Book Review: 50 Ways to Save Our Oceans

Whether it's read from cover to cover, or browsed a tip at a time in non-chronological order, 50 Ways to Save Our Oceans ($12.95, 2006, New World Library), by Blue Frontier founder David Helvarg is an optimistic, entertaining read for landlubbers and sea dogs, young and old, alike.

Accompanied by humorous illustrations by Jim Tooney, the creator of Sherman's Lagoon, 50 ways is packed with practical, effective, yet easy-to-do calls to action for protecting and restoring our seas, such as using less plastic, joining in a coastal cleanup, conserving water, and remembering that your storm drain isn't a toilet.

"Our oceans are in peril, and it is up to us to do something to save them," says Philipee Cousteau, president of EarthEcho International, in the foreword. "We cannot rely on some politician to fix the problem if we don't establish it as a fundamentally important issue." ::50 Ways to Save the Ocean