Ecodesign: The Sourcebook Review

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(More customer reviews)this book is cool - lots of pictures, the text is brief. there is a good mix of concepts and production products ( concepts are always more fun to look at and have more pure ideas. production parts show how it all works in the real world). in fact, the best part of the book is that it finds positive things about a lot of products. it isn't demanding that we stop using plastic or batteries - just finds the best examples of products that use them wisely.
One important section is buried in the back. pages 327 - 330 give eco-design strategies. the are brief desicriptions of how to design an "eco" product. for example, one says "self-assembly: designs that are assembled by the consumer, therefore saving valuable space in transport and storage". most writers would take several pages to say the same thing.

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Practically Green: Your Guide to Ecofriendly Decision-Making Review

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(More customer reviews)I am a very green person to begin with so a lot of the chapters in this book were about subjects I was already familiar with. But I love it for the recipes and I think it would be a great book for anyone who's thinking about living a greener lifestyle. It's well-written and well-organized so you can green up your life one step at a time.

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Practically Green takes the guesswork out of reading labels and will show you how to make smart, healthy purchases for your family without spending tedious hours researching the pros and cons of all of the products available on the market today. Each chapter is broken down into "Buy It" and "Do It" sections. The "Buy-It" section provides key information about everyday purchasing decisions and includes clip-out checklists for you to reference while shopping. The "Do It" section gives DIY ideas for how to make things that are good for your family and good for the environment, such as simple sewing projects, non-toxic cleaning products and luxurious, homemade beauty products.Plus, the author shares some of her favorite recipes that are sure to please the entire family!

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Gorgeously Green: 8 Simple Steps to an Earth-Friendly Life Review

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(More customer reviews)I tried really hard to love this book. While I truly admire Sophie Uliano's enthusiasm and witty tone, there are few "buts" that were quite annoying. What's worse, these nasty "buts" made me question whether the advice given in the book is authentic, useful, and genuine.
1. Do yourself a favour and skip the beauty section of the book. Ms Uliano had to spend more time researching before writing a segment on green beauty. Many of "organic" and "green" products she recommends are loaded with potentially toxic substances such as synthetic preservatives and fragrances. Consistency is key. Poorly researched tips in one section undermine author's credibility in other areas, and in general undermine reader's trust in the whole green living thing.
2. While the book is very informative and packed with easy tips, most chapters look like a link exchange section of a website. Too many links to websites - and some aren't that relevant. What's more irritating, the author blatantly promotes her own website on every page. It may be fun once or twice, but not in every chapter.Sometimes it feels like the author didn't really care about adding more information to the book - why bother if you can easily upload all the articles online?
Speaking of online: most of the tips can be easily found online FOR FREE.
3. Too many typos. It's "Herbatint", not "Hebatint", mind you. And this hair dye is so chemically loaded, you shouldn't really mention it in a green living guide. When I found ten typos, I stopped counting, and I wasn't even in the middle of the book. I know, it's not the author's fault, it's the publisher's lack of effort, but still. Such things don't support the idea of importance of green living.
In general, the book is an easy uplifting read that may convert few babyboomers into "green girls".

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Are you confused by all the advice you hear and see daily on how to "go green"? Do you want to incorporate earth-friendly practices into your life, but you don't know where to start? Don't stress! Green guru Sophie Uliano has sorted through all the eco-info out there and put everything you need to know about living a green lifestyle right at your fingertips.

In Gorgeously Green, Sophie offers a simple eight-step program that is an easy and fun way to begin living an earth-friendly life. Each chapter covers topics from beauty to fitness, shopping to your kitchen—even your transportation. Whether it's finding the right lipstick, making dinner, buying gifts, or picking out a hot new outfit, finally, there is a book that tackles your daily eco-challenges with a take-charge plan. Just consider Sophie your go-to girl with all the eco-solutions. Find out how to:

Green your entire beauty regime
Detoxify your home
Indulge in guilt-free shopping
Adopt a home fitness routine
Prepare eco-licious treats
Give your kitchen a green makeover
Become more aware of your impact on the earth

The book's dozens and dozens of eco-friendly tips, products, and practices combine to form a treasure trove of practical advice for every possible way to become stylishly green. Your questions about dressing, makeup, eating, shopping, cleaning, travel, and more are all answered right here.

