Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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71 of 81 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Consider it a good gift for those un-green, a-green and even anti-green friends, July 3, 2007
Yes, the New York Times did just mention this book in a very good article about being cute-green versus really deep-green. And yes, it is a little scary to many of the serious 'fate-of-the-Earth' worriers that any sugar-coated tips and 'green-style' guides will set back any progress we could possibly make, but the worriers are wrong. Thick non-fiction readers and policy wonks can't solve this problem without an ever widening mass movement, good old fashioned popular demand. When it comes to our greatest challenges, ALL publicity is good publicity -- even sugar-coated fluff, even biting satire, even irony. Better a flood of books (on PAPER and shipped via carbon-churning trucks) about global warming and consumerism and treading lightly (or lighter) than the flood of other junk out there.
We have to plant a lot of seeds to grow a movement, to grow a big change. The greening of America has to reach the Wal-Mart crowd somehow, the celebrity-idol-mongering crowd, the sports fans, the working stiffs, the cynics, the TV and media sleepyheads from NPR to FOX to blathering talk radio. And so books like this, which are colorful and graphic and attractive and cute and even "fun" and tongue-in-cheek and a bit cartoonish REALLY ARE VERY MUCH NEEDED. NOW.
Not everybody is going to listen to Al Gore or Paul Hawken, much less less charismatic experts, much MUCH less read their books. Maybe some others who might not pick up a stark manual, such as the very good guide to environmental choices put out by the Union for Concerned Scientists ACTUALLY WILL pick up this book and thumb through it and get something out of it. And we need all the help we can get, so get a few extra copies and leave them on the kitchen tables of some of your not-so-green family members and friends. This book is probably more palatable for that audience than a gift membership in The Sierra Club or the NRDC.
Those are good possibilities for helping to spread the news as well, but before we do too much preaching, we need to get more of the audience enticed to hear what we have to say -- or see it laid out in a pleasant package like this book.
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17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fun and fabulous ideas for making a difference!, July 3, 2007
LOVE THIS BOOK! I'm using it at home and it's stimulated some great dinner conversations with the family. We've changed out our lightbulbs, installed a programmable thermostat, turned off the AC whenever the temperature is below 80 degrees and begun using cloth shopping bags for groceries. These are easy and the kids love to remind me to do it. We're putting in a rain barrel this weekend and started a compost pile. It was fun and easy. Great family book.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Global Warming Handbook, July 29, 2007
This handbook has some earth-friendly advice on how to reduce CO2
emissions. Here are some examples:
- drive lighter cars
- pay bills online and avoid the paper
- purchase an energy star fridge
- styrofoam cups are difficult to break down ecologically
- work at home
- recycle
- upgrade the computer rather than buying new
- get a rainbarrel to trap water
- purchase locally produced fresh food rather than canned or frozen
- increase use of solar power
- research nside.org for ice flow
Overall, the acquisition is worth purchasing because of the unique
value of the information accumulated by the author. The suggestions
are practical and they make sense scientifically.
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