REVIEW OF SIERRA CLUB BOOKS
A Book Review By Hal Fox
The Sierra Club Books, 100 Bush Street, 13th Floor, San Francisco, CA 95104, kindly sent me a copy of their latest book catalog and a review copy of "The Sierra Club Green Guide".
In their book catalog there were two energy-related books offered: "The Home Energy Decision Book", by Gigi Coe, Michael Garland, & Michael Eaton, ISBN: 0-87156-816-X for $9.95, and "Creative Energy, Bearing Witness for the Earth", by Thomas Berry, ISBN 0-87156-622-2, a 96-page essay on the author's "abhorrence of self-serving, anthropocentric activity rooted in the narrow focus of religion and science."
When renewable, non-polluting energy is such an important part for the future of a clean, green world, the Sierra Book Clubs appear to have scant offerings. However, they did a better job in the book, "The Sierra Club Green Guide, Everybody's Desk Reference to Environmental Information", by Andrew J. Feldman. The following is a review of the "Green Guide":
As promoted on the cover, the Green Guide provides information "featuring more than 1200 essential resources, including Internet Sites, Bulletin Board Systems, and Electronic Databases to help you answer any environmental question." The Chapters in this $25, 304-page paperback (ISBN 087156-471-8) include the following in two parts: Part One - Environmental Issues, the first 188 pages include the following chapters: General, Agriculture, Air, Biodiversity, Energy, Environmental Justice, Health and Toxics, Sustainable Communities, Waste, and Water; Part Two - Green Living (pages 189 to 246) includes chapters on: Architecture, Education, Employment, Gardening, Grants, Investing, Shopping, and Travel. The book has three appendices (Federal Information Centers, Database Vendors, and Publishers (a ten-page list in three columns), and a good index (21 pages, 3 columns).
For those goals and objectives championed by the Sierra Club that include aiding the environment, the topic of most interest to our newsletter is Energy. The "Sierra Club Green Guide" provides a sixteen page chapter on Energy. The 23 listings range through Government Clearinghouses, Organizations, Internet Sites, Bulletin Boards, Directories, Bibliographies, Reference Handbooks, Introductory Reading, Abstracts and Indices, and Periodicals. Many of the citations are for alternative energy and nuclear power (both for and against). Solar, Wind, and Alternative Fuels are listed. There are many excellent citations for these topics that are covered and the reader will find this energy guide useful in tracking down sources of information on standard and alternative energy. However, after seven years of research and development of cold fusion, not one citation is listed in the index. Not one organization nor one publisher is listed that provides information on cold fusion, magnetic energy, free energy, or any of the more recent developments in tapping the energy of space.
These emerging technologies that are being commercialized in 1996 are nowhere mentioned in the Sierra Club Green Guide, which bears a 1996 copyright date. We believe that it will be environmental organizations who will be some of the major promoters of the coming energy revolution, as soon as they find out that such a technological revolution is happening AND THAT SUCH NEW-ENERGY TECHNOLOGY WILL BE DRAMATICALLY IMPORTANT IN CLEANING UP THE ENVIRONMENT. We will be suggesting to Sierra Club Books that they include the following information in their next edition of "The Sierra Club Green Guide:"
Books:
"Fire From Ice," by Eugene Mallove, John Wiley & Sons, c1991, ISBN 0-471-53139-1.
"Cold Fusion Impact in the Enhanced Energy Age," by Hal Fox, Fusion Information Center, c1992, ISBN 0-963-49780-4, with its over 2500 references on diskette.
"Space Energy Impact in the 21st Century," by Hal Fox, Fusion Information Center, c1996, in press, with its over 3000 references on diskette.
"The Coming Energy Revolution," by Jeane Manning, c1996, Avery Publishing Group.
Publications:
"Infinite Energy," edited/published by Eugene Mallove;
"Fusion Facts," a monthly newsletter edited by Hal Fox;
"Cold Fusion Times," quarterly newsletter edited/published by Mitchell Swartz;
"Cold Fusion," edited/published by Wayne Green;
"New Energy News," a monthly newsletter edited by Hal Fox;
"Fusion Technology," an international journal for the American Nuclear Society, edited by George Miley;
"Planetary Association for Clear Energy Newsletter," edited by Andrew Michrowski, Ontario, Canada; and
"The Journal for New Energy," published by Fusion Information Center.
Organizations:
Institute for New Energy, P.O. Box 58639, Salt Lake City, Utah 84158;
Academy for New Energy, 1304 S. College Ave., Fort Collins, Colorado 80524;
Planetary Association for Clean Energy, 100 Bronson Ave, #1001, Ottawa, Ontario K1R 6G8, Canada.
Internet:
Institute for New Energy Home Page: www.padrak.com/ine/ which contains many important scientific papers and current reports on all areas of new-energy research.
Those of you who are interested in finding more information about environmental and clean energy related topics are urged to obtain a copy of The Sierra Club Green Guide. However, suggest that they update their Energy chapter.