Very useful guide to gardening and do it yourself, good for the environment projects. I would recommend for a beginner who needs a launching point or inspiration. ( )

A great guide for anyone wanting to do more: First, if you're looking for a comprehensive guide to green living, skip this one. It isn't a comprehensive guide, and it doesn't bill itself as such. It does what it claims to do -- gives you "slices" of organic life. It's great for families like mine who can't do everything but want to do SOMETHING. I think that it is very well-organized for it's mission -- to give people ways to incorporate organic and sustainable living into their daily lives. It is organized by lifestyle -- for those with apartments, small yards, or lots of open space. The ideas range from truly simple solutions (baking your own bread, choosing earth-friendly cleaning products) to the more adventurous (keeping honeybees and chickens). I really love this book. It's an attractively put together and well-organized learning experience.

I borrowed this book from my local library. It's got simple and straight forward ideas for people who want to work towards a more organic lifestyle without a clue how to do it. It is in no way overwhelming and I have actually used a few ideas in it already. It has ideas from growing some lettuce on the windowsill or strawberries in a hanging basket, preserving, baking, saving energy, collecting rainwater, having an animal or two if you are so inclined, chickens for eggs, perhaps a milking animal. Even how to have a BBQ without owning one, I've done that too. ( )

A Slice of Organic Life gives projects and advice to help people become more self-sufficient.

The book is divided into three parts, the first for people who have no yard, the second for those who have a roof terrace, patio, or tiny yard, and the third for those who have a yard community garden or field.

The advice is not thorough, but enough is given to pursue the project. The reader will need other resources to go in depth on any of these projects.

The photographs, many of them full page or even two pages are beautiful, and make it a joy to peruse the book. There is a helpful directory of websites and addresses at the end of the book. ( )

"A slice of organic life" is yet another book of the back to basics movement. The author gives you a broad overview on what you can do to become part of the organic life. Along with that the book has tons of beautiful pictures which makes it very nice to look at and will probably have you wanting to start your own farm today. Nevertheless the author assures you that you don't have to live in the country to put at least some of her ideas into practice.
Some of the topics covered include:

Energy Saving

Natural Cosmetics

Support local businesses

Reduce, reuse, recycle

Bake Bread

Beekeeping

Grow your own herbs, fruit & vegetables

Raise pigs, chicken, ducks and cows

Although it's a bigger book with 352 pages, the author only touches briefly on every topic. For the beginner this would make a great introduction into what's possible in the organic world. If you are, however, looking for more in depth and How-To information you should look for a different book. ( )