Green book of the week: Green Tea Living by Toshimi A. Kayaki (and a giveaway!)

Today we review a green book that can be a good fit to anyone who wants to make simple changes towards a healthier and more enjoyable lifestyle.

Our book is:

Green Tea Living: A Japan-Inspired Guide to Eco-friendly Habits, Health, and Happiness

Author: Toshimi A. Kayaki

Toshimi A. Kayaki was born and raised in Japan. After college, she worked at an advertising company. Later she moved to Hollywood where she wrote for a magazine and researched her first book. Upon returning to Japan, she published There's No Job a Woman Can't Do. She moved to the USA again in 1989. She has written for newspapers, magazines, and advertising, and has reported for both radio and TV. Kayaki has published 23 books, mostly about cultural comparisons, women's issues, housekeeping hints, and self-improvement. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband Sam and son Julian. She also has a son, Nicholas, who resides in Japan.

Illustrator: Miyuki Matsuo

Publisher: Stone Bridge Press

Published on: January 2010

What this book is about? (from the publisher's website)

Starting with the notion that some traditions—like drinking green tea for health and mental acuity—embody timeless wisdom for living, Toshimi A. Kayaki offers dozens of wise old Japanese ways for improving how you look and feel while respecting nature and the environment. Carry your own pair of chopsticks, wear five-toe socks, eat salty plums, use rice water as floor wax, do “eco-laundry,” and always set aside 10 percent for savings . . . you get the idea. By leading a “green tea life,” you’ll help yourself and the planet.

What we think about it?

On the back cover of the book it's written "Over 110 Japan-inspired ideas to help you live better and create a more beautiful world". This is definitely a reliable description, but this book is much more than just X amount of tips. It is a clear mirror, showing us just how unhealthy and unsustainable our life are.

In the western world we got to a certain way of living, which in general is bad for our health, bad for our soul, bad for our our communities and bad for our environment. So why do we keep doing it? because this is what we know and we are not familiar with a better option. Well, Miyuki Matsuo has one for us - the Japanese way.

Now, don't get it wrong - this is not the book that offers you a magical change in your life and happiness for ever and ever just by embracing these tips. Also, you have to remember that happiness can be a tricky concept - according to a research done by professor Ruut VeenhovenWorld Database of Happiness at Erasmus University Rotterdam, Japan is only on the 46th place with 6.3 points in the ranking of the happiest nations, where the USA is far ahead on the 17th place with 7.4 points. who runs the

So what 'Green Tea Living' offers you? It offers a vision of the way things could be - a vision living better by following old traditions that proved themselves hundreds of years. Even if you don't implement all the tips in the book, you will find that if you embrace the vision and you're ready to open yourself to different way of thinking, things can definitely get much better.

Bottom Line: A great book. Very recommended for everyone who is looking to be healthier, happier and more eco-frinedly.

Disclosure: We received a copy of this book from the author.

GIVEAWAY ALERT!!

We're giving away our review copy of the book and of course a tree will be planted for the copy!

How you can win? Please add a comment below with an answer the following question: What's your tip for better life? Submissions are accepted until next Sunday, May 2nd, 12PM EST. The winner will be announced the following day.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading!