Household Hints, Vol. 2: Environmental and Energy

Sandy Campbell is a reference librarian in the Science and Technology Library at the University of Alberta.

A fund-raiser for the Leader-Post Carrier Foundation, this is the second
in the Household Hints series. It consists of 563 environmental and
energy-related hints drawn from other publications, experts, and hints
submitted by Leader-Post readers.

The hints are grouped by broad subject. An interesting addition to the
usual tips on cleaners, recycling, and energy savings is an
attitude/advocacy section. Some of the hints are repeated, with
variations in wording, in several sections, in spite of the fact that
they are accessible through the index.

While overall a good hints book, this volume is flawed in that many of
the hints have not been tested. As a result they range from the useful
to the impractical and the potentially dangerous. In particular, the
recycling section offers hints that are of questionable value. Some are
alternatives to already environmentally friendly practices. Others are
esthetically so displeasing that few would practice them. For example,
why would anyone use bits of polystyrene trays as coasters when an
attractive wooden set, say, will last for generations?

The fact that this volume focuses on environmental- and energy-related
hints makes it a good companion volume to more general household hints
books.