Energy: Use Less, Save More is part of a new series of environmental guides which include issues on water, composting, and recycling. These nifty little guides are designed to help people save both money and the environment by conserving the resources they use.

Like other books in the series, this book is small enough to be read at one sitting and portable enough to carry around. The attractive cover art features a stylized light bulb against a bright red background. Multi-colored pages and well-laid out text and images give the book a calm, meditative air.

This slim volume consists of short chapters entitled “Lighting”, “Cooking” and “Washing dishes,” for example. Each chapter contains a list of simple steps one can take to conserve energy. Many of these tips cost little to nothing and are easy to implement.

The authors have interspersed interesting facts with tips on how to use energy more efficiently. For example, did you know that two-thirds of a home’s energy bill comes from winter home heating? Or that as much as one-fourth of the energy used for heating homes escapes through single-glazed windows?

The book offers useful suggestions on everything from cooking and bathing to insulating a home, tips geared toward a pre-teen or adult who has recently become interested in learning about energy conservation rather than toward someone seeking detailed, how-to information. This is a nicely executed series of books that manage to educate and inspire without seeming preachy or judgmental.