Adopting a green lifestyle is among the most positive, forward-thinking, and personally fulfilling choices that anyone can make—and Gorgeously Green shows that it doesn't have to be tedious, time-consuming, or glamourless!
--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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Healthy Child Healthy World: Creating a Cleaner, Greener, Safer Home Review

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(More customer reviews)I read this book and liked quite a bit, but felt it wasn't really geared towards the every day person. I have a decent income, yet it overwhelmed me on it's push to buy, buy, buy to keep my family safe. It wasn't until I was almost finished that I realized his Hollywood connection, but it had seemed incredulous up to that point how he'd attracted so many celebrities as just a non-profit green guy.
All that namedropping made it harder to see the book as aimed at everyday people (I wanted to see regular people talking about their changes and making it work, not people with millions to work with). Several of the shops mentioned in the resources section for places to buy from "just happened" to be owned by celebrities. A lot of the items mentioned as critical were really advertorial for specific brands and of course very expensive. There were a few homemade recipes & ideas, but just as many pushes for things that are a financial stretch for many people. A lot of cheap greener living items were barely touched on. Cloth diapers were a tiny paragraph and not given much kudos yet that is a huge item that is feasible for any income level. Only 1 of the 4 diaper brands listed in the resources was cloth.
The intention was there, but IMO there are other books by regular people that are more inspiring, more realistic in what you're able to do time-wise and financially and still be as green and safe as you can.

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Learn how to Create a Cleaner, Greener, Safer Home - from Christopher Gavigan and the trusted experts at Healthy Child Healthy World. Healthy Child Healthy World is the essential guide for parents! All parents want a happy and healthy child in a safe home, but where do they start?It starts with the small steps to creating a healthier, less toxic, and more environmentally sound home - and this is the definitive book to get you there. Unfortunately, tens of millions of Americans, overwhelmingly children, now face chronic disease and illnesses including cancer, autism, asthma, allergies, birth defects, ADD/ADHD, obesity/diabetes, and learning and developmental disabilities. The number gets higher each year and more parents ask WHY? Scientific evidence increasingly finds chemicals in everyday products like cleaning supplies, beauty care and cosmetics, home furnishings, plastics, food, and even toys that are contributors to these ailments. The good news is that you can something to protect your children with a few simple changes! Inside, you'll find practical, inexpensive, and easy lifestyle advice for every stage of parenting including: *Advice on preparing a nontoxic nursery for a new baby *What every expectant mom needs to do to have a safer pregnancy *Clarifying which plastics and baby products to avoid and the healthier solutions *Tips to take to the grocery store, including the most and least pesticide-laden fruits and vegetables and the best healthy kid-approved snacks *Which beauty care / cosmetic products pose the biggest risk to health *The best recipes for healthy snacks, low-cost and safe homemade cleaners, and non-toxic art supplies *How to easily minimize allergens, dust, and lead *A greener garden, yard, and outdoor spaces *Tips to keep your pets healthy, and the unwanted pests out naturally *Renovation ideas, naturally fresher indoor air, and safer sleeping options, *An 27 page extensive shopper's guide to most trusted and best products every home needs Inside is also packed with over 40 featured contributions from renowned doctors, environmental scientists, and public-health experts like Dr. Harvey Karp, Dr Philip Landrigan, and William McDonough, as well as many celebrity parents like Gwyneth Paltrow, Tobey Maguire, Sheryl Crow, Erin Brockovich and Tom Hanks.A special featured contribution from First Lady Michelle Obama on her best ways of coping with her daughter's asthma.

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Logs, Wind and Sun: Handcraft Your Own Log Home ... Then Power It with Nature Review

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(More customer reviews)Logs, Wind and Sun is one of those rare books that is both packed with useful information and enjoyable to read. I only wish it had been available five years ago when my husband and I started drawing up plans for our own log home. We spent hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars trying to get utilities to our remote mountain building site. This book clearly lays out alternative power solutions that can give you the freedom to live with all the modern conveniences you need miles from the nearest power pole. The authors personal experience provides the framework for the book, but they have obviously done their homework, and all their recommendations are backed up by copious facts. The book is generously sprinkled with photos and illustrations that de-mystify and explain and personal stories that entertain and inspire. LaVonne's Verities and Rex's Maxims give you personal insights and quips. And the writing is several notches above most other how-to books, offering emotional insights into the process of building your own home, as well as the more expected practical fare. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who's ever dreamed about building a log home.

