Groxie

I just got Living Green in the mail the other day, and wanted to quickly review it. It’s written by the current CEO of Garden of Life, who is also a former CEO of General Nutrition Centers. I’ve always found GNC to be a sort of creepy psuedo–health store, but that is neither here nor there. Horn battled a case of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, and seems to have spent much of his life trying to live conscientiously and lightly, so I don’t question his credibility.

The book took me less than 1.5 hours to get through. The writing is very simple—this isn’t some great work of literature. It’s set up to get you started making changes fast. There’s not too much in the way of detailed scientific backing for many of the claims in the book. The science is there, but that’s just not quite what Horn is trying to tackle. For someone just starting out on a green path, it would be nice to have a supplemental text like Worldchanging.

I’ve seen it mentioned that Living Green is decidedly oriented toward consumerism, and that is true. The man is a CEO and sees power in the way folks choose to spend their dollars. But that doesn’t mean he ignores some of the big DIY solutions like cleaners and simply paring down. His consumerist bend does not tend towards excess, so I think it’s perfectly appropriate here. He does avoid asking for anything that might look like a sacrifice, which I think is a mistake. Two particular issues come to mind.

I was disappointed to see no mention of cycling; most of his transportation solutions involved cars. I do think biking, walking, and mass transit are going to be a huge and important part of the solution to global warming, and any guide to living a greener more sustainable life should address them at least briefly. My other gripe is much smaller. He does have a small section on feminine hygiene and chemical avoidance, but fails to mention products like the Diva Cup or Luna Pads. While some consumers might not be ready to move to non-disposable hygiene items, I think it is worth offering up as many options as possible in a text like this.

Now onto the good stuff. I like the way the book is laid out—there are some useful lists, and he really does give you just enough information to get started. While most of the information wasn’t news to me, I did pick up a couple of tips that I had forgotten, and a couple of entirely new ideas. For instance I had no idea that Nalgene makes a #2 plastic bottle, and I long ago forgot about vacuuming fridge coils and filling up the freezer to increase efiiciency.

The last section of the book is chock-full of suppliers for all of the goods he mentions throughout. It’s a good resource to have on hand, especially if you’re getting started, doing a remodel, or looking to nudge someone else down a greener path. Despite a couple of oversights, I think Living Green is worth a quick read, and it would make a great, cheap, last-minute gift to just about anybody.