GREATER LOS ANGELES GREEN PAGES: The Local...

GREATER LOS ANGELES GREEN PAGES: The Local Handbook for Planet Maintenance edited by Stephen C. Evans (Environment Now and Green Media Group: $14.95; 374 pp., paperback original); THE ACTIVIST’S ALMANAC: The Concerned Citizen’s Guide to the Leading Advocacy Organizations in America by David Walls (Fireside: $18.; 430 pp., paperback original); HOW TO SAVE YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD, CITY, OR TOWN: The Sierra Club Guide to Community Organizing by Maritza Pick (Sierra Club Books: $12.; 214 pp., illustrated, paperback original). Readers who want to lead more environmentally conscious lives will find the information needed to act on their resolutions in these three books. The authors of “Green Pages” use brief essays, listings and cross-references to explain how to locate and utilize the extraordinary array of resources available to Southern California residents. The region that was once synonymous with smog boasts literally thousands of ecologically oriented businesses, organizations, help lines, etc., from Heal the Bay and the Tree People to organic food suppliers and solar equipment dealers. This well-organized and attractively designed reference book merits a place in every local household. Walls’ “Activist’s Almanac” offers brief, thoughtful profiles of the major advocacy organizations in the United States. Organized around discussions of such key topics as the environment, human rights and gender and sexuality, these profiles include the budget of each group, with notes on what percentage of the money is spent on administration, fund raising and programs. Although most of the organizations espouse liberal causes, Walls includes the Eagle Forum, the Heritage Foundation and other conservative bodies. Concerned readers who want to ascertain which organizations have the most reliable reputations or most clearly articulated philosophies should consult this volume. Pick’s informal guide is designed to help citizens “think locally, act vocally” and organize a local advocacy group. At times, she makes some of the problems inherent in setting up a organization seem simpler than they are, but readers incensed at plans to construct an out-sized mansion or an unneeded mall in their neighborhood will find her step-by-step suggestions useful.