The Green Book: The Everyday Guide to Saving the Planet One Simple Step at a Time
This book is the best book on living green I have ever read. It is easy to understand, breaks down the why and how and is even printed in recycled materials. I think this is a must own in the new green economy!

It wasn't as good as I thought it was going to be. 90% of the stuff in here was common sense or stuff our parents taught us years and years ago. I ended up passing it on to a friend who was talking about buying it herself. Thought I'd save her some cash and maybe save yet another book from going in the trash.

It wasn't as good as I thought it was going to be. 90% of the stuff in here was common sense or stuff our parents taught us years and years ago. I ended up passing it on to a friend who was talking about buying it herself. Thought I'd save her some cash and maybe save yet another book from going in the trash.

This book is decent in the following ways:
--It's mostly a tip book; there are some irrelevant "essays" or blurbs provided by some of today's popular celebrities (like Tyra Banks, Ellen Degeneres) but fortunately, you can skip them

--For the most part, it's an optimistic book. It just offers ideas that make you more aware of the way you're living and ways you can change it. It means well enough

--The Book is printed with 100% postconsumer recycled paper/fiber

BUT

This book is horrible in the following ways:

--In terms of Eco-Living Guides, this book is hands down awful! It's insulting to a reader who really wants to change their way of living (they want you to put down $13 to tell you that when you aren't in the room to shut off your lights to save energy.... Really?!).

--The book is 200 pages but more than a quarter of it is simply references for info like that above... honestly

--This book could've been written in 3 words: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. Instead this book beat those three magic words to death by nit picking every aspect of your life (ex. instead of just saying "buy recycled school supplies," each supply has its own tip, "buy recycled paper" "buy recycled binders")

--The tips are regurgitated throughout, for instance the same tip to "reuse your paper clips" is found in the sections for both the office
and school

--While it means well with its tips, it could have been much more helpful. For instance, if they recommend us to buy recycled office supplies, it would've been nice to provide the reader for some places or websited to actually BUY recycled office supplies. Instead, they stayed generic and offer the reader nothing

--Plus, it's so bad that it has to get some celebrity opinions so it could desperately draw an audience.

So overall, this book is terrible. This book was written for people who want in on the "Green" trend and get that warm fuzzy feeling without it really changing their current lifestyle. I would not recommend this book to someone who really wants to make a difference in their life and take the "Green" trend seriously.

This book gives you "realistic" tips. Good guide to become a better planet friendly person.

This book should be required reading for all Americans. In a practical non-preachy style, you'll be inspired to be greener! I was amazed at the simple things I can do to decrease my footprint, many without much of a sacrifice. The book is written in sections (such as beauty, home, shopping, travel, sports etc.)which provide simple steps to live more eco-friendly. Tons of interesting facts are presented. You'll be amazed at the types of things you shouldn't be using or doing. I already have my list of 5 things I can start doing today!

And no to say that it's bad being a tree hugger - it's not, but this in an impractical book for everyday living. For every suggestion (there are hundreds) it tells you "if everyone did this in America it would save blah blah blah". Some of these blah blah's are eye opening, but many of them caused my eyes to roll.

They suggest you buy shoes with recycled soles.....seriously. Where do you find shoes with recycled soles? Many many suggestions are repeated throughout the book. Just about every section recommends CFL's and to recycle anything recyclable, turn off lights and unplug items....over and over and over again.

As a matter of fact, go ahead and read the last few sentences, and you've read the book. I recommend Save Money, Save Energy. Much better.

Easy to read, especially if you don't have a lot of time, it's in sections for convenience!

Great book for understanding environmental issues and how to address them in a daily perspective. This is a mighty fine way to interpret the kind of footprint we all leave and how to minimize such. Very informative on issues we hardly think about, and yet pose a threat to the environment if not carefully managed. The book is worth every single dollar!

Great premise. Easy to read. Divided into chapters such as health and beauty, home, etc. Great practical tips on how to help the environment. However, some of the tips won't help your wallet. ie. get voicemail instead of an answering machine. Voicemail is about $20 a month so $240/year while an answering machine is $60 one time purchase.

