Table of Contents

I. THE ENVIRONMENT AND YOU. 1. It's Our Home. Happy Birthday, Earth Day! The Environmental Century. What's All This Environmental Stuff? Why Is This Important? Lessons from Kindergarten. The "Big Three" Global Threats. Crisis? What Crisis? There's Still Time. 2. Something Old, Something New. An Old Problem. Hitting the Limits in the Past. Limitless Resources? From Sea to Shining Sea. Voices in the Wilderness. Taking Action. The Rise of the Consumer Society. Out of Control! Getting Our Act Together Earth Day and the EPA. More Progress. The Throwaway Society. A Global Problem. 3. The Air We Breathe. Up in the Air. Global Warming. Why Is It Important? A Hole in the Sky. Ouch-Acid Rain! Long-Term Consequences. Time Out. 4. Water: Our Most Precious Resource. Water 101. Going, Going, Gone? Similar Problems. Irrigation. Global Warming. Conservation. An Ocean of Trouble. Threats to Our Oceans. A Watershed. 5. The Land We Live On. The Garbage Barge Incident. Talkin' Trash. Hot Stuff! Where Have All the Forests Gone? A Developing Dilemma. Auto-Hypnosis. Down on the Farm. The Web of Life. 6. So, What Can You Do About It? Don't Just Sit There-Do Something! The Three Rs. Reduce Your Use. Why Reduce? What to Reduce. Reuse Something. Why Reuse? Recycle Something. Why Recycle? Promote Sustainability. II. REDUCE YOUR USE. 7. The (Not So) Quick Fix. Fast Track to a Greener Planet. Easier Said Than Done. Old Habits Die Hard. Eliminate That Waste. Do We Really Need to Reduce? Our Trash-Filled Footprint. Home, Sweet Home. Waste Not, Want Not. 8. A Houseful of Savings. Start Saving at Home. Cool Stuff. Hot Stuff. Round and Round. A Bright Idea. Beat Heat Loss. Water Conservation. Hazardous Waste. 9. Food for Thought. The Overfed American. Time for Action. Do You Really Want to Eat That? How Do You Pronounce This? A Gradual Shift. Co-ops. Community-Supported Agriculture. Farmer's Markets. 10. More Ways to Reduce. Become a Savvy Shopper. Avoid Excessive Packaging. Eliminate Single-Use Products. What About Seldom-Used Products? Is Cheaper Better? TV or not TV? More Fun, Less Stuff. It's Vacation Time! 11. Help, I Wanna Get Off! Waking Up from the American Dream. Affluenza. Mirror, Mirror on the Wall. New Lifestyle Strategies. It's Not So Simple. Live Better on Less. III. REUSE IT. 12. Choose to Reuse. A Very Old Strategy. Why Should You Reuse? Types of Reuse. Reuse Basics. When Not to Reuse. 13. Reuse Strategies. Green Design. Maintenance. Repair. Something Borrowed. Joint Ownership. Rental. Remanufacture. Regeneration. Donation. It's Free! Special Reuse Events. 14. At Home. Reuse at Home. Appliances. In the Kitchen. The Bathroom. The Bedroom. The Living Room. Throughout the Home. 15. At Workuand Beyond. In the Office. Computers. Computer Supplies. Copying Machines. Fax Machines. Office Supplies. Furniture. Shipping Supplies. Other Reuse Ideas. 16. The Used Marketplace. Used Markets. Auctions. Classifieds. Exchanges. Flea Markets. Reuse Yards. Secondhand Stores. Surplus. Tag Sales. IV. RECYCLE IT. 17. Recycling Basics. Recycled History. The Great Debate. Recycling 101. Is It Really Recycled? Composting. Can You Recycle It? Which Stuff Goes Where? It's Simple. 18. Recyclable Products. Commonly Recycled Materials. Aluminum. Glass. Paper and Paper Products. Steel. Plastics Are (Almost) Forever. Hazardous Waste. Problem Items. 19. Composting. Nature's Way. Which Method? What You Will Need. How It Happens. Do You Need a Bin? What Else Do You Need? Troubleshooting Tips. Old Family Recipes. Back to the Garden. 20. Completing the Circle. Why Buy Recycled? Read the Fine Print. Buy Recycled Programs. What's Available? Buying-and Selling-Recycled. Additional Resources. V. A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE. 21. Sustainability. What Is Sustainability? The Problems. The Solutions. A Team Effort. It's Already Happening. 22. Renewable Energy. Beginning of the End. Renewable Energy. Here Comes the Sun. The Winds of Change. Water Power. Ocean Energy. Geothermal. Biomass. Hydrogen. Consumer's Choice. 23. Transportation. Car Talk. Alternative Energy Vehicles. The Plane Truth. Mass Transit. Riding the Rails. Pedal Power. 24. Living Patterns. Nightmare on Elm Street. The Trouble with Sprawl. The High Costs of Sprawl. Way to Grow! Good Examples. Get Involved. 25. Population. The Population Time Bomb. Resource Demands. Reaching the Limits. The Need for a Policy. Tough Decisions. 26. Green Plans. Green Plans. Big Problems = Big Solutions. A New Partnership. Green Plans in Action. Red, White, and Green. Will It Work Here? A Long-Term Process. 27. You Can Help. Important Issues. Our Attitudes and Values. Education. Peace and Disarmament. Social Justice. All Politics Is Local. Groups and Organizations. Get Involved. It's Up to Us. VI. APPENDIXES. Appendix A. Environmental Timeline. Appendix B. Glossary of Terms. Appendix C. Further Reading. Appendix D. Groups, Organizations, and Other Resources. Index.

Promotional Information

"The Complete Idiot's Guide to Saving the Environment" is a comprehensive guide to the ways an average citizen can make every day Earth Day. We learn how the environment got in this condition and how we can improve it by reducing, reusing, and recycling at home, at work, and everywhere else. The book suggests groups and organizations to join or to go to for information.