Customer Reviews

Trash Talk: An inspirational guide to saving time and money through better waste and resource management

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When I was very young, the authorities drained most of a small lake in the state park near my home. My mother took my best buddy and me out to the lake, and we walked around for hours picking up trash. It was a stewardship lesson I never forgot. To paraphrase Audrey Hepburn in "Roman Holiday," I will treasure that time cleaning up the lake for as long as I shall live.

But, it was one of many lessons about being a responsible resident of the planet. I grew up in a home where we already practiced much of the advice in Trash Talk. That made us unusual, in a positive way. As an adult, I continue those same practices--because they are good for the earth and good for my wallet. They simply make sense.

I did learn some new things from Trash Talk, which in itself was a surprise because I am noted for being able to stretch a buck and not waste things. I like the ability to live cheaply without being a cheapskate to do it. Not all surprises are good, but this one was. And I've already begun implementing some of what I've learned. Even very frugal, waste-conscious people are likely to realize monthly savings in excess of what they paid for this book. The average person could easily save that much each week.

As a professional speaker on time management, I was delighted with the way the Brummets organized this book. The "don't waste" philosophy of Trash Talk also applied to the actual reading of the book. That shouldn't be surprising, as planning and organization are key elements of reducing trash and cutting costs.

Trash Talk explains the three Rs: Reuse, Reduce, and Recycle. It then adds a fourth R: Refuse (as in, refuse to buy the wrong items). These principles form the foundation for the hundreds of useful tips in Trash Talk.

The book is organized into four parts.

Part One addresses commonly wasted items and explains how to reduce waste and extend the usefulness of each item. Every item has its own section, and each section ends with a bulleted list of the benefits from following the advice in that section. The items include such things as bags, carpets, cloth, containers, dryer sheets, furniture, glass, hangers, nylons, plastic rings, soap, and toothbrushes.

Part Two is less oriented around specific products and more around areas of concern. Each of these has its own section, as well (again, with those wonderful bulleted lists). Areas of concern include energy use, holidays, indoor air, infant and feminine hygiene, kitchen waste, organic gardening, and water use.

Part Three is really about saving trees. There's much more to this than most people realize. If everyone followed some simple steps, as outlined in Trash Talk, the benefit to our forests, streams, and air would be immense.

Part Four provides short examples of good things happening. The point of including these is to show that significant trash reduction is a reality for many corporations and other organizations. An extensive list of resources follows the examples.

Form is important and Trash Talk could use some editing. But even so, it was enjoyable read and easy to understand. This book is valuable, in many ways. First, remember that this book is a financial investment. It will pay dividends exceeding its purchase price, not long after you start putting it to use. Second, it provides badly-needed advice on how to be good citizens of the world. It's not a "feel good" book written by some politician or celebrity who wants to spout some politically correct blather. It's a practical "how to" guide written by people who walk the walk.

Buy this book for yourself. But also consider giving it as a gift to others. It may be one of the most durable gifts you have ever bestowed on another person. Your planet will thank you.

Although many people and communities have developed an on-going commitment to recycling that has helped the environment deal with the vast amount of waste we have created, Dave and Lillian Brummet have written a book to help us go many steps beyond just recycling. They offer numerous environmentally friendly and cost saving benefits to reducing trash and reusing some of those maddening boxes, bags and other containers that plague the life of every consumer. The text is easy to understand, chocked full of ideas and tips, and contains a valuable resources list. Buy this book. Keep it in a handy place and check out some new and old ideas that can help make your home, your city, and your planet a safer, more user-friendly place to live.

Do you feel guilty when you throw away things like old brushes,
cloth, containers and soap? What...no guilt trip? Well, you may
change your mind after reading "Trash Talk".

I am amazed by the amount of research that Dave and Lillian have
don. This is a truly indepth study on dealing with waste and it
should be on everyone's bookshelf.

Trash Talk is full of wonderful ideas on how to re-use items such
as pieces of carpet, dryer sheets, nylons, plastic rings,
styrofoam and much much more, to make them useful again.

Besides saving money by re-using everyday items, the wonderfully
creative ideas in this book will be helpful to the environment by
producing less waste.

Each chapter ends with a special section on benefits from using
the ideas in that chapter by pointing out all the ways you've
saved money, improved on natural resources, saved time and
perhaps created a new gift.

This comprehensive, easy to understand, manual is recommended for
anyone looking to save money, improve their lifestyle and help
protect the environment. I know that I'll never again be able to
look at my used drying sheets in the same light! The money you
save by using some of these ideas will pay for this book many
times over.

This book should be required reading in classrooms. Our beautiful province will suffocate in trash if we don't teach our residents to handle their refuse in a responsible manner.

Easy to read, great philosophy .... money and time well spent.

Trash Talk
by
Dave and Lillian Brummet

Waste Not, Want Not - Benjarmin Franklin 1706 - 1790



Reviewed

by

Ameasha

Brown



This book was written out of a labour of love for Mother Earth. Dave and Lillian Brummetco - wrote Trash Talk with the hope of reaching others. By giving of their thoughts, ideas and resourses to heal Earth, they share with the reader facts, percentages and studies that were so carefully tried and proven. The numbers will stun you and the immensity of these tasks gives one pause. The book has part one through four filled with a wealth of knowledge for those who want to learn how they can do their part in giving back to the world around them. The three R's (Reuse, Reduce, and Recycle) has been joined by a fourth R, Refuse. The fourth R is for refusing to buy fancy packaging and the process it takes to make them, which adds to our landfills. The three R's are certainly put into motion in this fasinating book. Dave and Lillian have gone as far as drawing diagram examples in their book Trash Talk. It is a great learning tool for youngsters to start getting involved in their ecosystem at an early age and discovering how they can do their part. I myself am very passionate about this topic and I was doing some of the same things that were mentioned, back in the 70's, but by reading this book I have learned many new things that I can put into practice today.

This book is one I strongly recommend to those that have the same endearment to Earth and can spread the word. Remember Earth is not ours ! We only borrow Her.

Authors of:

Trash Talk - An Inspirational Guide to Saving Time and Money through Better Waste and Resource Management. ISBN# 1-4137-2518-X

Towards Understanding - a collection of 120 poems on society, the environment and overcoming trauma. ISBN# 1-4137-9337-1 Release Date January 23, 2006

Members of: Seeds of Diversity Canada & The Recycling Council of BC

Trash Talk
" North Americans account for only 8% of the world's population yet we produce 50% of the world's garbage and consume more than 35% of the its resources. Production processes in our society result in94% of the materials extracted turned to waste..." In light of such dire, disturbing statistics as this, the book Trash Talk by Dave and Lillian Brummet is a most welcomed resource for simple, easily assimilated time and money saving habits that actually make an appreciable difference in our planet's overall health.
Whether one is already a dedicated advocate of the 4R's of waste management, Refuse, Reduce, Reuse and Recycle, or a curious newcomer who appreciates conservationist ideals but has no real program in effect, Trash Talk is a detailed, well organized, thoroughly researched guidebook. The Brummets offer a wealth of information, not only about the harsh realities of how the rampant misuse of our natural recourses is rapidly depleting the world of its ability to support the excesses of the average North American lifestyle, but also provide many excellent suggestions as to how one might immediately start to effectively reduce one's own wastefulness and start enjoying the unexpected benefits of extra time and money to spend on more worthwhile activities.
Trash Talk is not the typical tree-hugger's tome commonly associated with the practice of conservation and recycling. In fact, Dave and Lillian place recycling at the bottom of their list of the 4R's, encouraging everyone to "shout with your dollars - demand to be heard." The Brummets recommend that the first step in reducing waste should be to simply refuse to buy products from companies that have wasteful processing policies, excessive packaging, and unnecessary energy expenditures. Buying in bulk diminishes the amount of packaging used, as well as, saving time spent shopping and traveling back and forth to the store. This is a very simple practice that a single city dweller or someone with a large family living on an organic farm could began to do and immediately realize the many benefits with the very first exercise.
Trash Talk is organized into four general sections, each one broken down into an extensive list of topics and items and how these everyday products not only waste limited natural resources but, for most people, limited resources of discretionary time and money as well. Drawing on their years of personal experience, Dave and Lillian generously share their ideas and suggestions based on extensive research and practical applications on how to reap the most benefits with the least amount of negative impact.
Part 1 offers suggestions on how everyday items found regularly in every household can be made far more economical and earth friendly through inventive and creative usage, minimizing the need for landfills and maximizing benefits. At the end of each discussion is a list of the immediate and long-term benefits that can be realized by implementing the simple but practical ideas outlined in the chapter.
Part 2 concentrates on the many opportunities that one has to make a positive impact on his or her immediate community as well on people they may never even meet through the wise and conscientious use of products that might otherwise be wasted. From donating items such as prescription eyes glasses to the Gift of Sight program to just basic good sense or good cents measures as Dave and Lillian call them such as turning off electronic devices when not in use and weather-stripping to reduce gaps around windows and doors, everyone can make a difference. Just by participating in these two projects communities can help the less fortunate and save a substantial amount of energy reducing the possibility of shortages and brown outs and the individual saves real money on utility bills. Good Sense earns Good Cents!
Part 3 is devoted almost entirely to reducing the wasteful consumption of paper products. "...62 million tress and 28 billion gallons of water were used to produce the U.S. mail - 50% of which was never even opened." The Brummets provide a list of contact addresses for direct marketers that can be used to effectively reduce junk mail by up to 75%. The savings in aggravation alone from all that unwanted mail clogging our mailboxes and littering our desks is well worth the price of this excellent resource book.
Part 4 is dedicated to instilling a sense of hope and inspiration, offering encouragement and empowerment to everyone attempting to make an effective contribution to the welfare of the world or, perhaps, just trying to provide a better environment for themselves and their families in their immediate community. Dave and Lillian provide an extensive list of websites to businesses, government services, and environmental agencies for anyone who wishes to have additional information on how they can become more active in promoting effective waste management programs in their homes, communities, country, or world wide.
Dave and Lillian have drawn from generations of practical experience and knowledge in compiling this extremely informative and helpful manual. Trash Talk is presented in such a practical and affable manner that this book is not so much a call to arms as it is a call to conscientiousness. Although the Brummets are passionate about talking trash, Trash Talk is a real treasure. Review by R. deVoll Fisher for deVoll Reviews Feb. 2006




