Giveaway: Green Goes with Everything

This week's book giveaway is another one in the line of green books, this time written by Sloan Barnett, a contributor to NBC's Today show. Green Goes with Everything: Simple Steps to a Healthier Life and a Cleaner Planet focuses on more of the health side of the green movement and the affects of cleaning products on us.

For those of you out there trying to reduce the toxins in your life, specifically those related to cleaning your home and your body, you'll be interested in some of the information shared in this book:

"Most Americans, but especially children, have dozens of pesticides and other toxic compounds in their bodies, many of them linked to health threats. A source of many of these toxins? Common, everyday, run of the mill household consumer products. There's no polite way of saying this: your body is a landfill, a dumping ground for a mind-boggling array of toxic chemicals."

Sloan offers up some alternatives, such as the following:

Citrus Floor Cleaner

1 gallon hot water
2 tablespoons liquid castile soap
15 drops sweet orange essential oil
1/4 cup lemon juice

Combine in large bucket.

From Publishers Weekly

According to Barnett, human beings are saturating their bodies, their children's bodies and their homes with noxious waste, pathogens and carcinogens. Barnett recounts having her blood and urine tested to illustrate how toxins have deeply embedded themselves—her results show positive for bisphenonol A (linked to birth defects and reproductive problems) and perchlorate (an active ingredient in rocket fuel found in contaminated food).

The book is divided into seven clean-it-up chapters full of solid information and helpful tips aimed at greening different areas of your life, such as how to best filter household water. Barnett's well-written environmental call-to-arms is passionate and authoritative; her findings correlating childhood illnesses with ordinary—and highly toxic—cleaning supplies is alarming. However, readers will likely find Barnett's claims slightly suspect for the fact that her sensible advice is compromised by her relentless endorsement of Shaklee products (her husband happens to be the Shaklee CEO).

And it is relentless, indeed. But, if you can get past that, then you'll enjoy the book.

If you would like to be entered into the drawing for this book, leave your name in the comments. The giveaway is open until Friday, January 30th, 6:00 pm PST. I'll be announcing the winner most likely later that evening.