ACME Climate Action Book Review

I’ve briefly written about the ACME Climate Action book before and have included the video again at the end of this post. The book is available to buy from today (1 September 2008) and costs £15. As there’s the video and the website to explain what the book is about, I thought I’d write down my thoughts in bullet points for a change. Here we go:

• Written by a guy called Joshua Blackburn and designed by his strategic communications agency, Provokateur, the book is a little different from the ordinary. Designed to be ripped up, pulled apart and given to friends it makes a big change in not only book design but also the way of getting an environmental message across.
• It really is a change to read a book like this. The inside cover not only welcomes you to the book but encourages you to rip off the front and back covers, get the scissors out and make the covers into a photo frame. This book is going to be something different…

• The next page is actually about eight pages put together in a little booklet for you to rip out. Brilliantly designed, retro and modern at the same time, it’s easy to see it as a gimmick. But if you actually read this booklet you’ll realise while it’s still lighthearted, there’s a serious message and there are serious points it’s trying to get across.
• Then the next pages are made up of stickers, games, postcards, things to go in your wallet, posters and much more. It’s hard to review this as a normal book, it’s not. It’s a call to action. You can’t really read it without doing something. It draws you in and gets you involved, even if it is only to put a sticker on the kettle to remind the missus not to overfill it.
• I find myself showing friends the book when they come round and give them a part of it to take home with them. It’s almost a shame to rip it apart as I like the book so much, but it’s actually quite fun once you start.
• Getting everyone involved is part of the theory behind this book and it works wonderfully. I really am in love with this book, it makes some great points along the way too. Grab a copy online at places like Amazon and Play, or it will be available in most bookshops in the UK after today.

Eco Baby Book Review

Eco Baby, A Guide to Green Parenting by Sally Jane Hall, is the latest book from Green Books. A simple title but a massive subject, but at 224 pages it’s small enough to be manageable and is also broken into sections which means dipping in and out is easy.

I’m not pregnant and neither is my girlfriend so I passed it on a friend who’s due in July, but more on her opinion later. From non-childbearing point of view I had a look through the book and was amazed by the huge range of subjects covered in the book (and you need to know when having a baby).

What is good about this book is that it doesn’t just tell you what green things there are for parents, but rather how to be a parent in a green way. So it will go through things like what equipment is needed for nappy changing – information for any parent, green or not – and then how these steps can be done in an environmentally-conscious way.

Practical tips like tax credits for saving accounts are interspersed with how to be green when buying presents for other people having babies. And also Sally will give reasons behind things – why going organic is better for babies and why some paints in the nursery are better than others. I like the fact she explains the reason rather than just telling you how to be greener.

There are also comparison charts which don’t shy away if being green is more expensive and then at the back of the book there’s a list of resources for further information and places to buy the suggested items from.

But that’s my view. Over to Lorraine for a parent-to-be’s view…

What do you think the aim of the book is?
It’s to provide parents (first time parents as well as experienced parents) with tips on how to be more environmentally friendly when bringing up their baby. Tips range from eco friendly paint in the nursery to enviro friendly household cleaning products/cosmetics.

What was the best bit?
I found the information about different types of nappies very useful. When shown the average cost of using re-usables against disposables it is quite an eye opener. I will be looking into using re-usuables and information has been provided in the book about which companies sell them.

Was the information presented in a clear way?
Yes the way the book set out all the information was very clear. There were a few things which were common sense, ie. if you want to be more environmentally-friendly then recycle and use some second hand items rather than buying everying brand new - such as cots or prams (but not car seats or mattresses).

Did it seem preachy or trying hard to convert you?
Not at all. The book sets out to give you the information about environmentally friendly alternatives, however, it also understands that as a new parent things are going to be difficult and not to set yourself impossible goals - just do what you can.

Was it a balanced, sensible approach or did you fine suggestions just not practical?
The suggestion for finding nursery furniture which was FSC was quite difficult. As well as trying to be enviro-friendly a lot of first time parents have tight budgets, not all the recommendations could be carried out on a low budget.

