Green, greener, and greenist

As a newbie to the land of green advocates, I sometimes feel like a pledge in a highly orchestrated social entity. I chose this path for myself; I wasn't converted in that Tony Robbins kind of way. Rather, I came to this in my own way and in my own time. Yet, I'm sure those I chat with around the water cooler sometimes just want to discuss the recent episode of Top Chef. They probably think I'm a bit of an evangelist. But I have to say that I'm pretty "light green" in the scale of greenness. Apparently that is the way one's commitment and knowledge is described by those who have been designated as the arbiters of the gradations of green.

My ability to become light green has been a result of my diligence in sifting through the information that is out there. And sifting is exactly what it feels like. There's lots of it but it's very fragmented and some of it is good. Most of it is pretty difficult to find valuable. Embracing the literature/information in this category takes a real commitment of time and perseverance. I caution you so that you are not inclined to give up once you type "green" into your Google search engine.

I've created a category in my blog of what I call media resources. It is here that I've listed, and will expand over time, the the best of blogs, information-rich web sites, online/offline magazines, and general background materials that can provide with enough green tint of varying degrees to help you on your way.

Daily:

Ideal Bite www.idealbite.com. Themed and quite easily digestible. It's a well laid out e-newsletter. Light green and easy reading.

Eco Fabulous www.ecofabulous.com is a blog from Zem Joquin. You may recognize her from House and Garden as she's been recently named their eco columnist. Zem's got great style sense and I love her recommendations of chic and interesting green products. Light green and easy to identify with.

Grist www.grist.org is for the medium green who really want to get a greater sense of what it means to advocate for green lifestyles. It can get a bit too green at times for the lighter tinted of us, but it does remind you of what it means to evolve your commitment.

Reference:

Green Home Guide www.greenhomeguide.com is a must while in the throws of renovating. It's an online source for all those questions that will come up as you tackle your decisions. My favorite discussion, thus far, was on how to choose the right toilet. It's written for light and medium greenies. I promise, it won't intimidate. It just isn't as complete as it needs to be.....but that's to be expected in these early days.

Green Light magazine www.greenlightmag.com is the Real Simple of the category. Its articles are short and pithy and don't require much thinking. Overly simplistic for those who prefer a Vanity Fair read. It's a light green read of the category and worth checking out online, but probably not for a subscription.

Tear Sheeting:

I have several friends with publishing backgrounds and we all seem to flip through magazines with each other in mind. We rip out articles, ads, ideas and share with each other. I have stacks and stacks of tear sheets to file, put in the mail to the above mentioned friends, etc. The best places to tear sheet are:

Magazines:

Dwell
House and Garden
Real Simple
Fine Homebuilding
Natural Home

All of these have their own web sites as well.

Books:

The Not So Big House series by Sarah Susanka
Good Green Home titles from Jennifer Roberts
Natural Remodeling by Carol Venolia
The Green House: New Directions in Sustainable Architecture by Alanna Stang, Christopher Hawthorne