A pioneer of green

Laguna resident and green pioneer Chris Prelitz has written a new book, “Green Made Easy,” which aims to convey that going green is not only good for our planet, but good for our pocketbooks as well.

“We’re rediscovering that it’s so much healthier, more lucrative, and better for every living thing to transition away from wasteful, polluting technologies and make choices that work in harmony with nature,” he said. “It may cost more money upfront, but the return on our investments is greater when we do it right.”

Prelitz and his wife, Becky, live in a 1,000-square-foot, solar-powered home, equipped with recyclable fixtures and an edible forest garden, which he designed, built and grew. The couple receive a credit “” not a bill “” from their electric company most months because the home’s solar-electric panels produce more energy than they use.

This is just one eco-design that can save money, the book explains. But many other building and design materials are equal in cost to their less eco-friendly competitors.

“Solar panels are the last step after you cover all the smaller ones,” he said.

The humorously inspirational guide is introduced with a “Busting Green Myths” chapter, in which Prelitz debunks almost every excuse out there for not making better eco-choices.

He then provides greener measures in various areas of living: home-décor, personal wardrobe, cosmetics, pet care and eating “” to name a few.

A student of anthropology and archaeology, Prelitz has long been fascinated with, and is inspired by, ancient civilizations and their means of survival.

“We’ve forgotten how to work with nature,” he said. “We need much less energy [than what we use] to thrive.

“We can harvest nature “” the sun, winds, earth “” and embrace the wisdom of our ancestors by using what they have known for years.”

Prelitz has been a green advocator for years, through his own eco-design-build firm and environmental positions on the city, state and national levels.

He is also proprietor of New Leaf America, a consulting and retrofitting company whose goal is to help people save money by making their homes and businesses more energy and resource efficient.

The reason for this book, he said, was to reach a wider audience and spread the word.

“There are so many [misconceptions] out there about what it means to be green,” he said. “I also wanted to clarify those for people.”

The central concept that Prelitz reminds us is imperative to our survival, is that we are all one with nature.

“We can’t build a machine that gives us oxygen, make our own water, or soil to grow our food,” he said. “Our ecosystem must thrive in order for us to thrive. We must all do our part to keep it thriving.”

Prelitz will be at Laguna Beach Books, 1200 S. Coast Hwy., at 4 p.m. Tuesday for a book-signing.