Changing Hands Book Store
6428 S McClintock Drive
Tempe, Arizona 85283
7pm
Monday November 16th, 2009
Contact: Greg Peterson, The Urban Farm, 602-279-3713

Greg Peterson and Urban Farm Press presents a new and unique series of mini books designed for the busy, fast-paced life we live. The series, called The Urban Farm’s Simple Sustainability Series, feature palm-size, single topic, and well-researched mini books that are concise and to the point with each book exploring a different aspect of living a green (sustainable) lifestyle. Topics are addressed in a guilt-free, action-oriented and upbeat manner. Designed as a quick study, the books bridge the gap between facts and action and are written in an inspirational manner for anyone with an interest in green lifestyle changes and sustainably oriented processes.

The mini-book format features:
• 3.5” by 5” size
• A low price of $7.95
• 8,000 to 15,000 words
• Highly topic specific material
• A quick, engaging, inspirational read, and
• Communicate the point using less paper.

The current series contains the following four books to be followed by an additional six planned for release in 2010:
• My Ordinary Extraordinary Yard, By Greg Peterson
• Fowl Play, Your Guide to Keeping Chickens in Your Yard, By Rachel Bess with Greg Peterson
• How Green Am I?, Your Personal Environmental Audit, By Don Lotter with Greg Peterson
• Grow Wherever You Go, Discover the Place Where Your Garden Lives, By Greg Peterson

Each book contains helpful, factual and interesting information designed to inspire readers into action.

Urban Farm Press and Your Guide To Green are established, reliable sources of information on green living. Therefore the information is educational, fact-based, substantive, and well-researched — based on well-documented sources. Books are written in an upbeat, positive, non-preachy, no guilt voice that is fun and easy-to-read.

It’s simply rewarding.

• My Ordinary Extraordinary Yard, By Greg Peterson
You can create your own urban farm. Creating your own urban farm is as simple as planting you flowerbeds with edibles. The payoffs can include home grown food and a deeper connection to the earth. In this unique mini-book, Greg Peterson shares how his yard went from grass and hedges to his very own Urban Farm, full of vegetables and fruit trees with plenty to share. His motto ‘food grows abundantly - lets grow it and give it away.’ This insightful book about how Greg’s Urban Farm came to be will inspire you to create your own urban farm.

• Fowl Play, Your Guide to Keeping Chickens in Your Yard, By Rachel Bess with Greg Peterson
Why should you keep chickens in your back yard? Think fresh eggs, the thrill of the daily hunt, the chickens tilling your soil, eating your food scraps, weeds, seeds and bugs then providing great fertilizer.

“You can learn so much about live from chickens,” explains Michelle M., a busy nurse, wife and mother of seven. “I’ve learned that keeping chickens is good for my soul.”

Anyone can do it…no roosters required. The secrets to your success easily unfold in the pages of Fowl Play. Read and gather your rewards.

• How Green Am I?, Your Personal Environmental Audit, By Don Lotter with Greg Peterson
Living green is simpler than you think. The gamut of green choices is endless, whether it’s paying a bill online, turning he water off while brushing your teeth, planting a garden or recycling. Everyday simple changes add up in a hurry. Awareness is the key!

By reading How Green Am I? you will discover many palces where you can paint your life a little greener. Using Greg Peterson’s ‘No Suffering Allowed” attitude, this book covers the 14 areas that make the biggest impact on our environmental footprint.

This is the most comprehensive footprint-measuring tool on the market. Simply by filling it out you will transform the way you live.

• Grow Wherever You Go, Discover the Place Where Your Garden Lives, By Greg Peterson
Where does your garden live? No matter where you are you can grow something to eat. Shift your thinking and you’d be surprised at the places your food can be grown! Windowsill, fire escape and rooftop gardens have the same potential to provide impressive harvests as backyard gardens, greenhouses and community spaces.

Grow Wherever You Go helps you explore and discover just where your garden lives. So whether you choose to grow a few herbs, or work your way toward creating an entire edible landscape, the process is simpler and more deliciously rewarding than you can imagine. Be creative…discover your garden!

Technorati Tags: Greg Peterson, Living Green, permaculture, The Urban Farm

One of the cool things that I learned early on was how to can the produce that I grew. I can’t really tell you why I was interested, but in high school I made an offhand comment to a friend’s mother that I would like to learn how to can. She responded by teaching me

It is actually a very easy project to ‘put up’ that which we grow. There was a second benefit for me in that instance - I began learning about the community building process, which is reflected in my life today. In this week’s article, I reflect back on the difference Community Preservation has made.

