Book Review: Green Building For Dummies
by Justin Thomas, Virginia on 04. 6.08
The book Green Building & Remodeling for Dummies was recently sent to me for review. I was curious to see the "Dummies" take on this subject, because there are few books on green building aimed at the layperson. The book was penned by Eric Corey Freed of Organic Architect. We have featured Freed previously on TreeHugger. He manages a comprehensive survey of green building techniques in the book's 361 pages. You can read some sample chapters.
I enjoyed the conceptualization and illustration of the "Perfect Green Kitchen" and the "Perfect Green Bedroom".
I also found the life cycle analysis of different building materials (such as glass and brick) quite illuminating. In fact, I'd like to see whole book devoted to life cycle analyses.
Another highlight at the end of the book was the last chapter: "Ten Green Things You Can Do in Your Home Right Now".
I was inspired to get up and immediately do one the things on the list.
Thirsty for more? Check out these related articles:
- Greenhouse Nightclub Opens in NYC...Not the City's First Eco-Saloon, Though
- Book Review: Your Eco-Friendly Home
- GreenBuild: Project Frog
- 15 Years, 15 Stories: Seeds of a Green Revolution
The preview for this book is awesome and I think many people would say the same. I want to do more things that are environmentally friendly, and when I have a house of my own, a resource like this could prove very valuable.
For a book review, this is pretty pathetic. There's hardly a description of the book, and no summary to speak of. You don't even tell us if you like the book or not, and only mention a couple of sections you did like. What about the book do you not like? What is your overall perception of the book?
Okay, to preface this, I must admit that I interned with Eric about a year and a half ago.
I think he's one of the most brilliant people I've ever had the chance to meet. He's so passionate and knowledgeable about his work that you can't help but feel inspired when you hear him speak or read any of his writings. His "For Dummies" book is no exception.
One of the coolest things I learned about from Eric is still probably the AQUS greywater recycling system.
When I interned, I helped with the nominations/sorting out of the Organic Awards for 2007. And my main contribution was getting the Tesla Roadster in there. Woot! :-)