Green Book Reviews - Ready, Set, Green by Graham Hill & Meaghan O'Neill (+ Free Book Giveaway)

In it's own way, 'Ready, Set, Green: Eight Weeks to Modern Eco-Living' can become an important book. It is a well written introduction to green living, that covers the basics, answers the most common questions and busts some myths while at it. It also gives very specific action items to tick off over a well structured period of eight weeks.

Written by Graham Hill and Meaghan O'Neill of TreeHugger.com, one of the most popular on-line green Meccas, it gets credibility and potential audience among the site's wired following. Add to that the fact that about a year ago TreeHugger was acquired by Discovery Communications, owners of the Discovery Channel, and here's a chance for bona fide green mass media exposure.

That is why I was surprised to realize that I really need to look relatively hard in order to find mentions of the book on TreeHugger.com (small link in the navigation bar to the book's Amazon page, of all places) or Discovery's Planet Green website (it is featured only at the Discovery shop), and that's only two months since the publication date.

Approaching the book, I was reminded of the introduction to 'The Omnivore's Dilemma'. There, Michael Pollen was illustrating how convoluted our food culture has become, so that the answer to the most trivial of questions, “What should we have for dinner?” becomes a complex endeavor, with the answer changing from fad diet to the other:

Somehow this most elemental of activities—figuring out what

to eat—has come to require a remarkable amount of expert help. How

did we ever get to a point where we need investigative journalists to tell

us where our food comes from and nutritionists to determine the dinner

menu?” (The Omnivore's Dilemma, Page 1)

The current influx of green living how-to books is coming to answer an even more basic question, that of “How should we live?” Hill & O'Neill are not afraid to give an answer and chunk it down to a bite-sized “Eight Week to Modern Eco-Living” program, echoing the famous Eight Weeks to Optimum Health diet by alternative medicine's poster doctor, Andrew Weil.

Marketing and packaging aside, do they deliver? I think they do. Each of the eight weeks in this lifestyle diet is dedicated to another aspect of life, represented in one chapter each:

Week one: How to think like a TreeHugger – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Week Two: Food & Drink

Week Three: Cleaning and Interior Décor

Week Four: Transportation

Week Five: Greening Your Home – Energy Consumption, Water, and Building

Week Six: Clothing and Personal Care

Week Seven: At the Office

Week Eight: R&R (Travel, Sport, Entertainment), Volunteering, and Activism.

Each chapter has the look & feel of a mini school textbook on the topic, only much more enjoyable to read. True to the “more hip than hippy” TreeHugger.com style, the writing is clear, with added tables, lists, illustrations and Q&A expert sections, that are actually on topic help divide the information into digestible bits.

The action items are at the end of each chapter and are divided to two types.

“Save the Planet in Thirty Minutes or Less” action items are what Ed Begley Jr. likes to call 'the low hanging fruits'. These are fairly easy and immediate ways to make a different, like starting to use a reusable coffee cup that week, or switching to at least one Earth-friendly house cleaning product.

The second type of action items are “So you Want to Do More” and are relatively deeper or more difficult commitments. Choosing apparel made of hemp or bamboo doesn't sound so difficult and life-changing, but becoming a Client Project ambassador certainly is.

All in all these actions can add up. Every reader that follows this eight week program, and adopts only the 30 minute fix-its, would be making a significant positive change in their life, and will be doing a thousand times more than most people to help reverse climate change.

But like changing your diet according to a set regime, the outline is useful only as far as there are strong personal motivations and commitments to take the plunge. I believe that these kind of lifestyle eco-diets are going to be successful in making a difference on a large scale only if there is enough support for the individual who pledged to go for it. I am talking about the likes of support groups a-la “weight watchers” and specialized 8-week eco-coaches to those who can afford it. Heck, why not a relaxation tape with subliminal messages reminding you not to leave the travel mug at home while at it? One thing is certain, we need all the help we can get.

Title: Ready, Set, Green: Eight Weeks to Modern Eco-Living

Authors: Graham Hill and Meaghan O'Neill

Publisher: Villard (a Random House imprint)

Published: May, 2008

Pages: 240

GIVEAWAY GIVEAWAY GIVEAWAY

One lucky reader can receive a free copy of the book directly from yours truly. This review copy has been with me the last few weeks in bus stops, the beach and the kitchen table, so expect reasonable wear and tear and an Eco-Libris sticker. Yep, we'll plant a tree to balance out the paper used in making this copy.

How to win? Simply – write a comment below, suggesting ingenious ways of convincing a reluctant domestic partner to join and support you in the eight weeks commitment. Good luck :)

[submissions accepted until Saturday, 12PM PST. The winner will be announced the following day]

Eylon @ Eco-Libris

Plant a Tree for every Book you Read!

