Lots of green-living books call themselves the complete, most thorough, all-you-need-to-know guides to sustainable living.
Many of them, however, fall short in some capacity: vague information, lack of readability, hokey language, useless graphics and poor organization are all factors that turn many well-intended guides into dust-collectors.
But National Geographic's "Green Guide" (The National Geographic Society, $21.95), deserves to call itself "the complete reference to consuming wisely."
The book is divided into 13 sections covering virtually every aspect of the consumer spectrum: meals, cleaning, appliances and electronics, children and babies, pet care, travel -- even holidays. And yet rather than seeming overwhelming, the book invites you to start perusing.
The information is relevant, useful and accurate, such as the list of the top 12 fruits and vegetables vulnerable to pesticide contamination, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. They are peaches, apples, bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, lettuce, grapes, pears, spinach and potatoes. The pages' clean layout and wide margins make them easy on the eyes and leave perfect spots for writing your own notes.
A list of trusted food labels -- which includes American Humane Certified, Fair Trade Certified, Grass-Fed and Free-Farmed -- is especially useful.
Graphics are sparse, but the ones there are well done. Take, for example, the illustration explaining how a wind turbine works, or the flow chart illustrating how wastewater is treated.
The book anticipates common questions, such as "How does electricity use affect carbon emissions?" and answers them with in-depth information and attributed statistics. "Green Dictionary" terms are scattered throughout the margins, and a full glossary can be found in the back. An extensive bibliography also points readers to more information about each topic.
Some tips are less useful, such as changing your bird-bath water frequently so as not to attract mosquitoes, or slightly impractical, such as buying fair-trade Halloween candy and getting rid of the high-fructose-corn-syrup-laden mainstream stuff. But those minor quibbles are nothing compared to the wealth of good, easy-to-read information in National Geographic's "Green Guide."
Molly Reid can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.org or 504.826.3448.