The Carbon Buster's Home Energy Handbook: Slowing Climate Change And Saving Money

Book Description

Most people are unaware that environmental problems such as climate change can be easily avoided, at a profit, through the intelligent application of appropriate technology. The Carbon Buster's Handbook describes how to achieve this goal in the residential field.

The first book in North America to provide a detailed carbon accounting of a family's carbon emissions and how to reduce them, it systematically analyzes energy costs and evaluates which measures yield the highest returns for the environment and the pocketbook. It provides answers to questions such as:

Which measure is more effective: putting solar panels on your roof, or buying a hybrid car?
Where do I need to invest first: in high-efficiency shower-heads, or solar tubes?
Is a $500 fridge that uses 800 kWh of power per year a good buy?

The book allows individuals to quickly and accurately assess which products are a good deal and which aren't. It systematically analyzes residential carbon emissions and energy costs and prioritizes solutions based on highest carbon reductions and monetary returns, yielding results that are often surprising. The book enables readers to dramatically reduce their carbon emissions - far below the levels targeted under the Kyoto Protocol. At the same time, readers implementing the recommendations will save an average of US$15,000 in energy costs over the next five years.

Customer Reviews:

This little book lives up to its name!.......2007-05-12

The positivism inherent in the title (The Carbon-buster's Home Energy Handbook) carries through to the text and tables which are dramatically informative and easily understood. Mr. Stoyke has done our planet an enormous service by showing the rest of us how to be kinder to our unique home. This book should be read by every home-owner and potential car-buyer.

Exceptionally useful book if you want to save money and do right for the planet.......2007-03-04

This winter's storms made me realize how quickly global warming's impact is escalating. We need common solutions but we also need to do what's right as individuals. What's great about this book is that it walks us through the process and even allows us to save money in the process. Just a handful of the book's simple and almost costless suggestions will save me several hundred dollars a year. And it gives a great perspective on which of the larger investments to undertake, and how they pay back in both dollars and carbon savings. I've already recommended this book to a dozen friends and will be recommending it to more.

It's the best handbook I know for immediate practical steps that any of us can take to save energy.

(......)

Essential and Profitable Reading.......2007-02-16

Godo Stoyke is a true master of bringing carbon reduction strategies into the hands of the everyday person. Backed by rigorous research, each suggestion in the book is worthy of consideration and completely achievable. Most professionals within the "green" technology industry are aware that market appeal lies in the wallet; to this effect, Mr. Stoyke has infused the book with money-saving tips that provide significant returns. Such an appeal will lead to implementable steps at reducing one's carbon footprint whilst being rewarded economically for sound decision making.

Due to this implementable nature, the book will appeal greatly to a wide audience, from the environmentally-aware to the fiscally-conservative.

Checking up on Carbon Busters (the research organization which Mr. Stoyke is a partner in) it is clear that professional accuracy is well within their means. I take heart in this, due to the wide proliferation of relatively ballooned perspectives that plague the enviro-informational space.

Bush's energy bill should make this book required reading! How many tons of carbon reduction per person would that initiate?! Likely enough to pull tanks out of the Middle East.

To the author: Well done sir.

Joseph L. Hundert
President
Biowest Energy Inc.

Average customer rating:

llamas for income

Llamas for Love and Money
Rosana Hart
Manufacturer: Juniper Ridge Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Veterinary Medicine | Medicine | Subjects | Books

Animal Husbandry | Agricultural Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

Storey's Guide to Raising Llamas: Care/Showing/Breeding/Packing/Profiting
The Camelid Companion
Making the Most of Your Llama
Llamas and Alpacas as a Metaphor for Life
Caring for Llamas and Alpacas: A Health & Management Guide

ASIN: 0916289192

Book Description

Why own llamas? For love: with an innate dignity and serene yet inquisitive approach to life, llamas are a joy to be around. Their grace, beauty, and high intelligence are delightful. For money: Llama breeding, commercial llama packing, and a variety of other llama-related activities can be profitable. Breeding alpacas, diminutive relatives of the llama, is an exciting new field. This book draws on the expertise of 75 llama and alpaca breeders to bring you a comprehensive, detailed look at what's happening now in North America. Over 35 photographs add their charm. (Publisher's note: llama prices are down since the book came out... perhaps the book should be called Llamas for Love and Maybe Money! But most of the information is still pertinent.)

