cover image Earthtalk: Expert Answers to Everyday Questions about the Environment

Earthtalk: Expert Answers to Everyday Questions about the Environment

. Plume Books, $15 (303pp) ISBN 978-0-452-29012-9

This roundup of Q&As from ecology periodical E is an engaging overview of the latest information regarding the environment, but more a starting point for investigating the issues than a real education. Organized by topic-food, shopping, health care, personal space, energy consumption, apparel, kids, global warming and transportation-the questions and answers are both down-to-earth and practical without sacrificing curiosity or smoothing out surprises; coffee growing, for instance, is hard on farmers and the planet, but has unexpected, eco-minded champions in Starbucks and the Smithsonian National Zoo. The chapter on shopping is a bit of a hodge-podge, which makes it especially interesting: covering old-growth wood (most prized by timber companies), disposable dishes (try compost-ready dishware made from corn), green tax incentives, the utility of hemp, a catalog of plastic grades and more. Entries on more complicated issues (like nuclear power) may be too brief, and don't always point to resources on both sides of the debate, but lay out the concerns of all interested parties clearly.