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

By James Glave

Book Overview

"Reading Almost Green is like getting a new pair of glasses when you thought you could see just fine. Many important shades of distinction and subtle insights fill the book. A smart, contemplative... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1602392862
• ISBN13: 9781602392861
• Release Date: September 2008
• Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 1.21 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.3" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

entertaining read- Not a "How-To"

I enjoyed it and burned through it in just a few nights. A good bit of fun with some detail on the agony of the process.

Interesting, Entertaining, and Fun

I really enjoyed following the journey of Glave and his apparently long suffering wife as they build an eco- friendly writing studio. The myriad choices, the balance between money and sustainability, and the attempt to build their dream space without alienating the in-laws or each other makes for an entertaining and thoughtful read. I work at making environmentally sound choices every day, and with a spouse, children, and daily life to consider, the choices are often compromises. As James Glave and his wife build their "Eco Shed", they make the same choices and compromises on a exponentially larger scale. Glave works his way through numerous decisions about how to proceed in the most environmentally sensitive way, for example whether to deconstruct his exisiting carport, gifted by his father-in-law; and deciding what to do with his asphalt shingles afterward. The reader gets to vicariously enjoy and sympathize with his desire to be "green" and the inevitable difficulties involved in that choice. The only downside to the book was the fact that the resulting studio ended up costing over $90,000. Spending so much money on such a small space makes it seem impossible to actually build a ecologically friendly living space. Although I applaud Glave's dedication and thoroughly enjoyed reading about the process, I hope the book doesn't convince others that green building is financially impossible. I highly recommend this book. It's a fun look at ethical living, the give and take of family life, and the environmental movement. Glave gives us a glimpse into his life and his attempt to live out his values as he both entertains us and inspires us to reflect on our own choices.

Who Knew Building an Eco-Shed Would Also Build Echos of Laughter

Hah! Reading this account of a family man building his own writing shack--called an Eco-Shed--is hilarious and keeps the Old Man (Henry David Thoreau) in perspective. I found his lively writing style witty and informative and rarely reflective, but not a bad thing for humor writing. When he does pause to moralize, maybe twice in the book, it is worth it. (First, Preservationists will be more important in the years ahead than architects--p. 132; and Two, how he ends the book, whatever your dream is for Eco-anything, just get out there and do it. Eventually 1/6 of 1,000,000,000 of Eco-revitalization will add up.) My wife and I having lived through a re-model and add-on ourselves last year, I could relate in many ways to the things that he was describing. I really enjoyed his quick wit. I hope that now that the Eco-Shed has been completed, he will use by writing some more books. I will pass on this read to my former general contractor and hope that he reads it with as much pleasure. I sense that the book's hasty closing, though, had to do with the fact that he had run out of money, his wife had run out of patience, and his book needed to get sold. That's ok. Good things come to those who are patient. I wish that he had supplied photos to illustrate the project though.

Provocative, educational and very entertaining

A determined, idealistic young man attempts to put his green commitment to the test as he moves his dream eco-office-shed/guest quarters from talk to reality. An amusing, self-depreciating navigation through a multitude of challenges 21st century life throws in our way as we attempt to put our ideals into practice. Mr. Glave is a talented writer who pulls the reader into his life. I got caught up in James' emotional ride as he deals with the various challenges this project doles out to him. By the time I finished reading, I found myself wanting to visit the eco-shed of Bowen Island as one might take a pilgrimge to an ancient shrine! I hope this young man will use his eco-shed writing room and grace us with more tales and experiences. I'd settle for the "good read" he offers, yet you can feel the fervor of his commitment to our planet and thus the reader will find himself also interested in what further challenge, informative guidance and inspiration James Glave will offer us to move us further along that path to a truly sustainable planet. Strongly recommended.

Smart and Irreverent

I picked this book up on a whim at a local book store (the Canadian subtitle is different, and involves alienating the in-laws, which I found amusing, as I seem to managed to do that monthly). It's well written, quite funny, and full of smart observations. See the world's problems in microcosm as James tries to build an environmentally friendly "shed" (really, a one-bedroom office in the back yard).