These days we all have the environment on our minds and each of us is searching for ways to minimize our ecological footprint. We can all do our part to create a cleaner, greener world. The following subject guide has been designed to help you find some of the most current and popular resources available through Regina Public Library on how to succeed with going green. We've also provided you with links to some excellent Web resources to help you on your way to a greener lifestyle!
For ease of navigation, please click on the resource material you are interested in:
1. Bach, David and Hillary Rosner. Go Green, Live Rich: 50 Simple Ways to Save the Earth and Get Rich Trying. Toronto: Doubleday Canada, 2008.
Internationally renowned financial expert and bestselling author David Bach wants to show you how you can prosper -- by going green. He outlines 50 ways to make your life, your home, your shopping, and your finances greener. According to Bach, you don't have to be rich to live green; this book will show you how to live green on any budget.
2. Bridgewater, Alan and Gill. The Self-Sufficiency Handbook: a Complete Guide to Greener Living. New York: Skyhorse Pub., 2007.
This book is largely intended for those who have made a huge commitment to go green and have the land to take sustainable living to the next level. The book offers a plethora of great ideas on the self-sufficient house, the in's and out's of an organic food garden and animal husbandry. There's also practical advice on identifying wild edible plants and composting with worms. If you're not quite ready to go farming yet, the book also includes delicious recipes for things like jams, cider, beer, rhubarb wine and things like soap and candles.
3. Deacon, Gillian. Green for Life: 200 Simple Eco-Ideas for Every Day. Toronto: Penguin Canada, 2008.
Written by award-winning broadcaster and host of CBC's The Gill Deacon Show, Green for Life takes you through the stuff of everyday life and shows you how to do it all and leave a smaller footprint. This is a must-read for anyone who feels they have to do something but don't know where to start.
4. Dorfman, Josh. The Lazy Environmentalist: Your Guide to Easy, Stylish Green Living. New York: Stewart, Tabori and Chang, 2007.
You don't have to run out and become a Greenpeace Warrior, or start wearing burlap sacks and straw sandles to go green and help the environment. Nor do you have to chain yourself to trees or lie down in front of bulldozers. Dorfman tells us we can be clean, comfortable and stylish and STILL be making the right choices for sustainable living. For anyone who cares passionately about the environment but are not quite ready to give up their creature comforts or sense of style and good taste, this is the book for you.
5. Imus, Deirdre. Greening Your Cleaning. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2007.
In addition to wanting to do your part for the environment, any allergy sufferers will want to check this book out. Deirdre Imus shows how cleaning house with less toxic and chemical substances can be cheaper and more effective. The book provides useful summaries of the latest research on the toxic effects of ordinary products and lists resources of widely available "green cleaning" products and retailers.
6. McKay, Kim and Jenny Bonnin. True Green: 100 Everyday Ways You Can Contribute to a Healthier Planet. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society, 2006.
This is an essential guide brought to you by one of the most trusted ambassadors of the study and conservation of planet Earth -- the National Geographic Society. Whether you live in a city apartment, a suburban house, or a country farm, these simple, straight-forward methods will achieve positive results and save you money! The book is divided up into the following areas: in the home; in the garden; at work; shopping; travel; and in the community.
7. Riley, Trish. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Green Living. New York: Alpha, 2007.
Part of the on-going, ever popular Complete Idiot's Guide series this book presents a strong, basic foundation to the principles of sustainable living. Anyone familiar with the series will know the contributors do an awesome job of paring down a huge subject into simply explained parts. This volume is filled with useful examples about how to cut down on your carbon output including a list of environmentally friendly home and lawn care products.
8. Vasil, Adria. Ecoholic: Your Guide to the Most Environmentally Friendly Products, Information and Services in Canada. Toronto: Vintage Canada, 2007.
Excellent, comprehensive guide specific to Canadian consumers. Everything you need to know to make green, non-toxic, Earth-friendly choices. Suggestions on what not to buy and why.
9. Yarrow, Joanna. 1001 Ways to Save the Earth. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2007.
The premise of this book is that simple ideas can have a major environmental impact. The numerous tips are for every budget, from taking canvas shopping bags to the grocery store to purchasing green energy off-sets. Practical, positive and easy to use.
10. Shariff, Jamil. 50 Green Projects for the Evil Genius. Toronto: McGraw-Hill, 2009.
"Using easy-to-find parts and tools, this do-it-yourself guide offers a wide variety of environmentally focused projects you can accomplish on your own. Topics covered include transportation, alternative fuels, solar, wind, and hydro power, home insulation, construction, and more. The projects in this unique guide range from easy to more complex and are designed to optimize your time and simplify your life!" (Amazon)
11. James, Franke. Bothered by My Green Conscience: How an SUV-Driving, Imported-Strawberry-Eating Urban Dweller Can Go Green. Gabriola Island, B.C.: New Society, 2009.
