Green book review week - part 1: The Green Year: 365 Small Things You Can Do to Make a Big Difference

We start our green book review week one day late due to technical issues, so today we'll have two reviews of green books. And we start with a book that is targeted at those who want to make a big difference but in small steps. From what we see and hear on the news about the G8 and from other examples all over the globe, it looks like the concept of this book is relevant more than ever.

Our book today is:

The Green Year: 365 Small Things You Can Do to Make a Big Difference

Author: Jodi Helmer

Jodi Helmer is a freelance writer who specializes in writing about eco-friendly topics. Her work has appeared in Plenty, Yoga Journal, Women’s Health, Woman’s Day, American Fitness, Women’s Health and Fitness, Oxygen, Hemispheres, Parents, US Airways Magazine, Modern Bride, Parenting, Christian Science Monitor, USA Weekend, Better Nutrition and the Portland Tribune. Helmer is a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) and moderated the panel, Environmental Journalism: Writing Green at the 2008 ASJA conference in New York.

Publisher: Alpha Books/ Penguin Group (USA)

Published on: December 2008

What this book is about? (from the the publisher's website)
Most of us want to do the right thing for the environment, but making the commitment to change our fast-paced, convenience-oriented lifestyles can be more than a little daunting. What’s the answer? Take that giant commitment and cut it up into 365 little commitments that get met one day at a time. The Green Year does just that. More than a calendar, it offers simple, practical, affordable, and engaging activities that make going green a blessing rather than a burden.

In addition to these easy green suggestions, readers will find in The Green Year:
•The “why” behind each activity—what makes it good for the environment and the reader?
•A quick “how-to” for any activity that requires it
•Room for readers to write in their own creative Alternatives
•Helpful illustrations

What we think about it?
I am a great believer in the concept of small steps that make a difference. Some might see taking small steps as doing too little for solving big problems, and that's where 'The Green Year' can help.

The book provides a road map to a real change in people's lifestyle in small steps that eventually accumulate to a significant change. Of course not each and every tip of the 365 tips in the book can work for everyone and that's why like the fact the author left space at the bottom of each tip for adding 'An alternative to this idea that works better for me' - this is the kind of flexibility that encourages people to engage in.

The main strength of the book is its ability to refute two common myths: going green is complicated and expensive. The tips Helmer provides on her book are usually pretty easy and won't take more than a couple of minutes, like "Change the setting on your printer" (March 30), "Opt for a fountain drink instead of a bottle or can of soda" (September 18), or "Switch from a lighter to matches" (October 24). Many of the tips won't cost you anything, like "Take your own mug to the coffee shop" (April 24). Some of them can actually save you money such as "Check your car tires for wear and tear" (May 8).

The book is organized as calendar and many tips are related to their time of the year like tips on greening your garden in April. One thing I was missing was a table of contents that would make the search inside the book much more easier.

Bottom Line: It's a valuable guide and a great gift, especially for those who want to go green but don't know really where to start, or those who want to it one step at a time.

GIVEAWAY ALERT!!!

We're giving away one copy of the book, courtesy of the book's publicist, and of course a tree will be planted for the copy!

How you can win? please add a comment below with a tip of your own - one small step to go green that you successfully adopted. Submissions are accepted until Tuesday, July 21, 12PM EST. The winner will be announced the following day.

If you're looking for other interesting green-themed books, you are invited to check out our green books page on our website's green resources section.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting green printing

Monday's green books series: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Green Cleaning, 2nd Edition

Do you like cleaning? my guess is that you don't. But cleaning is one of the things almost everybody does, like it or not, and it's like a Trojan Horse that brings into your home a lot of chemicals you wouldn't really like to be around.

So what do you do? you can find the answer/s on our latest book on Monday's green books series.

Our book for today is:

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Green Cleaning, 2nd Edition

Author: Mary Findley and Linda Formichelli

Mary Findley is is a veteran cleaning expert and president of the Mary Moppins Company. A leading cleaning expert in the RV industry, she shares her proven tips at her well-received seminars as well as through magazine and newspaper articles and newsletters. her customers.

Linda Formichelli is the co-author of several books. She's also written for more than 120 magazines, including Family Circle, Woman's Day, Woman's World, USA Weekend, Fitness, and Psychology Today.

Publisher: Alpha Books

Published on: March 2009 (first edition was published on March 2006)

What it is about (from the publisher's website):
Become a green cleaning machine. Fully updated and revised to focus on cleaning the “green” way—naturally, with no chemicals—this guide takes readers room-by- room, teaching them how to clean thoroughly, efficiently, and in an environmentally sound way. New and expanded coverage includes info on making small changes that have a huge impact on cleaning difficult areas, green-ifying personal care products, and more.

The book provides specific cleaning hints and teaches how to clean quickly and efficiently. It uses only common ingredients, but also provides suggestions for alternatives that readers might like better

Why you should get it:
1. Some people believe that green cleaning is a time consuming activity and therefore prefer to skip it, but this book's promise is to teach you how to clean quickly, efficiently and of course in an eco-friendly manner. Could it be better?

2. Actually yes. Usually, when you use natural materials such as baking soda (the queen of green cleaning), lemon juice, vinegar and so on for cleaning, you will find that you also save money. So if you were wondering if there's an added value to these tips versus using green cleaning products (which is a good option as well), this is one of the main ones - you will save a lot of money this way.

3. Stains! This is something I find really annoying (who doesn't), and I need to deal with it on daily basis these days thanks to a cute 9-month baby. Now, this book includes Mary's A-Z stain removal guide that teaches you "not only how to remove each stain from eight different surfaces but also nifty tricks for blotting and handling large liquid spills in carpeting." I can definitely use nifty tricks and I'm sure many parents can find them useful as well.

What others say about the book (its first edition):

"I was looking forward to reading Mary Findley and Linda Formichelli's "Complete Idiot's Guide to Cleaning" in the hopes that it might provide some cleaning solutions that didn't require either serious scrubbing or harsh, toxic chemicals--things that don't go well with my tendonitis and allergies.

That, of course, is a tall order, and one that I didn't really expect the book to fulfill. However, it succeeded beyond my wildest dreams. Mary Findley is a huge proponent of safe, non-toxic, biodegradable cleaning solutions using, when possible, everyday easy-to-find supplies. Of course, I figured there'd be a price for this. After all, why would people make and buy expensive, harsh, dangerous chemicals if things you could make out of vinegar, water, and a couple of other everyday ingredients could do as good a job?

That's where the real shock came in. There's one all-purpose solution Mary recommends that involves water with a bit of vinegar and all-natural dish soap that knocks my socks off. Our stovetop was in pretty sad shape and I was sure it was going to take a ton of scrubbing to get it clean. I sprayed this stuff on, let it sit, then wiped it off with a terrycloth towel. And the gunk came right off with it." H. Grove from Maryland (from the book's web page)

If you're looking for other interesting green-themed books, you are invited to check out our green books page on our website's green resources section.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Plant a tree for every book you read!