I have also been busy at work writing several books and an email series on living green. I would be grateful if you would check them out. The first two titles have already been released, with more on the way! Check out “My Ordinary Extraordinary Yard / Fowl Play Book COMBO“. I field a lot of questions about where I live, how the gardens work, how water is managed and how to live more green lifestyle. My Extraordinary Yard answers these questions and more, in a short 28 page read. “Fowl Play” is about chickens. If you’ve ever thought about raising chickens (I do for eggs), know someone who does, or have run into the odd hurdle, than this book is for you! 2 books for a great price. Read more about this offer.

Don’t foget aobut my awesome RePEaT Bamboo Utensil Set & Holder deal. These sets are perfect for your lunch-on-the-go and make uniquely great gifts, too. Find out more here!

Have a great green day!

Greg

Technorati Tags: canning, food, preservation, preserves, Preserving food

One of my favorite building materials is free. Yes, I said free, and it is available literally by the ton just waiting for us to pick it up.

“But wait, there’s more!” The best part is the owners are usually thrilled to let us haul it off. It is affectionately called “urbanite” and is a mixture of broken up and discarded concrete pieces. From sidewalks to pool parts these concrete cast-offs make great flooring or, as I did here at the Urban Farm, stacked from pieces into a nice retaining wall.

In this week’s article, I explore a few different ways that you can create your own urbanite masterpiece.

On a separate note but just as planet-friendly, I have put together a fantastic deal on our RePEaT bamboo utensil set and holder. The cutlery is made from quickly renewable and natural bamboo. The holder is made from recycled pop bottles. Lunchtime has never been so green and our sets are a great complement to your stainless steel lunchbox.

Have a great green day!

Greg

Technorati Tags: concrete, construction, flooring, reclaiming, recycling, urbanite, walls

One of the things I play with at the Urban Farm is “passive solar”. Essentially, passive solar is the concept of using solar strategies to light, heat and cool your home. Most people take advantage of passive solar by starting with something as simple as shading your west-facing windows in the summer and letting that sun into your space in the winter.

Letting the sun in to my space is always at the top of my list. So a few years back I installed a tubular skylight and I love it! The skylight lets in sunlight while not letting in the heat from the sun and it saves on my electric bill as I don’t have to turn on a light during the day.

Unlike traditional skylights, tubular skylights may be used two floors down from the roof and even in your basement. They don’t fade your art on the walls, either. In this week’s article, Maura Yates explores the different aspects of tubular skylights.

For a quick read on more Urban Farm approaches to living a more green lifestyle, check out our new book series, starting with My Ordinary Extraordinary Yard / Fowl Play COMBO. Only $10 for the two, including shipping. And if you need to quench your thirst over lunch or when on the go, our 18oz. Espresso-Color Travel Mug is stainless steel, BPA free, lead free, and looks great, too.

Have a great green day!

Technorati Tags: daylighting, light, skylights, Solar Lighting, tubular skylights

I cannot begin to tell you how many calls and emails I receive and people approaching me at lectures wondering why we sell some products from China. AND I have to tell you that I hear you. It is frustrating for me to that I don’t have a better selection of U.S. made products to choose from. Out team is constantly looking, but to no avail. In this week’s article, I dive head first into exploring the issues that surround purchasing from China.

For those of you that are keenly interested in US-Made products, try these 3 fantastic products from our site.

Our Simple Elegance glass straw series is sure to impress your guests and is green with bling, too!

A corn-based biodegradable water bottle with carbon filter offers you filtered water on the go from any tap water source. Reuse up to 90 times! Finally, I’m pleased to tell you about our up and coming book series from Urban Farm Press.

Finally, our new 28-page mini books are a quick read and we have a great series to introduce to you! Order our My Ordinary Extraordinary Yard / Fowl Play COMBO for only $10, including shipping. Watch for subscription info. to this incredible series coming soon!

Have a great green day!

Greg

Technorati Tags: China, manufacturing, products, tansportation

Energy efficiency is one of the biggest items on our green agenda that impacts both the environment and our budget. The good news is that there are piles of rebates and tax credits available for everything from new windows to appliances and renewable energy. When I installed my Photovoltaic Solar system here at The Urban Farm there were federal and state tax credits and a power company rebate in place that brought the price of the system down from $15,000 to a mere $4,500.