This is a great book for the everyday person trying to do their part is saving the planet. The small things seem so easy, I wondered why I hadn't been doing it all along. Also some unique ideas for around your home.

The green book has been featured on TV shows and is a New York Times bestseller. Written by Elizabeth Rogers and Thomas M. Kostigen, I wondered whether it has anything to do with the celebrity quotes and endorsements from people such as Cameron Diaz, Robert Redford, Jennifer Aniston and Justin Timberlake?

Firstly the book is green, not just in colour but also it's printed on 100% recycled paper. Subtitled as `the everyday guide to saving the planet one simple step at a time' the book is more about being "more good" than "less bad" with a series of nicely structured tips.

Each chapter begins with The Big Picture on the topic, whether it be travel, school or shopping for example. Followed by Simple Steps which provides three practical steps to take in that particular area. Then finally The Little Things provides more details and small steps that can be taken.

Chapters are broken up by the aforementioned celebrity quotes, which frankly don't add much to the besides to show how big and clever these people are. Some of the tips can be a little confusing or contradictory, such as suggesting you take your own toiletries on vacation, but then not to check any luggage on the plane. Then also to use the library for books and then saying not to use libraries but go online. OK so these are minor points, but some tips are a little picky, I enjoyd the book more when it concentrated on practical measures rather than small, inconvenient suggestions that don't make much of an impact when done.

What is kind of nice is the comparison it makes for each tip. For example when suggesting if everyone used one less paper napkin a day, the amount saved could be used to provide one to every person who eats a hotdog on July 4th (150m). Or the amount of trash saved is equivalent to the weight of the Great Pyramid. I've never seen a plastic frisbee 2.5 miles in diameter but thanks for the image.

The Simple Steps sections are useful, but not full of that much you can't get for free online anyway, including our very own 100 Ways To Save The Planet. There were some useful facts that you can bring up at parties, like Blu-Ray discs can be recycled as they're 50% paper, natural make-up only needs to contain 1% natural ingredients to be labeled as natural, and the world's largest consumer of aluminum is the anti-perspirant industry.

I agree 100% with all the 1-2 star reviews. This book is bogus. There is more
clear, practical advice in these reviews than contained in this book.

One of my complaints about this book that wasn't covered yet is the erroneous
and misleading attempts to use crude oil to help the reader visualize the impact
of his or her efforts.

For example, the authors suggest that you purchase retreaded tires for your
car. They claim that if the demand for retreads increased by 10%, "the total oil
savings per year would be about 290 million gallons." The authors take a lot of
liberties with using oil as an analogy to represent energy consumption. In
this case though, they seem clear that its the conservation of "1/3 the petroleum
resources" that the retreads yield over new tires which they are contributing to
the 290 mil. gal.

I don't disagree with these statements. It very well may be the case that it
takes 290 million gallons of oil to produce enough petrochemicals to manufacture
that synthetic rubber. What the reader should really understand is that along
with some new tires , those barrels of oil also would have produced:

149 million gal. of gas
44 million gal. of diesel fuel
35 million gal. of jet fuel

...as well as 55 million gallons of dozens of other products like, candle wax,
lubricating oils, propane, kerosene, asphalt, etc. In fact, only about 4
million gallons, by volume, of that 290 million gal. of oil directly contributed
to the raw material of the tires.

If we depended on oil simply for the rubber, it would be trivial
to find ways to use less rubber. We use the rubber because its
basically a free byproduct of our unquenchable thirst for the gas, diesel, and
jet fuels.

Oil is first and foremost a fuel source. The rubber and plastic that this book
advises you to conserve should really be measured only on the real benefits of
conservation, which are the reduction of landfilled waste and litter.

The authors recommend that you not buy books, or borrow books from the library.
I think you should take their advice for this one.

This was my very first "green" purchase. I love it, it has changed my life. I was not even aware of being environmently friendly and when I became aware I was a little overwhelmed at all the things I could do to make a change. This book was a perfect start, tons of information.
I am now aware!

