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Time to Eat the Dog?: The Real Guide to Sustainable Living
 
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Time to Eat the Dog?: The Real Guide to Sustainable Living [Paperback]

Robert Vale , Brenda Vale
3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
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Product details

  • Paperback: 384 pages
  • Publisher: Thames & Hudson (15 Jun 2009)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0500287902
  • ISBN-13: 978-0500287903
  • Product Dimensions: 22.8 x 16.6 x 3.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank:: 101,746 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Brenda Vale
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Product Description

Product Description

The world and its resources are finite, yet we are seemingly locked into a system based on growth: growth of population, growth of income and growth of consumption. From this irrefutable starting point, Time to Eat the Dog? attempts to uncover what sustainability really means. Brenda and Robert Vale explore the environmental impact of the decisions we make, from what we eat and what we wear to how we travel and enjoy ourselves. Their book will make you see your life and your place in the world in a completely new light. Challenging the orthodoxies that underpin our entire economic system, this is one subversive read.

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Time to Eat the Dog?: The Real Guide to Sustainable Living
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Time to Eat the Dog?: The Real Guide to Sustainable Living 3.2 out of 5 stars (21)
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Customer Reviews

21 Reviews
5 star:
 (3)
4 star:
 (7)
3 star:
 (5)
2 star:
 (3)
1 star:
 (3)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.2 out of 5 stars (21 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars fantastic detail, not a light read., 21 Jun 2009
This review is from: Time to Eat the Dog?: The Real Guide to Sustainable Living (Paperback)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Programme (What's this?)
This is not a light, jolly through the joys of sustainable living - don't think 'This Morning series'.

Rather this is a detailed look at the pros and cons of how we live, have lived & could live our lives. Everything is broken into the facts and figures for example how much energy and resources are used to make a dishwasher, dishwasher tablets, vs washing up liquid, sinks, & bowls, vs soap flakes etc then the energy used to actually perform the task at hand (washing up in this case) to decide what is more 'sustainable' this goes right down to the food we eat to give us energy to do the task & what we ould grow in how much space to provide the food...

If you've ever watched a 'this morning' style section and wondered, if, really, when you worked it all out...but couldn't be bothered to work it out for yourself, then this is the book for you.

Everything is referenced and it's truly fascinating and highly detailed. it's a book that I'll take tips from it now - I'm all up for a wormery - and go back later to get more info most likely when I see something else that brings me back to wondering...sadly I wont follow all of the most sustainable ideas right away (I do feel bad about that) but I think over the next few years I'll build up to many of them.

I highly recommend this book for any environmentalist or would be and for those on 'the other side' too.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Well researched, lots of detail, but not a light read, 18 July 2009
By J. S. Hardman "Consultant software developer ... (Near London, UK) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Time to Eat the Dog?: The Real Guide to Sustainable Living (Paperback)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Programme (What's this?)
This is a really unusual book. From the cover it looks like it will be an unchallenging read, telling us how the world is doomed and that a bit of recycling, driving less and holidaying at home instead of abroad will save us all. It's not that at all - it's actually full of researched material, the sort of thing that you have to present when submitting assignments on degree courses, lots of tables, comparisons, etc, but somehow without becoming overly dry. It's a fairly hefty tome, but worth reading.

The basic premise is that if you divide the useable surface area of the Earth by the number of people on the Earth you work out how much useable land is available to support you personally, to feed you, to water you, to provide you with shelter, to provide you with all those consumer items you want, to provide your transport, your entertainment, even your dog's food. That's the premise and the calculations etc relate back to that. It becomes repetitive, but it's a message worth hammering into people. I suspect, though, that the consumers with the largest footprint are not necessarily the people who will read this book. More likely is that people who have already reduced their footprint will be the type of people who read this. They might then reduce their footprint a bit more, but it's the wider population who need to get the message.

Even Al Gore avoided some of the subjects covered in this book (e.g. comparing the footprint of eating meat against the footprint of eating vegetables, comparing rice with locally produced, seasonal vegetables etc). Those are subjects that the wider population needs to understand, but these are subjects that some people seem to find difficult to even contemplate. It will take a brave politician to announce a programme to encourage people to reduce their meat intake, or to keep a hamster instead of a dog, or even better, to make friends with their neighbours instead of keeping a pet for company. It will happen one day, but I can't see anybody in our current government announcing that programme.