Customer Reviews:

llamas for income.......2001-06-11

This book goes more into the operation of an income producing llama farm than other books I've read on the subject. It covers not just daily care, but how to actually DO things with the animals to offset their care cost. Some of the data is a bit outdated, such as cost for good animals, but the underlying premises still hold true. If you've ever wondered "Why a llama?", here's where you can learn more.

The Triumph of the Fungi: A Rotten History

Average customer rating:

Manifesto against monocultures
An alright book
Fantastic book!

The Triumph of the Fungi: A Rotten History
Nicholas P. Money
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 019518971X

Book Description

This book is concerned with the most devastating fungal diseases in history. These are the plagues of trees and crop plants, caused by invisible spores that have reshaped entire landscapes and decimated human populations. The Triumph of the Fungi focuses on the fascinating biology of the well- and lesser-known diseases, and also tells the stories of the scientists involved in their study, and of the people directly impacted by the loss of forest trees like the chestnut, and cash crops such as coffee and cacao. In a surprisingly brief time, human knowledge of the fungi that infect plants has evolved from Biblical superstition, to the recognition of the true nature of plant disease, and, more recently, to a sense of awe for the sophistication of these microbes. The crucial issue of human culpability in these fungal epidemics is addressed in the books closing chapter.

Customer Reviews:

Manifesto against monocultures.......2007-03-04

Apart from some strained attempts at humour, starting with the subtitle, Nicholas Money has produced an excellent book. The book is a well-organised and expressively written presentation of how various fungi [and their relations] have and are assaulting valuable trees and crops around the planet. With excellent graphics to support the text, the author describes how fungal infections have attacked decorative or lumber tree species, such as the chestnut and jarrah, crop plants like coffee, potatoes and rubber. He explains how the infections were detected and investigated by various researchers and what steps have been taken to curb or eliminate the infestation. The latter point is the one that should prompt the reader's close attention.

Although to many people, the blight causing the Irish Potato Famine may be the best known of fungal infections, Money opens with a story of the extermination of the American Chestnut. The account shows how little was known of fungi life cycles at the turn of the last century. Coping with the spreading infection was sporadic and ineffective. The spores, Money calculates, spread at the rate of over 100 metres per day. Small wonder governments failed to address the epidemic successfully. Control, in any case, would have meant an interdict on seed and seedling importation and transport, a multi-million dollar business. Such a draconian imposition would have raised the ire of business and governments alike. So we lost the chestnut. And the elm. The oaks and redwoods in California are presently under threat from a similar infestation. How can microbes be so destructive and apparently so immune to counter-measures?

Fungi are insidious in their invasive tactics and are talented breeders. Not only may a species have multiple mechanisms for breeding, many actually breed across species to create hybrids. These cross-bred organisms are highly adaptable to changing conditions. In fact, variations in environment may prompt species' mix to address the change. The breeding of multiple species may have immense impact, since some fungi may infect more than a hundred different types of plants. Money demonstrates mixed feelings as he describes some fungi as "the most exuberant swingers of the microbial world". It's an amazing capacity in such a simple organism. The genome of some species is nearly the size of a human's - but, far more importantly, the large genome imparts the ability to change rapidly as needed. This is one reason why so many fungi aren't "species-specific" in their infections.

