Comments on: Review: Go Green, Live Rich

By: Jillian

Jillian — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 02:40:49 +0000

Sounds like someone’s just trying to cash in on the green marketing wave. But what else can you expect from the person who invented the ‘latte factor’? Are people really that stupid that they need to be told they’ll save money by drinking less coffee, or that growing vegetables is environmentally friendly?

Right now the government here is spending massive amounts of money in a campaign to tell people that vegetables are healthier than pies. Really? And here I was thinking that a good old meat pie provided all my daily nutritional needs.

What I would really like to see is a book that cuts through all the crap and tells us exactly how beneficial all these suggestions actually are, instead of just parroting the same old list of things to do with no solid research to back them up.

By: Bill

Bill — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 19:25:46 +0000

Sounds more like a “spend more to be green” book.

Solar panels or a wind turbine in the backyard don’t make economic sense unless you are off-grid.

For a much quicker payback conduct an energy audit to reduce demand, often offered through your local utility.

By: tarits

tarits — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 16:16:18 +0000

Tip #36: Take a Volunteer Vacation
So true! I went to the southern part of our country all expenses paid for a month long leadership camp. Not only was i able to teach and engage with 60 student leaders from all over the country, i enjoyed fantastic and incredibly inexpensive food and swimming (at a waterfalls and a small island with white sand). hope i can go back next summer.

By: one of nine

one of nine — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 15:54:19 +0000

Hi Trent,

Although you said this book is primarily for those just starting out in the green movement, I think that installing a wind turbine would be considered a pretty bog committment, don’t you? We live in NC where I’d love to have a turbine but we don’t have the wind to support it. And I think our neighbors would probably have a LOT more to say about a 42-foot turbine in our back yard than the clothesline you previously had issues with…but I won’t go there!

What I’d like to know more about is GREEN INVESTING. I saw another article in a mother’s magazine about investing in green funds and it is an area I’d definitely consider putting my money. Could you post an article on this subect and enlighten us a little bit?

P.S. I love Jules comment about using post-recycled paper (I support the Sierra Club but I HATE the dozens of other glossy, slicked up paper solicitations I’ve received from other conservation organizations in response) but I don’t really understand Kevin’s problem with attempting to reverse climate change…is it a problem with the theory that humans have changed the climate or the belief that none of our actions will ever be able to stop it? If that is so, then what it the point, really???

By: Gigi

Gigi — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 16:39:57 +0000

We put in geothermal 2 summers ago. It is really an amazing way to heat/cool the house. Our old air conditioning never kept up with the house (absolutely could never get the house below 80 degrees in really hot weather) and one room off the entry was never warm in the winter (Minnesota). Once we installed the GT, we gained that room and the ability to control the temperature. However, we are paying on a 15k loan, and even though the gas dropped to almost nothing (still use it to heat water) the electricity bill soared to almost make it what it was before (and sometimes more)when you figure in the loan costs. We were told it would be like “having a second refrigerator” in terms of energy use. So, if you’re looking to put in GT, be sure you get an accurate estimate of what your electricity costs will be. Natural gas is going up, but so is electricity so we really aren’t saving anything. Once the loan is paid off hopefully it will be as cost effective as it was supposed to be.

By: Lenore

Lenore — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 13:47:31 +0000

You say this book is printed in full-color on glossy paper, but is it RECYCLED paper? Buying products made from post-consumer waste is a crucial and sometimes overlooked component of going green. What better way to conserve natural resources and keep trash out of the landfill? It drives me crazy that I can’t find toilet paper or disposable plates made from recycled materials. It’s all well and good that Wal-Mart promotes T-shirts made from plastic bottles, but I wish they carried post-consumer paper towels.

By: Dan

Dan — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 13:36:44 +0000

The ideas seem to be “incredibly simple” because many things in this category are mostly common sense! I’d go even simpler than the book – how many homes have you been in where the tv(s) are going all day, regardless if anyone is watching? How about hanging your clean clothes on a clothes line outside (or a rack in the winter)? My dryer broke 13 years ago and I never replaced it. The energy savings are huge – did you know the clothes dryer consumes the second highest amount of energy in your home, right behind the furnace? I do this common sense stuff and I’m not even a greenie! Just interested in saving money and using costly resources wisely.
Dan

By: jimmy

jimmy — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 11:03:40 +0000

the book’s glossy description sounds exactly the opposite of “green” – how about unbleached paper and soy based inks? looks like bach is just doing what he can to jump on the band wagon and coax people into buying a book of readily available information that is not only well known, but easily found on the web.

i’m pretty disgusted that you would suggest and even take part in promoting such garbage.