Monday's green books series: The Green Parent

Today on our Monday's green books series, I'm reviewing a book that may look like it is aimed only at parents who are green or want to go green, but actually is relevant to all the parents who care about the quality of life of their children, both now and in the future. In other words, it's a book that will be of interest to (almost) every parent out there.

Our book for today is:

The Green Parent: A Kid-Friendly Guide to Earth-Friendly Living

Author: Jenn Savedge

Jennifer Savedge's articles have appeared in ePregnancy, iParenting.com, Carolina Parent, Healthy Living, as well as children's publications such as Appleseeds, Cobblestone, and Odyssey. Jenn lives with her husband and two daughters in Luray, VA. 'The Green Parent' is her first book.

Publisher: Kedzie Press

Published in: April 2008

What it is about:
'The Green Parent' is an extensive guide for parents who would like to green up their family's life style and teach their children about living green. 'The Green Parent' covers a variety of subjects that have environmental impacts - energy, water, garbage, pets, transportation, work, shopping and many more.

Each chapter is dedicated to a different subject and includes useful tips (how to make your own cleaning agents from natural ingredients), recommendations how to use your money wisely while going green (buy ENERGY STAR appliances), suggestions how to get your kids involved in the process of greening up (light patrol to help you remember to turn off the lights), information on relevant issues such as green labels and interview with green parents. Both parents and kids will learn ways to make the biggest impact, save the most money, and discover how making even the smallest of changes can make a big difference.

Why you should get it:

It sometimes not easy find the right ways to go green. It might be even harder as a parent. 'The Green Parent' is definitely a good guide to make this green journey easier.

One of the things I liked mostly about the book are the interviews, as Savedge conducted interviews with some very interesting green parents who talk about their personal experiences with their children. You can find in the book interviews with Kathleen Ridihalgh, who write the blog 'Great Green Tips', Leslie Garret, a journalist and author ('The Virtuous Consumer'), Corey Colwell-Lipson, founder of the organization 'Green Halloween', Bill McKibben, Colin Beaven ('No Man Impact') and others.

I'm not a parent yet, so I cannot relate yet to many of the parents-children issues that are brought up in the book, but I'm going to be a father very soon, so I am starting my journey into green parenthood. For me, one of the book's main strengths is that it shows new parents that being a green parent is not only for rich people with spare time. Many times it's just the opposite - buying less, buying used items, generating less waste, saving energy and water, recycling - all of these practices will save your family money and can be done even by parents with the busiest schedule. And the book is full of examples how to do it and great resources to receive further information.

And maybe most important part - the book tries to help parents with the million dollar question - how you promote environmental stewardship that does not sound like "eco-naggin" in the ears of the children? from the stories of the green parents in the interviews and tips of fun activities that will make green more understandable and attractive for kids to great suggestions on how to incorporate green into the kids' daily activities (how to make their lunch waste-free).

Last word - this book is my fave also because not only that it's printed on 100% PCW recycled paper (processed chlorine free, FSC-certified and manufactured using biogas), but it is also the first book to be published under the Kedzie Press' Million Tree-A-Thon initiative: for each book sold, Kedzie Press will plant one tree, in collaboration with Eco-Libris, with the goal of planting one million trees by December 2009. So we're very proud to plant a tree for each copy of 'The Green Parent' and to have our logo on the cover of the book.

What others say about it:
“In The Green Parent, author Jenn Savedge guides us through how to live "green" and pass that love and respect for the earth on to our children…Savedge writes with an infectious optimism that motivates us to change our ways and change the world in the process.” Leslie Garrett, journalist and author of The Virtuous Consumer, mother of three

"A great resource for updated details on green living - especially useful for parents who no longer have the time to stay in the loop on best practices." Sara Prout, Development Officer, Bainbridge Graduate Institute, mother of three

“This thoughtful must-have book for parents reminds us of the old Native American saying: We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors; we borrow it from our Children." Doug Farr, Author of Sustainable Urbanism: Urban Design with Nature

“The Green Parent is a fabulous read for parents who are trying to improve the health of the children, household, communities and planet!” Lee Welles, author of the Gaia Girls Book Series.

Want to learn more about the book? check out Jenn Savedge's blog: http://thegreenparent.blogspot.com/ and also watch her on NBC 4, Virginia: http://video.nbc4.com/player/?id=235603.

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

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

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

Monday's green book series: Living Like Ed

Today on our green books series we present a new book of Ed Begley, Jr., who was dubbed "the star of climate change" by Newsweek magazine . The book will be published tomorrow (Tuesday, February 19), so it's fresh from the oven (you can already pre-order a signed copy from Strand Bookstore).

