The Green Book: The Everyday Guide to Saving The Planet One Simple Step at a Time by Elizabeth Rogers and Thomas M. Kostigen just might be the definitive simple green guide, chock full of eco-facts and statistics, the younger set have all been waiting for.
Ever wondered how many pens Americans use each year? Or how much pesticide can be eliminated by switching to organic tampons? If you require answers to any of these burning questions, consider picking up The Green Book. (Just in case you were wondering, Americans discard 1.6 billion pens each year. If even one in twenty women switched to organic tampons, it would eliminate more than 750,000 pounds of pesticide annually.)
The Green Book is divided into sections devoted to The Basics, Home, Entertainment, Travel, Communication & Technology, School, Work, Shopping, Sports, Building and Going Carbon Neutral. Each section starts with an overview, and includes a ton of green statistics and tips written in easy to digest funny language. Each section also includes some input from celebrities like Robert Redford, Will Ferrell, Jennifer Aniston, etc.
With the exception of Robert Redford and Will Ferrell, The Green Book would have been better off without their Hollywoodized “green thoughts”, most of which range from the foolish to the naive. Readers learn Jennifer Aniston brushes her teeth in the shower to save water, even while shucking bottled water to the masses or driving around in a SUV. Or how Faith Hill and Tim McGraw’s daughters are big on recycling: “You don’t have to change the way you live to recycle. It really isn’t a big commitment.”
Americans are the number one consumers on the planet spending an estimated $4 trillion dollars each year.
There was definitely an American MTV feel to this book, so we weren’t surprised to learn author Elizabeth Rogers is a producer for MTV. The Green Book makes a great reference book and is a good toilet-reading companion. In particular, this book, with its celebrity additions, will appeal to a younger audience, perhaps newer to the green movement. Unfortunately, those more in the eco-know will be a bit turned off by the introduction stating, “this book is derived from our desire to be environmentally friendly while remaining selfish consumers”. Appropriate sentiments considering The Green Book estimates Americans are the number one consumers on the planet spending an estimated $4 trillion dollars each year. (We suspect the irony may have been lost on the authors.)
Order this book on Amazon.com The Green Book
Visit: http://www.readthegreenbook.com/
Publisher: by Three Rivers Press
201 Pages
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