Do women and men approach the green revolution differently? Well, the publishing world certainly seems to think so. The various green how-to guides on the market are definitely geared more towards a male, or female audience. The guys’ books seem to focus on installing solar panels and converting the Volkswagon to run on homemade bio-fuel. The green guides for gals focus on sustainable fashion, natural beauty tips and running an environmentally friendly household. To help you navigate the great big eco-world of books, we have compiled a list of our favourite green guides for girls.
Eco-Chic Weddings
Eco-Chic Weddings by Emily Elizabeth Anderson is the definitive guide for the green blushing bride and includes
everything you need to know to plan a sustainable wedding. For example, did you know that that those super white wedding dresses got that way from a toxic chemical process? Or that your stunning floral arrangements and bridal bouquet may hide a host of environmental and social problems? Much of the global flower trade is not sustainable. The flowers are full of pesticides and flower workers in South America are routinely exposed to extremely high levels of toxic chemicals.
Eco-Chic Weddings doesn’t just advocate for doing things in a more eco-conscientious manner, but also advocates for simplifying things. It is almost impossible to continue to be overly excessive and sustainable at the same time.
Gorgeously Green
Have you ever asked yourself if you can you still be fabulous, fun and green? There is a hot new eco-guide book available to help you navigate the eco-conscious world while still looking fabulous. Gorgeously Green: 8 Simple Steps to an Earth-Friendly Life by Sophie Uliano, with a foreword by Julia Roberts, is a flirty lifestyle guide geared towards eco-city gals who want to live a very full life without harming the planet.
The eco-message in Gorgeously Green places quite a lot of emphasis on health and well being as part of going green. Uliano also includes information on animal rights, organic eating, living with less and how to become an eco-activist. Gorgeously Green walks the fabulously fine line of being motivational, upbeat and factual without being too perky or oversimplifying the message.
Green Chic: Saving The Earth in Style
Green Chic is a perky guide about how to be green without giving up everything you love. “I also figured out that being
green can be decidedly chic,” explains author Christie Matheson. “Being green can help you look gorgeous, have a killer wardrobe, feel amazing, travel in style, create a home that’s an oasis, host fun parties, eat incredible food, and drink phenomenal wine”.
Sounds like a tall order? Well Green Chic tells you how to be green & retain your sense of unwavering chic. Green Chic, aside from highlighting many amazing eco-products on the market, also encourages readers to understand that eco-simple is sexy and chic. The eco-lifestyle on offer in this informative and fun book is a calmer, more relaxed lifestyle that is all about improving your quality of life.
The Virtuous Consumer
The Virtuous Consumer is geared towards the individual caught up in a consumption cycle, but aspiring to live a bit more lightly. Essentially, author Leslie Garrett has written a book that will appeal to the other half of the planet: “The harried mothers of too many kids, driving their off-spring to and from school in minivans or (gasp!) SUVs. Those of us who live in too-large houses, with too-large swimming pools and think ‘vegan’ is the name of the nasty guy in Oliver Twist”.
This funny, light-hearted book covers most topics relevant to women today, from cosmetics to organic baby clothes to how to manage a clean, green home without toxic chemicals. The Virtuous Consumer is a good guide for the beginner environmentalist who wants to know how to green their world, step-by-step, product-by-product.
Raising Baby Green
Raising Baby Green: The Earth-Friendly Guide to Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Baby Care by Alan Greene is the rare
eco-tome, well written, meticulously researched and, in the unique position of actually being able to make a significant difference. If each and every North American parent was given this book at the birth of a child, we could probably reduce our collective continent-wide environmental footprint by an estimated third.
Raising Baby Green is an important contribution to the green movement especially if you consider that the average North American child will have twice the carbon footprint of a child in Africa. It is important that North American parents do everything they can to reduce new children’s impact on the planet. Raising Baby Green is a must-have for every parent – particularly for North American ones.
The Diaper Free Baby
The Diaper Free Baby is another important contribution to the eco-movement. Parents can make a significant impact 
on reducing their baby’s ecological footprint by eliminating diaper use – of any kind. In The Diaper Free Baby, author Christine Gross-Loh manages to make the diaper free option look both easy and accessible. No small feat when you consider how indoctrinated most North American parents are into using disposable diapers. Even getting cloth-diaper hippie-mommies to go au natural is a struggle.
A baby will use an estimated 5000-7000 diapers in the first two years of its life. Unfortunately more than 95% of North American parents use disposable diapers. Every day more than an estimated 50 million disposable diapers enter the landfill where they remain for 500 years. Disposable diapers really have no redeeming feature except convenience.
The Diaper Free Baby is a thoughtful, beautiful book offering solutions to provide a deeper connection between parents and children and a happy, healthier baby; while also reducing baby’s environmental impact.
Skinny Bitch in the Kitch
Skinny Bitch In the Kitch Kick-Ass Recipes for Hungry Girls Who Want to Stop Cooking Crap (and Start Looking Hot!)
is the second caustic offering from authors Rory Freedman and Kim Barnounin. If you are looking for a lightweight, funny recipe book, that doesn’t include meat, dairy or simple carbs, geared towards a youngish American palate – this is the book for you.
The two Skinny Bitch authors have done a lot to raise awareness about the ugly side of the food industry and have advocated, perhaps indirectly, to alleviate a lot of animal cruelty through reducing the consumption of factory farmed meat. Aside from reducing animal cruelty, cutting back on meat consumption minimizes greenhouse gas emissions from food production. Bravo for their green contributions.
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