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Books : The Consumer's Guide to Effective Environmental Choices: Practical Advice from the Union of Concerned ScientistsIn association with Amazon.com List Price: $15.00 Amazon.com's Price: $10.20 You Save: $4.80 (32%)Prices subject to change. Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Binding: PaperbackDewey Decimal Number: 363.700973 EAN: 9780609802816 ISBN: 060980281X Label: Three Rivers Press Manufacturer: Three Rivers Press Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 304 Publication Date: March 30, 1999 Publisher: Three Rivers Press Release Date: March 30, 1999 Studio: Three Rivers Press Sales Rank: 47197 Related Items:
Editorial Review: Product Description: From one of the most prestigious nonprofit organizations devoted to environmental issues comes a clear, practical, and rational overview of the relationship between consumers and the environment. Paper or plastic? Bus or car? Old house or new? Cloth diapers or disposables? Some choices have a huge impact on the environment; others are of negligible importance. To those of us who care about our quality of life and what is happening to the earth, this is a vastly important issue. In these pages, the Union of Concerned Scientists help inform consumers about everyday decisions that significantly affect the environment. For example, a few major decisions--such as the choice of a house or vehicle--have such a disproportionately large affect on the environment that minor environmental infractions shrink by comparison. This book identifies the 4 Most Significant Consumer-Related Environmental Problems, the 7 Most Damaging Spending Categories, 11 Priority Actions, and 7 Rules for Responsible Consumption. Learn what you can do to have a truly significant impact on our world from the people who are at the forefront of scientific research. Amazon.com Review: Paper or plastic? Cloth or disposable? Regular or organic? Every day, environmentally conscious consumers are faced with the overwhelming catch-22 of a capitalist society--reconciling the harm we do by consuming, while still providing ourselves and our families with the goods and services we need. It's enough to make a city dweller crazy. Fret no more! The Union of Concerned Scientists has put together a well-researched and eminently practical guide to the decisions that matter. The authors hope that the book will help you set priorities, stop worrying about insignificant things, and understand the real environmental impacts of household decisions. For instance, you may be surprised to learn that buying and eating meat and poultry is much more harmful to the environment than the packaging the meat is wrapped in, even if it's Styrofoam. This guide takes on both sides of the consumer-impact argument, goring sacred cows of the environmentalist movement (like the strident emphasis on recycling) and the industrialist perspective (like the relentless message to buy more, more, more). If you're confused and overwhelmed by all the environmental decision-making in the modern world, you'll find new inspiration in this book. --Therese Littleton Average Rating:
 Rating:  - Hard Numbers, Weak MessageThe goals of this book are admirable, but the authors (on behalf of the Union of Concerned Scientists) fail to deliver a truly practical message. Brower and Leon constructed a pretty impressive quantitative methodology to measure the true environmental impacts of a wide variety of consumer activities. But while the numbers are impressive, the authors transformed them into confusing and contradictory recommendations for the concerned citizen. The authors certainly found that some consumer behaviors ... Read More Rating:  - Are these scientists REALLY concerned about the Environment?I do agree that it is often important to look at the bigger picture of things. This book helps the reader to focus on the big contributors of environmental damage. However, I disagree on number of things that the the authors claim that people should not be highly concerned about. The first one is "...by remembering the small weight of many consumer products, you can reduce your guilt and anxiety levels dramatically. Light non-toxic products, such as plastic trash bags, paper napkins, ... Read More Rating:  - EVERYONE should read this bookImpeccably researched, well-referenced, and very convincing. This book will convince the shrewdest skeptics. It focuses on high-impact habits, and doesn't harp on the little tiny details that don't make a big difference. A fantastic book; true to its title! Rating: - Some good ideasThis was purchased as a gift for someone who is very interested in the health of our environment. It is a good book for those who share that interest. Rating: - Short and practical This short and practical guide tells us how we can make a difference in protecting our environment...and also tells us what behaviors do not. It sheds a lot of insight on the topic, while also dispelling lots of myths concerning different options and choices available to today's consumer (paper or plastic?, cloth or disposable?, etc., etc.) Browse for similar items by category:
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