Review of Easy Green Living
A Book Exploring Environmental Responsibility
Easy Green Living (ISBN: 978-1594867927, Publication Date 2008) is a well researched easy to read reference on living environmentally friendly. Renée Loux explains the benefits of green living.
The Basics
Loux starts Easy Green Living with a bit of her background and some advice for not getting overwhelmed by the process of going green. Following that are a lists of simple steps to get started. Some are easier to incorporate and more budget friendly than others. Loux goes on to explain what various wording used on labels means as well as how labels can be misleading.
She also includes an explanation of how recycling works including both benefits and deceptions. Loux discusses the chemicals found in many commercial products. She explains why certain chemicals are harmful and should be avoided. The reader may occasionally feel disheartened by the effects commercialism has negatively affected their lives in order to increase their profits.
These basics prepare the reader for the upcoming chapters that explore living green in more depth.
Cleaning
Easy Green Living explains what ingredients in cleaning products should be avoided in people’s homes and why. Loux provides alternative cleaners including sources to buy them. Also provided are recipes for some homemade environmentally friendly cleaners. Recommendations for cleaning clothes are provided including some alternatives to dry cleaning. Easy Green Living covers environmentally friendly cleaning for the entire house.
Household
Everything from supplies to furniture is covered in Easy Green Living. Loux exposes the harmful materials used in the productions of the products people use on a daily basis. She explains how the pesticides and chemical residues affect the water supply, the earth, and the air as well as the people who use the products. She provides a list of resources for buying environmentally responsible products.
Energy Efficiency
The tips provided related to energy efficiency tend to be budget friendly. Some are the simple things parents have touted for decades to save on bills like turning off lights when leaving a room and not letting water run unnecessarily. Loux expands on these and suggests energy efficient light bulbs, turning off computers, televisions, etc. when not in use, and unplugging appliances between uses. She lists many small things people can do each day to save energy and money.
Personal Care
Loux explores the harmful ingredients in personal care items and their effects when absorbed into the skin or swallowed. She provides a list of natural alternatives for personal care items that will fit a range of budgetsalong with locations where they can be found . She provides recipes for making several homemade personal care items. Eating organic food and using organic fabrics for a healthier body are also discussed. She explains the benefits of organic cotton and other natural fibers for clothing. Loux covers the full body in her discussion of personal care items.
Throughout Easy Green Living, Loux promotes the personal and worldwide benefits to becoming environmentally responsible. While several of the items suggested are too expensive for many budgets, there are others anyone can embrace. Loux teaches and inspires readers to improve their lives and the world. At times her passion for green living can feel a bit overwhelming. All in all Easy Green Living is a book to keep as a reference for the resources, explanations, and recipes.
For another resource on green living, read my review of Gorgeously Green.
Easy Green Living by Renee Loux
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