Elizabeth Rogers - The Green Book: The Everyday Guide to Saving the Planet One Simple Step at a Time

For Emmett

Like three-year-olds, we kept asking the question Why? Why should we really turn off the lights in our homes? Why should we recycle? Why should we, as environmentally conscious freaks of the universe, really care about any of the things we are told make a difference? Why are we given dry, obtuse information from environmentalists who dont take into account the reality of our daily lives? Why are diapers poised to destroy the world?

There had to be some answers for the simple things. We searched the Internet for a connectionbetween what we do and what that action does: tying together our use of chopsticks to the deforestation and back to the price of our takeout, and so on. But we couldnt find many answers to our questions about what difference an individual action makesat least none that really hit home.

When we trudge our garbage cans to the sidewalk every weekthe blue for recyclables, the green for yard trash, the black for garbageand we see our neighbors doing the same, we realize that we are all good citizens out of habit. But what would happen if we took it a step further and gave people new choices and explanations for what they do: why divvying up their waste makes a difference to the world?

Not since that famous 1970s TV commercial of a Native American crying at the sight of trash by the side of the road has there been a message or a campaign that speaks to cause and effect yet is easily understandable. Thats why we created The Green Book. It looks at things differently, from a very basic point of view: what we do and what that does. And it answers all the questions we could come up with as to why what we do matters to the planet.

What we didnt want to do is create another deadly triple-D bookdull, dry, and dense. Instead, we strove to create solutions that are easy to understand and accessible. Neither of us lives in a tree or rides a stationary bicycle in a closet to generate electricity for our homes. We bet you dont, either.

This book is derived from our desire to be environmentally friendly while remaining selfish consumers. We think people have been waiting for this type of perspective. So here, in one place, are lots of answers to the question Why?

While The Green Book is a starting point for anyone who wants to become more environmentally friendly, there are some basic terms and terminology that may need to be explained. We broke down the books solutions to explain how waste, water, energy, and time can be saved. These are the big areas we focused on because they involve so many issues. And saving each has a measurable positive impact on our planet.

Here are a few definitions and explanations of important items youll hear about throughout The Green Book.

kilowatt-hours

These are units of energy typically found on your utility bill that tell you how much power you are usingand, of course, how much its costing you to use that power. Usually, kWh are used to measure electrical power or natural gas use.

This is important because: Coal is whats used most to create electrical power. Coal is burned to make steam to power generators that make electricity. So, the more kWh you use, the more likely coal is burned (although some utilities use water or wind or other sources to generate power). Burning coal is a big source of harmful pollution and carbon emissions that can lead to global warming.

landfills

A landfill is a nice way of saying a dump or a trash site.

This is important because: Landfills not only take up land space that could be left natural or used for other purposes, but they can lead to air and water pollution issues in the local environment.

e-waste

Electronic waste consists of any discarded electronic appliance.

This is important because: Electronic appliances contain parts made from hazardous materials and need special care when theyre disposed of. Otherwise those chemicals can leak into groundwater or get incinerated and create toxic air pollution.

recycling

Recycling prevents materials from being wasted by reprocessing them into new products. Recycled materials are usually preconsumer recycled products that are made out of scraps and trimmings. Postconsumer recycled materials are made out of things that have been used and re-processed.

This is important because: Recycling prevents the need for more raw materials to be used when making things; therefore it saves natural resources. Recycling also helps save energy because it reduces the need to manufacture new things.

renewable resources

Renewable resources are those natural resources that regenerate, such as wind, water, trees, and sunlight.

This is important because: Renewable resources are never in danger of running out for good, only of our using more of their supply at a rate faster than they can regenerate.

nonrenewable resources

Nonrenewable resources are those things we use that are of more limited supply, such as oil, natural gas, and coal.

This is important because: Nonrenewable resources arent sustainable, which means there is a danger we could run out of them and wed have to seek out alternative replacements or solutions.

plastic

Plastic comes in many different forms and is made largely from synthetic material. And this material is composed mostly of petroleum.

This is important because: Some plastics, such as a common type called polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, can be worse for the environment than others because theyre made from more toxic materials. So when these types of plastic are disposed of, they can release toxic fumes if burned or pollute the ground and water when they are buried in landfills.

pollution

Pollution is when harmful substances are released into the environment.

This is important because: Pollution can infect the water, air, and ground. Pollutants can cause diseases and illnesses and even kill us.

global warming

Global warming, sometimes called climate change, is when the earths average temperature begins to rise.

This is important because: Global warming can cause sea levels to rise, intensify storms and weather patterns, and increase the likelihood that diseases will spread faster and farther around the planet.

waste

Waste is all our unwanted material: rubbish, trash, garbage, or junk.

This is important because: Some waste can be recovered and recycled. Other types of waste are biodegradable, which means they naturally degrade into the earth. But some types of waste continue to pile up, so much so that the earth could be completely covered in it if we dont manage waste properly.