Book and Movie Review

Living like Ed BOOK

Tue, 13 May 2008 19:09:49 -0400

This is what the tv show should have been. Loaded with tips and information its overflowing with good stuff on how to live a greener lifestyle.
Review
“Filled with sound advice and first-hand experience from someone who has been walking the walk for more than 38 years, Living Like Ed provides a wide array of practical options for anyone who wants to make his life a little-or a lot-greener. Ed Begley is more than a beloved Hollywood figure; he¹s an all-American hero, and Living Like Ed is a comprehensive yet accessible guide to becoming more environmentally savvy that light greens and bright greens alike will find themselves dog-earing for years to come.”
—Treehugger.com

Product Description
FROM THE PIONEER OF ECO-CONSCIOUS LIVING

A committed environmentalist for more than thirty years, Ed Begley, Jr., has always tried to “live simply so others may simply live.” Now, as more and more of us are looking for ways to reduce our impact on the planet and live a better, greener life, Ed shares his experiences on what works, what doesn't–and what will save you money!

These are tips for environmentally friendly living that anyone–whether you own or rent, live in a private home or a condo–can try to make a positive change for the environment. From quick fixes to bigger commitments and long-term strategies, Ed will help you make changes in every part of your life.

And if you think living green has to mean compromising on aesthetics or comfort, fear not; Ed's wife, Rachelle, insists on style–with a conscience. In Living Like Ed, his environmentalism and her design savvy combine to create a guide to going green that keeps the chic in eco-chic.

From recycling more materials than you ever thought possible to composting without raising a stink to buying an electric car, Living Like Ed is packed with ideas–from obvious to ingenious–that will help you live green, live responsibly, live well. Like Ed.

Living with Ed MOVIE

Tue, 13 May 2008 19:02:13 -0400

I got a chance to see the series on Tv and it was a hoot. The dvd is even enclosed in a recyclable case which is nice. In between the family crisis and the nit picking and going back and forth at one another much like most reality tv shows. Living with Ed gives good tips on how to save the planet even with small steps that you can do at home.

On the Industry
The Begleys Hit It Big
By Tommy Garrett
Feb 17, 2008 - 1:39:07 PM

Living with Ed, the first season of the hit Home and Garden series starring Ed Begley, Jr. and his gorgeous wife Rachelle - will be released in April on DVD. Every show from Grey's Anatomy to Desperate Housewives has been put on DVD, but this is a show that is not only fun and entertaining but informative as well. You get to see the madcap relationship between Ed and Rachelle, while guests like Jay Leno, the silent gardener Chris Houchin, Bill Nye the Science Guy, and yours truly making appearances as well. Rachelle and Ed were kind enough to ask me to do the season finale of the first season, so if you did not get to see me, here's your chance.

Rachelle Carson Begley is one of the most talented and versatile leading ladies in Hollywood. She is not only stunning, but she has great comedic timing and would have to be good to work opposite her husband, the most prolific actor of this generation. Ed's done everything from Sitcoms to Drama. Playing the evil doctor in Stephen King's Kingdom Hall to a handsome brilliant surgeon in the eighties hit, Saint Elsewhere. But the natural and easy going environmentalist drives his wife and daughter crazy saving the world, one drop of water or one watt of light at a time.

Season one got great acclaim by the critics and was one of HGTV's highest rated shows ever. This six episode DVD set is well worth the great price it's offered currently on Amazon and if you pick it up, you'll not only be entertained by the Ricardo's, oops the Begley's, but you will also learn a lot about conservation. For those who wonder what my talent was on the show, I get to be Rachelle's fashion designer and show everyone how to ship eggs in the mail. Ed was not amused!

Then there is Living like Ed. No, no, not on Television or DVD, but Ed's recent book about how everyone can save energy and do so easily. The book published by Clarkson Potter is now available in bookstores everywhere. Begley has always been known as an excellent actor, but he is now going to become a bestselling author as well.