Similarly, I cannot imagine any current politician pointing at Cuba and telling people that everybody will have to survive on the amount of food available on the Cuban ration system, in the post-Soviet era. Whilst travelling some years ago, I experienced the Cuban ration system first hand - it was a shock and something I remember vividly.

So, this book contains a huge amount of useful information and I have found reading it fascinating. I'd recommend it to anybody already interested in sustainability / permaculture etc. However, with the amount of tables and data present in the book, I suspect that this book will not suit everybody.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Clear and level-headed., 15 July 2009
By Stucumber "Stucumber" (N. Wales) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   
This review is from: Time to Eat the Dog?: The Real Guide to Sustainable Living (Paperback)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Programme (What's this?)
It's obvious to many that we are at a point in the human story where we need to to make some serious decisions. An exponentially growing population striving to reach the levels of attainment enjoyed in the developed world is just not feasible. Indeed as is pointed out in this book the products of at least three Earths would be needed for everyone to live the way the modern American does. In order to make our decisions we are going to need to base them on sound evidence, this is what Robert and Brenda Vale have set out to do and they have succeeded admirably.

There is a lot of well-referenced and researched material here, presented accessibly in a clear and straight-forward manner. In keeping there arguments convincing the authors' have gone into a lot of detail; you'll need to be prepared to work a little to get the most out this book. That's not to say that reading this is a chore, not at all, rather we're encouraged to engage with what's presented and draw our own conclusions.

Much of the information is in the form of tables and figures, all of which are easy to read and often illustrate a point much more succinctly than the text. In fact these tables and figures are so good I wish there had been more of them to help with every eventuality. Of course that would have created a ridiculously long book (not to mention self-defeating).

At heart this is an optimistic book because it shows us we can be better. If we heed the authors' advice we can begin to avert real disaster before it's too late.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars Rather hard-going... [2.5 stars]
I got this book a long time ago, and I've only just reached the end after reading it on and off. It's not the succinct, attention-grabbing book of facts I expected it to be; as... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Chantal Lyons

1.0 out of 5 stars Rubbish
I hope that no-one buys this book. Please don't give it the time of day. If we really want to worry about the world then we ought to look at ourselves first; it is us (humans) who... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Whichypoohs

1.0 out of 5 stars Are you kidding?!!!!
I would expect such a book to be availible as an audio book or to buy in other version which would be ecological!!!! Read more
Published 9 months ago by Dag Ove Schnell

3.0 out of 5 stars Time to eat this book
As someone who is perhaps a little cynical of "global warming" I was pre-disposed to hate this book. It wasn't actually what I thought it was going to be. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Brains

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book
This book is very good for what it is. If you know little about energy saving and would like to know where to start or what it is about, then this book won't be a bad investment... Read more
Published 10 months ago by James T

3.0 out of 5 stars Sustainable living is not a light hearted topic; neither is this book!
Since we live on a planet with finite resources, we could do with uncovering what sustainability really means to the world in general and our own home in particular. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Gaurav Sharma

1.0 out of 5 stars Dangerously dull?
It's possible that this book might inspire people to think a bit more about the consequences of their actions and steps they can take to live more sustainably. Read more
Published 12 months ago by J. Dawson

4.0 out of 5 stars A somewhat quirky book of informational lists
As a lot of previous reviewers have already said, this isn't quite what it's billed to be. I hoped that a "guide to sustainable living" would put me on the right path to day to... Read more
Published 12 months ago by trishthedish

4.0 out of 5 stars Great title and an informative read
From the book's title, I have to admit I thought this book would be slightly frivolous but luckily, it's not. Read more
Published 12 months ago by RC

3.0 out of 5 stars Time to Eat the Dog: The Real Guide To Sustainable Living
`Time to Eat the Dog: The Real Guide to Sustainable Living' is an in-depth and accessible look at sustainable living in everyday life and it is written in a way that is relevant... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Spider Monkey

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