Before we get to introducing the book, I would like to say that if you would like to meet Begley Jr. himself and you live in the New York area, you are welcome to an event with him at Strand Bookstore in NYC (828 Broadway on the corner of 12th st.) on Wednesday, February 20, 07:00PM - 08:30PM. Begley, Jr. will share in the event some of his ideas on how we can live green in NYC. This event is free and open to the public, and you will also be able to find there Eco-Libris stickers, as part of a new collaboration we start with Strand Bookstore.

So now that you know where you can meet Ed, it's time to introduce his new book:

Living Like Ed: A Guide to the Eco-Friendly Life

Author: Ed Begley, Jr.

Ed Begley, Jr., became a star for his convincing portrayal of the obsequious, socially awkward Dr. Erlich on the acclaimed television series "St. Elsewhere," a performance which earned him an Emmy nomination. The son of distinguished radio, television, and screen actor Ed Begley, the younger Begley made his acting debut at age 17 in an episode of "My Three Sons."

Later, he worked on the college and nightclub circuit as a standup comedian and then was a TV cameraman for a short while. During the '70s, Begley returned to acting and guest starred on several series, including "Happy Days" and "Starsky and Hutch." In film, he made his debut in the Disney comedy "Now You See Him, Now You Don't," and went on to play small roles in a couple more Walt Disney comedies.

Steadily employed in Hollywood as a supporting actor and occasional lead in television and feature films, Begley has displayed a broad range of talent that has allowed him to play anything from hippies to deadly villains in a variety of genres.

When not acting, Begley is a tireless promoter of environmental causes. He has also served as the Environmental Affairs Commissioner for the City of Los Angeles and on the boards of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, the Environmental Research Foundation, The Coalition for Clean Air, and the American Oceans Campaign. Begley's environmental efforts have earned him awards from the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Coalition for Clean Air.

As of 2007, Begley and his wife Rachelle Carson star in their own reality television series, Living With Ed, on the Home & Garden Television, focusing on their pursuits of sustainable living.

Furthering Begley’s pursuit of sustainability is his line of natural home cleaning products, Begley’s Best, "a terrific all-purpose cleaner designed to replace all other household cleaning products...made from extracts of pine, palm extract, de-acified citrus, maize, fermented sugar cane roots, and olive seeds. The ingredients are all natural, non-toxic and totally biodegradable in just 3 to 7 days."

Publisher: Clarkson Potter

Published in: February 2008

What it is about: Begley Jr., an actor and a committed environmentalist, presents a do-it-yourself guide to green living that explains how to incorporate eco-friendly products and practices into one's everyday life. The book is covering areas such as the home, transportation, recycling, energy, food, gardening, clothing and furnishing. Begley shares his experiences on what works, what doesn't, and what will save you money!

From the book description: "And if you think living green has to mean compromising on aesthetics or comfort, fear not; Ed's wife, Rachelle, insists on style - with a conscience. In Living Like Ed, his environmentalism and her design savvy combine to create a guide to going green that keeps the chic in eco-chic. From recycling more materials than you ever thought possible to composting without raising a stink to buying an electric car, Living Like Ed is packed with ideas - from obvious to ingenious–that will help you live green, live responsibly, live well. Like Ed."

Why you should get it:
1. I always in favor of such guides that give you advice how to go green from first-hand experience.

2. I like the book's approach that as far as I understand is led by Rachelle, Ed's wife, which is that going green does not mean you have to compromise on quality, comfort, style, etc. Many people afraid that going green means trade-offs and this book means to show them it ain't necessarily so.

3. Ed Begley became green many years before being green became popular or even understandable. As described on therenewableplanet.com, Begley has been recycling since before many other eco-celebs were born and has owned a wind turbine since the ’80s. Even in the '90s many saw him, as his wife explains, some kind of green freak, which then may also even cost him a little bit in his career.

I think it's kind of historical justice that Begley Jr. enjoys now the fruits of being loyal all of these years to his green beliefs. I also believe that this is the exact kind of person you would like to receive advice from about how to green up your life.

What others say about it:
“Filled with sound advice and first-hand experience from someone who has been walking the walk for more than 38 years, Living Like Ed provides a wide array of practical options for anyone who wants to make his life a little-or a lot-greener. Ed Begley is more than a beloved Hollywood figure; he¹s an all-American hero, and Living Like Ed is a comprehensive yet accessible guide to becoming more environmentally savvy that light greens and bright greens alike will find themselves dog-earing for years to come.” - Treehugger.com

Enjoy the book, and if you're looking for other interesting green books, you are invited to check out our green books page on our website's green resources section.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

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