‘The Green Book’ Uses Celebs, Tips to Appeal to the Public

Green is the new black … or is it the new pink? Either way, green is in. With more and more of corporate America joining the green movement, environmental sustainability continues to gain momentum in society. But the decision to do one’s part to help the environment starts with the individual, which is exactly who one publisher is betting on with its launch of “The Green Book” this month.

“The Green Book,” penned by Elizabeth Rogers and Thomas M. Kostigen, is a collection of more than 400 tips people can incorporate into their everyday lives to make a positive impact on the environment. Most of the tips are really quite practical and are presented in a compelling way. For example, if every person withdrawing money from an ATM did not request a receipt, it would save a roll of paper more than 2 billion feet long—or enough to circle the equator 15 times.

The publisher—Three Rivers Press, a trade paperback imprint of Random House Inc. subsidiary Crown Publishing Group—is backing up the book’s message with a significant contribution of its own: The book is the imprint’s first whose paper and cover stock are 100-percent recycled. In fact, its acquisition came, in part, says Assistant Editor Mary Choteborsky, as a result of Random House’s commitment in May 2006 to a tenfold increase in the use of recycled paper by 2010. Further, the publisher is donating a portion of the book’s proceeds to The Green Book Foundation in support of environmental causes and nonprofit organizations.

Backed with star power
This isn’t the first book of tips on saving the planet to hit bookstores, but what sets it apart is the star power in its pages. “The Green Book” contains contributions from an impressive number of A-listers, including Jennifer Aniston, Tyra Banks, Ellen DeGeneres, Will Ferrell, Robert Redford, Martha Stewart and Justin Timberlake. Their participation, Choteborsky acknowledges, makes the book unique.