Mostly a list of tips and tricks for green choices. Weird quotes from celebrities about their green thoughts. A little simple and basic.

I liked the book (on loan from the library). Too much to remember in one sitting - so I assumed there would be a creative web site that would send me weekly emails for suggestions and reminders from the book. But just a site to promote the book.

This is a "Green Lite" book. It is filled with the obvious, so if you have no clue, this book is for you. In addition to the obvious, the book also contains some gross and ridiculous statements.

Here is one of my favorites:
"Making coffee uses about 1/3 of the tap water consumed. If every worker cut back on water fill by one cup, we'd save almost 10 million gallons a day. Over the course of a year, this would save eough water to provide 2 gallons to the 1.2 billion people on the planet who don't have access to safe water at all."

I'm afraid this statement by the authors was not meant as a joke. It reminds me of when parents would tell their kids to clean their plate because "there are hungry people in the world."

I mean, how in the world will the "saved" water be transported? This is precisely the type of drivel to be found in this book.

For people who want to continue driving their gas-guzzling SUV's, live in a McMansion and delude themselves. Quips from clueless "superstars" add to the book to make it the perfect best-seller for those people who want to pretend they actually care about the planet but don't want to inconvenience themselves in the slightest way.

Came quickly and I like the book, you can pick it up and read a lot or read in spurts!

A quick read and something easy to go back to and find what you're looking for. Good for basic ways you can help yourself and the environment at the same time. Sometimes cheesy with the 'celebrity' pitches at the end of each section but something easily passed over.

I read this book in one night. As some people have stated it is not an intensive guide to saving the planet. Rather it focuses on small and simple steps that we can all take to reduce our impact on our environment.

The idea of the book is good, but the content is so basic it borders on being silly. For example, instead of throwing away books you purchase and read, consider giving them to friends or donating them to the library. If you leave electrical things plugged into the wall outlet, they sometimes continue to use electricity. Fill your coffeemaker with one less cup than is required to save water. Enough said.

I just started reading the Green Book and I have already found many ideas I can implement now. Composting, sorting, closing the fireplace damper..wow. I am a big advocate of reduce, recyle and reuse. This book give you easy ideas to help our planet and save you money. I recommend to everyone.

I bought this book last year & got busy so hadn't had a chance to really sit down & read it. I say it presented on Oprah during her Green Day show. I pulled it back out and was so happy I had it! What an excellent book about learning Green living! I have already began several of the items listed to be more green. What a wonderful feeling when you begin doing your part to help the environment. I strongly recommend this book to anyone looking to Go Green in your daily living.

I bought 10 of these books and gave to family and friends for the holidays so everyone can learn how easy it is to save the environment!

The Green Book is very user friendly in that it offers hundreds of easy steps that anyone can take to help the environment. There's no need to change your whole life to make a difference.
~ Pick up one less paper napkin when eating fast food. ~ Use a reusable thermal cup at the local coffee shop instead of a disposable cup. ~ Good product guides that show companies which are earth friendly.
I've been able to do lots of little things in my life and at work to make a difference. Highly recommended book for yourself and gifts.
The Green Book: The Everyday Guide to Saving the Planet One Simple Step at a Time

I agree with Mr. Goodin's review entirely. I was expecting a book of not only practical daily tips on how to make "greener" personal choices, but also one that would provide suggestions on the more major lifestyle changes we each need to start making such as consuming less, reusing more, eliminating our appetite for so much "disposable" stuff, downsizing our houses and cars, etc. The previous reviewer's analogy of the Denali-driving yuppie who now feels "greener" because of taking the author's advice to use a different lipstick (and fails to learn anything about the harm those many needless suburban shopping trips in the gas-hog SUV are causing) is dead-on. But still, I'll give the book 2 stars instead of 1, only because maybe a couple of these trivial tips when done by millions might indeed provide us with a small step in the right direction.

