Our Story
Green Guide Publications is a local San Diego business
that was started in 2004 with the publication of the San
Diego Natural Guide. We wanted to make
it easier for people to find products and services that
are green and healthy, in the hopes that more people would
use them. The Natural Guide has since grown
into the most comprehensive guide to healthy and earth-friendly
products and services in the San Diego area.
We believe that given the choice, people inherently want
to make choices that are good for their health and the health
of our planet. They are even more likely to do so if the
cost is reasonable in comparison to other choices. In 2008, we published the first edition of the Go Green
Book with that vision in mind. Eco-friendly
options are often more expensive than mainstream options.
By providing people with a way to save money, we hope that
more people will try, enjoy, see the importance of, and
continue to use green and healthy alternatives. As more
and more people switch to earth-friendly options, the world
will ultimately become a healthier place for us all.
We have a strong local focus and believe that it is important
to support businesses that are close to home. By doing so,
resources are conserved and the goods that are purchased
do not have to travel far distances (burning fossil fuels)
and the money that was spent goes back into supporting our
local economy. Being a local small business, we also understand
the importance of giving back to our community. We donate 100%
of our proceeds from the sale of the Go Green
Book to local charities and non-profits that
care for people and the planet. Please see our Partners
page to read more about our beneficiaries.
Naomi Williamson was fortunate enough to grow up on islands like Oahu, Hawaii and spent much of her early years exploring tropical jungles and scuba diving in the Pacific Ocean. She developed a strong love and appreciation for the natural world and eventually left Hawaii to attend the University of Arizona in Tucson, where her studies emphasized ecology and marine biology. While there, she participated in numerous conservation efforts that included mountain lion tracking with Sky Island Alliance, native plant surveys with the Nature Conservancy, and olive ridley sea turtle monitoring with the Coastal Conservation Foundation. She moved to San Diego, California, in 1998 to educate adults and children about marine biology while earning her Masters of Education degree and a California Teaching Credential.
In 2004, she was inspired to create the
San Diego Natural Guide after a conversation with her aunt, who was battling cancer at the time. Her aunt wanted to repaint her kitchen but was concerned about the chemicals in the paint. Naomi suggested the healthier option of non-voc paint and the response from her aunt was "What is that? I wouldn't know the first place to look for something like that." After a frustrating search online, trying to find someplace that sold earth-friendly and non-toxic products near her aunt's home, Naomi felt that there really should be an easier way! "If more people could be made aware that products like this existed, and then given an easy way to find them, more people would undoubtedly use them, creating healthier people and a healthier planet," she thought. Although she knew nothing about the publishing world at the time, her background in education and her passion for the environment drove her to create what has become San Diego's most comprehensive free resource guide for earth-friendly and healthy products and services, the
San Diego Natural Guide. Her next publication project,
Go Green Book was a natural extension of her hope to introduce even more people to a greener and healthier lifestyle. It also provides a new fundraising option for schools and non-profit organizations to raise much needed funds in a way that is healthy for both people and the planet.
