9 Resources

To help you refine your ideas about what you can and want to do. To give you further reading. To help you find a support in your Green efforts.

This "Resources" section is all about helping you do more, help more, and have more of an impact.

Many of the facts and figures we used in this course came from some of the books and websites listed in this section. Because most of the sites and books offer a wide variety of information on a myriad of Green topics, you might find information on a number of different topics at each of these websites. Use our categories as a guide, not a specific we'll first look at general books and websites to help you educate yourself, get new ideas and take action.

Books

There are a myriad of books available on Green topics. Here are some worth reading:

"Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" by Nicky Scott. This book is part of the Chelsea Green Guides series and offers dozens of ways you can reduce your footprint on Mother Earth. In addition, there is an alphabetical listing of hundreds of items with information about how to recycle them.

"Energy: Use Less, Save More" by Jon Clift and Amanda Cuthbert. This book, also part of the Chelsea Green Guides, is chock full of handy and simple tips for reducing your energy usage.

"Water: Use Less, Save More" by Jon Clift and Amanda Cuthbert. This book, again from the Chelsea Green Guides, contains 100 tips for saving water in your home and in other areas of your life. Like all the Chelsea Green Guides listed here, it's of a compact size so you can carry it with you if you like.

"Wake up and Smell the Planet" by Grist.org is a humorous, none-too-serius guide to getting Green. Or, as the subtitle tells us, it's the "non-pompous, non-preachy Grist Guide to Greening your Day". With plenty of helpful hints, the guide understands that not everyone is willing to go Green in every area and offers you tips that fit your comfort level.

"Living Green: A Practical Guide to Simple Sustainability" by Greg Horn is a comprehensive look at daily Green measures you can take to help the planet. Gives you a good background of Green issues and helps you understand how your efforts help the planet.

"Fight Global Warming Now: The Handbook for Taking Action in Your Community" by Bill McKibben. This book helps you turn from uneducated consumer into community activist. If you need a primer on how to become involved, this is your book.

"The End of Nature" by Bill McKibben. If you need a better primer than what we provided, this is the book to read. It will give you a broad background on the issues so you can understand how your choices impact the environment, negatively and positively.

Magazines

"E: The Environmental Magazine", published bi-monthly (check www.emagazine.com for more information). This magazine is dedicated to the cause of helping people be Greener, with each issue offering a bit of news, tips for Green living and support for the Green lifestyle.

"Green Source" published 4 times a year. This magazine is devoted to the cause of helping people and businesses build environmentally responsible homes and buildings.

"Audubon", published bi-monthly (check www.audubon.org for more information). This magazine is a perk of membership in the Audubon Society, which is dedicated to the restoration of the Earth's habitats, conservation and Green issues.

"The Green Guide", published bi-monthly by National Geographic, includes many tips to help you adhere to your Green lifestyle pledge. With tips on cooking, home keeping and other relevant topics, it's a favorite among those dedicate to the Green lifestyle.

Movies and Television

Movies

"An Inconvenient Truth", the groundbreaking documentary narrated by Al Gore, is a great background source for more environmental information. If you are unclear about the issue of global warming or simply want more information or a boost to your dedication to live Green, this movie will provide the education and push you need.

"Global Warming: The Signs and the Science" is a PBS documentary narrated by Alanis Morissette. This is an educational, stunningly recorded documentary that is often recommended to people who believe there is a political slant to Al Gore's "Inconvenient Truth".

"A.I". This Steven Spielberg movie places the protagonist in a Manhattan that's flooded because the polar ice caps have melted. The humans have adapted by being robotic beings.

"The Day after Tomorrow." A thrilling, big-movie version of the end of the world, this movie tells the tale of abrupt global warming and the efforts of one climatologist to help save the world.

"Waterworld". This movie, which stars Kevin Costner, was at the time the most expensive Hollywood movie ever made and one of the biggest flops. But many movie fans now say that in retrospect, this movie (a tale about the Earth after the melting of all the polar ice caps) is an enjoyable and interesting tale of life after the end of life as we know it.

Television

"Living with Ed", is a show on Home and Garden Television (HGTV), Sundays at 11:30 p.m. eastern (in the U.S.). This show features the ever-increasing Green efforts by Ed Begley, Jr., an actor and environmental activist.

Planet Green from the Discovery Channel. Discovery Home Channel is re-launching in 2008 as Discovery's Planet Green, a 24-hour television channel dedicated to educating people about living green, with programming about various environmental concerns, Green living tips and the like. Check with your cable provider to see where you can find this channel in your area.