Gorgeously Green

"My motto is one change makes a difference, and if you can make two, that's even better!"

"I had to realize that I couldn't change everything at once and that all I had to do was change one tiny thing a day."

--quotes from Sophie Uliano, author of Gorgeously Green

My friend Amy recommended I read this book, so I checked it out for almost 2 months (!) from our local library. It didn't take me very long to read--just that long to get around to writing about it!

I would say the book is written to more of what I would consider a trendy and affluent audience, and there were definitely sections I did not connect with. But overall, I think Uliano's "green transformation" is inspiring.

Rather than re-invent the wheel in discussing a couple of the chapters, I'm going to point you to (Mom Advice) Amy's articulate posts inspired by this book: "Becoming Aware" and "Green Your Personal Care."

A few highlights from my own notes:

*After reading the chapter on beauty products, I started typing the names of my toiletries into this database, and was horrified to find the most offending items I use on a regular basis come from this company, in particular my favorite soap and lotion.

*This book inspired me to add some eco-friendly ideas to my gift list this year:

--a BPA-free water bottle to replace my Nalgenes (It's taken some getting used to as it "tastes" a little funny to me to drink out of a metal cup, but I'm glad to know it's safer than the #7 plastic bottles I've used for so long.)

--this toothpaste (I have to use Nathan's expression and admit I think "it's not so yummy," but I had to try it to find that out.)

--a second loaf-size container for my homemade bread so I can reduce my usage of plastic bags

*Another thing the book finally motivated me to look into was an insulating blanket for our hot water heater. It's an easy, inexpensive solution that will save you up to 10% in water heating costs. We got one for about $20 at Lowe's, and we could instantly tell a difference. (Startling fact from the book: "Eighty to ninety percent of energy for washing clothes goes into the heating of the water." I find that astonishing!)

*I also appreciated the section about the high and hidden "cost" of heavy beef consumption. I became a vegetarian in high school (I now eat poultry, but only a few times a week), and one of the reasons I stick with this decision (besides that I am honestly not a fan of the taste) is that it takes so much grain to feed just one cow. Consider this from the book: "Seventy percent of all agricultural land in the world is used to raise farm animals. The rest is used to grow crops, a third of which is used to feed the animals . . . If all of us would reduce our meat consumption by only 10 percent, enough grain would be saved to feed 60 million people." It's certainly some food for thought.

So, there's another one of my "hodge podge" book summaries. I am glad I read GG, because it inspired me to take some baby steps in the right direction, and as the quote at the top of this post says, "One change makes a difference!"

Environmental stewardship is an area I continue to think a lot about. Remember this book? I'm very excited, because the author's wife will be publishing a book of her own this spring. (And since I have a sister-in-law who works for the publishing company, I managed to snag an advanced copy. Let me tell you--I'm only in the second chapter, and learning so much already! I'll be sure to share more soon.)