Coming Clean: Breaking America's Addiction to Oil and Coal

As the international director of the campaign to stop one of the dirtiest oils in the world from perpetuating the American oil addiction (i.e., tar sands oil from Alberta, the second largest oil reserve in the world), I'm constantly reading books on coal, oil, and global warming. This book by Michael Brune is one of the first that I've read that is actually a pleasure to read (despite the subject matter). Michael's writing style is crisp with active tense, great little vignettes, and a little humor thrown in to keep you from getting depressed. Each chapter contains the juiciest and most relevant facts, great examples of what other countries or industries are doing to end the fossil fuel habit, and very specific ways to learn more and take action. I highly recommend this book! Michael Marx, Executive Director, Corporate Ethics International.

Coming Clean hits all the right notes. In his first book, Michael Brune meets the challenges of a climate in crisis and an imperiled environment head on. Brune offers hope to those feeling helpless and overwhelmed by climate change and our global addiction to fossil fuels. More than just another primer on the most urgent environmental issues of the day (though it fills that niche effectively), Coming Clean offers easy steps that any citizen can take to help usher in a clean energy economy. Coming Clean isn't another environmental treatise accessible only to the academic elite. This book is for the rest of us. Every chapter engages the reader by putting a human face on complex issues ranging from oil and coal to biofuels to building a safer, more efficient mass transit system. If you ever wanted to make a difference but weren't sure how to get started, pick up a copy of Coming Clean and create an environmental legacy you'll be proud to leave to the next generation.

"Coming Clean" offers real solutions to our current energy crisis. It should be required reading of ALL corporate CEO's and politicians. If only we, as a nation, would heed the warnings and act on the sound advice offered by experts, we could lead the world in use of clean energy and in making the billions that would be connected to the new industries created. I will be leaving this book out for any of my guests and friends to see and comment upon.

Coming Clean is an important book that is a really great read for anyone who wants to understand why America is addicted to oil and coal, and more importantly, learn how people are fighting for a clean energy future that will be good for our country, our economy, and the planet as a whole. Even more importantly, you'll learn about many ways you can get involved and be a part of the solution yourself. I really liked Coming Clean's focus on vision and action, combined with its hopeful tone giving a sense of what is possible and plenty of inspiration and tools as promised on the cover. I started using the Take Action and Resources sections before I even finished the book. I also found there to be a lot more useful nuts and bolts and thought-provoking information and statistics in this book than other more challenges-focused books that tend to be overloaded with less essential info (and that for me usually start to feel onerous around the halfway to 2/3 mark). In contrast, Coming Clean is lean and focused with clarity of purpose. There's great use of humor and engaging stories of people making a difference that make it an enjoyable, quick read. But once you are finished, you will likely be inspired enough to return to it often to utilize its many tools for taking both individual and collective action.

I thoroughly enjoyed Coming Clean! Michael Brune writes about complex issues of climate change and energy in an accessible, engaging way. The book is chock full of information - it clearly presents the problems we're facing, but it doesn't make you feel hopeless. Brune tells fascinating stories with an insider's view of past activism to stop major corporations from destroying our environment, as well as stories of regular people taking action in their communities. Every couple of pages, I found myself jumping out of my seat to share something with my boyfriend or whoever happened to be nearby at the time. I love that every chapter gives you things you can do right away to address the issues raised in that chapter. It's a very empowering and affirming read!