10 Easy Ways To Be Green And Fabulous In 2010

Most of us have a stereotypical image in our heads of the treehugging lifestyle – short showers, unflattering compact fluorescent lighting, rough recycled toilet paper – but in my world, going green has nothing to do with wearing Birkenstocks and eating Boca Chick’n Nuggets. I’m an environmentalist, yes, and admittedly, my bathroom is stocked with rolls of Marcal’s recycled finest; but I also eat incredibly delicious food, love shopping for vintage Hermès scarves, and go on amazing trips with my husband. Helping the planet doesn’t have to feel like a sacrifice — it can be fabulous and fun, too. Some ideas to get you started in 2010:

1. Eat real food. I’m sure you’ve heard a lot about organic food and how it’s better for the environment, but I say we all take a step back and focus first on eating and enjoying real food. You may laugh because it sounds so simple, but think about it: When’s the last time you went an entire day without eating something from a package? Aside from being bad for your health, processed foods take a ton of energy to produce, and most of that packaging ends up clogging our landfills. So take your cue from real food advocate Michael Pollan and stick to foods that your great grandmother would recognize (roasted chicken and veggies, yes; microwaved Lean Cuisine, not so much).

2. Go meatless on Mondays. You may not be able to afford a Prius, but if every American went meatless one day a week, it’d be the equivalent of all of us switching from regular cars to super fuel-efficient hybrids. You’ll be in fabulous company, too; the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health started the Meatless Monday movement in the US, and Sir Paul McCartney is spearheading it in the UK. And you don’t have to eat soy cheese and Tofurkey, either; stick to the “great grandmother” advice above and whip up some scrumptious favorites that are already meatless, like eggplant parmigiana, a savory frittata, or red beans and rice.

3. Try an organic food delivery service. Like any foodie, I really relish going to my local farmers market – that is, if I manage to wake up early enough on a Sunday morning to get there. Fruits and vegetables that were raised within an hour’s drive of my home just taste better, and eating food that doesn’t travel thousands of miles to reach your plate greatly reduces the environmental footprint of meals. But I realize that weekly farmers markets trips aren’t feasible for everyone; that’s why organic delivery services like Spud are a great solution. You fill out your order online and voilà! – farm fresh groceries delivered weekly to your door. Don’t live in a Spud delivery area? Do a quick Google search for “organic produce delivery” and you’ll find similar services in nearly every corner of the country.

4. Splurge on items that last. Times are tough; shouldn’t we be buying the cheapest stuff possible to scrape by? While you may congratulate yourself on finding a pair of pumps at Target for $20, when they fall apart four months from now, you’ll be out 20 bucks and those shoes (made from toxic PVC) will be chucked in the trash. Contrast that pair with the London Sole leather ballet flats I invested in five years ago; I take them to the shoemaker every time they start to look a little worn, and he fixes them up like new for mere peanuts.

5. Plan an incredible trip. Going green doesn’t mean giving up your wanderlust. But instead of setting your sights on Bali (7,175 lbs of CO2 for a round-trip flight from Los Angeles), why not first explore what’s closer to home? People visit the United States from all over the world because there’s so much natural beauty here (58 national parks!). I could spend a lifetime just exploring my state, California – Yosemite, Joshua Tree, Big Sur, the Monterey Peninsula… There are no doubt equally as amazing destinations within driving distance of your own home.

6. Choose experiences over “stuff.” What does it mean that Americans consume 25 percent of the world’s resources yet rank 16th when it comes to perceived happiness? (El Salvadorans, with a per capita income of $5,842, rank 11th.) To me, it means that once basic needs are met, additional “things” don’t make us happy. So choose experiences over stuff: Break bread or go for a hike with friends instead of shopping, give your sister a massage appointment for her birthday instead of another pair of earrings, or treat you and your loved one to a romantic anniversary dinner instead of buying each other yet another round of sentimental tchotchkes.

7. If you do have the urge to buy stuff: Why not hit up your local thrift store or flea market? It’s guilt-free shopping as far as I’m concerned, because you’re finding a second life for clothing and items that would otherwise have been thrown away (the second of the three R’s of recycling is Reuse, after all). Plus if I’m lucky, that’s where I discover the vintage Hermès scarves I adore, and for a tenth of the price that they would normally cost.

8. Buy wine with a real cork. Your fabulous instinct is right: Those metal screw caps and plastic corks are not only tacky looking, they’re almost impossible to recycle. Cork, on the other hand, is a renewable resource that can be repurposed into useful products like flooring tiles and insulation. Plus, did you know that cork trees are not cut down to harvest the cork? By using natural cork, you’re actually ensuring the survival of Mediterranean cork forests, which support one of the world’s highest levels of forest biodiversity.

9. Find out what cosmetics are toxic. I’m not saying you have to give up that lip gloss or shine-enhancing conditioner to go green – I like to look pretty as much as the next girl – but it’s amazing how many hazardous, polluting chemicals are lurking in the everyday beauty products we use. I don’t buy a new lotion or mascara without first consulting the Environmental Working Group’s Cosmetic Safety Database – an unbelievably thorough online resource that shows you what ingredients in your product could be potentially harmful.

10. Take a technology break. It’s a cliché, but life moves so darn fast now – texting, iPhones, instant messaging, Twitter. I think more of us would be greater committed to the environmental issues we’re all working so hard to solve if we just took the time to stop — really stop — and smell the roses (sorry, another cliché, but true!). It’s not enough to watch people hiking through forests on the Discovery Channel; sometimes you have to actually go see those forests yourself to really remember why they’re worth saving.

Wishing you all the best for a fabulous and green 2010!

Jennifer Grayson is founding editor of environmental website The Red, White, and Green and green advice columnist for The Huffington Post (Eco Etiquette).