I was really excited to see this book come up for a review opportunity on TMG. I had just been talking with my fiance about my urge and our family’s need to start being better stewards of our natural resources. Right now, we do pretty much nothing to leave the world in a better environmental state when we leave than when we got here. I have all kinds of excuses for us not being more responsible, but I won’t bore you with them here.
The full title of this book is Eco-Friendly Familes~ Guide your family to greener living with activities that engage and inspire…from toddlers to teens, by Helen Coronato. Final verdict? It’s a really helpful, engaging, interesting book… and it doesn’t make you feel like you are solely responsible for destroying the world.
Four great things about this book:
- No pressure to become completely green overnight,
- Not overwhelmed with statistics,
- A Chapter Checklist at the end of each chapter that goes over what you just read in bullet-point form, and
- 5-minute makeovers in each chapter.
1. No pressure to become completely green overnight. Coronato is very practical and doesn’t ask for (or want) you to throw out everything you have that isn’t green and start over. She advises slowly integrating green products and practices into your life.
2. Not overwhelemed with statistics. I like statistics as much as the next person, and Coronato uses them well; but, they reinforce her point without cramming stats down your throat, very useful.
3. Chapter Checklist. This checklist is great for both reading before you get into the chapter (especially so you can watch for the parts that really catch your eye), and for making sure you didn’t miss anything when you are done with the chapter.
4. 5-minute makeovers. These are great and practical tips that you can quickly put into place in your home. They include everything from putting a brick in your toilet tank so you use less water to having people take their shoes off at the door so you don’t have as much need for cleaning.
Coronato has done a really good job keeping the topic interesting as well as practical. The book includes recipes (for food and cleaning products), holiday gift ideas, definitions, and great explanations of really complicated concepts for both toddlers and teenagers. My favorite language for toddlers is telling them it’s important to turn off water while you brush your teeth so that there is always enough water for the trees and plants to drink.
If you’re at all interested in simple, common-sense tips for helping your family go green, you should get this book. You can slowly make changes in your lives that will make a difference and teach your children about the responsibility we all have to be good stewards of our resources.
Sherry Carr Deer is a Mommy to Nicholas who just turned 3, fiance to William, the widow of Mark, and a PR professional at a non-profit hospital. You can read more of her posts here.
