Everybody, even the kids, wants to contribute to Saving The Earth. It's challenging to know what to do, what steps to take, what choices to make. Paper or plastic at the grocery store? (Neither, see our cloth grocery totes.)
We're all faced with hundreds of small choices every day that have an impact on the environment. The books recommended here offer thoughtful guidance to the concerned consumer - helping you make earth-friendly choices when you shop, drive, eat, work or play.
Throughout his award-winning photographic career, Philippe Bourseiller has recorded the splendors of untamed nature, from the immensities of the polar ice floes to the fury of the volcano, from the vast open spaces of Patagonia to the aridity of the Sahara. This experience has given him unique insight into both the richness and the fragility of our environment. For every day of the year 365 Ways to Save the Earth presents a stunning nature photograph and a simple, environment-friendly action that enables the reader to participate in the protection of planet Earth. 2005, Harry N. Abrams, Inc
The Better World Handbook: Small Changes That Make A Big Difference is a guide for ordinary people to taking steps in their lives that help contribute to big changes for the better worldwide. Chapters cover how to make a difference by choosing the right bank, buying groceries that minimize negative environmental impact, building strong relationships among friends and family, fostering a socially responsible workplace, voting and getting involved in politics, using alternative forms of transportation and reducing driving, how to get involved in an organization espousing a cause one cares about, and much more. Handy quick-reference icons, numerous online resources, extensive notes, a helpful checklist, and an index round out this one-of-a-kind guide to not only improving oneself, but also improving the world at large. 2007, New Society Publishers
Paper or plastic? Cloth or disposable? Regular or organic? Every day, environmentally conscious consumers are faced with the overwhelming catch-22 of a capitalist society--reconciling the harm we do by consuming, while still providing ourselves and our families with the goods and services we need. It's enough to make a city dweller crazy. Fret no more! The Union of Concerned Scientists has put together a well-researched and eminently practical guide to the decisions that matter. The authors hope that the book will help you set priorities, stop worrying about insignificant things, and understand the real environmental impacts of household decisions. If you're confused and overwhelmed by all the environmental decision-making in the modern world, you'll find new inspiration in this book. 1999, Three Rivers Press
Bestselling author Bill McKibben turns activist in the first hands-on guidebook to stopping climate change, warning that it's no longer time to debate global warming, it's time to fight it. Drawing on the experience of Step It Up, a national day of rallies held on April 14, McKibben and the Step It Up team of organizers provide the facts of what must change to save the climate and show how to build the fight in your community, church, or college. They describe how to launch online grassroots campaigns, generate persuasive political pressure, plan high-profile events that will draw media attention, and other effective actions. This essential book offers the blueprint for a mighty new movement against the most urgent challenge facing us today. 2007, Holt Paperbacks
Environmental matters get the star treatment in The Green Book. Rogers and Kostigen address the fact that Americans endanger the balance of the ecosystem by the amount of waste we produce, the amount of water we use, and the amount of energy we consume, and ask celebrities, including Robert Redford, Ellen DeGeneres, Jennifer Aniston, Faith Hill, and Dale Earnhardt Jr., to contribute observations and suggestions for living green. Small adjustments in the way we consume and dispose of resources add up to significant and positive environmental effects. Illustrating the results of green actions with descriptive rather than numerical analyses, Rogers and Kostigen write, for example, that if everyone in the U.S. used one less paper napkin per day, in a year's time we would have saved one billion pounds of landfill waste. An outstanding resource, The Green Book offers hope and practical suggestions. 2007, Three Rivers Press
When is the right time to replace an old refrigerator? Is it okay to knit a sweater with acrylic yarn? Is it more environmentally correct to buy beer in bottles or cans? For the last several years, Bob Schildgen’s popular “Hey Mr. Green” column has tackled real-world questions from real people. Readers trust his answers, which are backed by Sierra Club’s research, but they also enjoy his realism and irreverent humor. This book distills the best of the column into one enormously useful and entertaining resource. It’s organized by subject — household issues, food and drink, transportation, reuse and recycling, and “big picture” environmental questions — making it easy to find answers to common questions. Whether puzzling over the intricacies of product life cycles or taking a reader to task for blasting his air conditioner, Hey Mr. Green is an indispensable, opinionated, and authoritative guide to minding one’s environmental footprint. 2008, Sierra Club/Counterpoint
