Green Careers: You Can Make Money and Save the Planet. Jennifer Power Scott. Montreal, PQ: Lobster Press, 2010. 240 pp., pbk., $16.95. ISBN 978-1-897550-18-2. Subject Headings: Environmental protection-Juvenile literature. Environmental responsibility-Juvenile literature. Environmental protection-Vocational guidance-Juvenile literature. Grades 7-11 / Ages 12-16. Review by Suzanne Pierson. ***½ /4 Reviewed from Advance Reading Copy.

excerpt:

The Million-Dollar Garbage Man

Tom Szaky, CEO, TerraCycle

Do you think it's possible to build a $35-million empire on worm poop and garbage?

Tom Szaky believed it could happen. Yes, he was convinced his stinky, sticky idea could spell big-time dollars. He was committed to it. He didn't give up. And now, at the age of 26, the guy with the boyish grin and spiky brown hair is founder and CEO of TerraCycle, Inc., one of the hottest, most exciting eco-businesses in North America.

This well-written and accessible collection of stories from young people who have found or created careers with some environmental connection is full of valuable Canadian and global information, advice, ideas, and inspiration designed to help students make informed choices in a variety of green careers areas.

      The main text consists of stories about 30 young people who are currently earning an income (or about to) in fields as diverse as fashion, cosmetics, housing, architecture, food, education, medicine, conservation, and politics. Profiles, stories, and sidebars are grouped in chapters with the headings Eco-Entrepreneurs, Urban Green, Building Green, The Green Ticket, Sub-Saharan, Wild Things, Organically Yours, and Eco-Health.

      The book also contains an index and resources for career-planning follow-up. Walking the talk, Green Careers will be printed using soy-based ink on certified FSC paper.

      The promotional material accompanying the book sums it up best.

In this book, we meet inspiring, impassioned people who love being a part of the environmental job market. Turning worm poop into multi-million-dollar empires. Flying airplanes through hurricanes. Using flowers and trees to brighten the lives of kids and ex-cons. Staring down grizzly bears in the Canadian Rockies. Saving chimps in Tanzania. And strutting their hip eco-friendly frocks on the streets of Hollywood. From the icebergs of the Arctic Ocean to the jungles of Africa, these bold eco-pioneers will show readers how to help save the planet …… and earn a paycheck at the same time.

Highly Recommended.

Suzanne Pierson, a retired teacher-librarian, is currently instructing Librarianship courses at Queen's University in Kingston, ON.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

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Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

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