Book Description
The Whole Earth Catalog for the next generation.
Experts suggest that by 2005, 40 percent of American homes will buy organic, yet a large majority have only a limited knowledge of how to actually make informed, green choices. Green Living, from the editors of E/The Environmental Magazine offers a thorough, step-by-step plan for every aspect of your life, from the laundry room to the kitchen:
Maintaining a healthy home
Going organic and avoiding genetically modified food
Finding a planet-friendly car
Making socially responsible investments
Using personal-care products free of damaging chemicals
With advice on everything from planet-friendly cosmetics to home-based renewable energy, and straight talk on hemp, hybrids and hair coloring, Green Living is the ideal reference for both the neophyte and the experienced environmentalist.
Customer Reviews:
good info for speeches and essays.......2007-06-02
i enjoyed the info -- it helped me to write a successful essay
Great starter guide to green.......2007-04-06
This book is a great resource of information for living a healthier, greener life. I would recommend this book to anyone just to have around as a reference for their home. My favorite thing about this book would be the reference it lists for starting a broader search on the eco-friendly topics that interest you the most.
Useful book.......2007-03-15
Complete and informative, with many concrete suggestions and references for decreasing you impact on the planet.
Great book!!.......2007-02-20
This books covers most of it..From Babies to Pets. Heathly and Green Living tips abound. I own this book and read it often.
A great reference for everyday life.......2007-01-08
I have purchased this book twice now - once for myself, once as a gift - and I wouldn't hesitate to buy it again. Most of the ideas are easy to implement and are accompanied by clear explanations of the ecologic and economic values of "being green." The sections are easy to read and generally interesting, and the resources provided within the text and at the end are quite useful. When you implement the suggestions in this book, you will help the Earth and save money, making it a great value in more ways than one. Highly recommended for "greenies" and "non-greenies" alike. This book was written by the folks at "E the Environmental Magazine" (also terrific, and chock full of great ideas for everyday living).
Book Description
Surveys find that over 80 percent of Americans agree with the goals of the environmental movement. Sadly, most Americans admit to doing little more than basic recycling when it comes to acting on that disposition. What is the reason for this great divide between environmental sentiment in this country and individual actions? Author and environmental consultant Crissy Trask seeks to answer this question-and solve the disparity-with a new book that makes it easy to be an environmentalist, no matter how busy or hectic your lifestyle. This is a day to day guide with simple, practical suggestions that anyone can put into action, like:
Customer Reviews:
Good Intro to Green Living.......2007-08-11
This book is smaller than many, which makes it pallatable to those who might want to dip their toe into the eco-pool. It has straightforward language, resource pages, short chapters and simple (occasionally humorous) illustrations.
The easy method of tracking actions that you can take gives you a sense of satisfaction as you check through what you are already doing, and what you can consider adding to your daily/weekly/monthly routines. Throughout certain areas of the chapters, there are three boxes next to some action items. The box farthest to the right signifies that this is an action that you would like to try, target or experiment with. Checking the middle box signifies that you are in the process of working on implementing it in your lifestyle. The left most and final box allows you to rate your success with that action on a scale of 1 to 5. For those of us who like lists and to see what we're doing, filling up this book with checks and numbers gives a sense that I can see that I'm making a difference.
Great gift for a hard to shop for person who has everything...
easy being green.......2007-07-28
type too small
horrible reading
I really wanted to send it back -still do
poorly written!
Green is good.......2007-07-20
Excellent book on how to become more environmentally and health conscious while saving money at the same time.
really cool book.......2007-01-06
this book is a fun read. it is very concise and well organized, so it makes for a good coffee table item.
Well, the info is good, but widely available without this book.......2006-11-03
If you need to have almost all the ideas for ways YOU can reduce your ecological damage of your lifestyle all in one easy to read place -- or know someone who you think is open to being greener but unaware of all the big and little changes one can fairly easily make, this might be a book for you.
If you've been paying attention to ecological, green, and sustainability issues for years there's not much point in this book. All the info in it is widely available on the 'net and other sources free.
Book Description
To have a home that’s more in touch with the earth, you don’t have to start from the ground up! It’s possible—and more environmentally friendly—to go green by renovating an existing home. With the help of Carol Venolia, an award-winning architect and bestselling author, and Kelly Lerner, a world-famous innovator in the field of sustainable development, even the least mechanically inclined person can make a difference in his or her dwelling…and to the planet. The two have produced a remarkable book—packed with information and photos, and the first ever in full color to cover the subject. It’s lush and exquisite to look at, filled with motivational case studies and informative graphics, and completely user-friendly.
“Some of us would like to become more Earth-Friendly, but we don’t have 10,00 acres in Montana or the passive solar ATM machine to get us the cash to buy the above. Breathe! Center! There is help. Groundbreaking architects, Kelly Lerner and Carol Venolia have just completed a book (to help you). There are plenty of checklists and resource guides to go with all the glossy photos.” -- Kevin Taylor, The Pacific Northwest Inlander
“You don't have to build a new home to have a green home. The book builds on the construction wisdom our forebears used to design homes that capitalized on nature's light, warmth, coolness and other benefits. Venolia and Lerner cover everything from simple changes to complex systems that make a home more ecologically sensitive, comfortable and livable. The book is dense with ideas and information for homeowners considering renovations.” --Akron Beacon Journal
Kelly Lerner is an innovative architect who spearheaded a project responsible for building more than 600 passive-solar-heated straw-bale houses in China. Her designs have been featured in Landscape Architecture Magazine, Metropolis Magazine, The Straw Bale House, and Green by Design.
