The green movement has gone from esoteric to popular over the last several years, a good sign for both the environment and those of us who live in it. But most Americans need to streamline, rather than complicate, their lives. And this is one of the greatest threats to making environmentally conscious choices. With her book Do One Green Thing: Saving the Earth through Simple, Everyday Choices, Mindy Pennybacker quashes that problem.
From foreword to index, the succinct book is fewer than 300 pages, but Pennybacker manages to cover a broad range of everyday questions. She divides them neatly into four sections/chapters: Food and Drink, A Green and Healthy Home, Personal Care and Apparel, and Transportation. The guide is ideal for those who are looking for easy and achievable ideas for their daily lives.
“The key to making green a byword in everyone’s life is ease of access,” Meryl Streep wrote in the foreword. “This focus is what makes Do One Green Thing such a pleasure to read.” Incidentally, Streep is much more well versed in green living than the typical Hollywood legend, since she co-founded the seminal (yet ill-fated) publication The Green Guide with Pennybacker some years ago.
In Do One Green Thing, Pennybacker weaves easily between basic fact-sharing and recommending actual products. Her question-and-answer format helps make that possible. Here’s an example: “I get confused by all the different ‘green’ labels on meat, poultry, and eggs. Which labels ensure me the best choice for my money?” Pennybacker organizes her response into easy-to-comprehend (and color-coded) “Choose It” or “Lose It” categories.
The book may not seem like the go-to for those already full of environmental factoids, but there are still surprises. Does it make more sense to buy a washer or dryer if you can only afford one new environmentally friendly appliance? And what are the best options, once you have decided?
“The eco-friendly world is a bitch to navigate,” argues Donna Bulesco, the Deputy Editor of In Style magazine. “Do One Green Thing makes it simple, but not simplistic.”
Friend us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
More from The Daily Green
- How I Got My Big Fat Energy Star Refrigerator
- Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs Save Her $400 Every Year
- The Lazy Environmentalist’s Green Tips for Slackers
- What You Need to Know about Beach Closings and Safe Water Before Swimming at the Shore
Reprinted with permission of Hearst Communications, Inc