A committed environmentalist for more than 30 years, Ed Begley, Jr., has always tried to "live simply so others may simply live." Now, as more and more of us are looking for ways to reduce our impact on the planet and live a better, greener life, Ed shares his experiences on what works, what doesn't-and what will save you money!

These are tips for environmentally friendly living that anyone-whether you own or rent, live in a private home or a condo-can try to make a positive change for the environment. From quick fixes to bigger commitments and long-term strategies, Ed will help you make changes in every part of your life.

And if you think living green has to mean compromising on aesthetics or comfort, fear not; Ed's wife, Rachelle, insists on style-with a conscience. In Living like Ed, his environmentalism and her design savvy combine to create a guide to going green that keeps the chic in eco-chic.

From recycling more materials than you ever thought possible to composting without raising a stink to buying an electric car, Living Like Ed is packed with ideas-from obvious to ingenious-that will help you live green, live responsibly, live well. Like Ed.

Both Living with Ed on DVD and Living like Ed SB - by Clarkson Potter Publisher are available to order today on Amazon.

Animal Vegetable Miracle BOOK

Tue, 13 May 2008 15:49:53 -0400

Those who know realize that “Eating local” is the new buzz word on the street. Eating Local has made more impact than ORGANIC has in the last few years. Also eating in Season means a lot. Buying local foods cuts down on shipping across country or across the planet from other countries. It also put money in the local economy usually supporting smaller farmers. It also gives you more intimacy with your food as you know where and how it was grown. You may even know the minuet in which it was picked and brought to your plate.
This books tells you one persons voyage on Buying and Eating Locally.

From Publishers Weekly
In her engaging though sometimes preachy new book, Kingsolver recounts the year her family attempted to eat only what they could grow on their farm in Virginia or buy from local sources. The book's bulk, written and read by Kingsolver in a lightly twangy voice filled with wonder and enthusiasm, proceeds through the seasons via delightful stories about the history of their farmhouse, the exhausting bounty of the zucchini harvest, turkey chicks hatching and so on. In long sections, however, she gets on a soapbox about problems with industrial food production, fast food and Americans' ignorance of food's origins, and despite her obvious passion for the issues, the reading turns didactic and loses its pace, momentum and narrative. Her daughter Camille contributes recipes, meal plans and an enjoyable personal essay in a clear if rather monotonous voice. Hopp, Kingsolver's husband and an environmental studies professor, provides dry readings of the sidebars that have him playing Dr. Scientist, as Kingsolver notes in an illuminating interview on the last disc. Though they may skip some of the more moralizing tracks, Kingsolver's fans and foodies alike will find this a charming, sometimes inspiring account of reconnecting with the food chain.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

From School Library Journal
Adult/High School–This book chronicles the year that Barbara Kingsolver, along with her husband and two daughters, made a commitment to become locavores–those who eat only locally grown foods. This first entailed a move away from their home in non-food-producing Tuscon to a family farm in Virginia, where they got right down to the business of growing and raising their own food and supporting local farmers. For teens who grew up on supermarket offerings, the notion not only of growing one's own produce but also of harvesting one's own poultry was as foreign as the concept that different foods relate to different seasons. While the volume begins as an environmental treatise–the oil consumption related to transporting foodstuffs around the world is enormous–it ends, as the year ends, in a celebration of the food that physically nourishes even as the recipes and the memories of cooks and gardeners past nourish our hearts and souls. Although the book maintains that eating well is not a class issue, discussions of heirloom breeds and making cheese at home may strike some as high-flown; however, those looking for healthful alternatives to processed foods will find inspiration to seek out farmers' markets and to learn to cook and enjoy seasonal foods. Give this title to budding Martha Stewarts, green-leaning fans of Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth (Rodale, 2006), and kids outraged by Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation (Houghton, 2001).–Jenny Gasset, Orange County Public Library, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

The 11th Hour MOVIE

Tue, 13 May 2008 15:47:33 -0400

An amazing movie that follows in the footsteps of Inconvenient Truth. Showing you what is to come of our Planet and what is already here taking place.
The below review is straight from Amazon. They mention that the movie is geared with an MTV pace. Seeing as how MTV seems to be programmed for ADHD kids I hardly see the correlation. Its well thought out with a lot of detailed information that the MTV crowd wouldn’t even begin to understand or care about.