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Naturally Clean: The Seventh Generation Guide to Safe & Healthy, Non-Toxic Cleaning Review

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(More customer reviews)Naturally Clean is stock full of useful information about chemicals to avoid in the home. It is truly a must-have for every household, written by the crew at Seventh Generation, people who know their stuff. I now take it along with me when I go shopping and review labels for ingredients with a new-found appreciation for the hazards that are out there on supermarket shelves. I especially appreciate the Resource Guide at the end.
I own a green bed & breakfast and plan to make Naturally Clean part of our new Honeymoon Special. It is the type of book I wish I had owned thirty-five years ago when my children were small. Clean up your act. Get yourself a copy today!

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Compelling evidence links the chemicals in household products to cancer, asthma, allergies, multiple chemical sensitivity syndrome—also known as environmental illness—hormonal disruption, reproductive and developmental disorders, and other conditions. Yet cleaning products are exempt from the full ingredient disclosure on product labels as required for food and personal care products and enter the marketplace with little or no testing for potential health risks.

Naturally Clean explains the dangers of traditional cleaners and provides illuminating statistics that illustrate how the chemicals found in almost every home are known or likely to cause a host of serious health problems. The book's easy-to-understand introduction discusses basic household chemistry, concepts of toxicity and types of toxic exposure, and the difference between natural, organic, and synthetic chemicals.

A room-by-room guide provides tips for:

• A healthier kitchen• Keeping your bedrooms safe• Mold, mildew, and soap scum: spotless bathrooms• Special precautions for cleaning children's rooms

Naturally Clean also features a comprehensive product selection guide that analyzes over 300 natural and traditional cleaners: everything from laundry products through oven cleaners, disinfectants, spot removers, carpet cleaners, and bathroom cleaners. This handy, easy-to-use reference rates the household cleaning products found on the shelves of natural food and grocery stores, providing Seventh Generation's pick of your healthiest and safest options. A resource guide tells readers where to find additional information, and an at-a-glance glossary helps understand key terms.

Royalties from the sale of Naturally Clean will benefit the Children's Health Environmental Coalition (www.checnet.org) in their efforts to educate parents about environmental toxins that can affect children's health.

Jeffrey Hollender is president of Seventh Generation, Inc., the leading brand of natural household products, and author of the bestseller How To Make the World a Better Place. He speaks on social and environmental responsibility worldwide.

Geoff Davis is a freelance writer and editor of Seventh Generation's consumer newsletter Non-Toxic Times.

Meika Hollender is an author who specializes in personal care products.

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The Healthy Home: An Attic-To-Basement Guide To Toxin-Free Living Review

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(More customer reviews)If you ever wanted to learn what those environmental problems in your home are then this is the book. This book will help you make your home healthy. This should be a must have book for every homeowner.

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Ready, Set, Green: Eight Weeks to Modern Eco-Living Review

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(More customer reviews)Ready, Set, Green: Eight weeks to Modern Eco-Living by two experts at Treehugger.com, Graham Hill and Meaghan O'Neill is an easy to read--and digest--primer on green living.
Citing the industrial revolution at the turn of the 20th century as the beginning of the heavy use of non-renewable resources and pollution, the authors are equally optimistic that when the masses turn green, we will have a new, eco-friendly revolution.
Unlike some green books that have been published lately, Meaghan and O'Neill really care about the environment. They get that we need a "critical mass" to institute real change for the environment.
The authors deliver sensible and easy to implement ways to become eco-friendly. Drive less, switch bulbs from incandescent to CFL's--stuff anyone can do.
I recommend Go Green, Live Rich: 50 Simple Ways to Save the Earth and Get Rich Trying to supplement Red, Set, Green and to psyche you on how going green save money. I also recommend Harmonious Environment: Beautify, Detoxify and Energize Your Life, Your Home and Your Planet for even more easy, eco-friendly and stylish ideas for your home.