In his descriptions of the historical efforts to identify the various rusts, blights, blasts and bunts attacking plants, Money recounts the efforts of investigators. There are the losers who went along almost fantastic idea tracks, attributing infections to malodorous mists and even moonlight. More rational researchers found ways of tracking infectors and how they operated. His first hero is Henry Murrill, who struggled to cope with the American chestnut epidemic that originated in the Bronx Zoo grounds in 1904. Rev. Miles Berkeley, working in limited circumstances, produced a landmark essay on the cause and effect of fungal infection of the "Irish" potato. Money's chapter heading, "Potato Soup" is telling as a descriptor.

Farther afield, Money admires the work achieved by a group of women in the Netherlands. Johanna Westerdijk, Christine Buisman and Marie Schwarz all made key contributions in revealing the mechanics of what is known as Dutch elm disease. Some of this work provided pointers to the evolutionary path of these fungi, information being applied elsewhere. Money's real praise, however, reaches further back in time in lauding two French scientific pioneers. Mathieu Tillet and Benedict Prevost proved to be the first to apply sound research methods in determining how plant disease operates. He would have this pair granted Nobel Prizes if the rules allowed posthumous awards. He notes that in France experimental research was held in low regard in their day. It was a serious uphill climb for them to gain recognition for their work.

It's not an uphill struggle to read this book, however. Money, who has published other works on mycology - the study of fungus - has an admirable way of making his point. The point here is that with fungi so adaptive, so easily disseminated over vast distances and so difficult to eradicate, the human species stands in some peril of indirectly succumbing to its effects. Wheat, maize, cocoa, coffee and rubber may join chestnuts in disappearing from our ken. These products are fundamental to our society, and more research must be undertaken to reveal how to address the problem. With so many of these crops being clones of earlier strains, their vulnerability is high, as is ours as a result. Read this and find out what you may be confronting. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

An alright book.......2007-01-03

As I had read the author's other books on fungi I thought this one would be great. I was wrong. It fine for folks who know little about fungi and their influences in the world but not of much value otherwise. Mr Money can do better.

Fantastic book!.......2006-12-13

It is often said that the cockroaches will outlast us--but Nicholas Money's new book convinces me it will be the fungi who triumph in the end. This wonderful, terrifying book details the devastation wrought by the fungi and our feeble efforts to keep them at bay. How is it possible that a book with such a grim message is a page-turner that makes you laugh out-loud on nearly every page? Because this guy can WRITE. Money is the Steven Jay Gould of mycology, the Richard Dawkins of the fungi, and this book is fantastic.

Mr. Bloomfield's Orchard: The Mysterious World of Mushrooms, Molds, and Mycologists

Average customer rating:

Intriguing Look at Fungi and Molds - Absolutely Fascinating
Fantastic Book!
An Unhappy Reader
Another World Close at Hand
Wow!

Mr. Bloomfield's Orchard: The Mysterious World of Mushrooms, Molds, and Mycologists
Nicholas P. Money
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Fifth Kingdom

ASIN: 0195171586

Book Description

Stinkhorns, puffballs, the "corpse finder," deadly Galerina, Satan's bolete, birch conks, black mold, the old man of the woods--the world of fungi is infinitely varied and not a little weird. Now, in Mr. Bloomfield's Orchard, Nicholas Money introduces readers to a dazzling array of fungi, from brewer's yeast and Penicillium to the highly lethal death cap. We learn of Madurella, which can erode bones until they look moth-eaten; Cordyceps, which wracks insects with convulsions, kills them, then sends a stalk out of the insect's head to release more infectious spores; and Claviceps, the poisonous ergot fungus, which causes hallucinations. Money also showcases the lives of famed mycologists--including Reginald Buller who wore horse blinders as he walked to work, the better to study luminescent fungi in his dark lab, and Charles Tulasne, the Audubon of fungi, whose illustrations of specimens border on art. And he recounts his own childhood introduction to fungi in Mr. Bloomfield's orchard, where trees and fruit were devoured by a rogue's gallery of bitter rot, canker, rust, powdery mildew, rubbery wood, and scab. Replete with historical photographs and simple yet effective illustrations, told with a refreshing sense of humor,Mr. Bloomfield's Orchard will fascinate anyone interested in the natural world.