Amazon.com
Comparisons to Al Gore's Oscar-winning slide show will be inevitable, but there's a key difference between the two documentaries. An Inconvenient Truth was aimed at the PBS set, while Leonardo DiCaprio's The 11th Hour combines a traditional structure with a more MTV-friendly pace. Of course, neither was made by these public figures. Davis Guggenheim directed the former, while Nadia Conners and Leila Conners Petersen are behind the latter. DiCaprio serves as producer, co-writer, and narrator (the three previously worked on the short films Global Warming and Water Planet). Their first feature combines a diverse array of interviews with a dizzying variety of images, both soothing and alarming (droughts and hurricanes vs. serene sunsets and playful polar bears). Speakers include former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, Cambridge physicist Stephen Hawking, and progressive CEO Ray Anderson, hero of The Corporation. Granted, there's no obvious youth appeal in these subjects, but the presence of the Titanic heartthrob-turned-Scorsese star, who keeps his on-screen narration to a tasteful minimum, plus atmospheric tracks from Sigur Rós, Coldplay and Mogwai seems likely to attract a younger crowd. And that seems to be the point, since The 11th Hour is, at heart, a call to arms. It begins by taking a look at the causes of global warming before exploring solutions, from eating organic to building with solar power. There isn't a ton of new information for environmental experts, but DiCaprio and his team have assembled a thought-provoking primer for neophytes and potential activists. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Product Description
Environmental documentary 11th HOUR resides at the polar opposite of escapist summer fare its mission to firmly confront viewers about the indelible human footprint that humans have left on this planet and the catastrophic effects of environmental neglect and abuse. Produced and narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio and ably directed by Nadia Conners and Leila Conners Peterson the documentary doesn't get much fancier than talking heads news footage and the occasional animated illustration but its message is potent and delivered effectively.The first hour of the film is essentially a horror story recounting the myriad sins perpetrated against the environment (pollution deforestation over-mining resources) the reasons behind it (corporate greed faulty public policy bad leadership ignorance) and what it means for the human race. Thankfully the last third of the movie tilts the mood upward with a spirited discussion of solutions offered by a crack team of scientists designers and thinkers. Stirring visions of alternate energy sources diversified transportation enlightened governmental agendas sustainable homes and cities and most importantly more conscious consumer choices leave viewers with the palpable feeling that change is both necessary and possible. If the "eleventh hour" for our planet is drawing near this admirable film points confidently towards a new dawn.System Requirements:Running Time: 124 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DOCUMENTARIES/NATURE & WILDLIFE Rating: PG UPC: 085391183518 Manufacturer No: 118351

In Defense of Food BOOK

Tue, 13 May 2008 15:45:14 -0400

Another great book by Author Michael Pollan.This one follows the Omnivores Dilemma.
Amazon.com
Amazon Significant Seven, January 2008: Food is the one thing that Americans hate to love and, as it turns out, love to hate. What we want to eat has been ousted by the notion of what we should eat, and it's at this nexus of hunger and hang-up that Michael Pollan poses his most salient question: where is the food in our food? What follows in In Defense of Food is a series of wonderfully clear and thoughtful answers that help us omnivores navigate the nutritional minefield that's come to typify our food culture. Many processed foods vie for a spot in our grocery baskets, claiming to lower cholesterol, weight, glucose levels, you name it. Yet Pollan shows that these convenient "healthy" alternatives to whole foods are appallingly inconvenient: our health has a nation has only deteriorated since we started exiling carbs, fats--even fruits--from our daily meals. His razor-sharp analysis of the American diet (as well as its architects and its detractors) offers an inspiring glimpse of what it would be like if we could (a la Humpty Dumpty) put our food back together again and reconsider what it means to eat well. In a season filled with rallying cries to lose weight and be healthy, Pollan's call to action—"Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."--is a program I actually want to follow. --Anne Bartholomew