Customer Reviews

Sara Snow's Fresh Living: The Essential Room-by-Room Guide to a Greener, Healthier Family and Home

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I have to upfront admit that I am not a "green" minded person. It makes me think of tree huggers, environmental lawsuits, global warming arguments and part of me immediately wants to run the other way. That being said, this is still my new favorite book. I wanted to know about how to live healthier in our own home, and how to save money, and know what chemicals are out there that we could learn to avoid. Sara Snow did all of that in one book. We've started to look for health friendlier products, we've got the entire family recycling, and we are "living well" as she would say. I love that there are tips all through the book on how to make cleaners for your home that are safe for everyone, kids, parents, and in our home, puppies. It is an awesome and eyeopening trip when you start reading this book. It is good for your health, and I would buy it again in a heartbeat!

My husband & I's New Year's Resolution was to be more "green" in our day-to-day lifestyle. I picked up this book yesterday while browsing the Natural Living section of my Borders - and have already read it page-to-page! This book provides extremely practical and doable ways to implement green living into our everyday lives - I never knew green living could be so easy. Ms. Snow also has a very compelling story regarding her upbringing and she makes you feel like a friend and confidante in our efforts to live a greener and healthier lifestyle. I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for an excellent resource for beginning a "fresher" life!

A FirstLook Book Review

From: www.BasilAndSpice.com
Author & Book Views On A Healthy Life!

Sara Snow's Fresh Living: The Essential Room-by-Room Guide to a Greener, Healthier Family and Home (Bantam Books/ March 2009) by Sara Snow

Sara Snow, daughter of Eden Foods founder Tim Redmond and host of Discovery Network shows Living Fresh and Get Fresh with Sara Snow, has spent her life growing up and living as a naturalist among those who have strived in earnest to compel society to live a better, healthier, fresher life.

Sara Snow writes about sustainable change being lifestyle change, albeit not always easy, but definitely beneficial. Her new book on Fresh Living takes us into our homes and outdoors, providing the reader with innovative ideas which save us money and keep us well.

Saluting her heritage of naturalist living--on a family-type commune in lower Michigan, Sara Snow points to companies which are making a difference by providing the personal histories of their founders.

Interesting Concepts:

* Think before you flush--26 billion gallons of water is used each day in the United States. "In many parts of this world, families must survive on a daily ration of water equal to one flush of a standard American toilet."
* Eco fibers are in--"These range from natural or color-grown cotton to bamboo and soy fibers. Cotton crops account for nearly 25 percent of the world's insecticides and more than 10 percent of the pesticides." A section on vegan clothing is included.
* Green sex--Snow has researched issues related to chemical interference in the bedroom.
* Everything baby--PVC--polyvinyl chloride plastics often contain lead. Think 'rubber ducks' Snow writes. "Look for a number 3 on the bottom of a plastic toy as an indicator of whether it is a PVC plastic." The authors also covers clothes, bedding, furniture, formula, bottles, and diapers.
* Add plants to your decor--today we know that specific plants can neutralize in-home contaminants. For example, the peace lily and the potted geranium remove benzene. Snow lists the top 15.
* Know the VOC--it is an acronym for 'volatile organic compound, and are "gases emitted from solids or liquids." They have harmful side effects and are linked with many products, including: air fresheners, toilet cleaners, pesticides, paints, glues, fragrances, etc...
* Phantom energy wasters--rechargeable toothbrush, LCD computer monitor, cordless phone base, convection microwave, laptop, computer, plasma TV
* Green funerals are beautiful--reminiscing about her own grandfather's natural funeral, Sara explains that each year "we bury over eight hundred thousand gallons of embalming fluid...over a hundred tons of steel, almost three thousand tons of copper and bronze..."
* Pets need greening too--use natural shampoos, conditioners, and green toys; avoid litters which have silica in them--it's a carcinogen.

Besides explaining what the reader should avoid, Snow expands upon the concepts, offering novel viable alternatives for everyday uses and those which cover the occasional "touchy" subject.

The rear of the book includes a few healthy recipes, charts for the reader to record his own ideas, and 12 pages of bibliography.

What I found most fascinating about this book is the author's upbringing. Having grown up in rural Southern Michigan myself, I could relate to some of Sara Snow's feelings on natural living. Snow however, realizes that many of us live in a different type of society today, and she applies her knowledge and experience accordingly.

5 Stars

I believe that every home should have a copy of this helpful guide.

I myself wish I could have had a book like this BEFORE I started having children, I would definitely have been more mindful of my purchases for my kids from birth and on into their childhood. I was especially shocked to learn that even the mattresses and pillows and furniture we buy gives out toxic fumes that may be harmful to all of us, but especially to our children. What I always thought was "new" smell was most likely the gasses emitting from these items!

Thank you Sarah for providing a helpful family guide for busy moms like me!

We've lived organically for the last 8 yrs, but this book is a good refresher. It is also a great starting point for anyone wanting to start making changes in their lives.

I'm 60 years old and have just reintroducted myself to more natural living - downsizing to a small home and joining a organic co-op community. This book was inspiring and easy to follow with some real ideas!! I, like many others, got caught up in the more is better movement, however it never felt right. Sara's book and show on Discovery Health make me feel better about life because I'm not only making my life healthy, but doing my small part to save the earth. I too checked this book out of the library, but will buy it because it is really a reference book on green living.

This is a must-read guide to get answers to so many questions about what healthy, organic, natural, etc. There is so much information out there that it is confusing but this book is concise, precise, and her way of writing is kind of a "face-to-face" talk. I love it!!!!!

I've watched Sara Snow on television before but actually found out about her by watching John and Kate plus 8 (oh dear). I saw her book on the library shelf and immediately checked it out. I needed to return it before I was done using all of her helpful hints. By the time I was able to check it out again it was gone and had to get it inter-library loaned. I realized if I liked a book this much it should be in my collection. Sara gives great ideas for greening every part of your home but makes it really simple. Her web site references are helpful and useful. This book has definitely been a great reference for me as I am slowly freshening my home with healthier ways to live.

Sara Snow is an absolute inspiration! I am bareley halfway through the book, although my excuse is that I am trying my best to soak up every single Green Tip possible :)

I highly recommend this book! Sara provides wonderful tips from her own lief and experience without sending any guilt with it. The tips range from changing a light bulb to LED all of the way to beginning your own vegetable garden & compost.

Happy Healthy Living!
Jessica