Short review: Trash Talk by Dave and Lillian Brummet, PublishAmerica-2004,
Trash Talk
" North Americans account for only 8% of the world's population yet we produce 50% of the world's garbage and consume more than 35% of the its resources. Production processes in our society result in94% of the materials extracted turned to waste..." In light of such dire, disturbing statistics as this, the book Trash Talk by Dave and Lillian Brummet is a most welcomed resource for simple, easily assimilated time and money saving habits that actually make an appreciable difference in our planet's overall health.
Trash Talk is not the typical tree-hugger's tome commonly associated with the practice of conservation and recycling. In fact, Dave and Lillian place recycling at the end of their list of the 4R's, encouraging everyone to first "shout with your dollars - demand to be heard." The Brummets recommend the first step in reducing waste should be to simply refuse to buy products from companies that have wasteful processing polices, excessive packaging, and unnecessary energy expenditures. Buying in bulk diminishes the amount of packaging used, as well as, saving time spent shopping and traveling back and forth to the store. This is a very simple practice that a single city dweller or someone with a large family living on an organic farm could began to do and immediately realize the many benefits with the very first exercise.
Dave and Lillian have drawn from generations of practical experience and knowledge in compiling this extremely informative and helpful manual. They generously provide helpful advice and successful projects in Trash Talk in such a practical and affable manner that this book is not so much a call to arms as it is a call to conscientiousness. Although the Brummets may be passionate about talking trash, Trash Talk is a real treasure! Review by R. deVoll Fisher for deVoll Reviews Feb. 2006


(For the amazon.com editors, if you choose to reduce this review I wrote this review so that by using just the first paragraph and the last paragraph it still is a perfectly adequate review without compromising my basic ideals as you can see in the short review which I also encluded. I'll check back to see what is posted and design my future reviews accordingly thank you, deVoll)

I was recently expressing concern to a friend about the environmental state of our planet; how our food, air and water supply are being compromised and how I feel as though I can't make a difference. Since reading Trash Talk, I have access to information from recycling tips to energy reduction in the home and more. I feel empowered to make important changes that will affect not only my family but the environment and ultimately our planet. Thank you!

Yvonne Caldwell - Library Cataloguer, Okanagan University College

Trash Talk is a must read for anyone who is interested in helping the environment. It is an easy to read and understand manual, with practical tips for waste managment that anyone can use. It contains tips ranging from, how to use left over grocery bags, to, what to do with old toothbrushes, and at the end of each chapter is a nice summary of the main points. Every reader is guaranteed to find many practical ideas they can institute in their own lives

" I was really impressed by the wonderful work done by the authors, Dave and Lillian Brummet as I read Trash talk. The results show how deep their research must have been and the pain they must have taken in producing Trash Talk, while they accepted the challenge to educate the people around them. This book is full of information and will ceratinly motivate it's audience to implement these simple life-changing habits. I would recommend this book with the higest rating of full five stars."

Samia Muqueem,~ author of "Visions of the Soul"

Trash Talk by Dave and Lillian Brummet is an important, informative and well-written book that belongs in every household. As a single mother I have learned how to stretch a dollar and make things last. While reading Trash Talk, I picked up a lot of new tips that I plan to put into action immediately not only for financial but ecological reasons. This is a must read for everyone concerned about saving money and our planet's limited resources! - Michelle Ailene True, author of several poetry books, including True Reflections (available now on Amazon.com) www.michelleailenetrue.com