Forgetting about the ‘eco’ part, how was the book as a guide to parenting?
As a guide to parenting I think the book should also be used along side a book such as What to Expect When you are Expecting or What to Expect the First Year books.

At almost £10 would it be worth buying? Would you recommend to others and indeed pass the book on when you’ve finished?
I think the price is reasonable, I would recommend it to others, however, not for a while as I’d like to keep hold if it myself for a little while longer so I can refer back to some of the tips!

Eco Baby, A Guide to Green Parenting costa £9.99 and is available from Green Books.

The Ethics Of Climate Change Eco Book Review

The Ethics Of Climate Change (right and wrong in a warming world) by James Garvey argues that climate change is actually a moral problem, one that can be informed by economics, politics, science and society, but what we do is actually down to us.

It’s a very interesting read, though a little heavy-weight for those not 100% interested in the topic. Serious, but never patronizing, Garvey presents his views in a series of nicely structured chapters and sub-chapters. Discussing the science and the facts and then moving quickly onto moral beliefs and ethics, the book is a detailed examination of what the options available to us are, who’s responsible, and ways of thinking about them. A lot of it I had never really thought about much before and it’s enlightening that a “green” book can provide something new and thought provoking.

I liked the author’s style, and the way the book was structured and presented. One of the reviewers on Amazon summed it up for me when I was looking for some final thoughts: “Witty without being frivolous, explanatory but never condescending, it is engaging and challenging in equal measure.”

Here you can read a good interview with the author, James Garvey (Secretary of the Royal Institute of Philosophy, and you can buy the book from Amazon.

Green Chic - Saving The Earth in Style Eco Book Review

Green Chic - Saving The Earth in Style by Christie Matheson is a book for people who want to go green without giving up on great style. Being thoughtfully, consciously green makes a real difference in the fight against global warming. But did you know it’s also hip, classic and stylish?

I like to think I’m knowledgeable about green issues, and not in an obnoxious way, but I read a lot of green websites and books. However I’m completely open to the fact that a lot of people haven’t got around to it yet even though they would embrace the ideas. Green Chic is definitely a book for beginners, going through the basics covered in may other places (such as our own 100 Ways To Save The Planet), but puts a unique spin on it. Doing green things that make you look and appear better, and even save money makes Green Chic a good read for those wanting to do their part.

The book is wonderfully realistic between changes a person might do and those they’re unlikely to do. Honestly, there is always going to be a range from what someone SHOULD do to what someone is WILLING to do, and the book covers that really well. Yes, it’s “light green” in terms of actions, but with the facts backing them up to show that people can go further than what is recommended as being easy.

Reduce clutter, eat organic food, less red meat and so on are all tips given, but so is the main theme or don’t stop buying, just be more thoughtful when buying products about where they came from, and what they are doing to you. They’re things everyone can do, and the book proves it’s not hard to be green and chic. Available for just over $10 from Amazon.

Night Fire Eco Book Review

We read a lot of green books here at Life Goggles, so sometimes it’s nice to read on with a different slant. Night Fire by Ronnie Greene is subtitled Oil, Posion Air, And Margie Richard’s Fight To Save Her Town.

It’s the story of how a woman who lived close (25 feet away!) to a chemical plant became determined to hold Shell accountable for the environmental poison that she, and her neighbours were exposed to. Margie Richard educated herself and her neighbours in environmental hazards and also legal matters in an effort to get to the truth. A truth that cost her sister, Naomi, her life as she succumbed to a rare lung disease linked to environmental poison.

Written by a prize-winning investigative journalist called Ronnie Greene, the author does a great job of bringing together interviews, documents and news reports into an interesting story. The largely poor African-American neighborhood of Diamond in Norco, Louisiana is brought to life in manner that makes it all the more familiar and real. From the early 1970’s to almost 35 years later, it’s an interesting journey and a shining example of what people, and the human spirit can achieve. It’s also frightening to see what circumstances some people are, perhaps unwittingly, living in.

Available now from Amazon, published by Harper Collins.

The Transition Handbook - From Oil Dependency To Local Resilience Book Review

The Transition Handbook - is written by Rob Hopkins, founder of the Transition Movement and published by Green Books in the UK and Chelsea Green in the US.

