For more than two decades, Debra Lynn Dadd has been a pioneer in everything green, natural, and healthy. No wonder The New York Times has crowned her "The Queen of Green"!

Really Green covers easy green principles anyone can learn, to help each of us understand the kinds of things that really DO help health and the environment. It contains all the information you need to be able to tell the difference between products with real environmental and health benefits and those with misleading green hype.

"This is more than a book to me--it's a mission," says Debra, "I feel called to do this at the deepest level of my being. The Earth is calling us all. I was inspired to write it when I looked around and saw that there is now a lot of talk about green, and products claiming to be green, but no real definition of green."

Here Debra talks about her new book.

I've read your new book Really Green and I found it to be intelligent, informative and inspiring, yet very simple to read. I came away feeling good about myself and my efforts to go green, and with a new understanding of what more I could do.

I am in contact with people every day who want to live green, they want to do the right thing. In talking with them, I realized that most people don't know the basics of green. I could talk about recycling, for example, but they don't know the difference between the word "recycled" and the word "recyclable." They don't know that recycled refers to the material used in a product and recyclable indicates that they can recycle the product. The most common question I am asked is "How do I know if this product is really green?"

My book, Really Green, is the answer to this question. It covers all the basics anyone needs to know to tell the difference between products with real environmental and health benefits and those with misleading green hype. It covers everything from defining biodegradable to how to identify greenwashing. But most importantly, it outlines the basic principles that define green products, so anyone can have confidence they can recognize a green product when they see one.

Everyone I show this book to wants it. They say, "Thank you for writing this book! We need this!"

So what exactly does "green" mean?

A. In the broadest sense, green includes any product, service, or activity that is supportive of life, both human and otherwise. So this would include everything from helping the environment to human health and social issues. "Green" is the umbrella that encompasses everything in these fields, including organic, recycled, biodegradable, fair trade, and other life-supporting practices.

Is there any standard for what is really green?

Well, actually there is a green standard. It doesn't have to be just opinion. Life itself is making green products every day--apples, trees, butterflies... All we need to do is look at nature to see that a green product would be made from resources that are rapidly renewable, taken sustainably, made with efficient use of resources, locally produced, and other practical guidelines. There can be no more solid and true foundation for what constitutes a green product. Yet there are also various shades of green. A product doesn't have to be 100% green to make a difference. Every small step is worth taking.

You can check the rest of the wonderful interview at Debra's website, www.dld123.com/reallygreen