Author Description

Thomas M. Kostigen sets out to show how much water all the stuff in our lives really guzzles up. And how to make more water-conscious consumer choices every day. "We need to just start looking at the world through a blue prism," says Kostigen. Freshwater makes up less than 1 percent of the total volume of water on Earth. And that precious resource is quickly being not only wasted, but contaminated, too. In his book, Kostigen guides consumers into thinking about their choices in terms of water, and shows us where we're wasting it the most. For example, in the United States, 75 percent of residential water use goes to our lawns. The Green Blue Book is an easy-to-understand resource packed with hundreds of examples (from office supplies and flooring materials to fruit juices and travel options) that will help Americans -- who typically use 656,000 gallons of water a year -- make wiser choices for human and environmental health (after all, we all need clean water to survive). Certainly, household water conservation measures, such as taking a Navy shower and installing low-flow faucets, go a long way in saving water. But Kostigen's book challenges us to think about protecting our water in a different way -- by consuming less, and by pondering life-cycle water usage whenever we buy, whether it's food, building materials, clothing, or other stuff. - Publisher.