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The time to save the planet is now. Ready? Set? Green! Living green means reversing climate change, but it also means protecting your kids and pets, improving your own health, and saving money. And it doesn't necessarily demand a radical overhaul of your life–just some simple adjustments, such as switching to healthier cleaning products and driving fewer miles each week. Written by the visionaries at Treehugger.com, the most heavily trafficked site of its kind, Ready, Set, Green is the definitive (and recyclable) guide to modern green living. It offers solutions to make your home, office, car, and vacation more eco-friendly. For example: • Using a dishwasher instead of hand washing will save you 5,000 gallons of water annually.• Eating less beef will save you 250 pounds of CO2 per year.• Washing your clothes in cold water instead of hot will save 200 pounds of CO2 annually.• Replacing three of your home's most frequently used lightbulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs will save 300 pounds of CO2 every year.Including advice on how to properly insulate your house, cancel junk mail, and choose fruits and veggies wisely, Ready, Set, Green will help you change the future of the planet and restore balance to your daily life.

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The Naturally Clean Home: 100 Safe and Easy Herbal Formulas for Non-Toxic Cleansers Review

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(More customer reviews)I borrowed this book from my local library and followed up by purchasing a copy of my own. My main concerns were to have a safer environment for my two young children and to housekeep in a way that's as kind to the environment as possible. But it doesn't hurt that the recipes are both effective and smell wonderful! I love the "lavender soft scrubber", the "country spice scrubber" and the "cedarwood duster aid". The "fleas-be-gone carpet treatment" didn't hurt either, since I have two cats. I highly recommend this book.
For people who are also interested in making their own face and body care products, Better Basics for the Home by Annie Berthold-Bond and Rosemary Gladstar's Herbs for Natural Beauty are also wonderful.
One hint: Several of the recipes use baking soda, which can leave a residue. I've found that it rinses off very cleanly if you use a combination of water and white vinegar to rinse after cleaning.

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Readers will learn how to use the antiseptic and antiviral properties of herbs and essential oils in safer, more economical alternatives to commercial cleaning products. Recipes include laundry and dishwashing detergent; bathroom cleaners; wood, glass, and metal cleaners; air and carpet fresheners; car and pet care products; and insect repellents.

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The Home Energy Diet: How to Save Money by Making Your House Energy-Smart (Mother Earth News Wiser Living Series) Review

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(More customer reviews)This book is a clearly written guide to saving money on energy around the home while simultaneously achieving greater comfort levels. As summed up in the introduction, Scheckel argues that following his "Triple A" approach to home energy usage will make you healthier, happier and wealthier. This approach involves: Awareness of the ways your home uses and loses energy, Assessment of your home's energy requirements, and Action taken to reduce energy consumption to a minimum. Scheckel, a career energy efficiency auditor, writes from experience. Over the years, he has visited thousands of homes and businesses and learned from observation and interviews how we use and waste our energy. In this book, he explains where energy comes from and how advanced technologies can help us use less of it while creating a more comfortable home environment.
Topics discussed in the book include energy literacy, electricity as a means of transporting energy, electrical appliances, hot water, heating and air conditioning, insulation and windows, and purchasing new appliances. Appendices include forms for calculating total energy usage, greenhouse gas emissions, and home heat load, as well as a list of household appliances with average energy requirements. You don't need to be an electrical engineer or have a degree in physics to follow the text. Scheckel provides clear examples of energy calculations that anyone with a hand calculator should be able to follow. The only real math prerequisite that would be useful is an ability to read and interpret pie charts, since Scheckel relies on them extensively in his discussions of energy sources and usage.
In the text, Scheckel writes about a fictional family who has called him to do an energy audit. He writes that many families contact their electrical companies for audits because their bills are high so they figure there must be something wrong with the meter. He notes that faulty meters are very rarely to blame for high bills; instead, he provides a long list of energy-wasters that he commonly finds in people's homes. Some families are so aggravated by high electric bills that they want to go solar. Scheckel has to point out to these families that with their current energy usage, they would need gigantic solar systems that would be prohibitively expensive. If they truly want to go solar, they will probably need to cut energy usage down to 3-5 kilowatt hours per day (depending on their location) in order to be able to get by on a reasonably sized solar installation. This book provides plenty of ideas for approaching such a goal without compromising on quality of life. But even so, without subsidies, solar systems still won't make economic sense-unless energy prices happen to go a lot higher.
Seven years ago, our family electrical usage was averaging 20 kW hours per day. We've tried out many of the ideas Scheckel recommends in this book, and we're now down to 5-6 kW hours per day, but still not satisfied with our savings. We're going to implement a few more of Scheckel's suggestions to see if we can get down to 3 kW hours to day or better. We're also going to work with some of the other ideas that Scheckel provides for saving money through more efficient water heating, insulation, and windows.

