cover image Almost Green: How I Saved 1/6th of a Billionth of the Planet

Almost Green: How I Saved 1/6th of a Billionth of the Planet

James Glave, . . Skyhorse, $24.95 (252pp) ISBN 978-1-60239-286-1

In this compelling account of his “cockamamie” ecological odyssey, journalist Glave, “enthusiastic composter” and guilty SUV owner, recounts his efforts to reduce his carbon footprint by building a “green” writing studio and guesthouse adjoining his less than environmentally correct home outside of Vancouver. As irreverent as it is deeply informative, the book traces Glave's misadventures and steep environmental learning curve—he considers (and discards) elaborate straw bale and rammed earth construction schemes, navigates the intricacies of securing recovered wood and negotiating with neighbors concerned about sight lines—as he ponders how to reconcile the contradictions in his lifestyle (“I buy or pick organic, locally grown berries, then gleefully slather them with Cool Whip”) and how to inspire environmental awareness in his community without turning his neighbors defensive or his car-crazy young son into a “playground weirdo.” Costs and domestic tensions mount as Glave tears down a pricey carport, which was a gift from his conservative father-in-law, and his shed's footprint threatens his wife's cherished garden. The focus of this endearing eco-memoir is primarily on getting the dream shed built, but Glave's sensible (and sometimes caustically comic) green consciousness has real universal appeal. (Sept.)