Kermit was Wrong! It IS Easy Being Green!
Written: Dec 11 '06 (Updated Apr 16 '08)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Tips for how to live "greener," readable, good resources...
Cons: You might get overwhelmed at how much you CAN do...
The Bottom Line: Crissy Trask takes us to task.
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| JediKermit's Full Review: Crissy Trask - It's Easy Being Green: A Handbook f... |
This review is part of Pambo's Earth Day Writeoff--to get more ideas about how to get Green, read more reviews gathered here: http://www.epinions.com/user-pambo
It seems like whatever Kermit has is catching. More and more companies and individuals are saying they're "green," and what was once derided as something only hippies would do is now being lauded as something good for the country--and the world.
But how do I change my life to be more environmentally friendly? Is it painful? Hard? Will I smell like patchouli when it's all said and done? According to author Crissy Trask, it's pretty easy. Trask is the proprietor of GreenMatters, a business started in 1999 to advance environmental education and activism online.
Her "Handbook for Earth-Friendly Living" is 168 pages long, and is packed with information and tips on how to change your life to be healthier for the environment. I've read several of these books, and this is the one that seems most accessible.
Trask divides her book into seven chapters:
Green Living Myths
This is one of my favorite chapters, because it punctures all of the myths that I myself subscribe to. Including information about the perceived expense of Earth-friendly products, a negative impact on the national economy, and even the "weirdness" of people who "live green." It's a good section for naysayers, and it's key that it shows up this early in the book to keep those objections at bay.
Making a Difference
This chapter is kind of the "big picture" that we'll get the details on in later...how in our individual lives, business world, and other parts of life we can make a difference, even if we're just one of the 300 million Americans the book is targeting.
Eco-Tips for Living Greener
This is by far the biggest part of the book, and most useful. Almost sixty pages of tips about how to change your life to be more eco-friendly. They range from big issues to small things--but most of them are things that are doable no matter what your station in life. Covering categories including Work, the Bathroom, Cleaning, Energy, Holidays, Kitchen, Travel, Pets, Transportation, and everything in between. These include some things that we've heard a lot about, like buying compact fluorescent bulbs instead of incandescents, but also more subtle things, like shifting your holiday celebrations to include more games and meals, and less gift-giving. This would reduce the amount of packaging and wrapping required...and refocus the holiday celebration on the family. The tips here are an interesting take on protecting the environment, and many of them really are easy to implement.
Buying Green
This chapter is about cultivating green habits in the store--what to look for on labels to make sure what you're buying has as minimal an environmental impact as possible. These include labels like "Dolphin Safe," "Energy Star," "Free Farmed," "NutriClean," and "Sustainable," and should be a part of our vocabulary whether or not we consider ourselves "green."
Green Shopping Online
A collection of more than 200 websites that offer products and services online that are environmentally friendly. Looking for toys of quality and value that are better for the environment? You'll find it here. Looking for 100% organic cotton underwear? Also here.
Getting Involved
Sometimes making yourself heard is the hardest thing to do, but also the most useful. This is a list of about 100 organizations that will take your voice and make it heard. There's a legend telling you how you can get involved: action alerts, electronic activism, sample letters, online petitions and activist networks are all looking for recruits--if you're serious about committing to the environment, this might be a good place to start. I'm honestly not sure if I'm there quite yet.
Resources to Help the Earth
A collection of websites that succinctly answer your questions about various environmental issues. It basically takes themes that are sketched out in earlier chapters and tells you where to go for more information. This expands this book from a slim 168 pages to volumes of data about how to change the world.
If you've seen "An Inconvenient Truth" and are ready to take comfortable baby steps towards saving the world...see just how easy it is to be green. Goodness knows I love my Kermit, but sometimes...he had it wrong.
MORE GREEN STUFF
The Weather Makers
Last Child in the Woods
http://www.greenmatters.com
http://www.fightglobalwarming.com
http://www.stopglobalwarming.org
http://www.climatefriendly.com
Recommended:
Yes
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