About a month ago, I was contacted by a PR firm regarding the book Green Christmas. I occasionally get offers for free items or books and, for the most part, pass. With the holiday season barreling down on us and all my green mom friends scratching their heads as to how to survive the holidays with their values intact, I accepted.
Boy, am I glad I did!
I expected Green Christmas: How to Have a Joyous, Eco-Holiday Season by Jennifer Basye Sander, Peter Sander and Anne Basye to extol the virtues of LED Christmas lights and canvas bags and let folks go on their merry way. It does that, true, but the book goes much much further.
Green Christmas provides ideas by the oodles for a less wasteful and more environmentally meaningful holiday. The tips on reducing consumption, giving meaningful gifts (e.g., experiential, used or "vintage", handmade, charitable), spreading the word through fun and festive parties, and decorating with what you have, what you make and what you grow are insightful and creative. The section on buying local, alone, made my heart sing! It's rare to encounter such a clean and concise argument on why supporting your local merchants is green. Green Christmas doesn't stop at Christmas though. It guides the way to a more eco-friendly life once the holidays are just a slim-carbon footprint memory.
This is the type of book that those who are newly green will embrace. It compiles virtually every eco-holiday idea I've encountered on the web, in magazines and stole from green friends in less than 200 pages. Those further down the eco-path will enjoy the book just as much. It is helpful, meaningful and real. I bet even the deep green can find a nugget or two in the pages of this little book.
Indeed, I liked this book so much, I don't want to give it away! Alas, I promised to so here goes. If you are interested in winning this book, please leave your name in the comments to be entered to win. Check back next Sunday to find out who the winner is and what book is up next in our month-long Gratitude Giveaway.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Recommended: Light to medium green readers.
8 comments:
I'm interested.
Sounds like an interesting book. I can always use tips, and hey, regifting is an option! :)
I would love to read!!!
Have a great week!
Carla
cpullum(at)yahoo(dot)com
Always looking for more ways to green up!
I just returned this book to the library and I agree with you, it was great. I copied a few pages out of it. I'm going to make some of the festive felt birds, nougat and seaside footscrub for gifts.
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diana
I'm halfway through several books that are strewn about the house, and I have a stack in the to-be-read pile. So I shouldn't throw my name in the hat, but I'd love to get some ideas for the holidays. Besides just scaling back, which we are doing this year. :)
Looks like a good book! I throw my family off kilter with my no plastics and used requests. Shan
I'm dreaming of a green Christmas! I'm sure this book could help. Thanks for the review and chance to win it.
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