Carol Venolia specializes in the field of eco-healthy building. Her first book, Healing Environments, has enjoyed international success, and her home designs have been featured in The Natural House Catalog, Earth to Spirit, The Healthy House, and Environ magazine. Carol currently writes the "Design for Life" column for Natural Home & Garden magazine.
Customer Reviews:
good ideas.......2007-10-01
There were many good ideas in this book. Some more expensive than the average person could afford. I read Building Green: A Complete How-To Guide to Alternative Building Methods Earth Plaster * Straw Bale * Cordwood * Cob * Living Roofs; By: Clarke Snell (Author), Tim Callahan (Author). Which was very comprehensive and enjoyable. While Snell and Callahan focus on building from scratch I was more interested at this moment in remodeling. I wouldn't dismiss this book, but I would identify what your needs are first.
Go get it! You will love it!.......2007-09-10
And I am glad I did! I am even gladder to know that more people are waking up to the idea of natural remodeling. I am not sure whether it alone will save our earth but it's a good start. If enough people do it, it will certainly raise the level of our appreciation of nature to a higher level.
We're in the process of buying a house. Having been brainwashed by the mainstream culture and the media, I had grand dreams of huge expansion with piles of the latest and the biggest "goods" we're all programmed to consume - things like an all powerful over sized profession stainless oven even though I would never use it. But I now have a completely different mind set after reading this book.
We've decided to go small and practical and recycle, reuse as much as possible. Let mother Nature live so that we can too!
PERFECTION!.......2007-07-06
I could not put this book down. It answers all of my questions and concerns as I begin to contemplate the large undertaking of creating a healthy, eco-friendly home for our family. Very thorough, creative and well-written... I only wish I could hire these women directly. Just enough information to cover all of the key considerations, with plenty of guidance on how to dig deeper if necessary. Should be required reading for every builder on the planet!
Unconventional remodeling.......2007-06-27
If you are prepared to surround your house with hay bales and hire an expert plasterer from Germany to cover it all up, this may be the book for you. I found it amusing. It is a bit short on the details of how to do more conventional modifications. However, it has a refreshing focus on houses of modest size and provides guidance in rethinking the use of your existing space to get more out of it. There is a lot of attention to the relation of the house to the surrounding environment, sun at various times of day and times of year, and views and so on.
The book did explain what type of new window to buy if you want to continue to benefit from passive solar heat in the winter -- information that may be worth the price of the book to me.
Some good stuff - Some questionable.......2007-06-26
Some of the stuff in this book is good. Much of it is a no brainer such as trees etc. If you are brand new it'll give you some ideas. Some of it is questionable. I've worked on a lot of houses in a variety of jobs. I'm very skeptical about new types of building, for example hay bales. Contractors build homes a certain way because they are tried and true and proven to work WITHOUT GIANT HEADACHES. Hay bales make me nervous. Take it for what it is but then think it out.
Customer Reviews:
From the Publisher.......2005-11-20
"Three hundred full-color illustrations and elucidating text showcase the work of the Taliesin Architects, a firm started by the students and coworkers of legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright after his death in 1959. Guided by a desire to create buildings in harmony with nature; to make a positive contribution to the way people live; and to keep Wright's vision alive, this book offers an overview of Taliesin Architects' work of the past forty years and a succinct summary of his design principles.
"John Rattenbury worked and studied with Frank Lloyd Wright for eight years. Since he cofounded Taliesin Architects, he has designed more than two hundred architectural and planning projects. Rattenbury teaches design and professional practice at the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture and lectures throughout the United States.
"296 pages, size: 10.5" square. 300 color photographs and drawings. Casebound book, with dust jacket. ISBN: 0-7649-1366-2."--© Pomegranate
Mr. Wright's vision lives on in Taliesin Architects.......2000-12-01
I had no idea of the quantity and quality of the work that has been and is still being brought forth by the Taliesin Architects! Projects that were not realized in Mr. Wright's time have been brought forth lovingly and true to his vision of "organic" architecture. Not to mention the breathtaking original homes, churches, auditoriums, nursing homes, banks, hotels, mobile homes (YES!) and other moderate cost housing. Not copies of the works of their inspiring teacher, Mr. Wright would not have that! They have found their own way of "organic" architecture that would make Mr. Wright proud!
The Wrong Stuff.......2000-11-06
John Rattenbury's 'A Living Architecture: Frank Lloyd Wright and
Taliesin Architects' is the kind of 'coffee table' book that gives the
concept of the coffee table book a bad name. The publisher's
advertising blurb seems to promise an intelligent and inclusive
examination of Wright's Taliesin Fellowship, founded in 1932. Instead
we get a brief mention of only 3 of the many apprentices who studied
at the architect's elbow, and little else regarding an in-depth
history of the movement. The blurb goes on to promise a substantial
survey of the designs of the fellowship's numerous graduates since
Wright's death, again to concentrate instead on the work, much of it
mediocre indeed, of only a few, the author himself getting the lion
share of the mention. Rattenbury also spends some considerable length
in a rehashing of Wright's definition of organic architecture, a
definition that can be found in dozens of published tracts by Wright
himself, all available for far less cost than this tome demands. The
definition presented is general, simplistic, often derivative, and
offers nothing fresh to the veteran admirer of Wright; while someone
coming new to that great architect would be far better served to
expose himself to Wright through far better - and far less expensive -
introductory works such as those by Scully or Hitchcock or Twombly. As
a former apprentice and now teacher for Taliesin Architects,
Rattenbury limits himself to mainly uncritical press agentry for that
group, in a format almost totally devoid of depth or
scholarship. Strongly not recommended for anyone but the most satiated
Wright fan looking for yet another expensive, 'skin deep' presentation
trading on Wright's name and glory.