By: Margaret

Margaret — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 05:51:00 +0000

A long time ago, my brother told me that in the USSR, they did not produce chewing gum. He said it was because it was considered a tremendous waste of resources. I have never verified this fact, but I often think about the little junk and trinkets and gadgets that we go through and what a waste it all is.

I would love to get geothermal heating because I understand that in the summer you can reverse it and use it to draw the heat out of your house. Woo hoo! That’s nice because in the last 12 months, our temperature has ranged from -42C to +36C.

By: Patrick

Patrick — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 02:12:59 +0000

I love the idea of going green, and do what I can. What I would like to do in the future is have solar power and a wind turbine (neither of which would work on my current town home). They will both eventually pay for themselves, and you can sell the excess energy back to the power company. It’s the ultimate in renewable energy.

I think I’ll pass on the book though, or maybe just grab it from the library. It seems like a lot of things I’ve read from blogs about green energy and the environment.

By: caryn verell

caryn verell — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 01:37:43 +0000

this book is indeed a good one for the beginner. i live as green and economical as i can but cannot afford the solar stuff etc… without really going into debt again. it is a shame that solar and wind cannot be done the way rural electric was done….there are just too many greedy people in charge these days. so, my a/c is set at 80 degrees, we recycle our gray water into the garden, we use fans all year round to help with heat and air..i make baskets out of the paper grocery bags, and we recycle all that we can. heck, we do not even have a recyling place in our county..you oughta see the stuff that gets tossed! i have my own little garden that supplements my grocery shopping… living green is one thing but really “living” green takes some bucks!

By: Shevy

Shevy — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 01:22:28 +0000

I think the author has generally hit upon a good formula for maximizing his income. And anything green is hot right now, so this was a savvy choice for a book.

By: Travis

Travis — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 01:09:37 +0000

Jules and Kevin, I agree wholeheartedly with you.

By: Christine in Iowa

Christine in Iowa — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 23:32:56 +0000

You kept mentioning the book’s glossy feel, like a slick magazine–I thought you were going to criticize the format. Four-color glossy finish is way more expensive and labor-intensive than black and white. The primary reason I stopped giving to the Nature Conservancy was that they kept using my money to send me more glossy four-color brochures, rather than making appearance to save the environment.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 18:46:11 +0000

I love conservation and protecting ecosystems, it’s the whole idea of man-made global warming I can’t buy into. I see a lot of good things done for all the wrong reasons: to try and stop climate change.

By: Jules

Jules — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 18:37:00 +0000

The Green movement is a severely misguided one. Two tons of carbon emissions a year? How big is the tree? Trees and plants use carbon to make sugar, for energy, by which they manufacture the cellulose and other plant-y bits that make up their leaves, branches, twigs, etc. I SEVERELY doubt that our little rosemary bush is sucking two tons of carbon out of the air.

I’ve actually just finished (last article goes up later tonight) writing my critique of the Green movement. Granted, it’s from a chemical-hazard POV, but suffice it to say that there are A LOT of holes in the Green movement.

This is not to say that I don’t agree with the principles of conservation and protecting ecosystems–I do. But so much of it is marketing-driven, and it’s no wonder people don’t know what to believe any more.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 18:30:16 +0000

I did some research on a geothermal heat pump, and at today’s electric and natural gas prices, it could pay for itself in as little as 7 years.

I don’t think I’ll fork over the expense this time around, but if I ever build a home I’d be all over concrete ICF and geothermal heating/cooling.

By: Kevin (ReturnToManliness)

Kevin (ReturnToManliness) — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 17:31:47 +0000

Anything green right now is HOT!!! This book is timely and looks like a good simple read – even to read with your kids. Matter of fact, this book could pass as a helper for parents looking to do inexpensive things that include their children. “Like take a volunteer vacation” and “buy and sell everything.”

Our new boy is just 14 weeks, but he is pumped about selling stuff with us on eBay and craigslist. I can see it in his eyes… :)

By: Dave

Dave — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 17:23:14 +0000

I’d argue that the people who would purchase this book do indeed fit into a demographic.

- Dave

By: White Eagle

White Eagle — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 16:52:02 +0000

Some Canadian cities like Ottawa and Toronto provide free trees to plant on your property:
http://www.ottawa.ca/residents/healthy_lawns/forestry/tree_program/index_en.html
http://www.toronto.ca/trees/tree_planting.htm