Reducing your carbon footprint is a big deal in today’s high-consumption, easy-disposable world. Everyone you speak to is ‘freecycling’ or ‘re-using’, not to mention trying to find new ways to save money by cutting back – times are hard for most of us. Many people are keeping bees, growing fruit and rearing chickens and have gone from spending hundreds of pounds a week on socialising to staying in and making their own wine from a home-grown fruit and a kit that cost a few pounds. People are aware of the impact our excessive lifestyles are having on the environment and are starting to cut-back and recycle.

This book contains loads of really useful ideas on how you can recycle almost anything and save hundreds of pounds in the process. For those items that can’t be recycled easily, Kathy Stein shows you how to re-use them to save even more money.

The clear message here is “consume less, don’t just recycle more”. This 164-page book has 336 environment-friendly, money-saving ideas, from earning cash for mobiles to customizing and altering old clothes, you can learn how to save money whilst saving the planet in the process. Kathy Stein has a technical writing background and her passion for environmental issues is evident in the book; for example, she is a big supporter of the ‘WeCare’ dry-cleaning programme, which replaces those horrible plastic garment covers with re-usable fabric ones.

The book is easy to read with the information presented clearly and alphabetically. If you’re struggling to figure out how to keep old appliances out of landfill, Stein helps you by listing local businesses and non-profit organizations that will re-use, recycle or re-distribute your unwanted items. It’s a useful and comprehensive guide on how to save money sensibly whilst contributing to a sustainable and green lifestyle – highly recommended.