I have an extra-special giveaway this week, sponsored by another blog I run called The Letter Green. The Letter Green blog is an on-line supplement to the quarterly print magazine of the same name my family and I have created. The first green magazine in English and Spanish, The Letter Green focuses on Latin American green news, innovations in green products, news, and much more. You can read the print edition here, or sign up for a free subscription - our next issue comes out in about a month!
To that end, we’re giving away a copy of one of our favorite ‘green’ books, Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things by William McDonough and Michael Braungart. The idea behind Cradle to Cradle is a revolutionary one. The authors call for products and processes not to be ‘less bad,’ but efficient to the maximum. Just as ants or trees take away from the earth, they also give back, to be positively good for the environment. ‘Waste is food’ is the principle - by making products that can be composted, or can be used again without degrading them or the environment, we can acheive true upcycling where the need for more and more and more resources are lessened even further. Much of the book shows how the authors, as consultants, have put such principles into action for large companies, product development, even neighborhood design and actions. It is a true manifesto for change, and an inspiring read!
Aside from Cradle to Cradle’s revolutionary ideas about eco-design and practices, the book itself is innovative as well, and it a true testament to the author’s ideals. This is no paper-shredding piece of literature you’re holding. Cradle to Cradle is a “DuraBook,” a patented, synthetic, tree free, waterproof, tearproof book that is made entirely of plastic resins and inorganic fillers that can be melted and reused over and over again, without toxins or added chemicals. It’s upcycling in the palm of your hand!
Just leave a comment at the post (comment button is at the TOP of the post) for your chance to win your very own copy of Cradle to Cradle! You have until Friday at midnight, PST, to enter. Good luck!
Comments
oooh I’d love to give that a look 
Thanks for the great contests! 
I like your blog. I added to my green parent blogroll. I wouldn’t mind reading cradle to cradle - I’ve heard it referenced a lot but haven’t read.
Thanks:)
This sounds like a really interesting and useful book. I’d love to read it.
Sounds like a great read!!!
Sweet! I have gotten a ton of great ideas for Christmas from your site, and now I hope to win a free book! Peace!
fantastic!
I would love to read this book.
I’ve heard nothing but wonderful things about this book. I would love to win.
and if not, I’ll be hitting up the library for sure!
great giveaway- please enter me.
Hey can you believe Chicago is number one on this list of top green cities? http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?p=3225220 This article talks about the greenest cites. www.earthlab.com put together this list; it is a sample of like over a million people. I took my personal carbon test and blew the national average out of the water! I took some of their pledges too so I will be getting further and further below the average. It feels good being one of the people helping to lower my cities average rather than raising it, and I think all people can contribute if they take a pledge or two.
Great blog!
If the economics don’t work, recycling efforts won’t either.
As our little contribution to make this economics of recycling more appealing, http://LivePaths.com blogs about people and companies that make money selling recycled or reused items, provide green services or help us reduce our dependency on non renewable resources.