"The Green Book" is not so much a cohesive manuel on how to save the planet as much as a collection of little paragraphs highlighting insignificant things which would have minimal positive impact on the Earth. While there are paragraphs on insulating your home and sustainable forest products most of the book focuses on such things as consuming fewer staples, buying unwrapped candy (wrappers are difficult to recycle) and using non-petroluem based lipstick. (After reading that section I had visions of a woman driving her Denali across town to Whole Foods to buy all new make-up.)
The book is also riddled with factual errors. For example, in the section on phone books the authors stated that "Telephone books make up almost 10 percent of waste at dump sites." A visitor to the dump would be hard pressed to find a single phone book amongst the thousands of tons of asphalt shingles, old carpet, construction debris and other household waste that really fill the nation's dumps.
Although somewhat dated a much better book on this subject is "The Consumer's Guide to Effective Environmental Choices: Practical Advice from the Union of Concerned Scientists." It details which consumer activities are the most harmful and least harmful and what everyday people can do to lessen their footprint on the environment. While it does not have cute little vignettes by Jennifer Aniston or Justin Timberlake it is written by real scientists who have provide a thought provoking analysis of environmental issues.

This is a great bathroom book to read small things at a time to put into everyday practice.

This is a great book, really simple with easy to follow ideas to make your life greener. The way it is written really puts things in perspective and you will read how little things you can do, like using one less paper napkin per day, can really make a big difference. Buy it for someone who thinks that leading an eco-friendly life is too hard, this may be the book that changes their mind. Anyone who reads this book will surely be able to make at least on change in their habits.

First let me say I am not saying the information in the book is wrong or unhelpful but a book written by millionaire celebrities lecturing the little people on being eco friendly is patronizing at best. In the end the global warming crisis will be solved by Scientists not Jennifer Aniston or Justin Timberlake. One average Beverly Hills home emits about as much C0 2 gases as ten more modest size homes emit. One concert tour by plane or bus emits more greenhouse gases as a middle class person's V-6 powered SUV emits in 3 years. Private jets are among the worst polluters in the air and are used all the time by so called celebs. Most celebs travel both nationally and internationally more so than the non celebs do and the pollution emitted from those air miles easily exceeds the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by a 4 person middle class family for a very long period of time. Granted this is not all their fault. If you are an actor you must travel, musicians go on the road to perform concerts. The message is right but this book is an insulting way to deliver it.

I'm not sure about this book. It contains and explains a nice collection of easy to implement 'green' actions, but I don't think any of it will stick. It doesn't really make you think about the whole process of production and consumption and therefore only hands some tips for people that want an easy way out of their wasting consumption pattern.
I think awareness about the intricacies behind consumption en production will leave you with a more motivated state of mind about changing your habits. If you think you agree I recommend the WorldChanging book.
But nevertheless, any book that hands tips for a greener future is a beneficial waste of trees ;)
Or subscribe to DailyBite and get daily tips in your email for free and paperless.

I gave this book out as Christmas gifts this year to family and friends. It gives easy ways to help mother earth even for the lazy human.

As the green movement grows momentum, people are seeking instruction and help on little things they can do to make a larger environmental impact. _The Green Book_ is just such an "environmental self-help" manual. Without being preachy, forecasting an environmental apocalypse or lecturing, Rogers and Kostigen provide hundreds of small, everyday actions people can take to reduce the amount of waste being produced and limit the size of one's environmental footprint.

These little things: like re-using a paperclip, buying post-consumer recycled products, purchasing soy-based rather than parafin crayons - all serve to ease the environmental impact we have. These helpful tips cover a suprisingly wide range of activities from entertainment to work, to leisure activites. What I was most impressed with is how small (and therefore easy) many of the changes that can be made are. Ideally we would all consume less (how much does a person NEED after all?) but this is another issue; the strength of the book is its recognition that many people will continue to consume, and therefore it seeks to show how to consume smarter, and with fewer ecological consequences.

