Our Interview With Adria Vasil, Author of Ecoholic

For this week's class we got the pleasure of a one-on-one with Adria Vasil, author of Ecoholic and Ecoholic Home (thanks to the Skype network). She informed our class of a wide variety of topics including how she went from a column writer for NOW Magazine to a successful book author. 

As a graduate of political science, she got her start working for a non profit organization that dealt with labour rights and corporate abuse issues. After going back to school for a 2 year post grad program at Ryerson University for magazine journalism, she became an intern for NOW Magazine in spring 2004, writing articles for the Ecoholic column, a popular column dedicated to important environmental issues. What started out as a simple column, Vasil ran with the ideas to produce a full, accurate story with personal emotion behind each piece. 

After a few years and many articles later, Vasil was approached by an editor who was a fan of her work, and insisted on a book to be released with similar content. This is where it all began.

Going from a column writer to a full time author was a big commitment to time and research, spending 15 hours a day/7 days a week, researching and organizing all important content. With true facts from research, mixed with her quirky and fun personality, it was an interesting task to produce a    book about something as serious as eco awareness, but keeping people interested in the content as well. 

From first draft to the time Ecoholic hit the shelves was about a years time in 2007, a large effort of dedication to get the final result. Vasil worked with Random House publishers where there was a lot of give and take, from the design of the book cover itself to insisting that all content of her book would be produced at a green printer that uses renewable energy, printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper, as well as using oil based inks.  

With one book on the shelves, she decided to take parts covered briefly in Ecoholic and write a second book, focusing on environmental issues in your own home, with the title Ecoholic Home, released in 2009. This book focuses mainly on how to keep money in your pocket by making your home energy efficient and a healthier environment for families, covering everything from cleaning products to renovating tips. 

Look for a third book titled Ecoholic Body to hit shelves Earth Day, March 2012. This book will focus on another section briefly discussed in Ecoholic relating to everything from beauty products to body care solutions. 

Final advice from Adria Vasil: 

- "You don't have to be an activist, just be aware of green change."

- Every position, no matter what field of work you're in, there will always be an area for environmental change, so don't be shy; speak up  and bring your ideas to the table. "Raise your voice and speak up."

- It's the journey there that counts."

Visit her website at ecoholic.ca for more information or
Check out her Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/ecoholicnation