This post was originally published on Eco-Libris blog on October 27.
We’re back with our beloved Monday’s green books series, and today we’re celebrating! Our book today is:
“Celebrate Green! Creating Eco-Savvy Holidays, Celebrations & Traditions for the Whole Family” by Corey Colwell-Lipson & Lynn Colwell
Few weeks ago we announced here on our collaboration with the authors (buyers of the book on the Celebrate Green! website are offered to plant a tree with their copy of Celebrate Green!) and today we’re happy to review the book and to give away one copy of it.
I read quite a few guides for green living in the last year or so, but this is the first guide I know that is focused on holidays and celebrations. Why? the authors explain: “the reason it’s important to green up our celebrations is that holidays and special days are plentiful…holidays and special days don’t happen on one day only in one place; they occur throughout the year in homes, schools, and places of work across the globe.” (p. 20)
I have to say I like the concept. Firstly, holidays and celebrations are many times part of traditions, whether these are on personal, family, local or national level. If we embed green practices into traditions, it will be much easier to pass them to the next generations. Second, holidays and celebrations require planning and giving some thought about the details, and hence provide an excellent opportunity to think and discuss the importance of green practices. Lynn Colwell and Corey Colwell-Lipson, a mother and daughter, started their green holidays journey on Halloween 2006 and this book is an important milestone on their green journey.
The book is covering various holidays, from Christmas and Hanukkah to Father’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day. It also talks about many types of celebrations such as baby showers, wedding anniversaries, office parties and so on. For each of these holidays and celebrations you will find many useful tips on how to green them up. Want an example? how about Halloween, the holiday where it all started for the authors and actually the nearest holiday on the calender..
So how to green up your Halloween? it starts with choosing eco-friendly and/or people friendly treats and treasures. Also use the 3Rs when it comes to treats and treasures: reduce their amount (kids will cherish it more), recycle (make treasures from recycled materials) and reuse (stuff you don’t need can be great treasures). You will also find recommendations on green party favors and prizes, eco-friendly costumes, tips on hosting a Green Halloween party and more.
One important thing is that the book try to keep it real. Not too much complicated stuff and many ideas that can fit everyone – from the busiest people to those who have all the time in the world. Still, the authors don’t pretend green celebrations can be made at no time and make sure you will understand that it requires planning to have a successful green holiday or party. They also show you how green alternatives don’t have to be necessarily costly, as many people may assume mistakenly. Anyone who will implement the 3Rs for any of the holidays will find that you can actually “save some green while going green”.
So if you are kind of person (and who doesn’t) who likes to celebrate and enjoy the holidays and at the same time care about the environment and your footprint this is defenitely the book for you! Add to it the facts that Celebrate Green! is printed on 30% recycled and 70% FSC certified paper, collaborating with Eco-Libris and a portion of the proceeds from the book benefit Treeswing and Healthy Child, Healthy World and you’ve also a great green and affordable gift to give on the holidays.
GIVEAWAY ALERT!!!
We are giving away our review copy of Celebrate Green! How do you get a chance to win it? all you have to do is to add a comment below with a story or advice of yours on how to make holidays and celebrations more eco-friendly. If you have a tip or a story about Halloween that would be great!
Submissions are accepted until Sunday, November 2, 12PM EST. We will pick the comment we liked best and the winner will be announced the following day.
And don’t forget to check out these websites:
Celebrate Green! website – http://www.celebrategreen.net
More suggestions on how to green your Halloween – http://www.greenhalloween.org
[This post was written by Raz Godelnik.]
One way my family is going green this Christmas is having our daughters make something for each other rather than going out to the store and buying a toy that we absolutely don’t need nor have room for. It’s fun for my girls to do projects for each other, its cheaper for me, and its not contributing to the massive retail hype that happens each year! Thanks- I love your blog and the daily inspiration to keep persevering!
Before buying a new costume, check with your friends or on Craigslist for a used one. The costumes, especially those for babies, have often barely been worn. My daughter wants to wear the costume that she wore last year (I wish I could say it was because she wanted to be “green”) and it still fits, so we didn’t have to look very far at all for a costume this Halloween!
This Halloween I bought organic Halloween lollipops from Simon Candy Co. Giving small toys is a great idea, but we get over 100 kids, so the candy is economically a better idea. The candy wrappers are compostable, so less trash made from the holiday really makes me happy. I’m also looking forward to Christmas since my family made a rule to only give/receive environmentally friendly or recycled gifts. I’ve begun making projects and buying some local artwork. It’s been a fun challenge to make our holidays green!
There are many ways to go green. For Christmas we use newspaper to wrap our presents instead of special paper – then we recycle it.
Although it is hard to go completely green for Christmas, we are making small changes this year. My girls made home-made soaps for teachers and their godmothers. We used the recipe found in KIWI magazine and used natural ingrediants. It was super easy to do with a 6 and 4 yr.old. Most of the gifts we are giving were very well thought out: Imagiplay Toys with Integrity, Kleen Kanteen bottles, organic cotton t-shirts, and other wooden toys. We try to focus on the true meaning of Christmas daily, wich takes the focus off of over-consuming.