Every Ecoista’s Must-Read: Gorgeously Green
This woman might just change your life like she changed Julia Roberts’—before “Eat, Pray, Love.” Photo: GorgeouslyGreen.com
The Arctic blast is receding (somewhat), the buds are blooming (kind of) and the entire nation has simultaneously started recycling (we wish). Okay, so maybe we’re getting a little ahead of ourselves. But this month does mark the beginning of spring and the start of daylight savings: March 13th, mark your calendars ecoistas.
And (drumroll, please) it’s also National Reading Month! Conserve electricity and use those extra daylight hours to illuminate the pages of the five must-read books we’re recommending this month. Green beauty, health, home and parenting—we’ve got something for everyone. Know what else we’ve got? Nearly $500 in free books to nourish your mind, body and soul.
If there’s one book that embodies the EcoStiletto ethos, it’s Gorgeously Green. Like us, eco-activist Sophie Uliano is more Manolo than granola. Or, as the author herself puts it, she’s got “one foot in [her] Jimmy Choos and the other in the dirt, digging for weeds.” And like us, she’s all about small steps toward big change. If you’re a freshly-minted ecoista looking for a book to help foster your fledgling eco-conscience, Gorgeously Green is a great choice. But it’s equally useful for established greenies looking for smart, creative ways to reduce their consumption and rethink their daily routines.
Sophie’s book is divided into eight basic lifestyle areas including beauty, home and travel/transportation/entertainment. Flip to any one of these chapters, and you’ll find a whole host of practical solutions to common eco-problems, along with plentiful DIY tips, as well as product and resource recommendations. Searching for an eco-friendly moisturizer? Sophie explains the benefits of cold-pressed sesame oil—though she also recs specific store-bought lotions and potions from Ikove, Dr. Hauschka and other faves of ours. And yeah, she touts household cleaning products like Ecover dishwashing liquid and Mrs. Meyers’s toilet-bowl cleaner, but she also offers recipes for homemade cleaning solutions, and waxes poetic on how much she loves the “Sexy Cloths” she made from her hubby’s old Calvin Kleins (see recipe below).
We especially heart the chapter on “Soulful Shopping,” with its “must-have” versus “can I live without?” challenge, and powerful pointers on how to vote with your dollars and shop guided by your conscience. Oh, and make sure not to skip over the forward by Julia Roberts. Its’ slightly wacky but heartfelt stream-of-consciousness enthusiasm is pretty darn adorable.
Sophie Uliano’s “Sexy Cloths”
1 pair worn-out-but-clean men’s cotton briefs
Scissors
Cut briefs into one or two roughly square-shaped cloths. Use for dusting or wiping surfaces, with our without natural, nontoxic cleaning spray.
WEEK OF 6.27.11 FIVE ECOSTILETTO SUBSCRIBERS WILL EACH WIN A $16.99 COPY OF GORGEOUSLY GREEN!
Want more? This month, we cover green beauty, health, home and parenting books, plus scored nearly $500 in freebies. Check back next week!
Natasha Garber is a contributor to numerous lifestyle publications, where she covers green events and event planning, sustainable catering and cuisine, and fashion and design trends. A passionate proponent of eco-conscious living, Natasha lives, writes, plays and parents in Los Angeles.
