Mia, aka WebbieGirl

Gardening Nude by Shawna Coronado

I was fortunate to meet Shawna Coronado at Free State Social in Lawrence, KS last April. It was her first time in Kansas, and not only was she a featured presenter, but that 5-minute chat in the lunch line revealed that she was instrumental in planting the seed that made Free State Social become a reality.

How appropriate that I was able to read Gardening Nude outside on a beautiful cloudy, breezy day during Memorial weekend.

The book is divided into 4 parts: Go Green Health Plan, Green and Simple Conservation Plan, Building a Green Community Plan and The Good Life Manifesto. The first 3 parts contain steps to take action as well as examples from real life; the last part is about inspiration. The basic premise of the book is about getting in touch with yourself, your environment and your community to help you lead a fuller, richer life filled with satisfaction and happiness. The most touching real life example was of Katherine, Queen of the tot-fairies; it was tear-filled reading that makes you wish you could change the world to be one where food, air and land have not been poisoned.

Why the title “Gardening Nude?” Gardening Nude is not about gardening necessarily or even being “nude” (even though my husband argues that she is nude on the front cover). It’s about living a greener, healthier life. Shawna wants us to stop making excuses and face the shocking and naked truth: we are the only person responsible for our happiness. She strives to get us to realize the possibilities that become concealed in the difficulty of living day-to-day life. The book was written out of her desperation of hitting bottom when she was prescribed pills for pain, pills for allergies, and pills to cure the side effects of pills. She found she was allergic to dozens of items, many triggering reactions, and also had extremely high blood pressure.  Shawna’s goal for writing the book is to inspire others by spreading the message of Gardening Nude – which defines a way of life she wants to share with the world.

There are 6 seemingly simple steps to Go Green Health Plan. They are explained in detail but the basic steps are:

1. Exercise – outside, daily.
2. Be exposed to daylight – without sunglasses, daily.
3. Take multivitamins (vitamin B included).
4. Eat nutritionally 3-5 meals/snacks per day.
5. Get regular massage.
6. Regularly do helpful things for others, the community and the environment.

The Green and Simple Conservation plan consists of 11 easy-to-do ideas to get you started towards a greener lifestyle.

1. Recycle.
2. Buy recycled products.
3. Conserve water.
4. Compost natural waste.
5. Use perennials and native plantings.
6. Buy at local farmer’s markets and participate in food co-ops that purchase locally.
7. Use non-chemical solutions.
8. Reduce natural resource usage.
9. Use compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs.
10. Promote stewardship of land by removing invasive species, chemical waste dumps and garbage.
11. Participate in community outreach programs for conservation.

Building a Green Community Plan features the corporate giant Google as a case study. Google is dedicated to building a better, greener community and giving employees a better quality of life. Some of Google’s internal efforts include providing free meals for employees, providing an on-site doctor, allowing employees to bring their dogs to work and providing courtesy bikes for employee travel. External efforts include an initiative to be carbon-neutral, having a facility with one of the largest solar panel installations in the US, and providing green tools for computer users. Learn more about Google’s Green Initiatives and about their technology driven philanthropy efforts.

For some the thought of “Going Green” can be overwhelming. There is on-going confusion of what we can recycle, and how we can and should recycle. As with any new lifestyle change, remember to take small steps and begin by learning how to get yourself and your community healthy.

This book was filled with common sense and inspiration. My goals for building a greener community now include:

1. Beginning each day by walking my dogs for at least 30 minutes.
2. Planting a butterfly garden using native plants and not chemical fertilizers or pesticides.
3. Checking with my employer about starting companywide green initiatives.
4. Collecting and reusing rainwater for my flower and vegetable gardens.
5. Composting natural waste instead of throwing it away.
6. Buying locally produced organic foods, vegetables and meat.