The central mission of Crissy Trask’s slim guide to earth-friendly living is to bridge the gap between intention and practice. While most Americans agree in general terms with the goals of the environmental movement, the majority go no further than recycling in the conduct of their daily lives.
So Trask opens It’s Easy Being Green with a chapter on “Green Living Myths,” such as the idea that it will be difficult and disruptive to shift toward a more green way of living, and that earth-friendly products are necessarily more expensive. The author’s gentle and non-judgmental approach is captured well in a quote from Edmund Burke: “Nobody makes a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a
little.”
The heart of the book is a list of 250 how-to eco-tips, practical tips that modern, busy people can use. Trask points out the staggering cumulative effects of our everyday habits. For example, the average American uses 183 gallons of water a day, up to 75% of that in the bathroom. Trask gives simple ways to live more earth-friendly, and makes incisive points, such as the fact that we have to take recycling into account in our purchases because it goes only so far unless there is sufficient demand for recycled products. This is a perfect book if you are looking to take baby steps towards a more living green lifestyle.
