Customer Reviews

The Official Earth Day Guide to Planet Repair

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Of late I've been looking for some clarity, simplicity and guidance on what kind of shape our environment is in and on what you and I and the companies we work for, or partronize, can do to preserve and improve that environment. I believe Denis Hayes got it in one.

He starts with a brief review of the state of the environment (not great, folks!), with a focus on global warming, major national policy decisions and international efforts of the last decade. He then moves on to identify energy sources to get rid of and general technology developments that we deparately need to support for the future.

Following these bigger industry issues, he then gives some simple suggestions on how to make our own lives more energy efficient and earth friendly - in the near term, and for the long haul. Very helpful - I've followed three!

As a finale, Hayes circles back to the initial discussion of global warming & climate change and comments on how many major industries do NOT have a strong interest in our improving our energy efficiency, but the exact opposite. This reminder gives new insight into any media coverage on this issue.

So, whether you are convinced about global warming or not, this book offers the average person some constructive suggestions for helping to reduce waste and pollution. And, hey, you might help keep the planet cooler, too.

Note: Compared to other books that I'm reading on the subject, this one is concise and very readable - great for the average reader. The others (while excellent) are much more philosophical and/or detailed ("Natural Capitalism", by P. Hawken et al, and "Believing Cassandra", by A. AtKisson).

I hadn't expected this book to focus so tightly on global warming, and particularly on the role of carbon dioxide therein, but nevertheless it held my interest and left me full of hope. It has solid suggestions for ways in which of each of us can flex our consumer muscles to reduce unnecessary energy use, and also lays out a larger strategy that we can use for a national blueprint.

The really good news is that this book makes clear that we already KNOW how to reduce our greenhouse emissions (thereby helping our planet and ourselves), keep our economy strong while we do it, and continue to be a world technological leader to boot. The only thing standing in our way is a group of people (a large, politically powerful group of people!) who feel that their short-term profits from fossil fuels matter more than the health of ourselves, our descendants, and all the other people on the planet.

I hope that this book gets a broad readership; it deserves it. We all deserve to hear this message and start moving toward a cleaner world.

The Official Earth Day Guide To Planet Repair describes the problem of global warming and its effects today and in the future; considers available energy sources and explains why one of them is the Earth's best hope; offers dozens of ways to painlessly reduce energy use; provides action steps to affect the world's energy use and help to change governmental policy; reveals where to find further help and more information on environmental issues and concerns. The Official Earth Day Guide To Planet Repair is an ideal home reference and a timely and highly recommended addition to personal, school, and community library environmental issues collections.