(Rebecca Blackburn, HarperCollins, $14.99 pb, ISBN 9780732285616, November) ****

When Indonesian President Yudhoyono walked into Sydney’s Books Kinokunyia during the recent APEC summit, he apparently bought up the entire climate change section. Once upon a time that might not have been such a shopping spree but these days you might need a friend—or several dozen security men—to help you carry the books available. So what does Rebecca Blackburn have to add to the genre? Well, the answer is a very clearly written easy-to-read title how-to manual that hones in on the four areas Blackburn says individuals can have the greatest impact on the environment—the food we eat, the way we travel, the energy efficiency of our home and the way we garden. The focus on food is a welcome one—when Blackburn tells you that eating three kilograms less red meat a year is equivalent to reducing your household water use by half you realise just how much attention this area of our lives could use. Much of the other content has been covered elsewhere but this brings it together in a very practical and digestible form. This is a good recommendation for those who are interested in making bigger changes than simply changing light bulbs but who haven’t looked into it yet and don’t quite know where to start—or for those who are already very green and want a gift to inspire their friends or family!

Matthia Dempsey is deputy editor of Bookseller+Publisher

This review from Australian Bookseller & Publisher magazine is reproduced by kind permission of Thorpe-Bowker, a division of R R Bowker LLC. © Copyright 2007, Thorpe-Bowker