Go Green, Save Green: A Simple Guide to Saving Time, Money, and God's Green Earth

by Nancy Sleeth

Many people want to “go green” but put it off because they believe it's too time consuming and too expensive. Not so! Nancy Sleeth and her family have been living an eco-friendly lifestyle for years saving both time and money. Now, for the first time, she divulges hundreds of practical, easy-to-implement steps that you can take to create substantial money savings while protecting the earth. Sleeth also demonstrates how going green helps people live more God-centered lives by becoming better stewards of financial and natural resources. Chapter titles (1) Home; (2) Lawn and Garden; (3) Work; (4) Transportation; (5) Food; (6) Sabbath; (7) Holidays; (8) Entertainment; (9) School; (10) Church; (11) Nature; and (12) Community.

Genres: Environment, Nonfiction, Christian, Christian Living, Sustainability

432 pages, Paperback

First published March 11, 2009

About the author

Nancy Sleeth and her husband, Matthew, are cofounders of Blessed Earth, a faith-based environmental nonprofit. After an environmental and spiritual conversion experience, Nancy and her family radically altered their footprint, giving away half their possessions and reducing their energy use by more than two-thirds. Prior to heeding this environmental calling, Nancy served as communications director for a Fortune 500 company and as an educator and administrator, most recently at Asbury University. She is a graduate of Georgetown University and holds a master’s degree in journalism. Nancy and Matthew are the parents of Clark, a medical resident preparing for missionary work, and Emma, the author of It’s Easy Being Green (Zondervan), which is a call to teens to live sustainable lifestyles. The Sleeths live in Lexington, Kentucky.

Reviews

[Aaron Hicks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gave great vision and was very practical!

[Ike · Rating 3 out of 5]

One word = helpful

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish every Christian could read this and see how their faith connects to caring for the environment.

[Tinea · Rating 2 out of 5]

I skimmed this in one 3-hour sitting, trying to get project ideas for my collective house. It a was comprehensive collection of basic "green tips," the same you'd find on any website or magazine entitled "go green." Nothing new here, but did the trick of bringing them all together. I liked the author's chatty tone and normie assumptions. This is a super pro-god, very Christian book, which works for what it is. I have no Christian background and kind of hate the idea of god, but I definitely appreciate certain Christian values, and chipper self-sacrifice for a greater good is one of them (...to a certain extent). So I enjoyed how this book was pragmatically framed around the usual concepts of doing environmental home improvements to save money, but also immersed in ideas for choosing actions that have a greater impact on human communities, and donating saved money to organizations doing work on similar themes (i.e. don't just buy organic food, but also contribute to global anti-hunger organizations-- including specific ones my NGO-worker self feels do solid, empowering [not proselytizing] work). While there's a few chapters that are pretty Christian-specific, even the one on greening your church could apply to any community center to which one belongs. The very religious chapter on having a weekly quiet, meditative day to celebrate the Sabbath was all about taking time to walk in nature, cook and eat with loved ones, and be mindful of relationships to technology, all shit with which I am very down. So yes, good book not in spite of Christianity but because of it.


I recommend checking out Making It: Radical Home-Ec for a Post-Consumer World instead or as well.

[Gloria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Christian environmentalism at its best. While this does talk about green ways to save money, this is more about creation care and saving/carving time out for what is most important. Entwined throughout are spiritual messages about living green and practical ways to do just that. Met the author and her author/husband Matthew in a small group setting and they are just as sincere in person as their written message. Their web site is: http://www.blessedearth.org. They are endorsed by people such as Wendell Berry and Eugene Peterson, fantastic people who have made great contributions to nature and spirit.

[Alline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book and all the practical suggestions in each chapter. This book made a good adult Sunday school class and we had a number of good discussions about what we are already doing to take better care of the earth, as well as some new ideas we should try. The study guide was helpful in leading the class. The author just visited our church with her husband and they were very gracious and delightful to spend time with. I highly recommend this book.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall I appreciated her perspective on going green with more of an emphasis on saving God's creation and saving money than on global warming and coming doom. At times redundant and "out there", most of her ideas were practical for anyone wanting to do their part. Chapters include topics from home to food to sabbath and church.

[Laura]

I've always thought I've been doing a good job conserving, recycling, etc. but there is so much more to learn, I'm seeing, as I read this book. The fact that this family became Christians during their quest to "Save the Earth" is even more inspiring as we learn about what the Bible says about respecting God's creation.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's good but dense and I have met the Sleeths personally and know they are firmly committed with wonderful hearts. This book will be too austere for many. Excellently researched and lots of incredibly valuable information. Use what you can and feels right for you. Progress not perfection on your path of sustainability.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book contains good information about big and little things you can do to be more green. I even agree with her that God wants us to take care of the environment. Unfortunately, I couldn't get past it's preachy and slightly self-righteous tone.

[Sheryl Sato · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent resource with many good tips for reducing one's carbon footprint. This book addresses all manner of ways to save the planet, from steps your family can make to things the wider community can do. I have read a lot of books in this vein, but this one still has new and great ideas.

[Katie Pierson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was definitely on the extreme, ideal side of environmentalism, but it was well researched and designed in a way to make it extremely applicable in your own life - with checklists and "check-ups". I would recommend.

[Meghan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Practical ideas but nothing really groundbreaking for me. I did enjoy a couple of her husband's books for a Christian perspective on creation care.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book with a refreshing focus on stewardship of our whole lives, not just our money. Compelling and straightforward- I really enjoyed it!

[Camille · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not quite as good as her other book, "Almost Amish", but still great. Would have helped me more if we weren't already so thrifty. We already do most of the suggested things.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the suggestions were unrealistic. I doubted a few of the statistics. It was a bit redundant. Overall, a decent read with many good ideas.