| | Go Green, Live Rich: 50 Simple Ways to Save the Earth and Get Rich Trying |
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 2008-12-11 - Doesn't seem authentic
I have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, it presents a simple list of green things to do and it probably reaches an audience who would not normally think about doing them. For that, I applaud it. If everyone made small changes, collectively, it would have a significant impact.
On the other hand, I don't really believe that David Bach is really an environmentalist. He claims his epiphany was a sick building he was in. Then he somehow extrapolated that to his gas guzzling SUV and then to children and saving the planet. His co-author however, Hillary Rosner, is the one with the credentials. It seems she probably wrote the whole book and David Bach wrote the intro section.
Having just self-published my own book, I've been learning a lot about the publishing industry and some it is very eye-opening. This book feels very packaged, like Bach's publisher decided they needed to cash in on the green trend so they dug up an environmental writer, and then pasted Bach's name on the book.
Does that mean the tips are not valuable? No, but they are very simplistic. I think most people know now that fluorescent light bulbs use less energy.
It's a pretty book, it's easy to read and it's definitely aimed at people who are new to the environmental movement. I just feel there should be more integrity behind the message. For example, if I wanted advice on how to raise my children, I'd prefer to get it from someone who was passionate about kids even if the person who didn't care about kids also had good information.
Anyone who truly lives a green lifestyle knows that it's not really cheaper to be green. It actually costs more, but you're willing to pay for it because it's the right thing to do.
So, three stars because the book is great for a green newbie. One star if you already know the tip about the light bulbs.
 2008-11-27 - These tips will help but may not be enough
In the past 50 years we have lived a wasteful lifestyle. We throw lots of stuff into the landfills and use a lot of energy and fossil fuels. There has been a movement in favor of using our resources in a more thrifty manner, with the color green applied to this movement because it is the color of vegetation. We hear of all kinds of ways we can save the environment.
Here is another one, with David Bach's "Go Green, Live Rich". He presents 50 different ways of living life in a more earth-friendly manner. Some examples include "Grow a Greener Lawn", "Switch to Compact Fluorescent Bulb", and "Upgrade to a Hybrid". Further, he provides a way you can calculate your planetary footprint.
The biggest advantage of this book is the large number of references it gives. Everywhere you look there is a URL that you can access to find more about the subject. There is a list of references at the end of the book. Mr. Bach provides references for many of the statistics he provides us, so the book is well documented.
I think the book would be improved if it had a table of contents so you can go quickly to the area you want. Some of the statistics tend to be hyperbolic. For example, Americans use 800 million gallons of gasoline in lawn mowers. Don't use huge illion numbers when a percentage gives a truer picture. In this case, 800 million gallons is around 19 million barrels of oil; since Americans use 8 billion barrels a year, this is 0.23% of the total. Although gasoline-powered mowers do use fossil fuels, they pale in insignificance compared to the usage in automobiles.
Like most green endeavors, this book does not go far enough. In the future we simply will not have all these resources to use. His emphasis is on driving cars, maintaining lawn and so forth with less fossil fuels, even though we may not be able to drive at all when impending oil shortages occur. He talks in terms of pollution and global warming, when the running out of fossil fuels is by far a worse problem. Further, he advocates driving hybrids, using solar panels, and using CFLs without considering the possibilities of shortages of lithium, nickel, tellurium, indium, and other resources this might cause and the possibility of mercury pollution from CFLs. He does mention "Grow your own food", which some peak oil experts say will become necessary in the years ahead. But I think a slant towards living within our resource means and a warning about the impending fuel shortage would improve the book.
This is an elementary book. He does not go into the details of solar panels, for instance, as to whether you have southern exposure, the dimensions required and so forth, for example.
I still think this is a good book to get if you want to get started with living more within our planet's means.
 2008-09-17 - Points for Good Intentions
First I have to admit I did NOT purchase this title from Amazon. I bought it at a local used bookstore - where I buy most of the books I read. (If I can get it used I don't buy "new." - That's "green" ...right?)
Now about the book. "Late to the party, much?" I can't believe the publication date on this is 2008. Where has the author been until now? Is he just cashing in on the most recent "green" movement? All the info in the book should be common knowledge by now...? Or have some people really not gotten the memo yet? Or perhaps this is aimed at the crowd who swallowed the line (promulgated by Limbaugh, et al) that climate change was a liberal myth? Now they're finally waking up to the new reality. Better late than never I suppose. The info is good - it's all (been) available elsewhere.
One thing the author "could have" included on his list of green behaviors: Guys, get a vasectomy... all the environmental problems we face today (all of them) stem from one simple fact: over population, and American kids consume a vastly disproportionate share of global resources.
2008-09-14 - nice book
from the 3 books that I purchased is the one that I let a friend borrow so I have not see it jet, sorry
 2008-09-07 - Hug Trees, Get Rich
The book is a great addition to your library of David Bach books or as a stand alone book for anyone that is unfamiliar with David Bach's advice. I do not know of any other book on the market that combines environmentalism with creating personal wealth. Mr. Bach pulls it off nicely showing how living "green" causes one to quit over consuming and save money that can be invested for growth over the years. The book shows fifty quick and easy ways that living more simply will save you money while saving the earth. Whether it is saving $884 a year by getting a car with better gas mileage or $2,250 a year by bringing your lunch to work, you will be reducing Co2 emissions and trash into landfills. He also believes that green companies will be great investments in 21st century the way tech stocks were for the late 80's and 90's. I am an avid investor and stock trader but he introduced me to green mutual funds and ETFs that I had never heard of. His final piece of advice is to start your green business if you have a million dollar idea of how to do something better to save the earth. I am by no means an environmentalist or "Green", but I love to live frugally and simply, this book really made me think in ways that I have not in the past. I highly recommend reading this book to people interested in wealth building and to environmentalists (this is a new spin, a convenient truth:going green saves money). I am looking forward to David Bach's next book.
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