Book Review - Suzuki's Green Guide
Living an Eco-Friendly Lifestyle by David Suzuki and David Boyd
A respected long-term supporter of the need for environmental sustainability and eco-friendly lifestyles, David Suzuki has teamed with leading Canadian environmental lawyer David Boyd to offer practical tips to everyday people concerned about the environment.
Suzuki’s Green Guide (Allen & Unwin, 2009) offers readers insight into the long-term impact of their choices and provides information on sustainable alternatives to common activities and products.
Suzuki’s Green Guide
While many people would like to make better environmental choices, it can be difficult to filter the facts from the hype with conflicting media reports and a seemingly never-ending stream of experts offering conflicting opinions.
David Suzuki is a well-respected advocate for environmental change and has been dedicated to better environmental education and government policies as a means to saving the environment throughout his 40 years as an environmental campaigner.
With information relevant to US, UK, Canadian and Australian households, Suzuki presents the case for the potential for significant reduction in environmental impact resulting from better choices by everyday people in their own homes.
Based on the fact that housing, food and transport contribute 80% of the ecological footprint of industrialised countries, Suzuki argues that householders have significant potential to have a positive impact on the environment by considering changes to their lifestyle and habits.
Making Eco-Friendly Choices
The front cover of Suzuki’s Green Guide offers readers a clear indication of the purpose and practical nature of the book. These include:
- How to find fresher, tastier, healthier food
- Create an eco-friendly home
- Make sustainable transportation choices
- Reduce consumption
- Be a green citizen
As with many books on changing everyday habits to reduce environmental impact, reading Suzuki’s Green Guide may induce a certain amount of guilt and a sense that the problem is simply too big to be changed by the actions of one person. This natural response is well countered by Suzuki’s balanced, practical approach. His quietly emphatic call for individuals to take responsibility for the environmental impact of their everyday choices is energising rather than overwhelming.
Suzuki’s advice includes such simple changes as spending more time enjoying the outdoors, going for regular walks, joining in community events and boycotting products manufactured by companies that are environmentally negligent.
There are also guidelines on how to:
- create a healthy indoor environment
- consider the packaging, pesticides and production costs of grocery items
- reduce water and energy consumption
- reduce waste
- contact government departments to lobby for environmental change and better government policies.
David Suzuki Foundation
The David Suzuki Foundation website offers up-to-date news stories and reports on environmental issues, tips and advice for protecting the environment and making eco-friendly choices and information on Suzuki’s latest projects and campaigns.
Improving the Environment, One Choice at a Time
Suzuki’s Green Guide is an empowering collection of facts, tips and practical advice written in a very approachable style. Regular examples of individuals or groups that have taken small steps to improve their local surroundings and/or reduce their carbon footprint are motivational.
There is a large section of recommended books, DVDs and websites relating to the information shared throughout the book. Suzuki and Boyd have brought the immense issues of climate change and sustainable environmental practices back to a ground roots level that leaves readers feeling that even a small change in their everyday habits has the potential to impact the environment in positive ways.
Suzuki’s Green Guide is an ideal motivator and guide book for singles, couples and families who want to be better informed about environmental issues.
Suzuki’s Green Guide (ISBN: 978-1-74175-693-7, 198 pages)
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How Good Are You? by Julian Lee
Suzuki's Green Guide
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