Ready, Set, Green: My Eight-Week Journey To A Greener, Guilt-Free Me
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 06. 5.08
I'm very good at guilt. Not just mama guilt, daughter guilt, and even sister guilt, but also something I'll call global world guilt (GWG). It's not just that vague unavoidable guilt about the less fortunate or those hit by tragedy, such as the recent victims of the earthquake in China. It's also this deep down guilty feeling that I'm not doing enough, never doing enough - not volunteering enough for causes I really care about or doing all that I can in terms of living the greenest eco-lifestyle. And while a little eco-guilt might be good - it keeps me reaching for ways to get greener - too much eco-guilt is just a drag - counterproductive and bad for my bitten-up nailbeds.
I was definitely ready - no, eager - for a book like Graham Hill and Meaghan O'Neill's Ready, Set, Green Eight Weeks To Modern Eco-Living. Not because they are (disclaimer alert!) my bosses. And not only because I secretly worry I have some decidedly non-green habits. Mostly because I wonder if maybe along the way in my own green journey I may have missed a few important basics. So I've decided to take Ready, Set, Green's eight week challenge.
Eco-Living Is Easy?
In the book, TreeHugger founder Graham Hill and longtime contributor Meaghan O'Neill really make greening perfectly easy to contemplate - with short, snappy chapters such as "Thinking Like A TreeHugger," "Eating Your Way Green," "Greening Your Home," "Getting To Work," and "Living It Up."
So over the next eight weeks, I'm going to get a much better picture of my ecological - not just my carbon - footprint and see how willing I am to make further changes. And in the process, find out how successfully I can convince the three other members of my family that these are great ideas.
Hopefully Ready, Set, Green will be a good panacea to my green guilt (and yours) - it's non-judgmental and upbeat, and the book's extensive tips are broken into manageable lists, with labels to show whether they reduce CO2, save money, save time or improve your health. Hill and O'Neill have managed to provide a wealth of ways that we can all green up our acts without ever getting preachy, depressing or overly unrealistic. Feel welcome to buy a copy of the book and join along - we'll probably come up with some new green tips of our own. First Week's Post Monday June 9.
See also: Eco-Guilt The New Plague Among Enlightened Parents, Dealing With Eco-Anxiety: Feeling Less Guilt, Being More Green
Thirsty for more? Check out these related articles:
- Doubting Renewable Energy
- Universities Taking the Initiative to Reduce Their Carbon Footprint
- Thanksgiving Travel Expected to the Lowest for Six Years
- Greenwash Watch: Whole Foods' "Green" Beaujolais Nouveau
Why don't they post an e-version of the book somewhere? It seems a little counter-green to kill trees in order to go green.
Good Point, Ann. I guess, even green crusaders strive for a piece of the pie.
Books reach an audience that doesn't know about the author/subject/website yet. A well-placed book can be a lifeline for someone who knows they need to "go green" but doesn't know where to start.
I just wish more of the green books/sites would talk about intermediate and advanced topics.
I think it is great you are doing the 8 wk challenge. It challenged me to do the same -I've ordered the book! I've just recently become an EcoBroker® Certified REALTOR® hoping to make a difference in the Greater Jacksonville Florida area. It is one more service I can offer my customers. Feel free to visit www.GreenUpJax.com
Also, in a note to one of the comments posted about killing trees to do this book, I believe it was printed on recycled paper! KUDOS!!!
Great book to read while I'm on the bus.