Local Author Launches Eco-Friendly and "Guilt-Free" Holiday Guide for Families

Warwick, RI: Motherhood is often the turning point for change, and for local author and environmentalist Donna DeForbes it was the impetus for questioning the way her family celebrated holidays. She didn’t want to bestow mounds of candy on her daughter at Easter, didn’t want Christmas to be all about presents, and didn’t want to get sucked into the excess and disposability of the holidays. Her ten years of research and exploration of alternative traditions led to her book, The Guilt-Free Guide to Greening Your Holidays, recently released in print on Amazon.

This down-to-earth reference digs beneath surface traditions to the heart of our American holidays and offers eco-friendly ideas for celebration from January through December. Readers will learn how to spend less, stress less and use less of the earth’s resources.

Although DeForbes grew up happily amid holidays of tinsel, plastic eggs and piles of presents, moving away from her family shifted her world view as she was introduced to new cultures, new people and new ways of thinking—particularly earth-focused ones. Eight years working for Save The Bay combined with the birth of her daughter further inspired her to incorporate green elements into family celebrations.

DeForbes notes, “We are far from perfect. We incorporate only those eco elements that bring us joy... We always recycle; we sometimes eat organic; we’ll never go vegetarian.” Which explains the title of her book. It’s “guilt-free” because there’s no pressure to do it all; simply making a few feel-good, eco-conscious changes can be enough to affect positive results. Actions can be as simple as choosing real Christmas trees, gas grills and LED fairy lights or as extensive as giving out Fair Trade chocolate on Halloween and powering down for the Winter Solstice.

The author encourages families to craft a balance between traditional activities and the true meaning of each holiday. By showing how modern holidays have evolved over centuries, The Guilt-Free Guide to Greening Your Holidays offers readers freedom from stressful obligation plus permission to tweak traditions with their own sustainable touches.

Here’s what readers have to say about the guide:

• “What I love about the book is that children are actively involved in making earth-friendly choices... I love the focus on creating new traditions or exploring an unknown culture rather than just buying and consuming as we have become accustomed to.”
• “This book is a helpful and thoughtful addition to planning your celebration of eight major holiday seasons through the year.”
• “Fun facts and great ideas for lots of eco-friendly activities!”

The Guilt-Free Guide to Greening Your Holidays is available in print and Kindle formats on Amazon.com. For more information, visit http://bit.ly/GreenHolidays_Ebook or contact Donna DeForbes at 401-383-7530.

About Donna DeForbes:

Donna DeForbes is a writer, graphic designer and the founder of Eco-Mothering.com, where she has shared tips on green living and natural parenting since 2008. She is a contributor to EcoRI News and Earth911 as well as a design consultant for Save The Bay. Donna lives with her husband and daughter in Warwick where she enjoys hiking, reading, zumba, Scottish ale and long walks on a pollution-free beach.

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