Are You Overwhelmed by "Going Green?" You read the news about worsening air and water pollution, climate change, droughts and diminishing natural resources, and you worry if your family will have a healthy future. The problem seems so big and overwhelming. What can you do? Why bother? You have the power and it starts right at home. Change starts with each of us, right where we each live. By making a series of small, doable changes, in aggregate, you will make a big difference--in your budget, and in the world. Are You Ready to Make A Difference? In this book, top eco-blogger Dawn Gifford shares her extensive research into why today's environmental problems exist. She gives you all the facts and data you need to understand the issues, then shares simple, succinct actions that you can easily implement right away. You can start saving hundreds or even thousands of dollars a year, be empowered to greater self-sufficiency, reduce your carbon, water, energy and consumption footprints and have a tangible sense that you ARE making that difference. What are You Waiting For? Discover how to save up to $200 a year simply by lowering your thermostat to this setting. (Chapter 8) Learn how to save 7,500 gallons of water and $140 in electricity costs every year, just by installing these inexpensive plumbing items. (Chapter 12) Get your home or business electricity from solar for less than the cost of your current utility bill--and lock in those prices for years to come. (Chapter 11) Follow these steps to buy all your organic produce and pasture-raised meat, dairy and eggs at wholesale cost (Chapter 21) Sustainability Starts at Home will show you how to do all of this, plus give you hundreds more inspiring tips that will save you thousands of dollars a year--simply by making adjustments to how you maintain your home and make your day-to-day purchases. This book pays for itself (and then some) with the first tip you implement! You Can Change the World, One Little Step at a Time If you are here on this page, you are most likely deeply concerned about the state of the world, and you worry about where we are headed if we keep doing things the same old way we always have been. And, you care a lot about this beautiful earth and your family's future. You feel passionate about making a difference. But it can often be challenging to know where to start. And if you've already started and gotten comfortable with things like composting or making your own non-toxic housecleaning solutions, you might want to know how to take your passion for green living and self-sufficiency to the next level. This book has just what you need! Sustainability Starts at Home has 338 pages of ideas, tips, facts and inspiration to help you live a simpler, more sustainable and frugal life--no matter what level of knowledge you are starting from. You CAN do it, and every little effort does make a difference!

The green building movement has produced hundreds of “how-to” books and websites that are filled with tips about green building and what homeowners should do to go green. While helpful and informative, when it comes to making actual purchasing and installation decisions, these books do not make it any easier for a homeowner to prioritize against a budget. Here, Schifman shares her knowledge and experience for others to use in their journey toward a greener way of living. Whether the reader is building a new home or doing a minor remodel, a homeowner needs a framework by which to guide their decisions. These decisions are based on values, and the author posits that there are really only three reasons to go green: For Our Health: By building more sustainably, we reduce our exposure to harmful chemicals and toxins. For Our Wealth: By building a more durable home and being more efficient with resources like water and electricity, we reduce our monthly utility bills and ongoing maintenance expenses. For Our Soul: Collectively doing the right thing for our planet does make a difference—and that is soul-nourishing. Learn the logistics of choosing windows, insulation, appliances, and lighting. Find out about FSC certified wood and about using reclaimed materials. Here is everything you need to make your home sustainable.

What if the foundation of your family business were threatened by something out of your control? What if the livelihood of 70 employees and their families were at stake, as the license to operate your business became called into question? What if 57 years of family history, grown through generations of hard work and sacrifice, were at risk of being lost? What if the reasons were actually one with which you fundamentally agreed? Journey to 8 states, 3 national parks and 3 countries to experience the life-changing education and adventures that led Trent A. Romer to finding sustainability for his plastic bag manufacturing business and himself.

Sustainability Made Simple is an introduction to sustainability and sustainable living that explores the relationship between everyday life and the intricate global environmental issues of today, including air and water pollution, deforestation, and climate change. Rosaly Byrd and Laurèn DeMates offer an optimistic yet realistic perspective on our impact on the environment, giving much needed guidance to those who are interested in finding new and relatively easy ways to incorporate sustainability into daily life. An excellent resource for those who are interested in learning what sustainability is about and picking up habits to be more sustainable, Sustainability Made Simple shows that adopting a sustainable lifestyle doesn’t require “going off the grid” or making drastic life changes that take time and cost money. Instead, Byrd and DeMates focus on the advantages and transformative changes associated with sustainability, demonstrating that although society is facing unprecedented environmental challenges, working towards sustainability is an opportunity to do things differently and do things better, enhancing aspects of life, such as health, work and community.

