If I wrote an eco book for Earth Day, perhaps my last choice for a title would be Climate Change, as such a title tends not to entice readers — neither the already eco-conscious and curious (because they already believe climate change is happening) nor the eco-oblivious (because they don’t care about climate change) types.

Alas, that’s the title of a new 96-page pocket guide by Jon Clift and Amanda Cuthbert, a guide that has a cover image — a picture of the earth — equally as unsexy as its title. A cursory look would have most people think the booklet details the fact of climate change — which is why I hope people will read the subtitle of Climate Change: Simple Things You Can Do to Make a Difference — because that’s what the book’s really about, and why I think the book could be helpful for eco-newbies stressed about how to embark on a greener lifestyle.

Yes, the quick 7-page intro does outline what climate change is and why you should care — but then Climate Change quickly turns to more practical, hands-on matters, with short, 2-6 page chapters dedicated to everything from home heating to cooking to gardening to shopping. Better yet for the easily-overwhelmed, each brief chapter ends with “If you do just one thing,” followed by one simple eco-tip that has the biggest impact as possible while not causing undue hardship or stress or major lifestyle changes.

Most of these “just one thing” tips simply consist of not wasting resources you’re not actually using, i.e. turning off unwatched TVs and unused water faucets or not boiling more water than you need. Still, if you live in a totally un-green house with an eco-oblivious family, simply incorporating one of these tips into your fam’s life each week could save you some serious money on utility bills.

So if you want a practical, un-overwhelming guide to get you started on greening your life this month while saving yourself some cash, don’t overlook Climate Change.

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Final posts from Emerald City, enviro-blog at LAtimes.com

>> Goodbye and see you at Green Drinks. Though Emerald City will no longer be updated, LATimes.com will always have fresh, green, Pulitzer Prize-winning news reporting from L.A. and beyond on its Environment page.

>> From permaculture to poppies: Eco-events next week. For more eco-themed events happening in the L.A. area, check out the green LA girl calendar.

>> Compostable flatware okay in Santa Monica green bins. The city of Santa Monica’s green bins now accept compostable food containers and utensils, in addition to yard waste and food scraps. To make sure all the compostable containers break down properly, the collected waste’s then taken up to an industrial composting facility in Sun Valley.

And a linky post:

>> A.M. Greenlist: Signs of green times

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Latest from Emerald City, my enviro-blog at LAtimes.com

>> Recess: Get a greener manicure. For a mani-pedi with an eco touch, drop by Recess, a new L.A. salon with an eco-chic feel. Here you can soak your feet in a scented bath, dry them on bamboo towels, then add a massage with organic essential oils followed by a moisturizing treatment with paraben-free lotions.

>> Jamming with Slow Food L.A. on Saturday. Twenty-five jammers and canners will gather over coffee and tea, each bringing to the table at least four 1-pint containers of canned or frozen jam, jelly, preserves or chutney — along with a small tasting sample and a copy of the recipe to swap with other members.

>> Bikes in the city: Cycle safe with C.I.C.L.E.. If you’re still kind of scared about biking the traffic-clogged streets of L.A. — take an urban biking class with C.I.C.L.E. to ease yourself into the cycling culture.

>> Q&A: Recycling at Yorba Linda apartments. Greg asks: Do you have any sources on recycling in Orange County? Management says that the trash stream gets recycled separately, but I’m way skeptical.

And a few linky posts:

>> A.M. Greenlist: Fuel fights and bike rides

>> A.M. Greenlist: How-tos

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Latest from Emerald City, my enviro-blog at LAtimes.com

>> De-Car-ing: The idea of cars as safety devices. De-car-ing isn’t more dangerous than driving, says Kathryn Pope: “Going out without a car helps us (especially women) feel and be more free in the world (anyone remember the “Take back the Night” campaign?) — and it helps to create a world of walkers and bikers, to begin creating community in our neighborhoods and cities. It can’t happen overnight, but I think it can happen, and each trip we take without a car, we speed up the process.”

>> Join the public transit discussion on the Transit Coalition’s boards. Especially compared with the disorganized comment streams of most transit blogs, the Transit Coalition’s boards are fairly well organized by topic and transit line, allowing you to quickly follow a discussion about the issues that affect you.

And a few linky posts:

>> A.M. Greenlist: Green ideas with caveats

>> P.M. Greenlist: Venice boardwalk gets eco-tidier

Photo courtesy of Kathryn Pope

Update, 11/17/08: Kathryn’s now got her own blog — and has de-car’d entirely!

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Latest from Emerald City, my enviro-blog at LAtimes.com

>> Hollywood Lemon Grove Farmers’ Market open now. Take a break right now and head over to the new Hollywood Lemon Grove Farmers’ Market, which opened at 9 am today at 4959 Lemon Grove Ave.

>> O! Burger: Organic fast food in West Hollywood. Fast food’s gone organic, with the opening of O! Burger in West Hollywood late last month. This cute burger joint uses only certified organic ingredients, bringing grass-fed beef, free-range turkey and spinach-and-corn veggie burgers to the masses.