In this week’s article, Dan Harding explores how to find the many rebates and incentives that are in place on both a local and national level. Every state and utility has their own to help you reduce the cost of your energy efficiency improvements. You might be surprised to learn that you can receive a credit or rebate for ceiling fans or purchasing a new dryer. So for every purchase you make for a new energy efficiency device make sure you check with your local utility and the federal and state government to see if you are entitled to receive a rebate.

Now onto one of my favorite energy saving gadgets called the Smart Power Strip. More than just your average power bar, the Smart Power Strip eliminates the energy draw typical of today’s appliances and devices even when they’re in the “off” position. Stop paying for electricity you’re not using with our best-selling energy saver.

You may also find out how much electricity your appliances and devices actually use. Plug the Kill A Watt EZ into your outlet and it will show you the energy draw of any appliance or device connected to it. The large LCD display shows consumption by the kilowatt-hour, same as your local utility measures, and the monthly operation cost. Perhaps it’s time to replace that basement freezer…

Technorati Tags: appliances, devices, efficiency, energy, power, rebates

I learned the beauty of the garden is plenty and that the steps to taking my leftover groceries to market was really quite easy. In this week’s article, I outline a plan for you to get your produce from seed to the local market. It is easy and quite fulfilling. There is nothing better for me than to plant, nurture, harvest and ultimately share with the community all that my garden grows.

Of course, getting to market and setting up in the wee small hours can make for a long day. Fortunately, we have a few “survival items” for you. Our Espresso Travel Tumbler can be filled with your beverage of choice and has great looks, too. Should you get hungry later, or just need to bring home a fresh-baked goodie from the market, just bring along our Stainless Steel Lunch Bundle.

Have a great green day!

Technorati Tags: food, garden, gardening, market, Urban Farming

One of the biggest steps you can take is to eliminate the one use items in your child’s lunch…or yours for that matter! With drinking boxes and sandwich bags and disposable single-serve items, the waste can really add up over the course of a school year. We have a fantastic stainless steel lunch bundle that eliminates the waste and is completely plastic, BPA, lead, and aluminum free.

In this week’s article, Sarita Douglas talks about 10 simple things our schools can do to become more green. From simply changing out their light bulbs to reducing paper product consumption and creating a school garden, the possibilites are easy, educational, and fun! By getting the green education in place and watching our future generation in action, we can all become inspired to do our part. I have this awesome vision of our kids coming home and teaching the adults how easy it is to live green.

The school season is almost here and I’m excited! We live in a time where green opportunities abound. Imagine all the possibilities that we can do both individually and together to make for a happier, healthier planet. What a great way to start off the school year. We also have an extensive selection of Back to School items to help our kids get a great green start.

Have a great green day!

Technorati Tags: back to school, children, Green, kids, lunch, school, students

When I was a kid (in the late 60’s and 70’s) plastic was minimal in our culture. Over the past 40 years, plastic has been inserted everywhere and with the way our younger generations are exposed to it through water bottles, fast food packaging, plastic wrap, and more, is causing me concern for their health. We simply do not know what the long-term exposure effects will be — yet another reason to avoid them.

In this week’s article, Stainless Steel 411, I explore why we should choose stainless steel over plastic. One of the biggest places we can have an impact in this arena is in our children’s lunch boxes. Check out our Back to School section for lots of healthy planet / healthy kid choices, whether they’re 4 years old or future College grads.

Have a great green day!

Technorati Tags: back to school, children, health, lunch, plastic, school, stainless steel, stainless steel bottles

A few years back I dreamed of an idea for a series of books that I am calling the Simple Sustainability Series.  Simply put (and no pun intended), they are a series of book designed to simply explain the whole notion of living green and sustainably.  My first two offering are My Ordinary Extraordinary Yard, which is the story of how the Urban farm came to be and Fowl Play, a book on keeping chickens in the city.

Needless to say I am very excited.  Please check out the listings on our YourGuidetoGreen.com site (see Latest Products section) and as a limited time special offer pre-order both of them for $10, including shipping!

My Ordinary Extraordinary Yard / Fowl Play COMBO Pre-Order

Technorati Tags: book, books, Chickens, city, green living, Sustainability, Urban Farm, yard