Now I can’t pretend to have read the entire book while I write this, but I plan to. It’s just that it’s 240 big pages long with two to three columns a page - it’s going to take me a while to get through it. And a lot of it is about starting your own Transition initiative which I don’t plan to do. Yet.

But back to the beginning, the whole transition thing of this ‘Transition Movement’ is to do with moving away from the dependency on oil and building resilience - i.e. building a way of coping with the change when oil runs out. And the book is a guide to the issues central this change and how to prepare for a different future.

Split up into three main chapters: The Head, The Heart and The Hands, the book starts off with a great introduction to what it’s all about. The amount of text initially looks fearsome, but Rob Hopkins writes with a relaxed style that draws you in and the more you read the less hard work the book seems. What makes it more interesting is that Rob relies on his own experiences to draw you in and explains things in a clear and relaxed style.

There are also box-outs, quotes from newspapers, authors and experts to help spice things up a bit. There is a reliance of some graphs and charts at the start, but these soon make way to photos or communities and people who are going through the changes outlines in the book.

Having someone writing the book who has been through the experience readers of this book are going through is invaluable. The Transition Tools and Transition Tips are there to ensure future projects go smoother and the insights seem very useful. But the book also makes a good read for those not immediately planning on starting a cultural change in their local town or village. It’s interesting to see what real people from across the world have done and read about something inspiring.

As I mentioned at the start, I haven’t read everything yet, but the story the book tells is very compelling. Flicking to Part Three: The Hands, is an inspiring moment. Seeing the Transition movement in Totnes, Devon (UK) is amazing. Seeing what they achieved and being given a blueprint to do it yourself as well is food for thought. As is how the Transition approach differs from conventional environmentalism in its group approach, proactivity and resilience idea.

If you’re interested in practical solutions to how you and your community can move away from a dependency on oil, or even if you fancy reading a story about how it can be done, I’d recommend this book. The Transition Handbook - From Oil Dependency To Local Resilience is available from Green Books, priced £12.95 and printed on 100% recycled paper. You can see a video of Rob talking about his book here.

Organic Places To Stay Book Review

This is the second edition of Organic Places To Stay (in the UK) by Linda Moss and it’s essentially a guide book listing four different types of places to spend a night or week around the United Kingdom - bed and breakfast, hotels, self-catering and camping.

More than 300 pages long with over 500 different accommodations, it’s certainly a thorough guide to finding an organic place to stay, and there are maps at the beginning to help you easily find somewhere in your local area. After that the book is in alphabetical order by county.

Each location includes the name, picture, address, phone number, website, email and so on, with this update edition also including things like whether dogs and children are accepted, and handily, icons depicting whether the place is within one mile of a train station or bus stop.

Although the term ‘organic’ is never clearly defined, it does say whether each place is certified by a particular organic body which is useful and you’d expect them all to be organic in some way to be in the book in the first place. It’s laid out in a very clear manner and as long as you’ve read the ‘How to use this book’ section, there’s little difficulty finding your way around, with an index to help too.

The one area where this differs from a guide book is that the description of each place is written by the owner/landlord so there are no independent reviews of the places, and the author hasn’t actually visited them personally. This leads to each place enthusing about what they have to offer and one can only hope they live up to their claims, I certainly hope they would and I suppose it’s a testament to the book that I plan to go and check a few out for myself.

And when I do, I’ll be filling in the feedback form at the back of the book (well I’ll be emailing the publisher as I would quite like to keep the last page of the index which is on the back of the form) which is useful for them to add and I would expect the next edition to have some feedback from people who have stayed there. Obviously it can’t compete with the internet for space etc, but an independent opinion or two would be handy.

Overall, it’s a very handy reference book for both people visiting the UK and wanting to stay ‘green’ and also for a resident looking to have a green break. Organic Places To Stay costs £10.95 and is available from Green Books.

“Making good use of this book will help those who run these places to build relocalised and self-sufficient food systems for the future.” Patrick Holden CBE, director, Soil Association

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