Book Description
The decline of cheap oil is inspiring increasing numbers of North Americans to achieve some measure of backyard food self-sufficiency. In hard times, the family can be greatly helped by growing a highly productive food garden, requiring little cash outlay or watering.
Currently popular intensive vegetable gardening methods are largely inappropriate to this new circumstance. Crowded raised beds require high inputs of water, fertility and organic matter, and demand large amounts of human time and effort. But, except for labor, these inputs depend on the price of oil. Prior to the 1970s, North American home food growing used more land with less labor, with wider plant spacing, with less or no irrigation, and all done with sharp hand tools. But these sustainable systems have been largely forgotten. Gardening When It Counts helps readers rediscover traditional low-input gardening methods to produce healthy food.
Designed for readers with no experience and applicable to most areas in the English-speaking world except the tropics and hot deserts, this book shows that any family with access to 3-5,000 sq. ft. of garden land can halve their food costs using a growing system requiring just the odd bucketful of household waste water, perhaps two hundred dollars worth of hand tools, and about the same amount spent on supplies - working an average of two hours a day during the growing season.
Mother Earth News Wiser Living Series
Customer Reviews:
Gardening When it Counts.......2007-09-24
This book is an exciting addition to books on vegetable growing- so much so, that many
others become unnecessary. The author covers in detail everything about the art- from seed buying,
his own complete organic fertilizer recipe, preparing the soil, simple tools, planting and watering etc
His long experience and total integrity and commitment shine through and make it a must for those
wanting to seriously feed themselves.
Mostly good - with attitude.......2007-09-14
This book was highly recommended to me and I bought it hoping to learn some techniques to help in growing food plants and vegetables for our home use. Since the author lives in a very distinct growing area, if I lived in a maritime New Zealand area it would probably be a perfect book. Many of his techniques would only work in his specific climate and for a full time gardener, which I am not. Sigh. The section on growing and storing each individual type of food is excellent if you can adapt it to your own climate. I was not too happy with the preachy, arrogant, "Everyone else is an idiot and only I know how to do it right" attitude which extends the lenght of the book by quite a bit. Overlooking that, there are a few helpful tidbits but there are other books that I think are more helpful.
best garden guide i've found.......2007-08-15
after looking through a lot of gardening books, i can confidently say that this book provides the best basis of knowledge for starting a garden. My garden is in only its first year, but with the info in this book, I'm already making money selling organic produce through two different coops.
Great for first time gardeners.......2007-05-10
I will be starting my first garden this summer and this was the first book on gardening I read. It makes for a great introduction. Solomon goes into detail about how plants grow and what they need from the gardener. He has a good formula for Organic Fertilizer. He has a good list of what tools you need and what to look for when buying them. He has a great section is the back of the book that goes vegetable by vegetable and explains how to grow and harvest them. He also has a great bibliography in the back that points you to a lot of additional reading.[...]
Great hands-on resource.......2007-03-25
I have a whole shelf of vegetable gardening books, but I turn to this one again and again. Solomon gives clear information on tools, making garden beds, mixing up your own fertilizer (this alone is worth the price of the book), selecting seeds, storing them (another great section), and growing individual crops.
I especially appreciate his perspective as an ex-seedsman, as well as his discussion on different types of brassicas (cabbage, kale, broccoli, and the like) and onions. I had no idea what the difference between long-day and short-day onions were until I read this book. While I garden intensively, I find his discussion on the differences between the intensive method (John Jeavons, Square Foot Gardening, and the like), and the row method.
This book is worth reading and rereading.
Average customer rating:
- This Book Is Awesome
- Fun to read, Great reference
- Down to Earth with REAL, EVERYDAY advice
- Well scrubbed book
- Excellent Book
|
Organic Housekeeping: In Which the Non-Toxic Avenger Shows You How to Improve Your Health and That of Your Family, While You Save Time, Money, and, Perhaps, Your Sanity
Ellen Sandbeck
Manufacturer: Scribner
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 General
| Remodeling & Renovation
| Home Design
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
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Cleaning, Caretaking & Relocating
| How-to & Home Improvements
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
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Home Repair
| How-to & Home Improvements
| Home & Garden
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Healthy Living
| Personal Health
| Health, Mind & Body
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Similar Items:
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Naturally Clean: The Seventh Generation Guide to Safe & Healthy, Non-toxic Cleaning
-
The Naturally Clean Home: 100 Safe and Easy Herbal Formulas for Non-Toxic Cleansers
-
Better Basics for the Home: Simple Solutions for Less Toxic Living
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Home Enlightenment: Practical, Earth-Friendly Advice for Creating a Nurturing, Healthy, and Toxin-Free Home and Lifestyle
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How to Grow Fresh Air: 50 House Plants that Purify Your Home or Office
ASIN: 0743256204 |
Book Description
Longing for a kinder, gentler world? As the old saying goes, everything begins at home, and odds are, if you live in the all-American household, the air inside is more toxic than the air outside, even if you live in the most polluted of cities. You regularly handle the filthiest object in your home -- the kitchen sponge -- and put the same chemicals on your face that are used in brake fluid and antifreeze.
