THE GREEN LIST: A GUIDE TO CANADIAN ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS & AGENCIES 1st edition. Compiled by Pembina Institute for Appropriate Development Ottawa, Canadian Environmental Network, 1991. 424pp, paper, $50.00 ($35.00 for libraries, schools or non­profit organizations), ISBN 0-969-5217-0-7 Available from Canadian Environ­mental Network, P.O. Box 1289, Station B, Ottawa, Ont. KIP 5R3. CIP Grades 7 and up/Ages 12 and up Reviewed by John Wright. Volume 19 Number 5 1991 October Published by the Canadian Environ­mental Network, the national environ­mental clearinghouse formed in 1977 to facilitate the sharing of information and resources among environmental groups, The Green List is the first comprehensive, bilingual national directory of environ­mental organizations and agencies in Canada. Its contents are similar to other large directories of organizations, providing for each entry contact infor­mation, the purpose or mission, the type of organization, the year founded, membership information, the organiza­tional structure, activities, programs, services, and information about any serial publications produced. Derived from the publisher's data­base of nearly two thousand environ­mental groups, the directory lists a wide range of non-governmental organiza­tions (NGOs), institutions and govern­ment departments and agencies with environmental responsibilities. The directory's greatest strength lies in its inclusion of the many hundreds of grass-roots associations that have sprung up across the country in recent years in response to environmental concerns at the local, regional and national levels. Many of these will not be found in any other directory. The Green List does have some shortcomings, however, which users should be aware of. Subject access is limited to thirty-one subject headings in the directory's Index by Environmental Issues and Topics. The organizations themselves were responsible for select­ing a maximum of three headings under which they wished to be listed in this index, although their activities and services may include additional issue and topics. Fully one quarter of the subject headings are out of alphabetical order, only half of the headings are derived from standard subject authori­ties, and no subject cross-references are provided. Searching in the directory for organizations by subject will therefore prove to be unsatisfactory in some cases. The directory also has an alphabetical index and a provincial index that lists organizations by province and territory only. The national headquarters of larger organizations appear under the province in which they are located, but regional offices are not always included. By comparison, indexing in the 1991-1992 edition of Directory of Associations in Canada (Micromedia) is far superior. Its comprehensive keyword index includes many more environmental subject headings as well as keywords derived from the names of the organizations. In addition, it provides indexes to acro­nyms, personal names and forthcoming conferences, and cross-references from former names of organizations to the names currently in use. Sources: The Directory of Contacts for Editors, Reporters and Researchers (Barrie Zwicker) also has better subject indexing to environmental groups listed in it. The latter two directories list some environmental organizations omitted from The Green List. The Canadian Acid Precipitation Foundation and Canadian Coalition on Acid Rain, for example, are not included among the eighty some organizations listed under ACID PRECIPITATION. The Ontario Teachers' Federation didn't win a berth either, although it has co-sponsored with CIDA the highly re­garded project, Education for & Global Perspective. Also missing is the Grand Council of the Crees of Quebec, a group deeply involved in a major environmen­tal issue. Many other native Canadian organizations and councils involved in environmental issues are included, however. A few of the organizations appearing in The Green List would appear to have tenuous links with environmental causes. Under the curious subject heading ENERGY — CONSERVATION AND RENEWABLES one finds listed the Church of Reformed Druids and the Federation of Russian Canadians (a self-acknowledged cultural association with a choir). In spite of these caveats. The Green List will be a valuable addition to environmental collections and should be on every library's reference shelf. Users, however, should also consult the other directories mentioned. John Wright, John F. Ross Collegiate and Vocational Institute, Guelph, Ont.