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With rising energy costs, homeowners are beginning to examine the energy efficiency of their own homes, asking questions about where energy comes from and how much it costs, how to choose new appliances and what options exist for renewable energy.

The Home Energy Diet answers all these questions and more while helping readers take control of their personal energy use and costs so they can save money, live more comfortably and help the environment. Energy auditor Paul Scheckel first explores energy literacy, and then describes how your home uses—and loses—energy you pay for via:

Electricity Hot water Heating and air conditioning Windows, walls and insulation

The Home Energy Diet involves readers in learning about their own homes by: measuring, metering, investigating and considering habits related to household energy use; learning how to quantify energy consumption and cost and making informed decisions about cost-effective improvements and upgrades. The book explores the misunderstood concept of efficiency versus cost by comparing fuel costs and equipment choices, including the possibility of using renewable energy for meeting home energy needs. This authoritative guide makes efficiency fun through personal anecdotes and humorous "tales-from-the-basement" energy misadventures.

Since energy efficiency is an investment that offers returns greater than Wall Street, readers can earn several hundred dollars every year just by following the advice in this book. As a bonus, many of the energy-saving strategies described can make for improved indoor air quality and healthier, more comfortable homes.

Paul Scheckel is an energy auditor who has visited thousands of homes, educating people about energy efficiency, cost-effective improvements and indoor air quality. With a passion for efficiency and renewables, he walks the talk by living in a solar-powered house and driving a car powered by vegetable oil in his home state of Vermont.

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Better Basics for the Home: Simple Solutions for Less Toxic Living Review

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(More customer reviews)I'm single, a downtown apartment dweller, and I've been using natural, homemade cleaning products for almost three years. I have read - and use regularly - several natural cleaning books, including another of Annie Berthold-Bond's titles, "Clean & Green." However, I have become interested in "green living," not just cleaning. That means switching from commercial household products to homemade products for personal care, pest control, etc. That is what led me to "Better Basics For the Home."
"Better Basics" is far easier to use and much better organized and written than "Clean & Green." It is set up in logical sections according to the products' uses. The index is very good. You can find a recipe quickly, although I would suggest you read through the book once and get a feel for how to go about things. Also, one of the best aspects is the "Sources and Resources" section near the back. If you live in an area without health food stores, woods or land suitable for growing your own herbs, then this will be essential for your ability to find ingredients to make your own green household products.
This book is also suitable for the beginner green cleaner. Most of the recipes, once you have the correct ingredients, are very easy to make and quick to put together. That being said, this book is also for people who are really serious about green cleaning, personal hygiene, pest control and other aspects of running a household. I say that because some of the ingredients used in many of the recipes are costly if you have to buy them instead of gathering them from your yard or a nearby wooded area. Also, essential oils - literally essential in green cleaning! - are expensive. (A little goes a loooong way, though.) This is a lot more than vinegar-baking soda-Castille soap cleaning and requires a higher level of commitment financially.
As a single person, I also found that many of the recipes, especially the ones that are highly perishable, would make too much for me to use in the time they are fresh. Of course, the easy way to get around this is to simply cut the recipes in half or even a quarter. If you can cook or do some simple math (I'm terrible at math and I have no troubles), then you as a single person can cut the recipes down to a manageable, useful amount. I have already cleaned my leather couch, made lanolin hand lotion (great stuff!) and protected my hemp shower curtain from mildew with a spray-on solution containing tea tree oil. How long did it take? I did it effortlessly in one day, around other chores. Very easy.
I would recommend, if you are really interested in green cleaning by desire or necessity, to buy this book and also get "Clean House, Clean Planet" by Karen Logan. To me, Logan's book is the single best way to get someone involved in green cleaning. Her recipes tend to be cheap, easy and effective. This book has a far greater range of recipes for many more uses, but they are overall more expensive and specialized.
Also, a few tips if you are going to get into green cleaning:
1) Get equipment that is used only in making your cleaning products. Some essential oils and other ingredients are very bad for you to eat, and mixups and residues could make your day very long and very bad. I have a simple list: a medium-sized Pyrex bowl and 2-cup Pyrex measure, a silicone spatula, *metal* measuring spoons, a whisk and some glass jars with metal screw-on lids you can get at any decent-sized grocery store. With about $20-$30, you can have nearly all the equipment you will ever need.
2) Start with one product that is cheap and easy to make, and works on something you want to clean right now. Instant gratification is a great way to get into the habit!
3) Especially if you want to clean rather than make personal care products at first, buy one small bottle of essential oil that smells good AND disinfects to cut down costs. I happen to like tea tree oil, but if you prefer a wintergreen type smell, choose lavender. If you find out that green cleaning is for you, then you can branch out into other essential oils more suited for other tasks.