With "Sustainability: A Comprehensive Foundation," first and second-year college students are introduced to this expanding new field, comprehensively exploring the essential concepts from every branch of knowldege - including engineering and the applied arts, natural and social sciences, and the humanities. As sustainability is a multi-disciplinary area of study, the text is the product of multiple authors drawn from the diverse faculty of the University of Illinois: each chapter is written by a recognized expert in the field.

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.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • In this urgent, authoritative book, Bill Gates sets out a wide-ranging, practical—and accessible—plan for how the world can get to zero greenhouse gas emissions in time to avoid a climate catastrophe. Bill Gates has spent a decade investigating the causes and effects of climate change. With the help of experts in the fields of physics, chemistry, biology, engineering, political science, and finance, he has focused on what must be done in order to stop the planet's slide to certain environmental disaster. In this book, he not only explains why we need to work toward net-zero emissions of greenhouse gases, but also details what we need to do to achieve this profoundly important goal. He gives us a clear-eyed description of the challenges we face. Drawing on his understanding of innovation and what it takes to get new ideas into the market, he describes the areas in which technology is already helping to reduce emissions, where and how the current technology can be made to function more effectively, where breakthrough technologies are needed, and who is working on these essential innovations. Finally, he lays out a concrete, practical plan for achieving the goal of zero emissions—suggesting not only policies that governments should adopt, but what we as individuals can do to keep our government, our employers, and ourselves accountable in this crucial enterprise. As Bill Gates makes clear, achieving zero emissions will not be simple or easy to do, but if we follow the plan he sets out here, it is a goal firmly within our reach.

A practical guide for reducing waste in the home offers tools and tips for going "zero waste," discussing how to make cosmetics and cleaning supplies, pack lunches without plastic, and weed out unnecessary appliances. Shows how the author transformed her family's life for the better by reducing their waste to an astonishing 1 liter per year; part practical guide that gives readers tools & tips to diminish their footprint & simplify their lives. -- Publishers Description.

Tips, tools, advice, and activities for raising eco-friendly kids while nurturing compassion, resilience, and community engagement. Drawing from cutting-edge social-science research, parent interviews, and experiential wisdom, science writer and parenting blogger Shannon Brescher Shea shows how green living and great parenting go hand in hand to teach kids kindness, compassion, resilience, and grit--all while giving them the lifelong tools they need to be successful, engaged, and independent. Growing Sustainable Together is packed with easy tips, expert parenting advice, and practical hands-on activities for the toddler years up through the early teens. The enriching activities, resource guides, and recommended book lists in each chapter distill core sustainablility knowledge, like: Understanding energy efficiency and renewables Instilling anti-waste and anti-consumerist values Learning where our food comes from Developing a lifelong love for environmental activism, volunteering, and community engagement The book concludes with a practical appendix that gives talking points for engaging teachers, school systems, and fellow parents in eco-friendly activities.

The Aspiring Minimalist’s Guide to Living Consciously and Contributing to a “Greener” Tomorrow “This is the perfect book for people that want to find a realistic roadmap to sustainable living.” ?The Holistic Millennial Eco-minimalism is a hot-button issue right now, and for good reason.Living a life with less can be the key to saving our precious planet. Break the consumption cycle. There’s so much to do, and way too much to buy. Whether it’s through late night TV ads, social media, or other sources of influence, we are addicted to buying and then storing things. Sometimes we consume with no regret and other times we realize that we’re doing more harm than good to our wallets and our homes. It’s a constant cycle?one that many are longing to break. Who wants their hard-earned money to go toward something that soon ends up in a landfill? A guide to eco-minimalism with a plan that is realistic. Manufacturing "stuff" exploits Earth's precious (and finite) resources. And then there's the harsh reality of where it all goes. Our discarded possessions ultimately head to landfills and contribute to environmental pollution, releasing greenhouse gases during breakdown and decomposition. Sustainable Minimalism is the solution. Empower yourself to incrementally incorporate the tenets of sustainable minimalism into your home and life. Learn to master the easiest tasks first and build upon your successes?a practical and stress-free process. Now that’s sustainable! A blueprint for sustainability and stress management: How to gain greater mental clarity and increase your free time with fewer possessions Environmentally friendly ways of decluttering and organizing Ways to improve your financial stability, while going green at the same time How to get organized and operate a zero-waste home If you enjoyed books like Zero Waste Home, The Minimalist Home, or The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, you’ll love Sustainable Minimalism.