Customer Reviews:

Intriguing Look at Fungi and Molds - Absolutely Fascinating.......2007-04-29

I had never considered mycology, the study of mushrooms, molds, and fungi, to be particularly interesting, once again demonstrating how wrong I can be. I had trouble breaking away from this oddly titled book, Mr. Bloomfield's Orchard. The author, Nicholas P. Money, a research mycologist, has an infectious enthusiasm and a delightful sense of humor, as well as that rare ability to create exceptional science literature for the educated reader.

Mr. Bloomfield's Orchard is more challenging than most popular science books; it is sufficiently detailed to make ideal supplementary reading for biology undergraduate students. I can well imagine that Money's book will be responsible for a surge in applicants to mycology graduate programs.

I was especially fascinated by the complex life cycle of various molds and fungi, their incredible resistance to extreme temperatures, toxic chemicals, and radioactivity, and their remarkable ability to draw upon a seemingly endless set of enzymes to digest their surroundings, whatever that might be. A particular fungus that kills grass on the golf course and never feeds on animals in the wild, has demonstrated the innate capability to consume animal tissue when isolated in the lab from vegetative matter. Money speculates that this remarkable adaptability of molds and fungi offers profound insights into their long evolutionary history, some 3.5 billion years. It somehow seems fitting that there are indeed molds that specialize in consuming other molds.

Money injects humor, and occasional social comment, into his account of fungi and friends. He mentions for example: A black mold is working on a shampoo bottle in my shower, which is ironic because the contents are supposed to possess antifungal properties that suppress dandruff (this fungus is in for a surprise if it breaks through the plastic).

Five stars for Mr. Bloomfield's Orchard - The Mysterious World of Mushrooms, Molds, and Fungi.

Fantastic Book!.......2006-08-09

Mr. Bloomfield's Orchard is far and away the best introduction to the science of mycology for general audience readers and mycology devotees alike. Nicholas Money has a way with words, and his dry sense of humor makes this book a pleasure to read. The one-star review on this page by "Johnny" represents a misguided interpretation of Money's irreverence. The book is certainly NOT racist, and Money makes fun of Western cultures with equal wit (incidentally, I am a Chinese American--one who has studied racist discourse and Orientalism).

An Unhappy Reader.......2006-07-27

Here is a direct quote from page 6 of the book: "...it is a tragedy in a country as populous as China that anything from tiger turds to whale afterbirths can be sold as long as the suggestion is made that their consumption enhances erectile function." What racist garbage! Here is another Eurocentric writer making judgements on another culture. It reminds me of the explorers on Darwin's Beagle who tried to "civilize" the Tierra del Fuego "savages".

I am disappointed that Oxford University Press would allow such ignorant comments to be published in a book whose primary audience is "educated" people. It is sickening that a book like this is published without anyone questioning the appropriateness of such offensive remarks.

I'm sorry, but I put the book away after reading the first chapter, and I am sorry that I wasted $14.95.

Another World Close at Hand.......2004-09-20

The fungus world is all around us, like the world of bacteria. Several books have been recently published on these strange organisms and each has a slightly different slant on them. Actually the very term "fungus" has undergone an evolutionary change over the last few decades. Once part of the plant kingdom, fungi, minus several groups like slime molds and chytrids (although all are still covered in classes on mycology), now enjoy the status of their own kingdom. And a very weird kingdom it is indeed! Nicholas Money from the Department of Botany at Miami University in Ohio has, in his book "Mr. Bloomfield's Orchard," produced a fascinating set of essays on these organisms and the people who study them, from Ingoldian spores to John Webster and the phallic fungi.

As a former resident of Gainesville, Florida, I was quite interested in his chapter on "Angels of Death." In it Money writes that he found Amanita virosa growing near Cedar Key in an area I used to frequent during my days as a graduate student. The destroying angel is a very dangerous mushroom that should be avoided at all costs as it usually kills anyone so unfortunate to eat it. Money's description of these and other fungi that produce nasty toxins certainly gives one pause.

