Whole Green Catalog: 1000 Best Things for You and the Earth

by Renee Loux, Wendy Palitz, Bill McKibben (Foreword)

As interest in living a sustainable life has exploded, so has the green marketplace. It has become difficult to distinguish companies that provide truly eco-friendly products and services from those that "greenwash." Now, from the company that founded Organic Gardening when eating close to the land was far from mainstream and published Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth, comes this timely guide to all things green. Modeled on the classic Whole Earth Catalog, the touchstone for an earlier generation, Whole Green Earth Catalog is poised to become the bible of green living for the 68 million Americans—about one-third of U.S. adults—who now take environmental and social issues into account when they make purchases. Leading experts in every imaginable category—from home furnishings and appliances to clothing and children's toys, from pets and beauty products to travel and investing—share their authoritative tips, reviews, and advice. Whole Green Catalog - Edited by Michael W. Robbins, Designed by Wendy Palitz - provides succinct answers to such questions as: Can one go green and save money? Can people reduce their carbon footprint if they are business travelers? Is there an environmentally friendly disposable diaper? Beautifully packaged with more than 1,000 photographs and illustrations, and manufactured with 100 percent post-consumer waste materials, this volume is the perfect gift for those who care about the future of the planet.

Genres: Nonfiction, Reference, Green

390 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2009

Reviews

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book covers pretty much everything... too much, I think. Chapters include: Housekeeping, food, energy, homebuilding, clothing, transportation, gardening, appliances/home furnishings/ bed & bath, recycling, workplace, beauty aids, electronics, outdoors, travel, parenting, sports/recreation, money, medicine, pets, and arts/crafts.

The variety of subjects means there's only a couple of pages dedicated to each subject. Each section is written by a different person, so the styles vary and the type of information given varies. For the subjects I already knew quite a bit about, I was less than impressed with the information provided. But for those I was more unfamiliar with, I found some interesting resources and products. What I would have really liked to have seen (and which only occurred in a few instances) are comparisons of how the brands perform and how much they cost. Sometimes I felt like I was reading an ad for the company. Also, several green brands I am aware of did not make it in, while non-green companies with green brands (e.g. Clorox Greenworks) were mentioned.

I think it's a decent overview for someone interested in learning more about environmentally-friendly options, but you'd probably get better information by choosing a subject-specific book.

[Tamara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book should have been packaged differently. Good content, but this thing is huge and heavy and hard to skim. A different size and layout would have been nice. Also, the headings were really confusing.

Overall, treehugger.com provides a better way to find green products.

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was extremely helpful! As an environmental undergraduate I make continuos efforts to improve myself and my environment. I learned a lot that we never cover in classes.