How to Make the World a Better Place: 116 Ways You Can Make a Difference

I applaud the author for this effort and will gladly donate the cost of the book to any non-profit organization that is "helping to make the world a better place" in return for an electronic copy of the book. Ideas such as this should be available to everyone. I have not read the book, so this is really not a review, but how could anyone give a negative review of such a work? I look forward to reading this material and as a result, taking action where possible to help reach the goals.

Jeffrey Hollander penned this book over 17 years ago when he was the CEO of Seventh Generation, a mail-order supply house of environmentally-friendly consumer goods. When I first read this book in 1989, it came across as a bad case of advertising hype. But in hindsight I think the book's shortcomings are due to a combination of the overambitious mission of the book and the author's inexperience as a writer, because his writing since then has improved over time. Hollander supplies "over 100 quick-and-easy actions" that one can take to "effect postive social change" (I counted 120 actions). The issues that these actions address are far-reaching in scope, from hunger and homelessness to apartheid, global violence and ozone depletion to business, banking, and investments. He encourages a vegetarian diet (it's healthier), organic clothing (it's also healthier), low-income housing (but doesn't say "how" by eliminating zoning laws that prevent their construction), freeing prisoners of conscience (such as Jehovah's Witnesses locked up today in a special section of the prison in Strasbourg, France), and encouraging world peace (since then, the Bushes have invaded the Middle East twice and haven't left yet). What I like most about Hollender's book is his sincere desire to be a green businessman by catering to green consumers, and he's looking to do that by behaving like a libertarian and respecting other people's rights. There are also some pleasant surprises along with some occasional humor. And although this book would not be useful to a really green consumer like, say, an Amishman or Old Order Mennonite, it is helpful for those of us whose green consciences are uneasy about what's happening but do not have a lot of spare time to do much reading. Hollender's quick fixes are short and to the point, thereby making action simple to initiate.

Presentation: The interior text is formatted nicely. I don't recall encountering any typos. No interior illustrations, graphics, or photos. The text is divided up into headings, subheadings, etc to lend sufficient visual interest, and this makes it significantly easier to skim the book if necessary. The writing style is neither humorous nor bland. Subjects covered: The book is divided into eight parts, is further divided into 33 chapters by subject, and is further divided into 116 "actions." The parts are these: Building community. Raising the next generation. Computer activism. Protecting the environment. Food, hunger, and agriculture. Socially responsible banking and investing. The responsible consumer. Peace, Justice, and social change. Each "action" is fairly brief, only a couple pages, and tells you some background information about the subject, argues why something should be done, and tells you what you can do, and who to contact to learn more and actually do some things. There are plenty of things you can do other than donating money to organizations, such as volunteering or making changes in your lifestyle. Interestingly, the last action listed in the book, number 116, is about supporting gay rights. Since this book was published in 1995, much of the information may no longer be of use: ~ References to the Internet are obsolete, since this was before the World Wide Web. ~ Changes may have happened to mailing addresses, phone numbers, and fax numbers of organizations to contact. You'll have to Google them and find out where they are now. ~ Statistics aren't fully up to date, although ten-year-old statistics are probably satisfactory information. Suggestions: ~ Since a lot of this book is disappointingly out of date, get it from the library rather than buying it. Don't feel bad, since the book itself says that getting library books is better than buying a book you're doubtful about, since it conserves resources. ~ Read this book with a notepad at hand, to jot down things you found interesting: points, actions, and names of organizations to look up later. ~ You can read this book in short breaks when you're fairly busy with other things, since its layout makes it very easy to find your spot again to resume reading, or to skim.

This is a great book, reminding us that no matter what we do, it affects the whole world. So we might as well direct our attention and affect our world in a positive way by following the suggestions the authors have put together. Extremely well researched and organized book. Everyone can make a difference. I wish everyone would read the book to find out how!!!

This book is different from most books of the 50 Ways to Save the Earth genre because it covers a diverse array of social, political, ethical, and environmental problems in an in-depth fashion. The authors explain tough issues like the environmental effects of eating styles in clear, calm terms. The suggestions to make the world a better place range from extremely easy acts to reduce personal consumption to ambitious, challenging proposals for personal engagement with the homeless, the homebound, and others in need of assistance. Not only has it changed my own daily behaivor, I've found it to make a great, thought-provoking gift