Other topics include the rather bizarre sex life of fungi, and the numerous fungal parasites and symbionts associated with humans. Finally the author gives us an equally fascinating description of Mr. Bloomfield's orchard, an untended apple orchard consumed by fungi.

If you think that fungi don't matter, Money will change your mind, but if you are a bit put off by the subject don't read this book or your curiosity just might hook you into the Alice in Wonderland world of these "simple" organisms! In any case I recommend this book with only minor stylistic reservations. I slightly prefer Hudler's "Magical Mushrooms, Mischievous Molds" for style, but this is just personal taste and has little bearing on content.

Wow!.......2003-06-18

Wow! I never thought Iýd enjoy a book on fungi this much. Parts of it are not a particularly easy read, but the information it contains is mind blowing. Forget terrorists; if fungi and mold decided to take out the human race it would be no contest.

We tend not to think of fungi as being a very important part of our world. We might occasionally have mushrooms on pizza or steak, we might notice fungi growing on an old tree or on something that has been kept too long in the refrigerator, but thatýs about it. In fact fungi has a vast influence in our world, from breaking down fallen trees in the forest to making our bread and beer. Have you ever wondered how dandruff was formed? Guess what plays a major role.

The writer, who presents often bizarre information with wit and style, reminds us that one fungi, covering 2000 acres in Oregon, is thought to be the worldýs largest living organism. Even the more prosaic information comes to life in this book - I enjoyed his description of the speed a spore is catapulted from a gill.

Some of the most interesting sections are the mini-biographies of scientists who have researched fungi and added to our knowledge of them. There was Buller, for instance, a professor whose students called him ýUncle Reggieý, and Ingold who found a totally unknown kind of fungus in water. There are now over 300 species of Ingoldian fungi known and in fall you can find about 20,000 of them in every litre of brook water.

Customer Reviews:

Outstanding contribution to the dialogue on global warming........1998-12-15

Fantastic book that should be a must read for anyone involved in the global warming debate and/or policy making associated with the debate. Does a great job of showing why global warming is scary, and why companies that try to address it will be met not with penalties, but with phenomenal business opportunities.

How to Live Green, Cheap, and Happy: Save Money! Save the Planet!

Average customer rating:

DO NOT BUY
This book is worth your time.

How to Live Green, Cheap, and Happy: Save Money! Save the Planet!
Randi Hacker
Manufacturer: Stackpole Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Household Hints | How-to & Home Improvements | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Environmental Science | Earth Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
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The Newman's Own Organics Guide to a Good Life: Simple Measures That Benefit You and the Place You Live

ASIN: 0811724492

Customer Reviews:

DO NOT BUY.......2005-02-26

This book offers some insightful information although i don't think the value is really worth it. Here is a suggestion , go to the library and try to find it there. If you want to be cheap. Start here. DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK. DO NOT EVEN BUY IT USED!! The reason you can't save money is because of poor investments like this one. Stay away. If you want to know why you can't save money ...it's because of poor choices like this one

This book is worth your time........2001-01-08

This book is interesting to put it in one word. It offers many ideas to help people interested in a lifestyle of saving money and being eco-friendly. Some of the suggestions are practical. For example, going to thrift stores to buy clothing. Also a chapter discusses how to grow your own food for economical and ecological reasons. I think one of the best Chapters of the book is Chapter 9. It is called "Clean Enough." This chapter discusses Americans' fetish with anti-bacterial products. However, I found some of the tips in this book to be obscure for somebody like me (21-year-old college student with a part-time job). One of these tips was to wash your hair once every three days. That would create a problem for myself because I am judged upon my appreance where I work. I also dislike to let my hair get oily and greasy looking. I think probably the worst thing about this book is the tip on how to make your own sanitary napkins. I can understand the reasoning behind this idea but it is hardly practical for somebody like me. That part kind of made me sick. If EVERYONE on the planet followed the guidlines in this book the world would be cleaner and perhaps more enjoyable. Though, I am not sure if everyone in the world would find these suggestions practical and worth the time. If you are interested in reading the book then buy it. I enjoyed reading it, and it did enlighten me.