Why, then, do I give it four stars? The book is peppered with celebrity accounts of their environmental activism and the things they do to help the environment. I was neither impressed nor moved by thier words. To some extent this relates to the point of consuming less: celebrities by their very nature are conspicuous consumers; to some extent I felt it a bit "preachy" - who are they (the individuals who recieve thousands, tens of thousands of free products as gifts at awards and talk shows) to give the rest of us advice or be used as examples of "green living"?

Celebrities aside, I was impressed with the information presented, and the extensive references provided at the back of the book with websites for further information. A recommended read for everyone, as the advice and examples are both practical and simple, facts the environmental movmement should embrace to a greater extent.

I purchased this as a gift last week and couldn't resist looking through it before wrapping. Very informative with great ideas and well written. Good job!!

I'll be buying this book for everyone this year! Filled with great little tips that everyone can be doing to make a difference in our planet. Great book, I love it!

I found the green book fascinating. This book gives hundreds of practical ideas to conserve energy and save the Earth that can be used every day. I found the book a quick and easy read, the only thing I would have liked to see in it would be some pictures. Overall the book is a great resource including hundreds and hundreds of websites for even more information.

This book "dumbs down" (no offense meant) what can come across in other forms of media as the daunting and overwhelming issue of global environmental change. Instead of scaring you with statistics and a "we're nearly too late to fix this" message, The Green Book offers extremely practical and EASY ways each of us can contribute to the solution in an every day scenario. (Examples: how to decrease your home electricity bill while saving energy; how to become a more efficient and earth-friendly traveler; how to recycle most efficiently.) Not only does this book give great tips and advice on how to decrease your personal footprint on the environment, but it also presents the larger scope of how our actions influence the future of our world. The celebrity anecdotes are fun but not the most essential part of the reading. Bottom line: the book has a hopeful message that we CAN change our ways and thus the outcome for future generations, and fosters a "can-do" attitude for any reader.

While the Internet resources listed at the back of the book are plentiful, the overall preachy tone of the book (after reading just a few pages) makes it less appealing. I have to give limited kudos to the discussion of a current "hot button" issue; however, I find that the advice is rather simplified (something that the "instant gratification" masses will immediately find attractive). More importantly, I have to express specific disagreement with the authors' advice to "try using a digital library or the World Wide Web instead of traveling to your local branch to do research. You'll save time and money."

Spoken like folks who clearly have not done their research. Not everything is available, or readily accessible, online, and then there are the issues of information currency (When was it published? Or revised last?), accuracy (Who are the "experts" providing this information?), and relevance (I can't argue this one because it is a topic of importance for everyone [all of us inevitably leave a carbon footprint in our wake] living on this earth). Working from potentially inaccurate, or just plain wrong, information taken from an online resource (that has not been researched for accuracy [typically achieved by referring to a printed resource) has the potential of adding to the waste (time, effort, gas, etc.) that the authors (and their readers) are hoping to reduce or eliminate.

Information, specifically information published for research purposes, has been fact-checked several times prior to its publication. Making this information available, and accessible, to the public at their free, local branch public library (some within walking distance to schools and neighborhoods) saves time, money, and effort. I'd say using one's local public library to satisfy general, as well as research, information needs is a positive step in the greening of our planet.

If readers are looking for simple ways to make positive strides in protecting our planet's resources (recycling [garbage, old cell phones, computers] reducing water consumption, buying organic foods, etc.) then this book contains some helpful hints. But when it comes to deciding between an online resource for information and a research trip to the local public library, I'd say think twice before making the decision about which option will serve your information needs better.

I found the green book very informative,concise,easy to read & useful. After each chapter there are simple steps listed telling you how to be more environmentally responsible. I plan on giving this book for Christmas gifts along with cloth napkins. There are web sites listed in the back under categories with more info on how to implement these steps.

Great value, good information. I bought 3: noted and passed them on to friends, writing inside for them to read and also pass on to a friend, etc., etc..

This book is a great reference on very simple things that you would not think about to help make a difference in saving our planet. My 11 year old son reads it and puts it to use. I highly recommend everyone to get a copy and keep it where everyone can see it. Just pick it up and pick a page. By just doing one simple thing in there, we can all make a difference!!!!

