I just finished reading Living Green: A Practical Guide to Simple Sustainability. I found out about this book and ordered it through PaperBackSwap, and in a lot of ways it wasn’t exactly what I expected. (But in a good way.)
For one thing, the book focused on the benefits of living naturally and sustainably more from a personal health standpoint than from a strictly environmentalist one. This is something I’ve been thinking a lot about lately. Everybody knows how bad high fructose corn syrup is for you and how it’s in everything these days. (Apparently it’s even in saltine crackers…I just discovered this earlier today while grocery shopping!) And I’d learned about the harmful effects of parabens in cosmetics through Ideal Bite. But I feel like this book helped me gain a greater understanding of all the crazy toxins that are in so many everyday items. I find myself checking labels and being mindful about the ingredients of what I buy more than ever.
The author, Greg Horn, was diagnosed with “multiple chemical sensitivity”, an illness brought on by all of the toxins that are in the everyday items that surround us. He overhauled his lifestyle to cope with this disease and to live a healthier life. This book is a result of what he learned going through that process. I have to think that ridding one’s life of as many toxic chemicals as possible is something to strive for, especially in a time where so many cancers and diseases have been linked to such toxins. (My mom was just diagnosed with breast cancer in January, so this is something that has been weighing on my mind lately.)
I’d like to pass my copy of this book on to one of you, just like I did with The Wal-Mart Effect. My only condition is that whoever gets it has to keep the chain going once you’re done reading it, and you should pass it on to someone else to read, whether it’s to a close friend or using PaperBackSwap or a similar site. If you’re interested in receiving the book, leave a comment on this post before midnight on Sunday, March 16 (Central Standard Time – go here to figure out what time that is where you are). I’ll pick the recipient at random from the comments.
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
This sounds like a really interesting book to read. I hope the recipient enjoys it!
ooh wow, that does sound like an interesting book. i really enjoyed reading your review, and i’ll probably pick one up if i don’t get picked for the swap.
I’ve heard good things about this book…and i had no idea it was more about the health standpoint. That seems like a new take on the “greening.”
You should totally check out BookMooch by the way, best book swapping site ever.
Sounds like an interesting book. No need to put me in the drawing though, I’ll pick it up at the library. Thanks!
love to be considered for passing along the book – thank you!
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Thanks for the link to the paperback swap! Finally a way to stop buying books from Amazon. The book looks interesting.
Sounds like a great book- I’m working on detoxing my life!
Thanks to everyone who commented and participated! Kate, you are the lucky winner of the drawing…I’ll be emailing you to find out where to send it!