The cleaning agents and personal care products commonly marketed to and used in American homes contain not only some very dangerous, toxic chemicals, but they also create an "overly clean," chemically bombed-out house that compromises immune systems. And with more than fifty million Americans suffering from allergies and other autoimmune diseases -- not to mention the developing and fragile immune systems of children and seniors -- large numbers of people are actually being made sicker and sicker by their homes.
Learn to live a clean, healthy, more economical way with Ellen Sandbeck, the nontoxic avenger. In this must-have book for the twenty-first- century home, this passionate, witty advocate of all things organic will teach you how to maintain every part of the home -- from living room to septic tank, kitchen floor to bathroom sink -- using safe, simple cleansers and quick preventative measures as well as the most effective organic products on the market to get the job done.
Learn time-saving, preventative housekeeping, such as taking thirty seconds to clean the shower while you shower. Take care of bathroom stains with baking soda and vinegar rather than commercial, toxic bathroom "bombs" peddled to you with such force by manufacturers. Need whiter whites? There is no bleaching power on earth stronger than the sun. Snow clean your fine rugs. Choose fruits and vegetables from the relatively pesticide residue-free list. Clean felt-tipped pen stains with vodka. Make furniture shine with olive oil and lemon. Your house will also smell as great as it looks.
Customer Reviews:
This Book Is Awesome.......2007-08-22
I saw this book at a bookstore and rushed home to Amazon to get it. :) It is a great reference for housekeeping. I couldn't believe all the things you can do with random household products. Like baking soda... Awesome!
Fun to read, Great reference.......2007-08-03
In many ways, this is a good Organic Living 101 book. I received this book as a Christmas gift and wasn't sure what to think at first. I was pleasantly surprised. This book has not only been enjoyable to read but has become a valuable reference as well. Lately, whenever I've had a question regarding safe cleaning or home maintenance, I find the answer here - from concerns about ants to cleaning carpets to cleaning the shower. I've also found great advice and ideas for getting organized around the house. I appreciate the author's goal to spend LESS time cleaning - not more!
Down to Earth with REAL, EVERYDAY advice.......2007-07-07
This is the 1st time I have taken the time to write a review about any book. That should say something at least. This book has become my bible as I have bought and begun to renovate my first-ever home. While my mom is nagging about bleaching out the basement and hiring a pest control service, I am able to come back to Organic Housekeeping for advice that is in line with my morals. This book is NOT preachy. Instead, it offers practical advice for straight-to-the-point how to do ____ without poisioning your family (pets included!). Thank goodness for this book! I recommend it to everyone who has an interest in being green. :)
Well scrubbed book.......2007-05-13
This book includes a lot of common sense/tried and true methods for cleaning (and yes they do work) along with many new ideas I had not heard of before that are simple to carry out. I like that fact that the material is not toxic and will not set off my asthma like some of the store-bought items do.
Excellent Book.......2007-04-03
This book is full of excellent advice. I have been concerned about the products that I use for cleaning for a while and this book gave me a great one-stop resource to start doing something about it. The introduction on how to handle the mountain of stuff we tend to accumulate was a welcome bonus (buying a copy for my ex-wife just for that!).
Book Description
A savvy and practical guide to organic eating for urban dwellers.
In the past few years, organic food has moved out of the patchouli-scented aisles of hippie food co-ops and into three-quarters of conventional grocery stores. Concurrent with this growth has been increased consumer awareness of the social and health-related issues around organic eating, independent farming, and food production.
Combining a straight-to-the-point exposé about organic foods (organic doesn't mean fresh, natural, or independently produced) and the how-to's of creating an affordable, easy-touse organic kitchen, Grub brings organics home to urban dwellers. It gives the reader compelling arguments for buying organic food, revealing the pesticide industry's influence on government regulation and the extent of its pollution in our waterways and bodies.
With an inviting recipe section, Grub also offers the millions of people who buy organics fresh ideas and easy ways to cook with them. Grub's recipes, twenty-four meals oriented around the seasons, appeal to eighteen- to forty-year-olds who are looking for fun and simple meals. In addition, the book features resource lists (including music playlists to cook by), unusual and illuminating graphics, and every variety of do-it yourself tip sheets, charts, and checklists.
Customer Reviews:
Learn what's really going on!.......2007-10-10
If you're like me and just getting a clue that something's amiss in our food chain and only now realizing big business has dollars instead of nutrition in mind when creating new foods, then this book helps you explain why and how that happened. Plus, you can give family and friends ideas about what to do about it - and that's only in the first half of this concise and clear read. With the second half, you can create a great meal. Organized around the way many of us cook these days - for others and for a party - the recipes are a step up from your average fare but not so complex that they can't be delicious on the first try. I highly recommend its smarts and strong flavors!
Very well written.......2007-10-10
This book is extremely well written, it was able to hold the attention of someone not in the field of nutrition/food systems (such as my husband who develops software) and captured me from the opening paragraph. I work in food systems and am very familiar with the issues Anna writes about. I appreciate all the research that went into writing this book, the detailed fact checking and the beautiful recipes developed to accompany it. I was educated, enlightened and exposed to new music artists all at the same time while reading this book--what more could I ask for?
Great recipes! Very Informative!.......2007-09-13
I really liked this book. The recipes are healthy, easy to prepare and delicious!!!
It left me wanting more great recipes.......2007-03-09
Just like food - this book allows you to really get into it and enjoy it to the fullest, from the information to the recipes!
GRUB review.......2007-01-27
fast service,
wonderful book, great memories of " Food for a Small Planet"
Its about time someone thought the way I do !
Like new. Would purchase again and again from this seller.
