FROM THE COFOUNDER OF SEVENTH GENERATION, the most trusted brand in environmentally friendly household products, comes this indispensable guide to maintaining absolutely everything in the home in a natural, nontoxic way. Jeffrey Hollender leads you through each room of the house with straightforward advice, comprehensive checklists, quick tips, and unparalleled resources while revealing the hidden repercussions of daily routines that most of us take for granted. From improving air quality in your bedroom to avoiding mildew in the bathroom, from sourcing local or organic food to safely laundering your clothes, Planet Home offers invaluable information for making conscious decisions for your family, your neighbors, and our shared planet home.
With additional information on power, garbage and recycling, air quality, and community activism, this book goes a step further to describe how any household is part of a much larger system. Planet Home offers a unique, comprehensive, educational, and easy approach to helping you and your family lead healthier lives as we collectively protect and maintain our shared resources for many years to come.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
JEFFREY HOLLENDER is the cofounder and chairman of Seventh Generation, an award-winning company lauded for its progressive business practices. He is also the author of several books, including The Responsibility Revolution, What Matters Most, and Naturally Clean. He and his wife, Sheila, have three children and live in Vermont.
ALEXANDRA ZISSU is a writer, editor, speaker, and consultant. She is the author of The Conscious Kitchen and coauthor of The Complete Organic Pregnancy. She lives with her family in New York City.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By ecogirl87
Format:Paperback
This is my new go-to guide for greening my world! Written by the cofounder of Seventh Generation this is a must have for anyone aspiring to live a more environmentally friendly life. Tips range from making your own cleaning products and shampoos, to how to shop for organic mattresses and kids toys. Many websites are listed as references so the consumer can research topics beyond the text. I cannot recommend this book enough!
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
On a whim, I began reading this book in the hopes of learning a thing or two new about simplified living. There are so many books on the market these days about simplicity that it is difficult to find anything comprehensive or anything that ventures to offer something you did not learn from another green guru several books back.
Imagine how delighted I was when I found that Planet Home was not only a fine compendium of best practices in green living, but it was also one with new tips and ideas that I had never come across before. Granted, I am a novice at all this green business, but the book truly has a lot to offer. For example, in the chapter on food, Hollender includes a section about buying local and/or organic produce. The common-knowledge benefits of buying local and organic are addressed, but there are also guidelines about what produce to buy when you cannot find these options in your area. He gives a list of the "dirty dozen" -- produce you should always buy organic and the "clean fifteen" -- produce with the lowest pesticide residue. Tidbits like these separate Planet Home from a lot of other green books I have read.
What also separates Planet Home from other books is its understated philosophy about the environment and our relationship to it. Holland writes:
"There are plenty of resources available for people interested in 'eco-friendly' living. And primarily, Planet Home provides a road map for anyone who wants to green and clean a home. But the following pages go well beyond offering typical 'go green' advice. This book is an attempt to inspire us all to open our minds, expand our collective consciousness, and think without compartmentalizing."
In essence, he is writing about being green or, as others may call it, having a simplified life. It goes beyond thinking about something small like using energy-efficient bulbs to thinking about why saving energy is worthwhile in the first place. Is it anything more than the latest fashion in home accessories? Or is it a political statement, a social stance, a new way of thinking about one's part in the world in making the earth sustainable. Holland says all this without being preachy. Rather than proselytize, he gives reference to resources throughout the book. So, when you are ready or so inclined, the knowledge is there for the asking.
Planet Home's organization is useful because it makes the book a resource that you don't just want to stick up on your shelf. As your own green journey evolves (growing from changing one's light bulbs, for example, to changing one's habits of energy consumption), you will want to reread passages and follow up on leads to resources that perhaps you had not tried on your first reading.
Planet Home is a book I read after checking it out from the library. However, after reading it, I know I want a copy for my own collection. It is that good and that useful.
Imagine how delighted I was when I found that Planet Home was not only a fine compendium of best practices in green living, but it was also one with new tips and ideas that I had never come across before. Granted, I am a novice at all this green business, but the book truly has a lot to offer. For example, in the chapter on food, Hollender includes a section about buying local and/or organic produce. The common-knowledge benefits of buying local and organic are addressed, but there are also guidelines about what produce to buy when you cannot find these options in your area. He gives a list of the "dirty dozen" -- produce you should always buy organic and the "clean fifteen" -- produce with the lowest pesticide residue. Tidbits like these separate Planet Home from a lot of other green books I have read.
What also separates Planet Home from other books is its understated philosophy about the environment and our relationship to it. Holland writes:
"There are plenty of resources available for people interested in 'eco-friendly' living. And primarily, Planet Home provides a road map for anyone who wants to green and clean a home. But the following pages go well beyond offering typical 'go green' advice. This book is an attempt to inspire us all to open our minds, expand our collective consciousness, and think without compartmentalizing."
In essence, he is writing about being green or, as others may call it, having a simplified life. It goes beyond thinking about something small like using energy-efficient bulbs to thinking about why saving energy is worthwhile in the first place. Is it anything more than the latest fashion in home accessories? Or is it a political statement, a social stance, a new way of thinking about one's part in the world in making the earth sustainable. Holland says all this without being preachy. Rather than proselytize, he gives reference to resources throughout the book. So, when you are ready or so inclined, the knowledge is there for the asking.
Planet Home's organization is useful because it makes the book a resource that you don't just want to stick up on your shelf. As your own green journey evolves (growing from changing one's light bulbs, for example, to changing one's habits of energy consumption), you will want to reread passages and follow up on leads to resources that perhaps you had not tried on your first reading.
Planet Home is a book I read after checking it out from the library. However, after reading it, I know I want a copy for my own collection. It is that good and that useful.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
At first I was a bit wary, thinking maybe it would be a thinly veiled marketing shtick for Seventh Generation products. Surprisingly, it includes information on how to make your OWN cleaning products!
It's very readable, with lots of checklists and helpful hints. It also includes an ingredients guide, list of resources, references, and an index. I like how it doesn't just tell you how to clean things, but also what issues you need to consider in each area of your home and what products are more green than others. There's even information in the "bedroom" section on how to purchase greener sex toys, and how to recycle old ones!
The Verdict: Overall, I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. Whether you are making your first baby steps toward becoming more green or are a pro, there are ideas that you can use right away.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
It's very readable, with lots of checklists and helpful hints. It also includes an ingredients guide, list of resources, references, and an index. I like how it doesn't just tell you how to clean things, but also what issues you need to consider in each area of your home and what products are more green than others. There's even information in the "bedroom" section on how to purchase greener sex toys, and how to recycle old ones!
The Verdict: Overall, I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. Whether you are making your first baby steps toward becoming more green or are a pro, there are ideas that you can use right away.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic information, very practical and easy to read! Loved it!
I just finished this book and I might add I could hardly put it down, it was really well laid out and very very interesting. Read more
Published on May 10, 2011 by Treenz
2.0 out of 5 stars
Wasteful
This is a product that could have been advertised in the film Idiocracy.
Okay, too harsh. But the publishers didn't even bother printing on recycled materials and non-toxic... Read more
Okay, too harsh. But the publishers didn't even bother printing on recycled materials and non-toxic... Read more
Published on March 1, 2011 by DeeDeR
5.0 out of 5 stars
Living a Conscious Life
I often wish that someone would do all the research for me on how to live so that I contribute to a healthy life for me, my family and my planet. Read more
Published on January 17, 2011 by Ana Kritis
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