Home Enlightenment is a comprehensive guide to creating a toxin-free, environmentally friendly home, helping readers tend to their living spaces in ecologically sound ways that protect the health and safety of their families and the world around them. From selecting weekly produce to purchasing a water-filtration system, from using a steam cleaner or non-toxic pest controls to adjusting the energy in a home with crystals and aromatherapy, Home Enlightenment examines the environmental impact of choices a consumer makes, and helps readers establish day-to-day practices and a lifestyle that bring healing and natural spirituality into their homes. 2005, Rodale Books
It's Easy Being Green is a handy tool to help you make better choices for the environment. This is what the busy person needs to start making changes today. Get informative, comprehensive and practical information for adopting greener buying habits and identifying earth-friendly products; shopping for green products online; participating in online activism; and learning from over 250 eco-tips for cultivating a sustainable environment. If you haven't invested in substantially greener behaviors, consumerism and politics because you didn't know how or thought it was difficult, help is here: It's Easy Being Green is a handbook for all those who aspire do more to protect the environment but want it to be simpler. You can make a difference! 2006, Gibbs Smith
The deceptively simple supermarket choice echoed in the title symbolizes the dilemma of a society on a collision course with the planet's life-support systems. Do we clearcut forests, process pulp, and bleach it with chlorine to make paper bags? Or do we make a pact with demon hydrocarbon, refining ancient sunlight into handy plastics? About half the total volume of America's municipal solid waste is packaging--at least 300 pounds per person each year--and the "upstream" costs in energy and resources used to make packaging are even more alarming. In this fascinating look at the world of packaging, writer Daniel Imhoff and photographer/designer Roberto Carra give consumers, product designers, and policymakers the information we need to take steps toward a more sustainable future. 2005, Sierra Club Books
Environmentalist Ryan discusses seven things he believes will help create a sustainable future: bicycles, public libraries, ladybugs, condoms, pad thai, clotheslines, and ceiling fans. In most cases, the chosen wonder represents a lifestyle choice rather than a solitary object. For instance, pad thai is emblematic of a vegetarian diet, which requires fewer natural resources than a diet high in animal protein. Ladybugs are only one element of successful organic farming. Libraries help save trees because many people can share copies of one book. The author's explanations of his choices are interesting and well documented, and include sources and statistical information. The essays are short, lively, and convincing. Ryan obviously has a lot of faith that people are willing to make choices and changes in order to help the planet. Best of all, the ideas are simple enough for anyone to carry out. 1999, Sierra Club Books
The Simple Home offers simple and elegant solutions for everyone who craves a simpler lifestyle, not only in how they live but also where they live. Nettleton presents six paths to simplicity, each illustrated by human-scaled, unadorned homes with straightforward floor plans and forms. These are open, light-filled homes that express their beauty in their utility and practicality. Simple homes are low maintenance and often green, designed for homeowners who wish to embody a different set of values in their housing choices than the run-of-the-mill starter castles littering the landscape.
The 6 Paths to Simplicity, as articulated in the book are: Simple is Enough; Simple is Thrifty; Simple is Flexible; Simple is Timeless; Simple is Sustainable; and Simple is Refined. 2007, Taunton
This 600-page “user’s guide” is chock-a-block with information about what is going on right now to create an environmentally and economically sustainable future-and what stands in opposition. "Oil company experts debate whether we will effectively run out of oil in twenty years or fifty, but the essential point remains: if you're under thirty, you can expect to see a post-oil civilization in your lifetime." The hefty volume is divided into sections on Stuff, Shelter, Cities, Community, Business, Politics and Planet. Each entry is brief but comprehensive; all entries wrap up with reviews of pertinent resources where readers can get more detailed information. It's hard to imagine a more complete resource for those hoping to live in a future that is, as editor Steffen puts it, "bright, green, free and tough." 2006, Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
