Holiday Green Guide: Interviews with Green Business Owners

Interview with Tim Magner

Tim Magner is an author of Children's Books at Green Sugar Press who educates children about the environment and encourages them to get outdoors.

RM: As an Author, how did you decide to start Green Sugar Press instead of having your books published with a traditional publishing company?

TM: After reading a few contracts with old school publishers and seeing what they offered, I went the other way. I didn't want to print in China. I didn't want to wait two years for a book to be published. I wanted to reach an audience outside just the bookstore. Finally, I wanted an opportunity to give a few books away and to sell at big discounts to school children, especially ones that don't own any books.

RM: What inspired you to start this business?

TM: I wanted to spend more time with kids again. I had jobs working with kids, beginning with high school at Loyola Academy. Once I "grew up" and began wearing a suit-and-tie, I still spent some time with kids, e.g. Big Brother Big Sisters, school boards, tutoring. Being with kids is more fun.

RM: Did you write any books before Green sugar Press?

TM: No, but I did write, as a history major at Boston College, a keeper of journals and a letter writer to newspapers and elected officials. That being said, I wrote children's stories for a few years before releasing the initial ones. It took a while to produce any that I felt were good enough.

RM: What are your goals for Green Sugar Press?

TM: 1. Get kids fired up to play outside. Nature engages the senses in ways electronics never can.
2. Make sure kids grow up understanding how nature works.

RM: What's happened since you started Green Sugar Press?

TM: I've been given an opportunity to meet many of the millions of people that are doing work for good. To change mindsets takes time and it will be generational. But what is being done, and the progress we are making, is inspirational and keeps me optimistic.

RM: What's next?

TM: School visits for Kindergartners through sixth grade. With the younger kids, I mostly get them excited about how cool nature is. With the older kids, I spend most of the time with the challenges of writing. Plus, we're working on further developing the Teacher's Guide for An Environmental Guide from A to Z. It's full of activities that help teachers incorporate nature nearby into the curriculum. And we've got a matrix which links the activities to IL State Standards 1-27. Send me an email at http://www.blogger.com/tim@greensugarpress.com if you're interested in setting up classroom visits.

RM: If there is one message you want people to take from your books, what would it be?

TM: May I have more than one message?
1. Unstructured outdoor play is a lot of fun (and an important part of healthy childhood development).
2. Nature teaches us everything we need to know to live better.

RM: Tim, is there anything else you'd like to say?

TM: The 21st century is the most exciting time in the history of the world to be alive. Things are changing for humans faster than ever before. We're moving past the "make-take-waste" system of the Industrial Revolution and toward a system where we mimic how nature works. We'll cycle our nutrients and run off the current energy of the sun. Sure, the forces of the status quo are powerful, but the tide is turning. Education is essential.

Thank you Tim!

Tim Magner grew up North of Chicago and spent summers at his grandparents' homes in Michigan and Wisconsin. He lives here in Chicago now where he is close to his seventeen nieces and nephews. Tim also has about 1,00 red wigglers living under his kitchen sink happily eating his garbage.

You can find his books, for toddlers, kids, and preteens, at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, Green Genes, The Bookstall, The Green Grocer, and True Nature Foods. They can also be purchased online at Amazon.com.