MNN - Mother Nature Network

 

Looking for a gift that's sure to inspire laughter and conversation? Dads and other dudes will dig Hey Mr. Green, a book of the irreverent yet practical advice columns written by Bob Schildgen for Sierra magazine. Woody Harrelson says, "Mr. Green's cranky humor makes environmental living fun," while none other than Ed Begley praises Schildgen's "sound advice and ... curmudgeonly comments." 

 

Women will appreciate the many ways in which Schildgen demonstrates that a real man is a green man. His queriers, or shall we say, challengers, do seem a tad, well, preoccupied with manliness.

 

 

Whoa! Way to go, Mr. Green! Unafraid to tackle any subject, from pet waste to what sports teams and stadiums recycle and compost, Schildgen keeps up a frank, cheerful running patter with his readers. Asked what's greener, canned or bottled beer, Mr. Green admits he "would personally opt for bottles because they usually contain better varieties of beer -- and because manufacturing glass creates less pollution and requires less energy than making aluminum." However, he points out, 45 percent of aluminum cans are recycled compared with 20 percent of bottles ... and so forth.

 

You can find Mr. Green: Sierra Magazine's Answer Guy Tackles Your Toughest Green Living Questions, as well as Ed Begley's Living with Ed: A Guide to the Eco-Friendly Life here at Amazon's site. You can also ask a question, and maybe appear in Mr. Green's next book, at the Sierra magazine site. 

 

This article originally appeared in Plenty in June 2008. This story was added to MNN.com in June 2009.

 

Copyright Environ Press 2008