Top 5 Eco Friendly Reads

Deciding to adopt a lifestyle that embraces an eco-consciousness is a lot easier said than done. You probably know a little bit about recycling, you’ve heard of alternative energy sources, and you may have even gone out to buy a hybrid vehicle, but there’s a lot more to living green than giving it a token effort and then throwing in the towel. Those who are truly dedicated look for ways to become more aware of how they’re affecting the Earth with every aspect of their lifestyle, from the house they live in, to the food they eat, to the very clothes on their backs. You don’t have to become an activist to call yourself eco-friendly, but you do have to examine what you’re doing on a day-to-day basis and if it contributes in some way to the health of the planet. So if you need a little help getting started, here are a few books that will expand your mind and offer useful tips for greener living. (BTW – they’re all available on Kindle!)

Green Cleaning for Dummies, by Elizabeth B. Goldsmith, PhD and Betsy Sheldon. This is a good all-around starter book for anyone who is not attuned to many of the dangerous toxins that fill the average home. You will learn to clean items found in every room of your house, make your own natural solvents, conserve resources, and reduce waste and energy usage. Included is a guide to green organizations and programs. (Amazon- Green Cleaning For Dummiesabout $15)

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: An Easy Household Guide (The Chelsea Green Guides), by Nicky Scott. If you ever wondered which household items should be recycled and which should be donated, or how you could repurpose old products to give them new life, this handy little guide will give you the 411. From donating cell phones to disposing of old medications, you will learn what to do with common items that simply leave you baffled when they’re no longer of use (including an alphabetized list of items for easy perusal). (Amazon about $7Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: An Easy Household Guide (The Chelsea Green Guides)

PreFab Green, by Cathy Remick. Based on the designs, aesthetics, and building ideas of Michelle Kaufman (of the architectural firm Michelle Kaufman Designs), this interesting text explores how prefab home layouts, eco-friendly materials, and water- and energy- saving options can be used to create beautiful, sustainable living spaces to meet every need, reduce our carbon footprint, and transform the way we live. (Amazon about $18PreFab Green

New Green Home Solutions: Renewable Household Energy and Sustainable Living, by Dave Bonta and Stephen Snyder. There’s no doubt that your house is a huge source of energy- derived pollution. But according to Bonta and Snyder, it’s easy to embrace a lifestyle that will significantly reduce your home energy usage through conservation, renewable energy, and better efficiency. New Green Home Solutions: Renewable Household Energy and Sustainable Living

Green Metropolis: Why Living Smaller, Living Closer, and Driving Less are the Keys to Sustainability, by David Owen. This New Yorker staff writer espouses the view that over- the-top Manhattan is, in fact, one of the greenest cities on the planet simply because of the effects of close-quarter living. Traffic jams prompt more people to walk and use mass transit while tightly packed housing allows neighbors to share heat, reducing greenhouse gas emissions citywide. This interesting take on the urban landscape and its implications for eco-friendly living blows away the long-standing theory that independent rural existence is the greener choice. (Green Metropolis: Why Living Smaller, Living Closer, and Driving Less are the Keys to Sustainability

Kyle Simpson writes for a website that specializes in audio books where you can find audio book reviews

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