Starting with the notion that some traditions--like drinking green tea for health and mental acuity--embody timeless wisdom for living, Toshimi A. Kayaki offers dozens of wise old Japanese ways for improving how you look and feel while respecting nature and the environment. Carry your own pair of chopsticks, wear five-toe socks, eat salty plums, use rice water as floor wax, do "eco-laundry," and always set aside 10 percent for savings . . . you get the idea. By leading a "green tea life," you'll help yourself and the planet. Toshimi A. Kayaki, born and raised in Japan, now lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and has published twenty-two books on women's and cross-cultural issues.

* Winner of the 2011 Benjamin Franklin Award in the Self-Help category

* Honorable Mention at the 2011 London Book Festival

* Honorable Mention at the 2011 Green Book Festival

* Finalist in the Environment /Green category of the 2010 National Indie Excellence Award