How to green your St. Patrick's Day?

Today is St. Patrick's Day, which I guess is the greenest holiday of all, except Earth Day and Arbor Day, at least in terms of customs.

Did you know that even though in the U.S it's customary to wear green on St. Patrick's Day, in Ireland the color was long considered to be unlucky? I read on National Geographic an interesting explanation of Bridget Haggerty, author of The Traditional Irish Wedding and the Irish Culture and Customs Web site, who said that Irish folklore holds that green is the favorite color of the Good People (the proper name for faeries). They are likely to steal people, especially children, who wear too much of the color.

Well, this is just folklore (in any case check out for the Good People :-), but this is definitely a green day, and it can be even greener than just wearing green and drinking a pint of Guinness out of a green glass.

How exactly? well, fortunately we have our good friends Lynn Colwell and Corey Colwell-Lipson of Celebrating Green, who wrote a great piece on CW11 with recommendations how to green your St. Patty's Day. You can find it at http://kstw.com:80/projectgreen/St.Patricks.Day.2.955187.html

Have a great and green celebration!
Raz @ Eco-Libris
www.ecolibris.net

And the winner in a copy of 'Celebrate Green!' is...

Thank you for all the participants in our giveaway of the book 'Celebrate Green' by by Corey Colwell-Lipson & Lynn Colwell we reviewed last Monday.

We got many comments with great ideas on how to green your holidays and celebrations. I found in these comments not only creativity, but also a lot of satisfaction and fun which are all important parts in making these green steps attractive to all the people who would like to go green on the holidays but fear that it involves a great effort or that it's much more expensive. The same lessons are of course integrated in the book and therefore makes it not only a great guide but also a great gift to family and friends!

And the winner in our giveaway is tiff, who wrote the following:

first, i've been making handmade items to give away as gifts such as knitted scarves, mittens and hats which is perfect for the upcoming winter season. i like to wrap the gifts in recycled newspaper and colorful ads from magazines or even fun sunday comic pages to make it more interesting!

Congrats tiff! As part of the giveaway, Eco-Libris will plant a tree for this book and we'll send tiff with the book our "One tree planted for this book" sticker.

And don't forget that if you buy the book on Celebrate Green! website, you will be offered to plant a tree with your copy of Celebrate Green!.

Yours,

Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: plant a tree for every book you read!

Monday's green books: Celebrate Green! (and a giveaway of the book)

After a short break of one week we're back with our beloved Monday's green books series, and today we're celebrating! Our book today is:

"Celebrate Green! Creating Eco-Savvy Holidays, Celebrations & Traditions for the Whole Family" by Corey Colwell-Lipson & Lynn Colwell

Few weeks ago we announced here on our collaboration with the authors (buyers of the book on the Celebrate Green! website are offered to plant a tree with their copy of Celebrate Green!) and today we're happy to review the book and to give away one copy of it.

I read quite a few guides for green living in the last year or so, but this is the first guide I know that is focused on holidays and celebrations. Why? the authors explain: "the reason it's important to green up our celebrations is that holidays and special days are plentiful...holidays and special days don't happen on one day only in one place; they occur throughout the year in homes, schools, and places of work across the globe." (p. 20)

I have to say I like the concept. Firstly, holidays and celebrations are many times part of traditions, whether these are on personal, family, local or national level. If we embed green practices into traditions, it will be much easier to pass them to the next generations. Second, holidays and celebrations require planning and giving some thought about the details, and hence provide an excellent opportunity to think and discuss the importance of green practices. Lynn Colwell and Corey Colwell-Lipson, a mother and daughter, started their green holidays journey on Halloween 2006 and this book is an important milestone on their green journey.

The book is covering various holidays, from Christmas and Hanukkah to Father's Day and St. Patrick's Day. It also talks about many types of celebrations such as baby showers, wedding anniversaries, office parties and so on. For each of these holidays and celebrations you will find many useful tips on how to green them up. Want an example? how about Halloween, the holiday where it all started for the authors and actually the nearest holiday on the calender..

So how to green up your Halloween? it starts with choosing eco-friendly and/or people friendly treats and treasures. Also use the 3Rs when it comes to treats and treasures: reduce their amount (kids will cherish it more), recycle (make treasures from recycled materials) and reuse (stuff you don't need can be great treasures). You will also find recommendations on green party favors and prizes, eco-friendly costumes, tips on hosting a Green Halloween party and more.

