The Eco-Neighbor's Guide to a Green Community


Book Description

Describes various ways young readers can help out in their communities by using "green" alternatives.




The Green Home Blueprint


Book Description

**The Green Home Blueprint** Unlock the secrets to transforming your home into an eco-friendly sanctuary with "The Green Home Blueprint!" This comprehensive guide is your ultimate resource for making sustainable living accessible and practical. Whether you're starting your green journey or looking to enhance your current efforts, this book delivers clear, actionable advice to help you create a healthier, more energy-efficient home. Dive into Chapter 1 and gain an essential understanding of your home's energy footprint. Learn to identify and eradicate common energy-wasting habits and discover the myriad benefits of an energy-efficient household. In Chapter 2, explore effective insulation and air sealing techniques, from DIY projects to professional services, ensuring your home remains cozy and cost-effective year-round. Chapter 3 delves into optimizing your heating and cooling systems with smart thermostats and regular maintenance tips. Uncover renewable energy options in Chapter 4, including solar, wind, and geothermal solutions, to significantly reduce your carbon footprint. Sustainable water usage is made simple in Chapter 5 with water-saving fixtures, rainwater harvesting, and greywater recycling. Illuminate your home with eco-friendly lighting solutions from Chapter 6, and select sustainable building materials in Chapter 7 to ensure every aspect of your living space is green. Chapter 8 guides you through choosing energy-efficient home appliances to maximize efficiency across your kitchen, laundry, and electronics. Reduce waste effectively with strategies from Chapter 9, and improve your indoor air quality with non-toxic paints, air-purifying plants, and better ventilation in Chapter 10. Chapter 11 offers eco-friendly home cleaning tips, while Chapter 12 focuses on sustainable furniture and decor. Enhance your landscape sustainably with Chapter 13’s native plants, organic gardening, and green lawn alternatives. Chapter 14 provides water and energy-efficient landscaping strategies, including drip irrigation and mulching. Get inspired to build an eco-friendly home office, manage energy usage efficiently, and understand the financial aspects of going green with Chapters 15 to 18. Involve the whole family in sustainability efforts with Chapter 19, and stay informed on the latest green technologies and innovations in Chapter 20. "The Green Home Blueprint" is your essential guide to creating an environmentally friendly, cost-saving, and forward-thinking household. Start making impactful changes today and embrace a greener lifestyle for a sustainable tomorrow.




The Twin Cities Green Guide


Book Description




Toward Sustainable Communities


Book Description

The single most useful resource out there on how to build and grow sustainable places The need to make our communities sustainable is more urgent than ever before. Toward Sustainable Communities remains the single most useful resource for creating vibrant, healthy, equitable, economically viable places. This comprehensive update of the classic text presents a leading-edge overview of sustainability in a new fully illustrated, full-color format. Compelling new case studies and expanded treatment of sustainability in rural as well as urban settings are complemented by contributions from a range of experts around the world, demonstrating how "community capital" can be leveraged to meet the needs of cities and towns for: Energy efficiency, waste reduction, and recycling Water, sewage, transportation, and housing Climate change and air quality Land use and urban planning. Fully supported by a complete suite of online resources and tools, Toward Sustainable Communities is packed with concrete, innovative solutions to a host of municipal challenges. Required reading for policymakers, educators, social enterprises, and engaged citizens, this "living book" will appeal to anyone concerned about community sustainability and a livable future. Mark Roseland is director of the Centre for Sustainable Community Development at Simon Fraser University and professor at SFU's School of Resource and Environmental Management. He lectures internationally, advises communities and governments on sustainable development policy and planning, and has been cited as one of British Columbia's "top fifty living public intellectuals."




Green Living


Book Description

Who says living a green lifestyle has to be a chore? Part reference, part lifestyle—with a dash of inspiration—Green Living is full of approachable, accessible, and easily implemented strategies to quickly and easily bring sustainability into all areas of your life and home.