The power of The Green Book lies in its strict adherence to its vision: to make a practical, accessible guide for the average consumer to live a little more greenly, one day at a time. The Green Book is not revolutionary in the scientific concepts or practical advice presented. The strength is that all these tips are collected together in a small book, with the rationale behind each idea. Yes, you could probably dig up all this information elsewhere on the Internet, but who would want to?

I just read an energy saving "tip" on my electric company's website saying that a mom fed her kids off paper plates for the whole summer to save energy running the dishwasher. So she saved water and electricity at the cost of trees, landfill space, and manufacturing waste? When that's the quality of information you can find for free on the Internet, I'll pay $10 for a well-written, well-researched, and heavily endorsed green guide.

This is the guide for everyone who liked the concept of the July 2007 Live Earth concerts and wants to start taking one step at a time to live a greener life. If you can't afford a Prius or retrofit your home with solar panels, look no further. You still can make a dent in your energy footprint, and without becoming obsessive about the topic. The Green Guide will make you cognizant of what your shower, air conditioning, computer use, and buying habits do to the environment and the power of small changes if enough people adopt them.

The book is structured into chapters on the functional areas where you can apply tips: at home, work, school, while traveling, while shopping, and so on. The tips apply not just to saving Mother Earth, but to keeping our own bodies healthy (bicycling outside when you have the least exposure to smog, not using plastic containers to avoid chemical leaching). The Green Book made me think in new ways about environmental consciousness. Buying local made toys saves petroleum that would have been used to ship them across the Pacific from Asian countries. If you are going to buy a non-replantable Christmas tree, go for a live one instead of an artificial ones, because the artificial ones have a short 6 year-life span and end up in landfills with their PVC and lead waste. Paper or plastic? Go for paper, because they baggers will fill more groceries per bag, and paper has a better chance of being recycled.

The Green Book is complete with an exhaustive guide to online references for more information.

The Green Book is a cleverly written, excellent source of information,including the pages listing many relevant websites.

Great source of information & ideas for anyone interested in becoming more environmentally aware. There are tips and ideas for everyone.
I would highly recommend this book. You need to take a look.........

This book has found a way to teach us valuable lessons about our responsibilities towards the environment (and each other), while at the same time providing humor and wit. The writing and editing are excellent.
I highly recommend it!

This book is a handy reference guide for green living. The various chapters (travel, health and beauty, shopping, entertainment, etc.) contain great tips for conserving energy and saving resources.

The book is also a fun read, with comments by celebrities, and amazing facts such as "if 40% of households reduced their holiday paper consumption by 2 sheets this year, the savings could gift wrap Manhattan island." Pictures such as this throughout the book provide motivation for everyone to do their part.

The reference guide at the end of the book is well organized and easy to use. It is impressive that the authors have donated a portion of the sales to support environmental causes, and have also carbon offset the energy used to produce the book, which is made with 100% recycled paper.

This has got to be one of the more inspirational books with ideas on how to save the planet since my high school days reading the prophecy for our planet in "Voyages Scenarios for a Ship Called Earth" by R. Sauer back in the 70's.... Meanwhile get started and go for "The Green Book"

I've read all the green guides out there (some, very good) but this is the first book to really change my habits...truly helping me make small changes that I know will have a big impact. By offering so many simple solutions that are so so easy to put into action, my family and I have made a shift in our lifestyle and have become evangelists for green living. Thanks to this book, I will NEVER take another ATM receipt, never eat from my own bag of popcorn and I will ALWAYS bring my cloth bags to the market. I may not be ready to compost...but there are so many other changes I will continue to make in my life -- and will encourage my 3 kids to do also -- that I know will make the planet a better place to live. Buy this book for yourself and for everyone you know.

First of all, the earth has been at this for over 4 billion years. All the recommendations of this work are absolutely trivial. Yes, conserve especially non renewables (but just about everything is renewable - only a matter of time). If one wants to reduce emmisions of gases, stop breathing. Otherwise, let the Earth work out the issues.