Eco Chic

While carousing the 14-day loan kiosk at the CofC library, I picked up “Gorgeously Green: 8 Steps to living an Earth-Friendly lifestyle” by Sophie Uliano. I’d seen it sometime before, for the life of me still cannot pinpoint where, but recalled rave reviews and the forward by Julia Roberts sold me (love her).

The idea of “earth-friendly” conjures up memories that reach back to high school of this dreadful uber-liberal feminist hippie dorm parent of mine (who will remain nameless, but for you Tabor alums, her last name rhymes with “kiss”), that refused to eat any food from the dining hall because it wasn’t organic, wore clothes mostly made out of hemp and refused to let her young daughters watch Disney princess movies for fear they would be brainwashed into the “fairy tale” and would grow up being dependent on men.

I like to think some of the things I do are eco-friendly. Every one does. No one likes to admit they are littering the planet, exploiting natural resources and contaminating our food and water supply. My three greenest habits, drum roll please…
1. Reusable canvas bags for groceries.
2. Energy saving light bulbs.
3. Recycling plastic bottles.
4. Drinking organic milk.
Okay, this is getting a little sad.

After a few minutes of flipping through the recycled pages, I figured reading some of the things this woman has to offer would behoove me. She divides the book into eight digestible different steps, hence the title: Beauty, Home, Fitness, Style, Food, Travel and Gardening.

Tips I found to be useful:

Beauty:
A laundry list of nasty chemicals that are horrible for us. They are in most cosmetics we use daily, such as makeup, perfume, nail polish, shampoo, mouthwash, tooth paste, face wash, lotions, sunscreens, soap and detergent. You name it, there is likely a harmful ingredient lurking somewhere. I’m not going to bore you with the scientific names, but I’m going to look twice at the ingredient list of the next bar of soap I purchase.

Shopping:
I don’t mean to rant, but the one thing I don’t understand is WHY PEOPLE DON’T BRING RECYCLEABLE BAGS TO THE GROCERY STORE. When I lived in France, the grocery store didn’t even offer you bags. Every one brought them own. I liken it to the diplomats flying to the environmental summit in private jets. Americans are always saying we want to help the environment, and eliminating plastic grocery bags is a simple step that would make a HUGE impact.

Home:
According to Uliano, many cleaning products contain petrochemical components that are harmful to people, animals, and the environment. Her simple rule about cleaning products is that if they are not non-toxic, they must go. That dreadful under the sink smell is not the scent of cleanliness, but that of poisonous chemicals. Fortunately, she mentions some great alternatives that aren’t as hazardous for your health.

She also bristles about the environmental and monetary expense of household habits. Acts that consume a lot of energy include keeping lights on, upping the thermostat to sauna like temperatures (guilty), blasting the air conditioning (guilty again) and washing clothes on hot heat. It turns out the cold cycle is slightly heated anyway. My roommates and I balked at our pricey electric bill last month, so I hope to put these suggestions to good use.

Gardening: I don’t have a garden. It’s a little tricky to have one living in an apartment in the middle of a city. But the idea of growing some of my own vegetables and herbs entices me. I’ll give it a try this summer on the island.

Ulpian’s voice is witty, charming, and her humor is quintessentially British. In the first chapter, she admits to sometimes being a “reluctant environmentalist” for wanting to be green, and make changes to her life but “dragging her feet on many occasions because she is a princess who likes the familiar.”

She dishes her wealth of eco-friendly knowledge with a baby spoon. I suggest this book to anyone who wants to make his or her life a little greener. It’s an easy read, and you can make what you like of it. While I’m not throwing all of my department store cosmetics into the trash, tossing my Marseille-milled lavender soap, or squeezing my Bain de Soliel down the drain, I am going to be more conscious of what I’m consuming and how.