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Heloise from A to Z Updated Review

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(More customer reviews)This book is a good resource for uncommon (but viable) methods of cleaning while also focusing on ways to save the earth, such as using non-toxic cleaning elements (alcohol, vinegar, baking soda, etc.) rather than chemical products that can harm children and pets. This is a great guide book when you have exhausted (or even before you have exhausted) your options and/or your wallet.

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From Abrasive Cleaners (what's safe, what scratches, what's sensitive) to Zzzzs (seven tips for getting enough sleep) this comprehensive home companion includes brand new hints, time-honored solutions, new twists on old favorites, and peerless advice on: Removing stains from clothing € Unstopping drains € Fixing squeaky floors Saving supermarket dollars € Child-proofing your home € Energy conservation Recycling € Removing static cling € Inexpensive skin moisturizers € Using and caring for high-tech equipment Featuring time- and money-saving checklists... Avoiding allergens € Preventing income tax mistakes € Selling a house Winterizing a car € Running a garage sale € Shopping for every purchase from groceries to clothes

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Raising Baby Green: The Earth-Friendly Guide to Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Baby Care Review

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(More customer reviews)Raising Baby Green was easy and quick to read and is a book I will keep around simply for the fact that Dr. Greene has put together an impressive resource guide of websites where one can find lots of information on greening one's life and home. I'm sure this book will be a great reference in the future when I'm looking to buy something, that being said, I had two problems with this book.
First, after about the second chapter this book starts to read like an advertisement to buy buy buy! For example, there is repeated references to bringing you own organic cotton sheets to wherever you give birth and using them to replace the sheets at the hospital/birthing center. Now call me pragmatic, but 300 count organic cotton sheets cost between $125-$175 for my bed, thus, these are not the ideal sheets TO GIVE BIRTH ON. They will be ruined and I know when I'm expecting a baby I don't generally have $175 dollars to throw away. Nor does he address the impracticality of packing home sheets covered in birth mess for washing.
While Dr. Green does repeatedly say you can do as little or as much greening as you like in your home, he really does seem to push for more. There comes a point when ripping up your current hardwoods floors which are perfectly good to put down new floors made from cork which is a renewable resource stops being green. If you gut your entire house to "remodel green" the question becomes, are you really being green? Or are you just buying into the latest fad and wasting valuable, usable resources?
This green baby guide seems to have bought into our consumer culture hook, line and sinker, which is the reason I was going to give it 4 stars, but I dropped that down to 3 stars when I ran into my second problem with this book: Mis-information.
On page 248 there is a section titled "How to Drive Green." Two of the suggestions given are changing your air filter (which he says will save you $130 in fuel economy) and filling your tank at night. Now if you google "10 gas saving myths" you will find several articles about, well, gas saving myths and both of these are on there. Neither filling up at night nor changing your air filter really increase you fuel economy.
Green goes on further to say that filling up at night, "decreases evaporation during pumping, so anything that escapes won't be cooked in to the ozone." So, those fumes I see/smell when I pump gas at night don't go into the ozone? Because it's night? So . . .where do they go? To the pub for a beer?
If Greene has mis-information about fuel economy in his book that can be disputed by a simple google search, it makes me wonder what else he got wrong.