"You've changed all your light bulbs and switched to cloth bags at the grocery store. You recycle cans and bottles and you don't print out that e-mail unless you absolutely have to. What's next?
Using her signature style of lively drawings mixed with photos and hand-drawn text, artist Franke James shows how we can meet the global warming challenge with imagination and creativity. Five vibrant, dynamic, full-color visual essays present refreshing and insightful ideas that make climate change personal." (Amazon)
12. Sivertsen, Linda, and Tosh Sivertsen. Generation Green: The Ultimate Teen Guide to Living an Eco-Friendly Life. New York: Simon Pulse, 2008.
"A thorough yet accessible manual on green living. Sivertsen and her teenage son draw on scientific findings, personal experience, and interviews with celebrities and teens to provide readers with environmentally responsible lifestyle alternatives, from organic cosmetics to natural kitchen cleaners to green career opportunities. The "Five Rs"—Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rethink, Refuse—provide a framework for embracing an alternative to rampant consumerism." (Amazon)
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1. The 11th Hour. Warner Home Video, 2008.
Explores the indelible footprint that humans have left on this planet, and the catastrophic effects of environmental neglect and abuse, and calls for restorative action through a reshaping of human activity.
2. Canada AM Eco Living series. CTV Television Network, 2007.
Outlines everyday things you can do in the kitchen, your wardrobe and in your bathroom to improve the environment. Here are some tips on how to make your kitchen a lean, green, energy saving machine. We check out the best and worst bakeware and cookware products with 'Ecoholic' author Adria Vasil. The second part looks at how you can apply an eco-friendly approach to your shampoos, toothpaste, deodorants, and creams. In the third part, Adria Vasil gives some information on taking an environmentally conscious approach to the clothes you wear. In the fourth part, Adria Vasil raises awareness about ingredients in cleaning products.
3. Canada AM Going Organic. CTV Television Network, 2007.
In this series we look at issues surrounding organic food such as how it is grown, if it is good for you and answer viewer questions on the topic. In Part 1, we visit Wolfgang Pfenning, Pfenning Organic Farm, one of Ontario's largest organic farms. In Part 2, we focus on regulations. Laura Telford of Canadian Organic Growers discusses the new Canadian organic logo. In Part 3, Leslie Beck reveals if going organic is really better for you. In Part 4, Rob Grand, Grassroots Environmental Products discusses how you tell if a product labelled organic actually is.
4. Simple Living with Wanda Urbanska. Season 1. Simple Living Co., 2004.
Wanda Urbanska offers thoughtful ideas to inspire each of us to make adjustments to possession-cluttered, time-starved lives. Whether it's suggesting that you commit to writing one letter every week, replacing disposable coffee cups with a travel mug, buying a seasonal share of a local farmer's crop or volunteering for a worthwhile cause, we'll provide you with small steps that, taken together by all of us, can make a large impact on an your own life and on society as a whole.
5. Simple Steps to a Greener Home. Life Balance Media, 2006.
Environmental lifestyle expert Danny Seo shows that it really is easy being green and shares the creative ideas, from flooring to restoring, remodeling to recycling.
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E: The Environmental Magazine [Library has 12 current issues]
The magazine is a bimonthly “clearinghouse” of information, news and resources for people concerned about the environment who want to know “What can I do?” to make a difference.
Alternatives Journal [Library has 12 current issues]
The magazine is a long-standing leader in environmental journalism that provides environmental ideas and solutions to readers in Canada and around the globe.
Natural Home [Library has 10 current issues]
This bimonthly magazine provides information on environmentally friendly home construction ideas and home and garden products, along with tips for organic living.
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CBC.ca "Going Green" -- An excellent source for current, Canadian news stories about the environment and tons of useful suggestions about how you can live a greener lifestyle. Watch news clips and other video material online.
Green Living Online -- This is a comprehensive website dedicated to green living that situates itself as: "the new, hip, upbeat and informative eco-web destination. Read about green current events, issues, people, products and trends." The best part? This is a Canadian website with a Canadian audience in mind.
The Green Pages -- Sharing Canada's stories about the environment -- This huge portal hosts various related websites dedicated to community stories about going green. It is a truly national website where all parts of the country are represented. You can become a community member, share your stories, get timely access to news and local events, and sign up for RSS feeds. The Green Pages hosts a green bookstore, a green menu, and even a green market catering to organic, environment-friendly, local products.
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