The Farmer's Earthworm Handbook: Managing Your Underground Money-Makers

Average customer rating:

Just What the Title Says

The Farmer's Earthworm Handbook: Managing Your Underground Money-Makers
David Ernst
Manufacturer: Lessiter Pubns
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0944079032

Customer Reviews:

Just What the Title Says.......2000-04-19

This 112-page papercover book is ideal for farmers, extension educators, soil conservationists, and crop advisors. Areas covered include the contribution of earthworms to good soil tilth, practical identification of common genera and species, biology of earthworms, earthworm habitat under various cultural practices, how to increase earthworm populations on the farm, effects of 193 agricultural chemicals on earthworms and a question and answer section. The author presents research findings from scientists as well as anecdotal data from farmers and others 'in the know'. An easy read, this book is a great place to start learning about earthworms under agricultural conditions. Many, many authorities and other contacts are listed in the back of the book. If you want to decrease run-off, lower your fertilizer bill, reduce erosion and make more money on your farm or for your grower clients, this book is the place to start.

How to Buy a Diamond: Insider Secrets for Getting Your Money's Worth (4th Edition)

Average customer rating:

Detailed and Practical
How to Get What You Pay For. But the Advice Comes from a Salesman.
Great Book - Well written
Read THIS Book Before You Buy a Diamond
Be The Hero!!!!

How to Buy a Diamond: Insider Secrets for Getting Your Money's Worth (4th Edition)
Fred Cuellar
Manufacturer: Casablanca Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Sculpture | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1402200013

Book Description

Buying a diamond can be one of the most important and intimidating purchases you ever make. Whether you're getting engaged or buying for an anniversary, investment or "just because," How to Buy a Diamond will take the pressure and uncertainty out of getting the best diamond for your money.

Newly revised and completely updated, How to Buy a Diamond is a simple-to-use insider's guide to buying the right diamond at the right price. This valuable resource provides the information you need to understand the terms of the industry, choose a jeweler and get a stone that won't leave you feeling cheated.

Important sections include:
Matching your funds with the perfect diamond
Wholesalers' secret pricing guides (charts the public never gets to see!)
The four Cs explained: clarity, color, cut and carat size
Ring styles and settings
Insuring and caring for your diamond
Picking the right jeweler, including a Jeweler Questionnaire Sheet
Jewelers' tricks of the trade

• How to Buy a Diamond and its national diamond information line are endorsed by the National Bureau of Fraud Prevention in Washington, D.C.

• Author is the official diamond advisor to The Knot.com on America Online, Weddingpages.com and The Wedding Network END

Customer Reviews:

Detailed and Practical.......2007-09-24

Very comprehensive and detailed. The OEM price list is of great help. This book is a must for anyone who's looking at buying diamond.

How to Get What You Pay For. But the Advice Comes from a Salesman........2007-06-30

Fred Cuellar -jeweler, prolific diamond advisor, and creator of novelty gem pieces for pro sports teams and corporations- brings his enthusiasm for diamonds to "How to Buy a Diamond", his popular guide to getting your money's worth in carbon, now in its 5th edition. "How to Buy a Diamond" discusses buying diamond engagement rings, but since it assumes you will be shopping for a loose stone, the information is equally applicable to any diamond: rings, earrings, pendants, stones for investment, etc. This book places more emphasis on the process of purchasing the diamond than most diamond guides. Only the first 2 chapters are concerned with the stones themselves.

