special Earth Day post follows. thanks for reading!
if you were given the opportunity to gather a roomful of people (loved ones, influentials, strangers, anyone) and speak in a preachy way about ONE thing you wanted them to know, what would your one thing be? without a shadow of a doubt, mine would be eco-friendly living. my closest friends and family could have answered that on my behalf - they've been referring to me as the hippie-treehugger-crunchy-granola-girl for more than 15 years (in only the kindest ways). yes, i go to what would seem to others as 'out of my way' to recycle or be green in just about every facet of my life - i've become indoctrinated and habituated so i don't feel like i'm doing anything above and beyond the call of duty. it's just life. i was struck by an Indian proverb in 1993 that read: "We did not inherit the earth from our ancestors. We are borrowing from our grandchildren." i was 4 years from having a child at that point, but it hit me hard - and that was that.
needless to say (tho I will say it), i was thrilled when i rec'd an invitation to read and post my thoughts about this book: "green chic - saving the earth in style." truth is, you can't go around being preachy all the time - living by example can be pretty powerful though. and this book will give you plenty of info on how to go about making greener choices in your everyday life, thereby setting an excellent example for others to follow.
from the outset, the author - Christie Matheson - draws you in with her conversational style. i felt like i was reading a note from my BFF. she's not writing over-your-head, lofty ideas that you can't understand let alone try to implement. instead, she states the facts plain-n-simple on topics ranging from cleaners to clothing, plastics to parties and food to fashion. she gives definitions, statistics (startling), options and resources - loved every word of it! i dog-eared more than half the pages for future reference!
this is a thoughtful and fabulous jumping-off point for anyone who has a strong desire to make tiny or monumental changes in his/her everyday life, without surrendering personal taste or style (or making everything from scratch), especially if you're not even sure why you should change and you feel stupid asking. there's a mind-numbing amount of info out there on green-living - this book makes the notion accessible to those who might otherwise be overwhelmed (and give-up before trying).
*warning: you WILL experience a compulsive urge to read aloud the shocking statistics in this book to the nearest person to you - position yourself wisely.
$11.65 from sourcebooks at barnes & noble