Book Description
It’s fairly obvious that one can’t be a ‘perfect’ environmentalist. But that’s okay. Perfection isn’t the goal. A good life is. And a good life has as much to do with your intent as with the end result.” —from the Introduction
The Newman’s Own Organics Guide to a Good Life is the essential book for those of us who can’t live in an organic hemp tepee but do care about our quality of life, global warming, clean water, and disappearing resources.
Nell Newman shows you how to do what is within easy reach. Along with realistic, practical advice, she shows how and why living a more environmentally conscious life benefits you and your immediate surroundings. In addition to recycling and reusing, the book covers consumer-related steps such as
• how buying and eating organic food supports small farms (and tastes better, too)
• how you can buy clean power through your regular power company
• which long-distance telephone companies offer competitive pricing and service while returning a portion of their profits to environmental and educational organizations
• where to buy everything—from pots and pans to pet food—so that you can “vote with your dollar” and feel good about your purchases
Packed with profiles of fascinating—and sometimes zany—people and a heavy dose of sanity, this book is organized according to the way you really live, making it easy to identify what areas of change are viable for you. A resource directory of publications, retailers, groups, and associations is included in the back of the book.
Customer Reviews:
Helpful.......2007-07-11
This is a great practical book. It's written by Nell Newman (Paul Newman's daughter) and discusses briefly her company Newman's Own. She then spends the majority of the book sharing practical tips that she's found helpful in living a more Earth-friendly life. It was an easy read and felt more like I was listening to my aunt or grandma tell me a story. And it was great because she balanced it out. Not making things so black and white. Realizing that even being environmentally friendly still causes harm to the environment. It's less about being an extremist and more about making informed, practical decisions without being a moralist with it. Which was quite refreshing to hear. It made me want to give their food another try after my disastrous results with their salsa and popcorn.
Less hokey than the cover implies.......2007-02-20
I love this book!! I try and read it often to refresh myself on the contents. I was impressed that the book was printed on recycled paper, a percentage of the profits go to charity and its not a "buy my product" book also.
This book prouldy holds a spot in my Green Living Bookcase!
Beyond political agendas and judgmental shame tactics: just simple talk about living well in America........2006-09-24
There's some rubbish going around that there are two rigidly defined, black-and-white categories of people in the USA: conservative Republicans who don't care about the environment, and Al Gore's superforce of environmental enthusiasts. Or, if you prefer, blissfully ignorant normal people vs. crazy green hippie radicals. As a moderate who likes anybody whose category can't be rhymed with 'glass bowl', I dislike any either/or mindset. It's not the reasonable people who gain media attention, it's the radicals, and they become the stereotype of what we should avoid. In this vein, the absolute worst threat to the environment today is, ironically, the most passionate of environmentalists, whose self-righteous smugness and brimstone rants turn off the average reasonable person, understandably dismissing such vile attitudes. As with religion, environmental consciousness brings the stigma of personal manipulation via shame--for there are, no question, those who try to induce and exploit guilt for a hidden personal gain. The majority recognizes such 'activism' for what it is--at its worst, the pleasure of feeling superior to the 'unenlightened masses', labelled lazy, stupid, ignorant, blind, etc. simply for living in the world as it is. Those radical environmentalists who truly care at heart must see others from an empathic viewpoint, one which doesn't include heavy-handedness or bitter judgment, and thus has a chance of actually convincing others. This is the age of the new environmentalist--common people who come together for a cause that transcends political platforms, because regardless of our personal differences, we all want the same thing: a better life for us all. And you can bet that politicians across the board will need to listen. We are the voters, we have the power here, and we can encourage each other to use it in ways that benefit our country and our families.
What's refreshing about Nell Newman's book is that it is NOT a work of self-righteous extremism. Ms. Newman, while conscientious, passionate, and very 'green', doesn't try to shove rules down the throats of readers, nor does she stand on a soapbox and rant. She takes a nonpolitical, light-handed, self-critical, practical paradigm which communicates her point better than any alternative. In fact, she acknowledges that a lot of environmental suggestions are a tradeoff, and doesn't judge the reader for their personal decisions about what is manageable for them in their everyday life. All she tries to do, in this nicely written book, is offer thoughtful and intelligent research on how we can use the cutting-edge tools of our modern age along with well-tried old-fashioned ways of living, all to make life better. And that's something that pretty much everyone, whatever their politics or age or conscience or personal beliefs, wants to do.
If every American picked just two chapters from this book, and did only about 2 of the minor ideas listed in each, not only their environment but their own personal life would improve. I've tried the Newman's Own organic answer to popular cookies, which even my large chain grocery store carries, and you know what? In my book, besides being healthier, they actually taste BETTER than the commercial brand. The chocolate in the Newman-Os had a stronger flavor; the cream was softer, smoother, more appealing. And the Fig Newmans (har) redefined my idea of the word "Fig" and what it should taste like. It's also nice knowing that the actual profits go to charity rather than an already rich CEO's pockets. Organic may be a bit more expensive--now, while the businesses are small and struggling--but that will change the more we support them, and even in the meantime, the taste and health benefits are unquestionably worth it, at least once in a while. As Nell Newman frankly says in this book, the question is more, do we want to pay up front or down the road? In other words, would we prefer to pay a little more for the health of our pets, our family and ourselves now, or do we want to make it up in hospital and vet bills later?
