Vanessa Farquharson

Summary: Vanessa, an Arts & Life reporter for the National Post in Toronto, undertakes one of those "every day for a year" challenges in which she makes a "green" change to her life. These range from the simple (switching to all-natural lip balm) to the extreme (unplugging her fridge).

I was sold on this the minute I read the word "Farch" - "the season that includes February and March, when it's not really winter any more but it's definitely not spring". Farquharson made me laugh so often, show more and in a non-fiction, blog-to-book exercise that's really important. I felt a strong connection to her (not only because we both have a passion for organisation and highlighters) but because she let us into her life without oversharing.

The book didn't feature all of the 365 days, a very wise editorial choice (there's not very much to say about "order photos in bulk" as a resolution), but probably about 150 of them over the year. She includes some very funny stories: her horror at discovering that the one and only rental car available was an SUV; the poignancy of someone becoming "vegan by default" due to a general dislike of meat and eggs; the true glory of showering in the dark.

Some of the green changes she makes are so blindingly obvious I'm surprised they needed to be made (why was she using an air purifier before?), but kudos to someone who underwent a serious lifestyle change, was honest about it, and has inspired others to do so.

I've made a selection of changes (small ones!) from the book which I will try to use myself, and I've noted down a few of the blogs she frequented. So I've managed to take away from this book in an educational as well as an entertainment way. show less

This book is based on the Green as a Thistle blog (http://greenasathistle.com/) which I read from its early days. The author made one environmentally friendly change to her lifestyle every day for one year - changes from the easy (ordering ice cream in a cone instead of a bowl) to the unimaginable (unplugging her fridge.)

I picked the book up expecting tor read a lot of things that I'd already followed online, but this isn't a rehash of the blog posts, it is more of a personal behind the show more scenes story. I was a little disappointed to see that in real life she wasn't as strict as she appeared when I read the blog, but it was entertaining to read about her family's reaction to her changes.
There isn't a lot of practical information here, but if you're interested in the authors personal story this is an amusing read. The falling in love bit is hurriedly stapled on, possibly to make an entertaining subtitle, the book would have been fine without it. show less

Not so much a book of tips as a chronicle of the changes she made, chronciled on her blog and in the National Post to become more green. Some she found easy and some hard and will give up now that year is over. Motivating, funny and interesting about how one can adjust and chosing the changes that you can make and not feeling guilty about the ones you can't. we don't all have to be hard core, off the grid vegans.

Vanessa Farquharson committed to doing something green everyday for a year. Inspired after watching Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth, Farquharson, an arts reporter for the National Post in Toronto decided she needed to do something. She began her blog, Green as a Thistle to chronicle her adventures in green living and from it her book Sleeping Naked is Green developed. Farquharson's adventure began March 1, 2007 with a switch to using recycled paper towels. Each day she chose a new task or show more life change that she would have to follow until February 29, 2008 when her year of green living ended. She did simple things like showering in the dark or shutting down her computer at the end of each day or switching to electronic billing. She did more challenging things like "eating only free-range, organic, hormone-free (and if possible local) meat, restricting my intake of beef and chicken to no more than once per week" and "spending part of each day educating myself about environmental issues." The most challenging thing for her was remembering all of the things she had committed to do or not do and sticking with it the rest of the year. You can find the full Green List on her website. Initially I was expecting a funny book with pages of laughter (there are moments), however, I was wrong and once I realized that was not the point of Sleeping Naked is Green I really began to enjoy the book. Farquharson desires to share her experiences as she challenges herself to live a more environmentally friendly life. In the end, I really enjoyed the book and look forward to trying some of the changes she made in my own life. The one thing that would have made this book even better is a resource or reference list. Farquharson mentions multiple times researching the green lifestyle changes, but fails to share specifically and the exact resources that she finds. I would have appreciated a list of websites or other resources to visit after finishing Sleeping Naked is Green, especially since she is no longer updating her blog.

Why I was interested: The title caught my attention and the description reeled me in. I am always up for a book with humor.

Why I finished it: I really wanted to know how she did it and if she successfully made it the whole year adding in one green change each day.

I'd share it with: People who are interested in greening up their lifestyle and learning a bit with a bit of humor. I will admit I learned a lot even though I thought some of her changes were a bit trivial and even questioned whether they were really greener then the alternative.

Other books & movies to try: No Impact Man: The Adventures of a Guilty Liberal Who Attempts to Save the Planet, and the Discoveries He Makes About Himself and Our Way of Life in the Process by Colin Beavan, also a green blogger. There was also a documentary made from Beavan's experiences. Other films to check out are King Corn and Food, Inc. which look closer at the food we eat and the environmental impact that it has on us and our environment. Inconvenient Truth, a documentary by Al Gore, explores global warming and the inspiration for the author to begin this challenge. show less