Practically Green is written by Micaela Preston, who is also the author of the popular blog Mindful Momma (www.mindfulmomma.com) The book is subtitled "Your Guide to Ecofriendly Decision-Making" and promises to offer "simple steps for sustainable living".
I love Micaela's attitude to green living which is, in essence, be green when you can, but don't beat yourself up about it when you can't, and she writes in a very down to earth and accessible way. It's very easy to dip in and out of this book and all the information is set out in a very simple and concise format, that helps to make all her suggestions feel totally realistic and achievable.
The book is divided into six chapters, Eating, Living, Cleaning, Caring, Wearing and Conserving and each chapter is subdivided into Buy It Green and Do It Green. There are "Copy and clip" guides on such topics as Eco-friendly Food Certifications, Top cleaning ingredients to avoid and Where can I recycle that? Each chapter has plenty of practical advice - tasty recipes, sewing projects & instructions for making all-natural body care products for example. And the pages are liberally sprinkled with additional notes and tips such as Even Greener, Health Alerts and Adventures in Green Living, Micaela's own personal anecdotes.
The only minor point that I would mention (although this is by no means a critisism) is to be aware that the book is very US based - most of the companies and products mentioned in the book are from the US so it may not always be possible to source those exact products in the UK (or any other country), but with the internet at your disposable I am sure it would not be hard to locate suitable alternatives.
I love this book. It may be small but it is jam packed with useful advice and information and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in making some green changes to their lives. In the introduction Micaela writes, "my goal was to keep the information simple, the process creative and the outlook fun." And I think she has done that brilliantly.
Rachel x
4 comments:
Thanks for this helpful review. I live in France so I find UK-based 'green' books frustrating, as they don't give me addresses or products relevant to me. I imagine that this one is similarly US-centric from what you say, but at least that might make a change for me!
I get some French magazines which have very good 'green living' pages but have been a bit scared of actually buying a book like this in French because it's a such chore to read it!
BTW, your blog is an excellent idea and I am now a follower. Thanks for setting it up!
I have come over to you from Floss and like what I see. I remember going green years ago and it would be good to be reminded of all the things I used to do (still do some of them of course) so I will be visiting regularly.
Jane
Hi there - so glad I found you which was totally by accident! My big thing this year is to reduce reuse recycle so I'm looking forward to following your blog and seeing what else I can do. I teach workshops and always encourage everyone to re-use/re-cycle what they have at home rather than go out and buy things. Mx
http://www.michellemadethis.blogspot.com
Thank you for the book recommendation. Sounds like a good one.
♥ Joy
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