Chapter 1 addresses the obligatory "4 Cs": carat weight, clarity, color, and cut. In addition to basic information, Cuellar explains the expanded color typing produced by a Colorimeter, shows how color and clarity grades should correspond unless you want an oddball stone with poor resale value, and he comments on GIA's new, looser cut grading system. Chapter 2 is dedicated to "Cost", including price lists for 1/3 -5 carat diamonds, price lists for "buying shy" or buying just under the desired carat weight, and charts for calculating prices of 6-10 carat stones. Cuellar explains why it is difficult to determine what a diamond of a certain color, clarity, and carat should cost without a lot of other information.

There are questionnaires to aid in finding a qualified jeweler and picking a suitable stone. The author highly recommends "bonded" diamonds, warns against the limitations of lab grading reports and buying on the internet, describes enhancement treatments to look out for, and introduces us to synthetic diamonds. Chapter 5, "Tricks of the Trade", details some common ploys that jewelers use to deceive customers as well as some that customers use to scam jewelers or unjustly accuse them of theft. Presenting the dangers of the diamond business from the jeweler's point of view provides interesting insight.

A "Will You Marry Me?" chapter gives trepidatious men advice on how to pop the question -and when not to. This seemed to me like a lot of self-righteous advice on finding Miss or Mr. Right. Fred Cuellar is unquestionably a romantic and a talented salesman. He likes the idea of "true love" and the idea of a diamond as an expression of such. The book has 11 chapters. Those that I did not mention are shorter and perhaps less essential: ring settings, common myths about diamonds, tips on cleaning, advice on trade-ins and selling your diamond. Carat size charts, a glossary, Q&A, and more are found in the Appendixes.

"How to Buy a Diamond" offers some helpful advice that I have not seen in other consumer diamond guides. On the other hand, no retailer will ace the jeweler questionnaire, no one recognizes color typing, and you will not find diamonds with the kind of "bonded" warranty that the book describes. Fred Cuellar is not a disinterested party. He sells (bonded) diamonds, and he hopes you will buy from him. I found "How to Buy a Diamond" a mixed bag: useful insight, strong opinion, and thinly veiled sales pitch. I liked enough to recommend the book, but sometimes it must be taken with a grain of salt. "How to Buy a Diamond" does not have photos, but its companion web site does. If you would like more detail about diamond cuts, enhancements, and how to detect a fake, including how to examine a diamond though a loupe, "Diamonds: The Antoinette Matlins Buying Guide" is more hands-on and impartial.

Great Book - Well written.......2007-02-06

If you don't know the 4 C's about diamonds, certification, etc. you will be "totally" unprepared to deal with jewlery stores and wind up paying way, way...... too much money for a diamond.

This is a great book. Get a fair deal for your loved one. Get this book!!!

Read THIS Book Before You Buy a Diamond.......2006-12-20

I ordered this book before a major diamond purchase. I was able to read it quickly and easily. I was impressed by how well organized and effective it was. I believe that this book prepared me well.

The author provides plenty of support for his clear recommendations. I was suprized at how well he used just enough detail without bogging down. He even has included an extensive diamond price list.

I can't emphasize enough how much the organization of the book made it easier to pick up the necessary information.

Highest recommendation

Be The Hero!!!!.......2006-08-07

Thanks Fred!!! It is about time that someone spoke up and told the world the truth about diamonds even if does mean you give a black eye to an industry you obviously love. I was sick of reading the same old paint by the numbers diamond books that just keep repeating DeBeers tired old tag line. Baking,Color Typing,Bonding, The GIA Bribery Scandle are just some of the sections that I didn't think anybody would have the guts to talk about to anyone outside the diamond trade.I understand now why you are the diamond advisor to Money magazine and the Wall Street Journal.With your Jeweler Questionaire anyone will be able to distinguish the good guys from the bad.Because at the end of the day all that should matter to anyone is they get their dream diamond for the love of their life!!!

Green Seduction: Money, Business, And the Environment

Average customer rating:

Green Seduction: Money, Business, And the Environment
Bill Streever
Manufacturer: University Press of Mississippi
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Natural Resources | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Environmental Science | Earth Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

Conservation | Environment | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

General | Conservation | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Environmentalism | Conservation | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Planet Earth - The Complete BBC Series

ASIN: 1578069203

Book Description

Bill Streever has worked in almost every camp involved with the environment. He's been a scientist, a government employee, and a corporate employee. He brings that wide experience and the perspective of many others like him to Green Seduction: Money, Business, and the Environment.

