that is both ecologically viable and more human.

The Green Ages is a refreshing reminder that living sustainably isn't an impossible feat or a step backward into misery. It is simply a return to a proven, more resilient way of inhabiting the world.

Reviewed by Chris French (Retail Manager