[.uk] The Better World Handbook : From Good Intentions to ... (ISBN 0865714428)

Tedious Secular Liberal Drivel:
Want to Change the World (tm)? Then stick with your old Utne Readers. There's nothing in this book you won't find there, and dozens of other places. Do you really need another book to tell you to recycle and watch less TV? The authors, although they decry the holier-than-thou attitude of some of their activist peers, fall prey to the same illness. In the first few pages, they dismiss the majority of Americans - that is, Christians - by announcing that if you believe that human nature is the cause of our troubles, you're part of the problem. (Ever hear of original sin?) They assume that their readers have unlimited money to drop on organic bok choi and shoes with hemp content, but they miss obvious healthy and frugal options like breastfeeding. They'll tell you how to be an activist in the public schools, but not about homeschooling. The shopping guide - which is available on their Web site for free, by the way - ranks corporations so that you can make the most politically correct choices. Of course, there's little to tell you what criteria were used for these judgment calls, you don't really need to think for yourself, do you? Just march in lock-step with your progressive peers and the world will be a better place. If you really want to change the world without changing the root of our problems - the human heart - save your money and donate it to a reputable charity instead. But if you want to score a date with that vegan, World Bank-protesting hottie, this book will teach you the right noises to make.

Practice What You Preach:
I LOVED this book. It gives all kinds of good practical advice on how every day actions really CAN make a difference. It cites a lot of other great books too that you can read in further detail about the things that are mentioned in the book which i really appreciate. When I first read this book I was a student activist who thought that i always needed to do BIG things to change the world. Some of the little things that i would do made me feel different from the rest of my friends and make me feel like i was not doing enough. This book affirmed some of my decisions and made me feel serious about doing more. This book is a good guide to actually living to make the world a better place! There are a lot of issues in the book that can and MUST be further researched but I think that the authors do a wonderful job at encouraging you to actually do so by suggesting books and websites to get you started. Its good for what it is: a guide to how to live. And it can point you in great directions for further more academic exploration of the issues that are presented. I will say that I have used this book as MY BIBLE to living. I would suggest this in addition to Sojourners magazine to those who want to look at these same issues from a Christian perspective

An invaluable resource:
Want to make a difference but don't know where to begin? Try reading "The Better World Handbook" by Ellis Jones, Ross Haenfler, Brett Johnson, and Brian Klocke. They offer a variety of actions on issues like poverty, environmental damage, and free trade that you can incorporate into your life. What's great about this book is that you can pick and choose what works for you at the moment - there are suggested actions that may not seem doable now but you can probably do later. You don't have agree with each issue the authors describe and suggest actions for, and the authors make a good attempt at avoiding a self-righteous tone. I have notes and have highlighted what actions I can manage, and will keep referring to this list (probably on the new year's eves to come). The authors first explain our culture of cynicism and define the 7 most common traps that prevent people from taking action on issues they care about. I found this especially revealing as I have often caught myself in one or more of those traps. They then describe the seven foundations of a better world (economic fairness, comprehensive peace, ecological sustainability, deep democracy, social justice, culture of simplicity, and revitalized community) and have a list of references on each foundation. What follows are numerous actions regarding money (e.g. banking), shopping, food, personal living and relationships, community, home, work, media, politics, transportation, and travel. Some of the website links they include are not up-to-date, so I strongly recommend doing a search on the organizations mentioned and trying to find similar links and organizations. This book is a starting point and can inspire other actions that are not included in the book. Reading "The Better World Handbook" is an invaluable first step to realizing that one person can really make a difference.

Change your world with just 300 pages:
This book has been such a great tool in getting college students motivated. I took Sociology from Ross Haenfler this semester and it was AMAZING. We used this book as one of our textbooks and this past week everyone in the class agreed that THIS is the one book that won't be returning to the book mart. It has such valuable advice to get out in the community, city, world and make a difference. If you want to make a major change or even just learn how to recycle properly .. this is the book you need to read. BUY THIS BOOK!

Great Resource for the Environmentally Conscious:
I am a sponsor for an environmental club at my school and we use this book as our basic resource for information, for ideas to promote environmental awareness within the school, and as an easy buying guide for environmenally friendly products. It is an easy tool to use and I like all the useful information in one readable location.