PRODUCT: Simple Steps Deck Healthy Home. Healthy Planet. 50 Easy Actions by the Natural Resources Defense Council (Chronicle Books; August, 2009).

COST: $14.95

ABOUT THE DECK:

Simple Steps is a sweet little deck of 3-3/4 x 5-1/2 in cards (51 in all). There’s a hole punch at the top of the deck and it’s tied shut with a black ribbon, which of course holds the cards together. The cards do not come in a box, but rather a wrap around cardboard holder or bellyband. You can use the ribbon to hang the deck anywhere you like – say in the kitchen.

The entire deck and belly band are printed on recycled paper with soy based inks.

The deck is organized room by room, with plenty of green solutions for the entire house, both inside and out. Rooms covered include: kitchen, living room, home office, bathroom and laundry, children’s rooms, and garage and garden.

WHAT I THINK:

Overall I love the idea of a deck like this. The cards are pretty to look at and informational and fits right in the palm of your hand. I can think of all sorts of games you could play with these cards. You could draw a random card each week and try to maintain that green tip. You could have each family member choose a card. You could leave the kitchen card tips in the kitchen and the living room in the living room and so on.

I like how the cards are set up. Each room has it’s own color so they’re easy to find in the deck. Each card has one main tip on the front; i.e. “Compost” then on the back it discusses a little about what composting is in general then issues a “Got a month” goal, which tells you how to create compost in a month. Each card has different time goals, such as “Got a minute” – “Got a month” – “Got a morning.”

Most books have resources at the end, this is not a book so it’s obviously missing that component, but if the Natural Resources Defense Council has more info at their website they refer you.

NEGATIVES?:

I didn’t actually have a negative, but I do have a warning to long-time tree huggers. This deck is very cool, and has great tips, but there were almost none that were new to me. If you’ve been reading, writing, or working in green issues a good long while, this deck likely won’t offer you any new info. If you’re way into green already this deck could serve a challenge purpose though. None of us are perfect. You could draw a random card and make it a goal to work on the green tip offered on the card.

OVERALL:

Five out of five happy little trees! Even though this deck didn’t provide me with much new info, I’d highly recommend the deck for green newbies or people with some green living knowledge who could still use some more tips. This also makes it the perfect gift for a family member, co-worker, or pal that you’d like to convert to a tree hugger. Its small size will work great for stockings or gift baskets this holiday season. Check it out further at the link below.

Simple Steps Deck Healthy Home. Healthy Planet. 50 Easy Actions

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

I wanted to get to my review of Eco-Touch  – conscious car care because so far I’m loving the interior wash – however, I’d also like to try out the exterior wash, and it’s been raining and raining – I missed the two sunny days we had. That said, we may need to break this up. Tomorrow, look for a review of the interior car care products from Eco-Touch.

Now, books don’t require nice weather to review, so today we’re going to look at….

Green Christmas: How to Have a Joyous, Eco-Friendly Holiday Season by Jennifer Basye Sander & Peter Sander.

Basics: Make your holiday green with this easy read. Small in size, but big on tips, this book covers everything from why go green this Christmas to eco-family time to green entertaining to green holiday vacations and more.

Pros:

I felt this book catered perfectly to exactly the readers I try to post for here at THF. The tips are suggestive, but not forceful, and there are ideas for how to deal with problems – say, kids or family members not being on board with a less consumer based holiday.

My favorite section was the Eco-Family Time chapter, which was way in line with our ethics here at Tree Hugging Family. There are fun kitchen activities offered, crafts, even some homeschool ideas, and more.

The book was set up in nice bite sized chunks – almost like a blog actually. Each small tip section has a bold or italic headings, so flipping through, you can find items that interest you.

All the basics are covered. You can learn about what sort of tree to buy, the cost of travel for the planet, and even how to build an eco-cozy fire. I think, with this one book, all your green Christmas questions will be answered.

Cons:

????  I guess I would have liked to see a collection of product and other links offered in the back of the book. It’s a little awkward, because while product suggestions are made, the links are posted throughout the text – this may be just a pet peeve of mine though.

Score:

Five out of five happy trees. Not only is this book useful, but it’s a great low cost gift. It can cost more to go green, as we always discuss here, but for less than $6, you can afford to put this book in everyone’s stocking this year.  

November current events at Tree Hugging Family – themes, reviews, news, and more… [image via Tower Books]

Post from: Tree Hugging Family