What Can I Do? An A-Z directory of internet sites to help you help the environment

Lisa Harrow (author)

Hodder, Australia: 2005; 158pp

ISBN: 0733619959

Genre: ecology, factual text, non-fiction, science

Issues: environment, sustainability

Lisa Harrow is a New Zealand actress whose life and awareness of environmental issues was changed forever when she was guest speaker at a Greenpeace ‘Save the Whales' rally in London.

There she met scientist, Dr Roger Payne, whom she later married. Through him she learnt much more about the negative impact of humankind on the planet. Together they conceived, wrote and performed 'Lessons from Copernicus' -a combination of science and poetry designed to educate people about sustainability. At these shows Lisa handed out short lists of relevant websites, which she later expanded into this very useful book.

Here the reader will find links to helpful information about everything from carpooling to hydrogen fuel cells, from fair trade to packaging. Readers are encouraged to find out about simple changes they can make to their daily lives in order to be more ‘earth friendly', as well as the more fundamental changes we ideally need to make to building, transport and water use in the near future. Harrow encourages others to do as she has done and educate themselves about the science of their world - to learn of the importance of protecting keystone and endangered species, the problems of waste disposal, the potential of sustainable energy and how much water and energy are used to bring food to our tables.

Definitely a book to keep beside the family computer, this is also a great gift for friends. While there is good reason to be concerned about our troubled environment and earth's vanishing resources, there are things we can do. All we need is the will to do them, the determination to change.