Thirty-five years ago, polluted rivers burned, cities and farms dumped raw sewage into aquifers, highway and dam construction proceeded with little thought to environmental impact, and carcinogens and acids billowed from smokestacks. Today much has changed. Government jobs and university training programs exist in environmental studies. Nonprofit organizations serve as watchdogs on government agencies, buy land for conservation, and offer advice and criticism to the corporate world. Environmental consulting is a profession, and, in industry, environmental departments have developed. Since the late 1960s, environmentalism has grown from a radical movement to a mainstream business sector that spends more than two hundred billion dollars each year.

Book Description

This fun and practical guide offers a huge variety of tips on living for less "with grace, humor, [and] imagination." The author covers a wide range of topics including food, housing, transportation, clothes, and entertainment.

Customer Reviews:

Find the older version.......2006-09-20

I bought this book thinking it would be a new and modern upgrade to the 1990's edition with reference to the internet, more ideas in the modern world type of thing. Well, I was dissappointed, if anything it is a watered down version of my old favorite (the 1990's version is my favorite), the new one is the old one with larger print and fewer pages... Stuff must have been cut out.

I really enjoyed the previous version and would read it for enjoyment and diversion often, but the latest copy 2000, is really bad. I recommend going to a used bookstore and getting the older version.

What happened to "Living Poor With Style"?.......2004-11-06

I had borrowed "Living Poor With Style" from a friend long ago, when I was able to buy a "revised" copy it was "The Ecotopian Encyclopedia" or something and it seemed to have been substantially watered down. I'm reluctant to order this title, I want the OLD version, I want the unvarnished original version. Perhaps it is "stuck in the Sixties" but you know what? I unapologetically believe in those values and have lived my entire life following them, although I was ten years late, I was a kid in the 60s. Crunchy granola through and through. What's so funny about peace, love and understanding? Unshackle yourself from chasing quatloos (anyone remember the original Star Trek?) and your life is greatly improved -- the original version of this book was very helpful to me. I wish I could find the original title without any of the dubious "improvements" Callenbach made over the years. Be true to the dreams of your youth. Be true to yourself. Be strong.

Not for experienced frugal folks.......2004-09-27

This book's suggestions are simple, basic and despite that, not deeply explained. They seem to be aimed at big city apartment-dwellers, but no such 'disclaimer' is stated. Thankfully, I checked this book out of the library rather than spending money on it. Do yourself a favor and buy another book with some meat to its frugal suggestions.

Nothing new to say..........2004-08-12

and quite a few stupid things, too, including hitchhiking as a viable transportation method. Many other books will give you much more info than this one. The real goal of this book is in the last chapter (yes, I read it all) - buy less. Buy less because it is better on the Earth, on your budget & on your health. I suggest you save on all of the above and don't buy this book.

Not Exactly Reconnecting with Reality.......2003-04-19

I have immensely enjoyed Callenbach's Ecotopia books (part of the weirdness that is Mamalinde?) but found this tome practically useless. Yes, we HAVE become consumer zombies, and a reconnect with reality is necessary and desirable. While I might not embrace the suburban ideal I also have to decline many of Callenbach's ideas: powdered milk, building my own furniture, using a public hospital, going on welfare, scavenging old food at the grocery store, living in a mobile home or a gypsy wagon, and raising bees are not what I consider viable stylishness.

Callenbach's ideas are wildly opinionated (but what did I expect) and way too out there to entice most of the consumer zombies to do anything but laugh. He does say some important things about packaging, advertising, and brand names, as well as the ever insidious "planned obsolescence" consumers buy into with regularity. This is a well thought out and constructed book, but one with little practical value for this user.

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