Part of the reason we don't eat enough vegetables in this country is because we instinctively know they don't taste right. And they don't taste right because they aren't raised right, by small farmers with natural pesticides the way it should be. That's what organic eating is all about. Not being a hippie or a radical, or nut loaf with yeast gravy. Just supporting a better way of life and a better taste. After all, why give your dollar vote to a system that only tries to phase out partially hydrogenated oils after it becomes widely known among the public that they drastically increase the risk of heart disease, and even then uses tricks like '0 grams trans fat' to blind us to the fact that they're still legally allowed to put 0.5 grams into their stragtegically chosen serving size, which still adds up to an increased risk? The oils are listed in the ingredients, but they think we won't look there, relying on consumer trust to camouflage their cheap, unhealthful choices. And though wheat is becoming more popular as a selling point, its benefits can be stripped away without any indication given if you don't know their legal trick--that's the difference between 'wheat flour' and 'whole wheat flour'--whole wheat is what gives you the benefits, and it can be one of the last ingredients while still giving them the go-ahead to blast "NOW WITH WHOLE WHEAT!" all over the front label. Only '100% whole wheat' and 'NO trans fat' really mean healthy food, and those are the brands that deserve to be bought.
Judging from my range of emotions--disturbed at what unnatural pesticides used on produce can actually do to our bodies and our ecosystem, interested at the money-saver tips for energy, then slowly outraged at what I'd been unknowingly feeding my pet in giving her commercial dog food with vegetables and healthy meat printed all over the package--I'd say Nell Newman did a pretty good job of responsibly exposing the truth, with a little humor and charm along the way, and without being paranoid or alarmist. Corporations just think what they're doing is already good enough for the common person and animal--I've got to disagree with them. I think we deserve a better quality of life. And if enough people agree with that notion, we've got a fine basis for change right there.
That's only the food sections I've covered in this recommendation. If you're interested, pick up the book--there's a lot more to be seen and known, and it's your right to know it.
Good overview of "living green".......2006-07-26
I'm not a die-hard eco-liver, but I like to be good to the environment where I can. This book gave a lot of good ideas for just that. I also bought "Green Living" by The E Magazine at the same time. This one was better. It kept my interest and wasn't just a collection of fact and figures.
Highly recommended.
Buy a copy for your local library.......2006-05-29
The book may not have all that much to offer to those of us walking the talk environmentally, but it has great value as a book to give as a gift to someone who could use some wisdom and can do attitude as far as being materialistic.
Great book to give to your local library where hundreds of patrons will check it out. Now if someone could or would come out with a tough love book on the subject that would knock some sense into the average American.
It's the majority in my opinion who are NOT doing much to live either an organic life but a less materialistic one that bother me. The ones who drive the gas guzzlers while complaining of high gas prices. Or people who buy prepackaged or fast food for most meals each week. How do we reach these folks?
Average customer rating:
- Not a complete guide; Somewhat confusing; Mostly good info.
- Truly a Wonderful and Complete Book on Sprouting
- Very comprehensive and helpful
- Great Little Sprout Book!
- The confusing guide to sprouting
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Sprouts The Miracle Food: The Complete Guide to Sprouting
Steve Meyerowitz ,
Michael Parman , and
Beth Robbins
Manufacturer: Sproutman Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Sproutman's Kitchen Garden Cookbook: 250 flourless, Dairyless, Low Temperature, Low Fat, Low Salt, Living Food Vegetarian Recipes
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The Sprouting Book: How to Grow and Use Sprouts to Maximize Your Health and Vitality (Avery Health Guides)
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Wheatgrass Nature's Finest Medicine: The Complete Guide to Using Grasses to Revitalize Your Health
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Sproutman's "Turn the Dial" Sprout Chart
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The Wheatgrass Book: How to Grow and Use Wheatgrass to Maximize Your Health and Vitality (Avery Health Guides)
ASIN: 1878736043 |
Book Description
Step-by-step, learn to grow delicious indoor greens and baby vegetables in just one week from seed to salad. Includes nutrition chart, questions and answers, and resources.
Customer Reviews:
Not a complete guide; Somewhat confusing; Mostly good info........2005-01-21
Steve Meyerowitz, a.k.a. Sproutman has been sprouting since the 1970s, and owns a company selling sprouting equipment and seeds. I've read several of his books and chatted with him in person about sprouting. Sproutman knows his stuff, and IMO, anything he writes about sprouting is worth reading. I have grown magnificent sunflower sprouts by using a Sproutman Sprouthouse (a bamboo basket in a plastic house) and following Sproutman's instructions. If you have good sprouting seeds and follow the instructions in this book, I suspect you too will grow awesome sprouts.
Unfortunately, the book is not that well organized and the instructions for sprouting, a fairly simple process, are unnecessarily confusing. There are many methods of growing sprouts, such as baskets, sprouting bags, glass jars, open-ended glass tubes with screens on both ends, trays, etc. This book gives instructions for only 3 methods: baskets, bags, and trays. Sproutman doesn't explain that upfront, however. If you want to use one of those 3 methods, the instructions are knowledgeable and detailed. BUT: I suggest that when you choose one of these methods, you read through the entire chapter first, because if you try to follow along step-by-step, it's easy to mess up.
For example, in the chapter titled, "The Technique", Sproutman launches into instructions for using a sprouting basket, without first explaining that this technique just ONE of many sprouting methods. For this technique he says to soak 5 rounded tablespoons of seeds. He doesn't explain until 7 pages later that you use 5 tablespoons of seed for an 8 inch basket, 6 to 7 tablespoons of seed for a 9 inch basket, and 2 to 3 tablespoons of seed for a 6 inch basket. A beginning basket sprouter who tries to follow his instructions without reading the entire chapter first, could easily make the mistake of using the wrong amount of seeds for the basket size.