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In this illustrated and easy-to-use guide, noted pediatrician Dr. Alan Greene, a leading voice of the green baby movement, advises parents how to make healthy green choices for pregnancy, childbirth, and baby care—from feeding your baby the best food available to using medicines wisely. Consumer advocate Jeanette Pavini includes information for making smart choices and applying green principles to a whole new universe of products from zero-VOC paints for the nursery, to pure and gentle lotions for baby's delicate skin, to the eco-friendly diapers now in the marketplace, as well as specific recommendations for hundreds of other products.

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All-New Hints from Heloise Updated (Perigee) Review

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(More customer reviews)This book is a must-have if you have kids or pets. A good friend has this book and I called her so often about stain removal I finally bought the book myself. The day after I received this book, it paid for itself after I got chocolate and then gum out of 2 of my son's outfits. It also includes many helpful hints on everyday household problems. The only thing I would change about the book is the organization - now and then it can be hard to find specific things. I always find the item, it just takes a few minutes. Overall, I highly recommend this book.

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Hundreds of quick, economical, and simple solutions for hundreds of household problems-----at the touch of a fingertip. From one of America's most trusted names, a home reference that will be used again and again, featuring tried-and-true, money-saving, stress-reducing, time-saving advice on: €Organizing, cleaning, and repairing everything in the home €Setting up and running a home office €First aid and safety €Household budgeting €Stain removal €Entertaining for special and everyday occasions €Traveling for fun or work

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Improving Your Soil: Storey's Country Wisdom Bulletin A-202 (Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin, a-202) Review

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(More customer reviews)I purchased this for my wife who does the gardening. She knows better than to let me around plants; I could kill a plastic plant. She has found the information useful as we are preparing our "victory" (crisis) garden and need to have the best production we can.

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Since 1973, Storey's Country Wisdom Bulletins have offered practical, hands-on instructions designed to help readers master dozens of country living skills quickly and easily. There are now more than 170 titles in this series, and their remarkable popularity reflects the common desire of country and city dwellers alike to cultivate personal independence in everyday life.

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Green Housekeeping Review

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(More customer reviews)The first washing machine inside the door of the laundromat I used to go to in Berkeley was named Cleanliness. The one right next to it was Godliness. I always tried to use those two to make sure my bets were covered both in this life and the next, but I never realized what an ungodly toxic proposition the pursuit of cleanliness is until I read Organic Housekeeping, by the practical organic ecologist, Ellen Sandbeck. The author's wry wit, thorough research, and empirical use of herself, her home, her family, her pets, and her own charming illustrations to demonstrate her eminently sane and healthful approach to housekeeping are solvents tough enough to cut through the greasy buildup of a million commercials for synthetic cleaning products that, as this book shows, not only fail to get things cleaner but slowly kill us while they're doing it. Most of the time, we learn, vinegar, baking soda, and a shot of vodka will do the trick. Full of tips on everything from reducing clutter to cleaning the air you breathe, Organic Housekeeping will dissolve your guilt over never getting things clean or organized enough and save you from having to clip coupons for all kinds of stuff you don't need.

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Builder's Guide to Wells and Septic Systems Review

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(More customer reviews)I am looking for a reference book to help me design a septic system and well for a new home project. I thought from the title that this book was appropriate (there was no table of contents available). It is not. Much of the book is geared towards helping general contractors avoid getting ripped off by well or septic subcontractors. If that is what you need, this is probably a reasonable choice. If you actually want to design and build your own well and septic systems, then pass on this title.
I'm still looking for a good design/reference text for septic and well systems...

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For the homebuilder, one mistake in estimating or installing wells and septic systems can cost thousands of dollars. This comprehensive guide filled with case studies can prevent that. Master plumber R. Dodge Woodson packs this reader-friendly guide with guidance and information, including details on new techniques and materials that can economize and expedite jobs and advice on how to avoid mistakes in both estimating and construction. Chapters cover virtually every aspect of wells and septic systems, including on-site evaluations; site limitations; bidding; soil studies, septic designs, and code-related issues; drilled and dug wells, gravel and pipe, chamber-type, and gravity septic systems; pump stations; common problems with well installation; and remedies for poor septic situations. Woodson also discusses ways to increase profits by avoiding cost overruns.

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