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44th out of 90 books
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69 voters
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Green Barbarians: Live Bravely on Your Home Planet
THESE DAYS, WE WORRY ABOUT EVERYTHING: pandemic flu, global warming, contaminated toys, the purity of our foods and other products. The abundance of contradictory information out there can make you crazy. In Green Barbarians, Ellen Sandbeck delivers necessary knowledge and sounds a clarion call to arms, urging us to step forward and make informed decisions in order to...more
Paperback, 288 pages
Published
December 29th 2009
by Scribner
(first published 2009)
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This was very informative, and a really interesting read. I felt like you have to take everything at face value, this was supposedly a lifestyle guide.. but I think it's impossible to follow every single thing that she says.
I liked her overall concept about big business vs. the environment. I also really liked her beginning concept that people are more afraid of getting sick than they need to be. People are more afraid of dirt then is necessary. I'm all for leaving alone the bottle o...more
I liked her overall concept about big business vs. the environment. I also really liked her beginning concept that people are more afraid of getting sick than they need to be. People are more afraid of dirt then is necessary. I'm all for leaving alone the bottle o...more
A very illuminating book! I learned a lot about the over-sanitation in parts of our culture, and I'm much less nervous about germy things. Bacteria is not to be feared! The Earth's ecosystem and human health depend greatly on bacteria, so wiping it from every surface and scouring ourselves raw is hugely detrimental to our well-being. I think one of the most important things to be learned from Ellen Sandbeck's book is that over-protecting our children from getting common colds and small infection...more
I thought it was ironic that the introduction to this book is all about how we are a nation consumed by fear, but then the rest of the book is essentially trying to scare you into not using any product that is on the market right now. My favorite was the endorsement of using only water to wash your hands...I'm fairly certain that there have been numerous studies that rinsing your hands in water does nothing to kill germs. And yes, some germs are ok, but I don't really want to be going around w...more
Anne
added it
This is another one of those "save the planet" books that I love. All sorts of useful tips and facts and information.
Anti HFCS, pro locavore.
Talks about how to live a green life and defy convention. How much poison we unload into our environment every day with all the products we consume. As americans, we are big consumers of "stuff."
How can we let go of our quest for stuff and live an easy, simple and happy life?
Anti HFCS, pro locavore.
Talks about how to live a green life and defy convention. How much poison we unload into our environment every day with all the products we consume. As americans, we are big consumers of "stuff."
How can we let go of our quest for stuff and live an easy, simple and happy life?
The author is a gardener (landscape architect) by trade, not a scientist, researcher, doctor or academic. Much of her knowledge is based on non-peer-reviewed information or outdated scientific processes. WHile she quotes some journal sources, none of her research should be considered exhaustive or unbiased.
(Specifically, her information about circumcision is not based in current academic knowledge.)
(Specifically, her information about circumcision is not based in current academic knowledge.)
I should use stale bread as napkins and vinegar to kill germs. Oh, Really? No revelations here. The author was also anti-soy, citing that soy foods only came about because the Chinese never wasted anything and so something they normally wouldn't even eat became a main-menu item because it was so readily available as a waste product. Not sure about the research on that one...
Halfway through (okay maybe a quarter through) I stopped reading and started skimming - looking to find the statements that were well researched and had some practical applications - too far and few between in this book!
I went to see the author do a reading at a Minneapolis bookshop, which put her voice and mannerisms to mind when reading the book.
I love the message of the book--to live in the dirt and not give in to all the nuttiness of big corporations and big fear, but the execution needed work. I would say this could have used strong editing in the integration of narrative with heavy research--in this, the research clearly took away from the reading experience.
Also: I love, love,...more
I love the message of the book--to live in the dirt and not give in to all the nuttiness of big corporations and big fear, but the execution needed work. I would say this could have used strong editing in the integration of narrative with heavy research--in this, the research clearly took away from the reading experience.
Also: I love, love,...more
Sandbeck covers a lot of ground, from food to housecleaning to vaccines. The book is well researched and contains a mix of anecdotal and scientific evidence to back up her claims. Since I'm already of the mindset that microbes are good and things like Triclosan are bad, I can't speak to the persuasiveness of her arguments. I would recommend it to someone interested in learning more about how to sanitize less for the good of the planet and be smarter about cleaning overall. The main flaw in the b...more
Skimmed through a number of sections, but some good ideas in there. Using bread as napkins probably not one of them though.
Interesting and thought provoking. Will change some of my behaviors, but also heavily biased.
Cimuchowski
marked it as to-read
Um... thanks some web site that suggested it based on my interest in Collapse.
I loved this book. By the time I finished the last page it was dog eared, highlighted and underlined like a college textbook. Chock full of interesting tidbits that make you think. I Loved it!!
OMG I love this book! I learned that I not only need to worry about my family but also our pets. Apple's under arm pits to waterless toilets. Its all in there!
This book is full of useful information about anything "green" you may desire to know. It's a time consuming book but good.
Carol Johnson
marked it as to-read
Danielle
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Sarantos Patrinos
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Scott Stringer
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Annalee
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Lea
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