In the next chapter, Sproutman gives instructions for how to use a sprout bag, a different technique. The first thing I would want to know about this is, what are the best seeds for growing in a sprout bag? That information is there, along with days 'til maturity-in the middle of the chapter.
Another thing that's important to a good sprout book is information about seeds. What are the varities, the days until harvest, the uses and tastes, etc? There's chart near the end of the book which gives this information, but the seed varities are not in alphabetical order. I can't figure out any logic to the way the chart is sorted, so if you want to look up a seed variety, you have to read down the entire list. Also, there are some types of fairly popular sprouting seeds missing from the chart, for example, broccoli sprouts.
Although I think most of Sproutman's information is excellent, albeit a bit disorganized, one thing I take issue with are his frequent sermons about why sprouting jars should not be used. I first used a sprouting jar in 1984, and my jar sprouts have always turned out just fine, without all those immature yellow sprouts Sproutman warns of. If you are careful not to use too many seeds and to shake your sprouts back and forth so they drain well and lay the jar on its side, your jar-sprouted sprouts will turn out just fine. Also Sproutman says a jar requires cheesecloth, screens and rubberbands. Back in 1984, a decade prior to the book's publication, I used a lid which was a plastic screen and have never had to hassle with cheesecloth, screens and rubberbands. In addition, he says automatic sprouters sell in the range of $450 to $1000. It's somewhat possible that information was accurate in the 1990s, but in the 2000s, one can find new automatic sprouters for a lot less than $450.
Some of the book's strengths include the chapter discussing which type of water to use on sprouts, the nutritional information scattered throughout the books, and the presence of an index. I personally think the book's dumb puns are a strength, but I'm sure the majority of readers will not. :-)
Despite my qualms with this book, Sproutman is outstanding in his field, and I still recommend it to anyone who wants to sprout via vertical sprouter (basket), bag, or tray, or learn about sprouting in general. If you're using either a vertical sprouter or a bag, I suggest first reading the succinct review of instructions on page 173 for the vertical sprouter and p. 175 for the sproutbag.
Truly a Wonderful and Complete Book on Sprouting.......2002-09-19
This is a great book for a person who is interested in sprouting; it is very detailed and is truly full of very interesting and useful information. The book also helps to nullify a lot of the myth about toxins and hidden dangers in sprouts. The real dangers, in actuality, exist in cooked, processed, adulterated, toyed-with, sprayed, chemicalized, distorted foods (which our grocery shelves are full of). I am now 50 years old. Back in my youthful college days, I used to sprout a great deal, eating living foods exclusively. Though I stayed being a vegetarian, I got back into the cooked food craze... eating food like it was a drug for "taste" only. I work with the multiply handicapped and even though I am a teacher I have to do a lot of lifting (of adults who are not at all feather-weight). My arthritis (which runs in the family) was killing me, despite taking all kinds of natural and man made supplements. Getting back to live food was the answer I needed. Steve's book was inspirational and very helpful. I should have never deviated from what was truly the most nutritious way to eat!
There are many ways of sprouting. I happen to like the sproutpeople.com sprouters best of all. Steve's book is a priceless tool for anyone interested in sprouting... it has all kinds of neat tips and suggestions.
Also, one suggests doing a web search on Dr. Budwig's Diet... as most people are seriously deficient in essential fatty acids of the proper type. I take my oil with a little bit of live yogurt.
Anyway... I would not want Steve's book, including his Kitchen Garden book... missing from my shelves!
As Hippocrates said: "Let your food be your medicine, and your medicine be your food."
Very comprehensive and helpful.......2002-04-20
Yes, as one person noted, the humor is sort of out of place. Bad puns throughout. I'm still giving it a 5 because it's the most helpful sprout book I've seen.
Friends of mine recommended it to me - they have an attractive set-up of baskets of sprouts growing in little seed-germinator covered plastic trays. They are thrilled with the book, and we are excited about starting to sprout. We did sprouts years ago in jars, but this system is better.
Though the book could be more condensed, it's still an easy read in a few hours. And where else is this vital information available in such thorough detail? If you are considering sprouting, you will find the information valuable.
Great Little Sprout Book!.......2000-02-18
I thought this book was terrific! It opened up a whole new world to me. Sprouting makes me feel like I can take part in growing my own food and can control the quality of the food I eat.
The confusing guide to sprouting.......1999-10-24
Full of confusing ideas, all scattered information, guides to nowhere. The auther tries to be witty and funny, but his jokes are nothing but disgusting.
Average customer rating:
- Intriguing.
- No fireworks but comprehensive
- Unlimited wonders of Life
- Interesting Subject; Dull Book
- Physics of biology: limits of animal size and speed.
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Diatoms to Dinosaurs: The Size And Scale Of Living Things
Christopher McGowan
Manufacturer: Island Press
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Binding: Hardcover
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Scaling: Why is Animal Size so Important?
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Cats' Paws and Catapults: Mechanical Worlds of Nature and People
ASIN: 1559633042 |
Amazon.com
With a background in paleobiology, Christopher McGowan is adept at asking deceptively simple but actually very awkward questions of the "Well, we've dug up this fossil skeleton, now how on God's earth did it ever fly?" variety. McGowan looks at the way the scale and shape of animals relate to their behavior, diet, and life span. Why, in other words, tortoises live far longer than guinea pigs, but aren't nearly as much fun.
This line of argument leads to some seriously counterintuitive physics as McGowan explains how animals of different scales handle and exploit the physical constants by which they are bound. Discussions of drag, inertia, and viscosity are particularly well handled.
