SPOTLIGHT: Stocking stuffer alert! A winsome eco-fable from Stony Brook Garden Club

    Stony Brook Garden Club is proud to introduce its two newest and most newsworthy members, Penelope and the Green Goddess, heroines of its recently printed handbook, “Does It Come In Green?”
    Founded in 1939, Stony Brook Garden Club draws women from the greater Princeton area and is a member of the Garden Club of America, a nationwide nonprofit organization dedicated to conservation, civic improvement and education. In keeping with the education prerogative, this fun and easy handbook that is being offered to the public is a project of the Stony Brook Conservation Committee, co-chaired by Susan Finlay and Lori Citrone, and is supported by a grant from the New Jersey Committee of GCA.
    Taking a more colorful approach to the recent bombardment of Green Tips flooding the marketplace, this “Mini-Tale of a Reforming Over-Consumer” chronicles what happens when Penelope, the happily unaware over-consumer, driving her monster SUV loaded down with packages, meets up with the all-to-aware, under-consuming Green Goddess, riding her one- speed bicycle wearing green gauze and birkenstocks.
    The Green Goddess recognizes a desperate case when she sees one and therein lies the substance of the mini-tale. She follows Penelope as she travels her wasteful way through seven days of the week, each day tackling a different chore of daily living. The seven days cover the categories of cleaning; grocery shopping; paper, pets and kids; energy conservation, water conservation, lawn and garden and composting, each day delineating the struggle between the blues harmful to the environment and the greens less harmful to the environment.
    Although the book is entertaining and user-friendly, it does not betray its serious purpose. It is packed with a multitude of facts, statistics, tips and information aimed at the reduction of toxins in our everyday surroundings and the sustainability of the planet. With the space it provides for recording local recycling data, such as curbside and hazardous waste pick-up days and pertinent county/ municipal telephone numbers regarding the environment, the booklet is meant to kept beside the family telephone.
    The price tag is only $5, just enough to cover costs, making it one of the biggest bargains in town. It can be ordered by writing to [email protected] or calling 609-730-9914. Also, it is also being sold at Peterson’s Nursery, Kale’s Nursery and Blooms at Montgomery Gardens.