One important thing is that the book try to keep it real. Not too much complicated stuff and many ideas that can fit everyone - from the busiest people to those who have all the time in the world. Still, the authors don't pretend green celebrations can be made at no time and make sure you will understand that it requires planning to have a successful green holiday or party. They also show you how green alternatives don't have to be necessarily costly, as many people may assume mistakenly. Anyone who will implement the 3Rs for any of the holidays will find that you can actually "save some green while going green".

So if you are kind of person (and who doesn't) who likes to celebrate and enjoy the holidays and at the same time care about the environment and your footprint this is defenitely the book for you! Add to it the facts that Celebrate Green! is printed on 30% recycled and 70% FSC certified paper, collaborating with Eco-Libris and a portion of the proceeds from the book benefit Treeswing and Healthy Child, Healthy World and you've also a great green and affordable gift to give on the holidays.

GIVEAWAY ALERT!!!

We are giving away our review copy of Celebrate Green! How do you get a chance to win it? all you have to do is to add a comment below with a story or advice of yours on how to make holidays and celebrations more eco-friendly. If you have a tip or a story about Halloween that would be great!

Submissions are accepted until Sunday, November 2, 12PM EST. We will pick the comment we liked best and the winner will be announced the following day.

And don't forget to check out these websites:

Celebrate Green! website - http://www.celebrategreen.net

More suggestions on how to green your Halloween - http://www.greenhalloween.org

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris
www.ecolibris.net

A new book is celebrating green (and Eco-Libris takes part as well)!

A great new green book is out there and it's one big green celebration! I'm referring of course to "Celebrate Green! Creating Eco-Savvy Holidays, Celebrations & Traditions for the Whole Family" by Corey Colwell-Lipson & Lynn Colwell.

And the authors are also collaborating with Eco-Libris: Although Celebrate Green! is already printed on 30% recycled and 70% FSC certified paper, the authors have teamed up with Eco-Libris to make a even a greater positive impact on the environment. Buyers of the book on the Celebrate Green! website are offered to purchase an Eco-Libris sticker along with each Celebrate Green! book they buy, to plant one tree for it in a developing country. It's simple, spend a dollar, plant a tree and when your book arrives, look for the Eco-Libris sticker on the back.

Also, a portion of the proceeds from Celebrate Green! benefit Treeswing and Healthy Child, Healthy World.

So what's this book is about? maybe the best way to describe it is by presenting what others wrote on the book:

“Celebrate Green! is a wake up call — and it’s a fun, engaging read, jam-packed with hints, how-to’s and humor. Whether you’re an old hand at thinking green or a total neophyte, Lynn and Corey will help you understand why your choices are so important and energize you, too. You’ll discover simple steps to align your life with a healthy Earth, while deepening the meaning and the joy of your celebrations.” Frances Moore Lappé, author of Diet for a Small Planet and Getting a Grip: Clarity, Creativity and Courage in a World Gone Mad

"Corey and Lynn make creating eco-savvy celebrations a cinch. Packed with powerful information and practical strategies, Celebrate Green! maps out simple and straightforward ways to honor what’s good for people, the planet, and communities throughout the year. I love how the authors balance fascinating statistics and the “why” behind going green with some of the most creative and “do-able” ideas I’ve ever seen. They have proven that making memories and making a difference can blissfully coexist in our holidays and traditions. Celebrate Green! is an ideal guidebook to help you live—and celebrate—with intention.” Deanna Davis, PhD, Author of Living With Intention

“Wow, wow, WOW! The book Corey and Lynn have created is itself a glorious celebration--of imagination, innovation, and most important of all, beauty. With their savvy guidance we discover how to celebrate in loving ways that nourish our souls and enrich our relationships, while also tending to the health of our global future. What a wonderful way for a new generation to learn to celebrate “with small footprints” on our shared mother, planet Earth!” Marcy Axness, Ph.D., author of Raising Generation PAX

We are going to review the book in the next couple of weeks, so stay tuned. For more information on the book, please check Celebrate Green! website - http://www.celebrategreen.net

If you want to meet the authors, Corey and Lynn will sign their book in two events that will take place in the next couple of days:

October 4-5, 2008 - Salmon Days Festival

October 7, 2008 - Green October event at Seattle City Hall

Enjoy the book,
Raz @ Eco-Libirs

Plant a tree for every book you read!