Bringing Nature Home


Book Description

“With the twinned calamities of climate change and mass extinction weighing heavier and heavier on my nature-besotted soul, here were concrete, affordable actions that I could take, that anyone could take, to help our wild neighbors thrive in the built human environment. And it all starts with nothing more than a seed. Bringing Nature Home is a miracle: a book that summons butterflies." —Margaret Renkl, The Washington Post As development and habitat destruction accelerate, there are increasing pressures on wildlife populations. In his groundbreaking book Bringing Nature Home, Douglas W. Tallamy reveals the unbreakable link between native plant species and native wildlife—native insects cannot, or will not, eat alien plants. When native plants disappear, the insects disappear, impoverishing the food source for birds and other animals. Luckily, there is an important and simple step we can all take to help reverse this alarming trend: everyone with access to a patch of earth can make a significant contribution toward sustaining biodiversity by simply choosing native plants. By acting on Douglas Tallamy's practical and achievable recommendations, we can all make a difference.




Green Consumerism


Book Description

Colorful bracelets, funky brooches, and beautiful handmade beads: young crafters learn to make all these and much more with this fantastic step-by-step guide. In 12 exciting projects with simple steps and detailed instructions, budding fashionistas create their own stylish accessories to give as gifts or add a touch of personal flair to any ensemble. Following the successful "Art Smart" series, "Craft Smart" presents a fresh, fun approach to four creative skills: knitting, jewelry-making, papercrafting, and crafting with recycled objects. Each book contains 12 original projects to make, using a range of readily available materials. There are projects for boys and girls, carefully chosen to appeal to readers of all abilities. A special "techniques and materials" section encourages young crafters to try out their own ideas while learning valuable practical skills.




Fostering Sustainable Behavior


Book Description

The highly acclaimed manual for changing everyday habits-now in an all-newthird edition! We are consuming resources and polluting our environment at a rate that is outstripping our planet's ability to support us. To create a sustainable future, we must not only change our own actions, we must educate and encourage those around us to change theirs. If one individual recycles his plastic containers, the impact is minimal. But if an entire community recycles, enormous amounts of resources are saved. How then do we go about transforming people's good intentions into action? Fostering Sustainable Behavior explains how the field of community-based social marketing has emerged as an effective tool for encouraging positive social change. This completely revised and updated third edition contains a wealth of new research, behavior change tools, and case studies. Learn how to: target unsustainable behaviors, and identify the barriers to change understand various commitment strategies communicate effective messages enhance motivation and invite participation. The strategies introduced in this ground-breaking manual are an invaluable resource for anyone interested in promoting sustainable behavior, including environmental conservation, recycling and waste reduction, water and energyefficiency and alternative transportation.




Green Living


Book Description

Transform Your Lifestyle for a Better Tomorrow Are you ready to take actionable steps toward a more sustainable future? Discover how small, everyday choices can have a monumental impact on our world with Green Living: Practical Steps for a Sustainable Future. This insightful guide not only informs but inspires, making the journey toward eco-conscious living both attainable and fulfilling. Why wait to make a difference? Dive into the foundations of sustainability with an illuminating introduction to its principles and historical context. Each chapter in this comprehensive guide meticulously covers vital aspects of reducing your environmental footprint, from mastering the 3 R's–Reduce, Reuse, Recycle–to embracing a zero-waste lifestyle.Imagine a home where energy efficiency is the norm. Learn how to calculate and minimize your carbon footprint, adopt renewable energy sources, and make your living spaces more sustainable. Whether you're considering eco-friendly building materials or exploring smart home technologies, this book provides practical advice to overhaul your dwelling for the better. Optimize your impact beyond the home by making mindful transportation choices. Discover the benefits of public transit, the practicality of hybrid and electric vehicles, and the joy of cycling and walking. This book also guides you through sustainable food choices, from buying local and organic to cultivating your own garden.Your water consumption habits can change significantly–find out how efficient water use, rainwater harvesting, and xeriscaping can contribute to conservation efforts. Not to mention, this book opens your eyes to ethical consumerism, suggesting sustainable brands and mindful shopping practices to reduce the impact of fast fashion. Get involved in your community by participating in local environmental initiatives and volunteer opportunities. From exploring sustainable tourism practices to learning about emerging green technologies, this book equips you with the knowledge to contribute to policy changes and shape the future of sustainability.With Green Living: Practical Steps for a Sustainable Future, you're not just reading a book–you're embarking on a transformative journey. Begin your path to a greener lifestyle today!




The Handbook of Community Practice


Book Description

Encompassing community development, organizing, planning, and social change, as well as globalisation, this book is grounded in participatory and empowerment practice. The 36 chapters assess practice, theory and research methods.