Especially refreshing and entertaining is McGowan's happy willingness to admit that millions of years of evolution are smarter than he is. Sometimes animals just make no sense at all. Consider Quetzalcoatlus, a pterosaur with a 40-foot wingspan and a long, serpentine neck. How did it get off the ground? Its neck suggests it may have been a carrion feeder. Did it climb laboriously to the peak of some vast saurian carcass and hitch a passing thermal? "This entire scenario," McGowan admits, with delicious understatement, "strikes me as fanciful."
While Diatoms to Dinosaurs is marketed very much at adults, there is an infectious enthusiasm about McGowan's writing that suggests a gifted teacher sharing sophisticated just-so stories with a spellbound class. --Simon Ings, Amazon.co.uk
Book Description
In Diatoms to Dinosaurs, Chris McGowan takes the reader on a fascinating journey through the natural world, and examines life in all its various forms. He imparts the excitement of discovery and the joy of understanding as he demonstrates the central importance of size and scale to the survival of living organisms.
McGowan investigates a wide range of size-related phenomena, from the gliding mechanism of diatoms to blood pressure problems of dinosaurs. Questions asked - and answered - include:
- Will we ever see giant insects the size of pterodactyls?
- Why are ants so much stronger relative to body size than elephants?
- What do a clam, a condor, a tortoise, and a sturgeon have in common?
- How did the skeleton of a 28-ton Apatosaurus support its weight?
- How can blood get from the heart to the head of a giraffe without rupturing blood vessels?
The author explicates the scientific concepts - both physical and biological - needed to inform the relevant phenomena: area/volume relations, metabolism and other basic physiology, kinetic energy, inertial forces, the biology of senescence, boundary layers, and Reynolds numbers. Numerous illustrations scattered throughout the text make the biophysical principles easily comprehensible to readers, regardless of their scientific sophistication.
Customer Reviews:
Intriguing........2002-06-21
The book is about muscles and skeletons, hearts, fluids and brains. Quite a large chunk of the book is about flight. I found the most captivating chapter was "Tiffany wings and kite strings". It is all about tiny fliers: microfilm model airplanes and microscopic flying insects. It reveals that the mechanism that insects use to fly is different to birds. After reading this, you may think twice about squishing the next harmless little insect that flies right by you. The section on drag was surprisingly very interesting.
Although it introduces familiar animals, it goes into enough detail to provide substantially new and rewarding information about these creatures, which you almost certainly won't be aware of. There are loads of great diagrams, which really make this book very enjoyable to read. The book is straightforward and I relished reading it.
A very very similar book is called "Cats' Paws and Catapults". It also contains many examples of design, although it is from an engineering perspective, and the focus is on comparing the design of evolution with that of technological invention. I think Diatoms to Dinosaurs is a much more interesting read - it is predominantly concerned with nature, not with technology. This book is simply more profound, but both books are very good.
No fireworks but comprehensive.......2001-10-20
This book covers a great many zoological issues connected with scale as succinctly as possible offering a fairly comprehensive treatment. It includes scalar descriptions in terms of physiology, intelligence, lifespan, flight and swimming (among others) and whearas the style may be staid, palaeontologists will find much to refer to in this book which is based on solid foundations rather than guesswork and opinions. A must for students, researchers and communicators on the subject.
Unlimited wonders of Life.......2001-03-16
An excellent exploration of the mysteries of living things.
We are surrounded by wonders. From the tiny phytoplankton with 7.5 micrometers in size, to the giant brachiosaurus weighing 78 tons, life manages to find its way, showing us facts that are just almost impossible to believe.
This is one of those books you can trust because is written for somebody who knows what he is writing about. Explores quite interesting subjects ranging from the movement of the wings doves and bats, to the heart rate of mice, and the naps of elephants. There are also very good illustrations in it.
Definitely, a very nice and productive reading for everybody, especially for those Lovers of Nature.
We need a wide mind to understand the wide wonders of Life.
Interesting Subject; Dull Book.......2000-04-16
This book almost repays the drudgery of reading it. It should be a case-study in poor editing. Apparently, no one ever quite decided who the audience was, and so it falls between any: though aimed at the general reader it is in essence a summary of technical literature - complete with maths, graphs, equations (more than a couple), and citations of authority in quasi-academic style. The text is at least one or two drafts from being finished; there are inadvertent repetitions, important points blurred or glossed over, paragraphs broken badly, and several discussions (including an entire chapter) that are off-topic and mostly pointless. McGowan's personal stories and asides are not well-integrated, as if an afterthought tacked on simply to soften his rather dry style. The illustrations are small, the photographs few and not directly relevant to the text.
McGowan seems to know what he is writing about; he needs an editor firmer and more adept and a publisher willing to put more money into the production.
Physics of biology: limits of animal size and speed........1998-08-19
McGowan has put together a nice book about basic limitations that physics sets on animal size, e.g. how insect respiratory system limits insect size, or how big a bird can fly, or how body shape, swimming speed and Reynolds numbers compare with plankton and whales. Even though the subtitle claims that the book is about "living things", there is nothing about plants, which is a pity because e.g. trees are extreme in size. McGowan's writing is lucid and the level is good for reading: there are a couple of equations and about hundred simple charts and figures (B&W, nothing fancy) which give good extra information to the text. You might also want to check Knut Schmidt-Nielsen's book "Scaling: Why Is Anaimal Size So Important".
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- How To Pronounce French, German, and Italian Wine Names (Let's Learn!)
- Hurricane Punch: A Novel
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