Sara Gilbert (1) (1975–)

I was already a burgeoning enthusiast when I was given this book as a gift, but I was (and still am) far from an environmentalist. Why? It's a process that doesn't happen overnight (which my family is thankful for- they can only take so much change at a time). This is actually a great book for the beginner and those going through the slow conversion process.

This is a great book for not intimidating the beginner. It tackles one small topic per page and advocates a lot of taking on a change at a natural point - such as buy the environmental cleaning product only once you need a new bottle of cleaning product, replace your heating system when it needs to be replaced, etc. Sometimes it is even in two steps or compromises: it's great if you can get environmental laundry detergent, but you can do a lot of good going scent-free if you need a little time finding green detergent in your area. It breaks going green down into manageable chunks, which is important as saving the world is a little (very) intimidating.

No, it doesn't have all the answers. No, it does not go in depth. No, it doesn't have citations. This makes complete sense as the book is clearly aimed at the beginner (beginners aren't going to necessarily have the background to understand citations, most of us don't have permissions to access the citations anyway and, if you still need citations to believe the world is in trouble, you weren't going to believe them anyway). None of the information in here is new or revolutionary; every piece I read had a sense of familiarity, like I had heard it in the news before. We just hear so much all the time and here it is, collected and organized, in a voice that tells you to take it all one step at a time.

Start here. For me, a litterless lunch and scent-free products are a good jumping off point.… (meer)

I was already a burgeoning enthusiast when I was given this book as a gift, but I was (and still am) far from an environmentalist. Why? It's a process that doesn't happen overnight (which my family is thankful for- they can only take so much change at a time). This is actually a great book for the beginner and those going through the slow conversion process.

This is a great book for not intimidating the beginner. It tackles one small topic per page and advocates a lot of taking on a change at a natural point - such as buy the environmental cleaning product only once you need a new bottle of cleaning product, replace your heating system when it needs to be replaced, etc. Sometimes it is even in two steps or compromises: it's great if you can get environmental laundry detergent, but you can do a lot of good going scent-free if you need a little time finding green detergent in your area. It breaks going green down into manageable chunks, which is important as saving the world is a little (very) intimidating.

No, it doesn't have all the answers. No, it does not go in depth. No, it doesn't have citations. This makes complete sense as the book is clearly aimed at the beginner (beginners aren't going to necessarily have the background to understand citations, most of us don't have permissions to access the citations anyway and, if you still need citations to believe the world is in trouble, you weren't going to believe them anyway). None of the information in here is new or revolutionary; every piece I read had a sense of familiarity, like I had heard it in the news before. We just hear so much all the time and here it is, collected and organized, in a voice that tells you to take it all one step at a time.

Start here. For me, a litterless lunch and scent-free products are a good jumping off point.… (meer)