Our new book , Going Green, reviewed in the Charlotte Observer

Sadie (left) and Sally Kneidel

Books that help readers get leaner and greener

Pam Kelley column in The Charlotte Observer

Feb 27, 2009 (The Charlotte Observer - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX)

Looking to live healthier and greener? Two new books by N.C. authors offer advice and inspiration.

Start with "Going Green: A Wise Consumer's Guide to a Shrinking Planet" ($19.95; Fulcrum Publishing). Charlotte biologist Sally Kneidel and daughter Sadie Kneidel, a community activist in Greensboro, show how to make smart green choices in food, transportation, housing and clothing.

Some are simple. (Buy locally grown food. Use compact fluorescent bulbs.)

Others, such as building a house out of hay bales, require a larger commitment.

The book is loaded with great facts. Nonorganic cotton, I learned, is one of the most pesticide-intensive crops. And the United Nations has concluded that livestock creates more greenhouse gases than transportation. This means you can reduce your carbon footprint more by going vegan than by switching from an SUV to a Prius.

Mother and daughter both practice what they preach. Among other things, they eat mostly vegan and shop at thrift stores. Find out more: veggierevolution.blogspot.com.

After you get greener, check out "Stuffed: An Insider's Look at Who's (Really) Making America Fat" (HarperCollins; $25.99), by Chapel Hill's Hank Cardello with Doug Garr.

Cardello, a former food industry executive, shows industry's role in our obesity epidemic.

Not all insights are new, but he offers insider details about why consumers are always pushed to supersize their food.

Restaurants and food companies can make their products healthier without sacrificing profit, he argues. And consumers can cut fat and calories while still enjoying favorite foods. The growing popularity of 100-calorie pack cookies and crackers is one good example, he says.

Ultimately, Cardello says, it's the food industry's own interest to produce healthier products.

Bottom line: Dead customers don't buy soda.

Click here to see article on Observer's website.

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