Need a girly guide to going green? A new book, Green Chic: Saving the Earth in Style, is a chatty, crunch-free book that can put you on your green path. It’s kind of like green LA girl — except a lighter green and in print.
Green Chic’s written by one Christie Matheson, and is sort of blog like in the sense that it has personality. The book’s partly a story of Christie’s own eco-transformation as well as a guide to greening your own. Green Chic covers everything from changing out your bulbs to building a green wardrobe.
In fact, the fashion-related sections are the best parts of the book — which I think has made many reviewers focus on the trendy aspect of Green Chic. SheFindsBrynT on SheFinds.com says “Christie dispels the myth that going green and staying fashion forward can’t go hand in hand.” And Linda L. Richards of January Magazine concludes: “Long story short: follow Matheson’s path, heed her advice and you will decrease your footprint. And, needless to say, you’ll look fabulous doing it.”
But what I like about Green Chic’s fashion section is that it’s not just about buying new organic clothes, but mostly about making the most of what you already have, as well as focusing on quality over quantity, as opposed to the buy-and-toss Forever 21 mentality we women are so often bombarded with today.
Plus, the fashion advice is only a small section of the book. As Victoria E notes on her blog, Green Chic’s quite comprehensive: “Not only is fashion and beauty covered their own chapters, but she also covers: dining, drinking, home, transportation, travel, parties, big and small changes.”
Green Chic’s really aiming for the girly market, with “beauty bonus” pullout boxes that tie together greening efforts with beauty regimes. One box, for example, notes that refraining from overheating or cooling the apt is better not just for the environment, but for your skin.
Why’s the book a lighter shade of green? Well, hardcore greenies might think Christie just doesn’t go far enough. Yes, she’s de-car’d — but the fact that she lives in San Francisco and Boston, both cities with great transit systems, makes you wonder why she had one in the first place and why she makes getting rid of it sound like such an extraordinary feat (though I’m still glad she de-car’d). She recommends green cleaners, but makes the idea of creating your own green cleaners sound like a bizarre hippie activity. She’s aware that the aluminum in many deodorants is bad both for the environment and for one’s personal health — but says she still uses the uneco stuff because she doesn’t like the alternatives.
And in some cases, Green Chic is already outdated. Christie says dimmable CFLs aren’t on the market — but they have been for quite some time already!
Still, Green Chic’s a fun read — and might be a good gift for girly friends who’re eco-curious but not yet eco-committed. Despite the strange decision to kick off the book with a glossary, the book gets more humorous and interesting as one reads on, and makes going green sound fun and chic.
[crossposted on BlogHer]
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