>> Kiss My Gass and Dump the Pump. Dump the Pump Day, sponsored by the American Public Transportation Assn., happens Thurs., June 19. Relatedly, the Kiss My Gass protest kicked off yesterday. The campaign basically asks people to avoid a chosen oil company — at the moment, ExxonMobil — for a month.

And a few linky posts:

>> A.M. Greenlist: All bicycles

>> A.M. Greenlist: Water and power

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Latest from Emerald City, my enviro-blog at LAtimes.com

>> Recycle your CDs and DVDs at Best Buy Although Best Buy’s recycling page doesn’t mention it, you can indeed recycle CDs and DVDs at Best Buy stores!

>> Organic wine drinkers: Give your corks a new life. You can now upcycle your corks! In addition to the juice pouches and cookie wrappers and other detritus from our grab-n-go culture, the eco-company TerraCycle’s now accepting wine corks — both natural and synthetic — which the company will turn “into cool products that will be available nationally at major retailers.”

>> Green building networking event 6/18. Whether or not you’ve passed your LEED AP exam, you can stop by the free “Kick Off Summer & Get Involved” event, organized by the LA Chapter of USGBC.

>> Mrs Winston’s Green Grocery: Have your eco-salad bar and compost your container too. The huge salad bar at this unassuming Santa Monica spot boasts everything from vegan chili to organic produce to curried tofu to tuna salad to noodles to vegan Caesar salad dressing to all manner of sprouts.

And a few linky posts:

>> A.M. Greenlist: Prepping for summer

>> A.M. Greenlist: What’s green this weekend

>> A.M. Greenlist: From here to Africa

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Latest from Emerald City, my enviro-blog at LAtimes.com

>> What $6 gets you at the farmers’ market. One yummy benefit to procrastination: If you hit the farmers’ market during the last hour or so, you can get some really, really great deals on organic fruit.

>> Will work for Korean BBQ: Community L.A. River Cleanup Saturday. Love Korean BBQ? Missed the Great L.A. River Cleanup? Here’s your second chance — a big clean up of the Glendale narrows section of the L.A. River’s happening this Saturday morning. You’re invited to join in the cleaning fun — then nosh on Korean BBQ afterwards.

>> Water conservation: From saving money to making money. Gov. Schwarzenegger has declared a drought, and L.A.’s about to get mandatory water use restrictions. On the upside, lots of eco-themed water-related events are happening around town to help you adjust by finding smart ways to curb your water habit.

And a linky post:

>> A.M. Greenlist: How to handle high gas prices

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Latest from Emerald City, my enviro-blog at LAtimes.com

>> Acquarella: A closer look at water-based nail polish. Open a bottle of Acquarella nail polish, and the first thing you’ll notice is that the stuff doesn’t smell like a noxious stew of chemicals. Acquarella prides itself in avoiding formaldehyde, phthalates and petrochemical solvents.

>> Lightbulbs to Leadership: Pushing lawmakers to think outside the lightbulb. Got a lightbulb joke? Send it in to Sierra Club, which today kicked off its new campaign, Lightbulbs to Leadership. The goal: to “remind Americans that it takes more than changing lightbulbs to fix global warming –- it takes changing the will of our leaders.”

>> Sunny money talk at solar power panel 6/16. Titled “Solar by the Numbers: 2008 Financing Options for Home Solar Systems,” this informative panel will illuminate “new ways to finance the installation of solar electric and solar thermal systems … — options that weren’t available even a year ago.”

And a linky post:

>> A.M. Greenlist: The B list

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Latest from Emerald City, my enviro-blog at LAtimes.com

>> TerraCycle: Green cleanliness in a waste stream bottle. If you’re not ready to make your own green cleaners — but cringe every time you throw out another plastic spray bottle (into the recycling bin, but still), TerraCycle has a solution for you: Green cleaners packaged in reclaimed soda bottles!

>> L.A. Film Festival to get local food, biodiesel. Last year, the Los Angeles Film Festival had a “Green Day,” showcasing 50 short eco-films and lining a block in Westwood with a few green booths (photo above). This year, the festival has declared its plans to incorporate environmentalism into more aspects of its festivities, happening June 19-29.

And a linky post:

>> A.M. Greenlist: Solar procrastination and other Cali news

>> A.M. Greenlist: The tolls of traffic

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Latest from Emerald City, my enviro-blog at LAtimes.com

>> Now that you’ve switched from bottled to filtered water…. Here comes another recycling opportunity that’ll be beloved by anyone who switched to a Brita filter to reduce plastic waste from all those one-use water bottles. The Take Back the Filter campaign wants your old Brita filters!

Update, 11/18/08: Brita’s new filter recycling program will begin Jan. 2009.

>> Free Malibu Public Beach Safaris start next week. Don’t be fooled by the “private street” signs; many Malibu beaches are publicly owned, as urban nature activist Jenny Price often points out. If you’re afraid to venture alone into the notoriously public-unfriendly city — which by the way is also trying to restrict people from camping in public parks — The Los Angeles Urban Rangers can help.

>> ‘The World Without Us’: Fragile dams and resilient plastics. For a primer on current environmental concerns — alongside lessons in sociocultural, architectural, and political history around the world — pick up Alan Weisman’s book, “The World Without Us.”

And a linky post:

>> A.M. Greenlist: Shopping green made easier

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