The Organic Suburbanite: An Environmentally Friendly Way to Live the American Dream

by Warren Schultz

An award-winning garden writer demystifies the world of organics with his trademark wit and extensive horticulture knowledge in this comprehensive guide to protecting the environment while living in... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0875968600
• ISBN13: 9780875968605
• Release Date: July 2001
• Publisher: Rodale Books
• Length: 168 Pages
• Weight: 0.94 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 8.1" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Easy read with more than the standard tips

When I see green/organic books, I'm always interested in reading them. However, too often they contain the standard suggestions that fill the pages of many magazines today (use energy efficient lightbulbs, turn your water heater down to 120 degrees, etc). However, this book teachers new and often easy to do steps, like using gray water for watering your lawn and what chemicals to avoid in your laundry detergent. I've really enjoyed owning this book. It's a great reference. Plus it has cute pictures. (I can't help it. The 4th grader in me needs pretty things to look at!)

Great for anyone new to organics

This is a great book for anyone who would like to start making a few environmentally-responsible changes in their life, but arent quite ready to jump into a full vegan-greenpeace style life. It gives ideas that allow you to help the environment (and your wallet), without really disrupting life as you know it. Everything from kitchen and bath, to outdoor maintenence, to organic methods to get rid of household pests.

Getting the most from the status quo

You're there. You have the family, the house, the yard, the car, the job that requires a commute. Given the way that a lot of us live, it can be very useful to have a check-list -- to do a walk-around of home and garden and see the latest thinking on how to minimize our impact on the environment. As someone who has been following these issues for years, I found it interesting that the evidence on some things seems to argue for different choices -- and that I had been way off on my thinking in other specifics. It's a pleasurable read -- the retro photos remind me that the suburbanization of America was rooted in a more innocent time, when few people had the foresight to see its results. What is beyond the scope of the book, but the more important question, is how we get to the point where we are creating not 20% less damage but 50% or even no damage at all -- and those are the "tough questions" that this book just does not ask.

The book title says it all.

This is a terrific book describing simple and manageable methods for improving the suburban family's opportunity to replace environmentally harmful chemical products with safer ones. It includes advice for gardening, washing anything and everything, home maintenance, repairs and shopping, It is extremely easy to read, very well laid out in an appealing format, friendly, concise, and doesn't preach or scold. This book is a wonderful tool for starting or maintaining an environmentally ethical suburban lifestyle without making you feel like a green-earth criminal.