Gingerly Green sits (well, Gmails…) down with Eco-Friendly Families author Helen Coronato

While researching sources for a recently posted piece on families going green, I stumbled upon a link to a pretty snazzy looking book: Eco-Friendly Families, by Helen Coronato. “Cool,” I thought. “This is precisely the type of information our community could use.

Once I started diving in to Helen’s website, however, I decided that there was more than the book that I wanted to feature – I wanted to hear directly from the author herself. And, she graciously obliged by participating in a Q&A.

Here we go…

1) Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I am a professional author who most enjoys working on current trends and topics. My projects can be found at www.HelenCoronato.com.  From my work in publishing, I started helping other authors, entrepreneurs and small business owners promote their products and services through self promotion (which is the key to getting your name out there). I do this through my site www.TheWeekendPublicist.com. At home, I am happily married for 9 years and homeschooling my sons, Michael age 5 and Thomas, 3.

2) Where do you get your passion for eco-friendly family living?

Definitely my kids. As a former Coca Cola drinking Marlboro Lights kind of girl, no one is more surprised at the changes than me. But having kids changes the focus from your wants to their needs. And while I sometimes want to be an eco-slacker (still), I want my kids to have clean water, clean air and actual food. So I am learning to take the high road. The more I do, the better I feel, so I am actually benefiting along the way, too.

3) What was your biggest inspiration for writing Eco-Friendly Families?

We "woke up" in a 5 bedroom, new construction home and thought - oh my god what have we done. I wanted to go green, but felt like, is it even possible living like this? I figured there must be more people like me and looked for tools and tips, but couldn't find any. So I wrote the book I was looking for. A book that encourages everyone to do the part, no matter how late to the Green party they consider themselves.

4) What do you think is the biggest struggle families face when going green?

Doing too much at once. I mean, you can't go from Fruity Pebbles to Wheat Grass smoothies overnight and not expect anarchy at the breakfast table. You can't go tv-less during the final weeks of American Idol because you've decided you have to save energy right this second. Slow and steady really does win the race. Want to eat healthier? Try adding fresh fruit and a nutritious protein to breakfast while serving a smaller bowl of sugary cereal. Want to save energy? Make sure all the lights, electronics etc are unplugged when the family settles in for Idol. It's okay to have lofty goals, just remember to take baby steps on your way there.

5) How do you encourage your family to stay committed to being green?

We actually decided to downsize our lifestyle. for us, it was the right decision. so goodbye 5 bedroom, 3 bath home, hello 2 bedroom, one bath. We decided - for us - that going green was a lifestyle we wanted to embrace and chose to focus on family time. Instead of trying to keep up with mortgage payments, trends, etc we moved to a small town where things are slower over all. Not only do we eat slow food, we want to live slow lives. I know that sounds drastic, but it never ceases to amaze me how small changes often end up leading to monumental decisions.

6) How do you engage your children in this process?

We talk to our kids all the time about what goes on in "our family". Like, in our family, we don't litter. In our family, we don't expect someone else to clean up our mess. Then we work with the kids to live out these mantras. By starting with us, we hope to instill a strong sense of values which can later be applied to our global family.

7) What's your life's defining moment?

I've been fortunate enough to have several a-ha moments that really change me. My latest moment came when I said good bye to my family and friends and drove away from my very comfortable zone to start this next chapter. (We moved from NJ to WY)  Really a "wow" moment.

8) What is your eco-wish? (e.g. If you could change one thing about our world with the snap of a finger, what would it be?)

Recycling. It's just not second nature yet. We are still a very disposable nation. My dream is that we could live in a cradle to cradle society - where everything new is used and then made useful again, instead of a cradle to grave society. We look for opportunities to do this as much as we can. I hope everyone else is looking too.

Talk about one awesome chic! I really enjoyed learning from Helen, and I hope you have too. If you want to find out more information, visit her website, or pick up her book Eco-Friendly Families.

(*Both the photo of Helen and her book is credited to her website.)

By Gingerly Green of Two Girls Go Green (@TwoGirlsGoGreen)