Make Your Celebrations Green Year-Round
Mom-Daughter Book Shows How to Have Greener Holidays
Oct 6, 2008
After hauling in one sugar-laden goodie after another, the girls came to a house where the featured treat was a small jar of bubble-blowing soap ... and the reaction was pure joy.
"Suddenly it occurred to me that Halloween didn't have to be about candy," Colwell-Lipson recalls. "I began to wonder, couldn't Halloween be healthier and still fun? And while we're at it, couldn't Halloween be more earth-friendly too?"
The answer to both questions was, "Sure, why not?"
That revelation led first to a Green Halloween movement, and has now blossomed into an all-out mission to make year-round holiday celebrations more eco-friendly. So Colwell-Lipson and her Mom, Lynn Colwell, have come out with a new book, Celebrate Green!: Creating Eco-Savvy Holidays, Celebrations & Traditions for the Whole Family (2008, The Green Year).
"Our goal in writing this book was to open minds to potentials and possibilities," writes Lynn Colwell. "We are not the green police. We want everyone to enjoy every single celebration, but not to walk through them mindlessly as if the choices we make, as easy as they are, are unimportant."
All it takes is a quick look through Celebrate Green! to realize that the concept of environmentally aware holidays isn't difficult, dull or dreary. Colwell and Colwell-Lipson present their ideas in a light and entertaining way, making the book fun to read and easy to digest. But there's ample substance as well, with plenty of statistics and facts to back things up. And, best of all, lots and lots of tips and instructions for greening the holidays.
Among the book's many highlights are:
- Lots of suggestions for healthful or non-candy Halloween treats, eco-themed costume ideas and natural face paints
- Tips for a healthy and sustainable Rosh Hashana
- Suggestions for a green Diwali
- An extensive look at how to prepare an ethical and small-footprint Thanksgiving meal
- Eco-friendly Christmas decorating tips
- A comprehensive and clever guide to natural egg-decorating at Easter time
- Creative and green gift ideas for Father's Day
- Tips for Earth-friendly summer grilling
- And lots of unique and appealing recipes for dishes like Beet Hummus, Cranberry Ginger Cider, Eco-Egg Salad and Vegetable Enchiladas Guatemalan Style
In fact, from birthdays and baby showers to weddings and graduations, Colwell-Lipson and Colwell cover practically every celebration imaginable, presenting a wealth of ways in which everyone can lighten their footprint on the Earth while still having plenty of fun with family and friends. That makes Celebrate Green! a book that's not only a pleasure to read, but a valuable guide that is sure to referred to time and again throughout each year.
