Zion Lights's Blog

In the media...

The Guardian, Sept 2015: The Eco Guide to Green Parenting



Vegan Lifestyle Association: Sept 2015, Green Living Interview

Western Morning News, Sept 2015: Greenest Mum warns against internet scaremongers

Exeter Life interview with The Unmumsy Mum, Sept 2015: The Green Light

The Daily Telegraph, August 2015: Meet Britain's Greenest Mother

Page previews to celebrate the book release

My book, The Ultimate Guide to Green Parenting, is now available to buy through your local bookshop or through my publisher New Internationalist, Amnesty International, Friends of the Earth, Amazon, or Waterstones, to name a few stockists. So, what better way to celebrate the book release than to show you a few page previews from the book?...

Page preview from Chapter 1: 'The Science of Green Parenting'


Page preview from Chapter 2: 'The Green Birth'


Page preview from Chapter 4: 'Diet & Nutrition'

Book endorsements for The Ultimate Guide To Green Parenting

My non-fiction, science-based book The Ultimate Guide to Green Parenting will be published in September and I'm really excited about seeing it in print.

In the meantime, take a look at the endorsements for The Ultimate Guide to Green Parenting..

Bill McKibben, co-founder of 350.org, author of Deep Economy:
'A science-based account of the ways we parents might be more green, and raise healthier children in the process--I was especially glad to see the detailed chapter on why one wants to vaccinate one's children. The whole book is written with a view to the larger society, which is good, since that's the society our children will have to live in.'

Dr Marc Bekoff, Professor Emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado, author of Rewilding Our Hearts:
'Zion Lights' new book is a must read for people of all ages and all cultures. The Ultimate Guide to Green Parenting is a very practical, fact-filled, wide-ranging, and easy-to-read book and parents, teachers, and youngsters will learn a lot about how to make "the best and most sustainable/green choices" for themselves and for Green Parenting in future generations. Topics range from green birth to travel to diet to toiletries and I continued to be amazed by the breadth and depth of Ms Lights' latest work. I learned a lot from this forward-looking book and I hope it enjoys a wide readership. We really cannot continue to live as we do and expect the very best for our children and theirs. I often wonder what the world will be like for youngsters when they're my age or even half my age, and this book made me hopeful that the future of our challenging, demanding and rapidly evolving planet could indeed be a very bright one if we pay close attention to the choices we make and if we serve as good models for current and future generations.'

Natalie Bennett, Leader of the Green Party:
'More and more parents are thinking not just about what they can give their children as individuals, but about the kind of world they are creating for them. Zion brings together the latest peer-review science, looks at it practically and calmly, without being judgemental or preachy, simply helpful. Many parents will find this useful and reassuring.'

George Marshall, founder of the Climate Outreach and Information Network (COIN), author of Don't Even Think About It: Why Our Brains Are Wired to Ignore Climate Change:
'As if being an ethical parent was not challenging enough, we are plagued by self appointed pundits playing on our insecurities. So hoorah for Zion Lights who applies the latest research evidence to the even most intractable myths around sleeping, diet and vaccination. The result is an indispensable guide loaded with sound advice.'

Raffi Cavoukian, Member of the Order of Canada, singer, author, founder of the Centre for Child Honouring:
'In the climate-change era, our children need green parenting - and this well researched book shows how to do it. It offers easy-to-read, science-based options for greening the family. Kudos to Zion Lights for this comprehensive, informative, and indispensable green guide for parents!'

David Bond, Director of Project Wild Thing:
'The Ultimate Guide to Green Parenting is a refreshingly clear-headed and well researched practical guide to environmentally friendly parenting. Zion Lights is a wise, calm voice for new parents. She debunks the myths, and reminds us what is really important: children need care and time - not tonnes of stuff - to make them happy. Finally, a crystal-clear case for what many have suspected for years: green parenting is not for sentimentalists. It is the smart way to think about bringing up children if you care about their (and your) happiness.'

Jay Griffiths, author of Kith: The Riddle of the Childscape:
'A book of glorious clarity, offering parents the great tool of evidence-based wisdom.'

Tim Gill, writer on childhood:
'There's no such thing as the perfect parent - or the perfect environmentalist (I speak from personal experience). But by doing a better job of caring for the planet, we can also do a better job of caring for our children. This is the argument of The Ultimate Guide to Green Parenting, and it makes a clear, thought-provoking and persuasive case.'

Scott Cooney, Adjunct Professor of Sustainability in the MBA program at the University of Hawai'i, author of Build A Green Small Business:
'Zion's book cuts straight through the noise and presents the best available science on green and naturally healthy parenting. The best part is that it's done in a practical, humorous and easy-to-read way that any parent concerned about the environment and about their children's health can understand.'

John Cossham, compost expert and children’s entertainer, winner of the Oxfam Carbon Footprint Competition in 2008:
‘I enjoyed reading The Ultimate Guide to Green Parenting so much I didn’t want to stop. Parents like me have been waiting for this sort of sensible and wide-ranging book, and I’m just disappointed it wasn’t published when my teenagers were babies.
I believe it will appeal as it’s based on sound science, and is well researched and referenced. Zion Lights outlines the available evidence where there are debates about a subject. I particularly enjoyed the chapter on travel, as, although it’s a parenting book, much of the content applies to all of us, whether parents of young children or not.’

Carlos González, paediatrician, founder and president of the Catalan Breastfeeding Association (ACPAM), breastfeeding correspondent for Ser Padres (Being Parents) magazine:
'Many people think that "toxic waste" is something that very bad people produce just for the pleasure of dumping it into the sea; that you can save the whales, the planet etc by clicking "I like" on a website; or that it's okay to drink a sugary unhealthy "cold drink" instead of tap water as long as you recycle the can. Lights reminds us that it's all of us who produce waste, that there are no easy solutions to difficult problems, and that saving the planet requires hard choices as consuming less is far better than recycling. A serious book. Enjoy!'

The Unmumsy Mum:
'Full of genuinely fascinating stuff, stuff realistically applicable to day to day life. Stuff which tells me there are options and not that there are rules. Perhaps our perception of what it means to be "green" needs challenging and I've definitely met the person most qualified to help with that. "Being green" isn't something we have to either opt in or out of. It's fine to dabble in greenness. I like dabbling and I like Zion's philosophy of doing what works for your family.'