This book is printed and distributed in an environmentally-friendly manner.
W h a t D o e s It M e a n To Be G re e n ?
www.littlepicklepress.com
DiOrio • Blair
If we can all be green, we can save the world!
To Paula, for her courage, strength, and grace . . . and for loving me just the way I am. -R.D. To Dennis, Franziska, and Nancy Shepard, for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime . . . and to my mum. -C.B.
Copyright Š 2010 by Little Pickle Press LLC All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in an information retrieval system in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, taping, and recording, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 2010900123 ISBN 978-0-9840806-2-5 13 12 11 10 09
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Printed in the United States of America First edition 2010 Little Pickle Press LLC PO Box 983 Belvedere, CA 94920 Please visit us at www.littlepicklepress.com.
By Rana DiOrio Illustrated by Chris Blair Little Pickle Press
What does it mean to be green?
Does it mean being good with plants? No.
Does it mean feeling sick in the car? No.
Does it mean looking like a frog , or a pickle, or an alien?
No!
Being green means . . .
. . . turning the lights on in your home only when you need them.
. . . eating foods grown locally, or even from your own garden.
. . . walking to the park instead of getting a ride in a car.
. . . packing your lunch in containers you bring home every day.
. . . enjoying your ice cream in a cone, rather than in a paper cup with a plastic spoon.
. . . picking up trash that isn’t yours and putting it in the garbage.
. . . putting bottles, cans, plastic, and paper into recycling bins.
. . . using your food scraps to make fertilizer for your garden.
. . . collecting rainwater instead of using a hose.
. . . drawing on two sides of your paper instead of just one.
. . . giving the clothes you’ve outgrown to someone smaller than you.
. . . wearing your pajamas one more time before washing them.
. . . turning off the water while you brush your teeth.
.
e.
new ways to f o g co n n i k n s i erv h t . .
. . . reminding grown-ups to be green, too.
Being green means doing whatever we can
One bus carries as many people as 40 cars.
Each minute, 100 acres of rainforest are being cut down.
One-third of the water used in most homes is flushed down the toilet.
d
You rf oo
It means understanding that . . .
of e g a r e v a n a s l e v tra
to protect the earth’s precious resources. If all our newspaper were recycled, we could save about 250,000,000 trees each year – that’s A LOT of trees!
1,500 mi les t ob eo n te. pla ur yo
Recycling one glass bottle saves enough energy to light a 100-watt bulb for four hours.
So tell your friends what it means to be green. And spread the word — if we can all be green, we can save the world!
Our Mission Little Pickle Press is dedicated to helping parents and educators cultivate conscious, responsible little people by inspiring our readers to help children in need, celebrate diversity, and protect the environment. Ten percent (10%) of the purchase price of your book will be happily donated to Starlight Children’s Foundation.
To learn more about us or Starlight Children’s Foundation, please visit www.littlepicklepress.com.
environmental benefits statement
of using post-consumer waste fiber vs. virgin fiber
Little Pickle Press saved the following resources by using New Leaf Reincarnation Matte, made with 100% recycled fiber and 50% post-consumer waste, processed chlorine free, and manufactured with electricity that is offset with Green-e速 certified renewable energy certificates:
trees
28
fully grown
water
6,113
gallons
energy
solid waste
13
million Btu
greenhouse gases
1,337
pounds
2,260
pounds
Calculations based on research by Environmental Defense Fund and other members of the Paper Task Force.
www.newleafpaper.com
We print and distribute our materials in an environmentally-friendly manner, using recycled paper, soy inks, and green packaging.
About The Author Rana DiOrio grew up in Rhode Island, went to college in North Carolina, and attended law school in Tennessee. It wasn’t, however, until she moved to California’s environmentally-conscious Bay Area that she started developing her own appreciation of what it means to be green. As the concept of climate change emerged in the media and foreshadowed negative effects to our earth, Rana realized, like many of us, that she had a choice: to maintain status quo and leave behind a legacy of irreversible damage, or to make the changes necessary to turn around the destructive trends. “If our children and the generations to follow are to inherit a healthy planet, we all need to make material changes in the way we consume,” she explains. “What better way to alter the future than by investing time and energy in our children, and empowering them to be catalysts for change?” Rana has written her way through life — as a student, a lawyer, an investment banker, a private equity investor, and now as an author of children’s picture books. Her interests include practicing yoga, reading non-fiction, dreaming, walking along beaches, effecting positive change, and, of course, being global and green. She lives in Belvedere, California with her husband and their three Little Pickles.
About The Illustrator Chris Blair was born and raised in Northern California. He studied at the Art Center College of Design, and with a generous scholarship from the Shepard Foundation, earned a degree in illustration in 1999. Following graduation, he opened his own design studio called Cbstudio. In addition to illustrating books and running his business, Chris teaches art to adults and children. His whimsical artwork explores the power of symbolism and visual communication to convey universal human themes and ideas. Chris strives to create art that transcends the boundaries of language, color, and geography, to help people gain a greater understanding of and compassion for one another. While illustrating What Does It Mean To Be Green?, Chris was eager to use his talents to teach children to conserve and be more sensitive to the earth’s valuable resources. He is committed to helping children learn to be actively involved in protecting our world. Chris Blair’s other interests include sailing, traveling, and storytelling. He currently works and teaches out of his studio in Sausalito, California.
This book is printed and distributed in an environmentally-friendly manner.
W h a t D o e s It M e a n To Be G re e n ?
www.littlepicklepress.com
DiOrio • Blair
If we can all be green, we can save the world!