Kudos upon kudos to Laura Wright, who has helped me out of a mess.

A few months ago — with Earth Day approaching — my mail carrier must have been getting a hernia. The onslaught  of “green” how-to books was impressive, mind-boggling and almost frightening. What about all the trees they were printed on?

And isn’t there a disconnect between green-ness and lets-go-shopping titles like “Big Green Purse” and “The Consumer’s Guide to Effective Environmental Choices?”  (Okay, we all need to buy things from time to time, but it’s still worth noting that rampant consumerism contributes to the whole planetary mess.)

I thought maybe I could blog occaionally about them. Start an occasional series: “From My Bookshelf.” Especially since I now have 19 of them on the shelf, and at least three more in my car, and maybe another one or two at home.

But Laura Wright, book editor of the magazine OnEarth, has beaten me to it, writing a charming and informative column in the current issue about the green tide of self-help books.

Wright is big on personal gain, and you can count me in as well. “The books that rise to the top are those that have married the environmental benefits of efficiency, reduced consumption and recycling with the American idea of perpetual self-improvement,” she writes.

Her personal favorite —  at least, the one that left her feeling the most hopeful — was David Balch’s “Go Green, Live Rich.”

“Bach socks you in the wallet,” she writes. “I learned a lot about just how much — in dollars and cents — I could do for ME while doing something good for everyone.”

Hmmm. I have that book, too. It’s thick with tips and online sources for more information and dollar amounts for savings. For instance, adjusting your thermostat up (in summer) or down (in winter) will save about $114 on energy bills, he says. Not bad.

I’ve also gravitated to “Living Like Ed” by Ed Begley because it’s so full of info.

And the delightful “Seven Wonders for a Cool Planet” by  Eric Sorensen, who counts the condom, “a remarkable little device,” among them.  He says it “will spare thousands, if not millions, of people from life-threatening disease and unwanted pregnancies.” And, presumably, put the brakes on overpopulation.

“So what to make of this pile of books?” Wright finally wonders.  “Can adopting environmental values improve my physical fitness and financial security and even make me happier?”

Read her and find out.