National Geographic's true green home

I was sent a copy to review of true green home: 100 inspirational ideas for creating a green environment at home by Kim McKay and Jenny Bonnin. It's a beautifully photographed book of quick ideas that those who are new to going green can implement in their home.

What I liked most about the book is that it was set up one idea at a time - making it easy to pick and choose which ideas you might like to implement. In a very un-overwhelming way, the book allows its readers to flip through and grab onto ideas that are doable for them.

I also like that the authors didn't just write about the how-to's; they wrote about the why's, too. For example. idea #69 is "the paperless home." They explain ways to go paperless: saving documents electronically, banking online, etc, but they also give statistics. 

Research has shown that by switching to electronic bills, statements and payments, the average household can save 6.6 pounds of paper, avoid the use of 4.5 gallons of gasoline, and prevent the production of 171 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions every year.

It's information that is concrete and more likely to leave an impression on a reader than a simple "you'll save trees."

There is also a list of websites in the back of the book that give more information on a lot of the green ideas they give in the book, and a helpful glossary of terms.

If you are well entrenched in being green, this book probably won't have much in it that you don't already know, but if you're new to trying to create a greener home, this book has some practical starting points. It would also be a helpful gift book.