Gorgeously Green by Sophie Uliano -- part 1

I picked up Gorgeously Green: 8 Simple Steps to an Earth-Friendly Life because it has a catchy cover -- I admit it. Usually I pick up books for one of three reasons: (1) they were recommended by a friend; (2) I've liked other things by that author; or (3) they have an eye-catching cover.

Of course, after I pick it up, the book jacket synopsis has to keep my interest or the book goes back on the shelf. I kept Gorgeously Green in the cart because I was intrigued by its theory -- that there were simple steps anyone could take to make their lives more environmentally friendly.

Living near the oil fields of West Texas, "environmentally friendly" is not a phrase that's thrown around too often (although that may change as the windfarms generate more jobs in this area). We have community recycling, but it's definitely something that takes a little extra initiative, not something that comes with curb-side pickup.

This book has 8 chapters and is about 300 pages long. I figured I'd buzz through it pretty quickly, pick up a couple of tips, and move on. Yeah...that didn't so much happen. Instead, it's taking awhile for me to digest each chapter and think of small ways I can make changes in my own life. Rather than wait until I finish the whole book, I'm going to go ahead and talk about the chapters I'm working on right now & I'll keep you updated as I move forward.

Background. The introduction and Chapter 1 pretty much explained the author's position from the book jacket in more detail. The idea is that this is a book aimed at women who make thousand of consumer and other decisions daily. Sophie's challenge is that readers take stock of where they are on the environmentally friendly spectrum and commit to making one of the changes suggested in each chapter to take baby steps towards going more green. Sophie also challenges readers to think about additional steps they can take (such as starting green girls' clubs) on her website: http://www.gorgeouslygreen.com/.

Beauty Products. Chapter 2 gets into the subject of beauty products. It alternates between a chatty-girl tone and chemical names. The short version is that lots of conventional beauty products contain ingredients that are proven or suspected cancer-causing chemicals. Sophie's suggestion is that readers go through and get rid of all products that contain any of the chemicals on her list.

For me, that's not an option. I read this chapter, rummaged through my drawer and medicine cabinet in horror, and then put the book aside for several weeks. I figured it was impractical and way too radical for me. I'm not in a position to replace everything I own with organic products. Also, none of the organic products mentioned in the book are things that are locally produced or available. The concept, though, keeps percolating in the back of my mind. Burt's Bees is available at our local Walmart, as are more and more earth-friendly versions of Walmart and other conventional brands. I'm also a sucker for some of the things I consider online luxuries, like the products over at Lush. Those products aren't mentioned in the book, but they do address some of its concerns.

My plan -- I'm not going to replace everything in our cabinets right now, but my shampoo bottle is getting closer to empty and I'm already thinking about what environmentally-friendly product I can choose to replace it.

Exercise. Gorgeously Green spends an entire chapter talking about yoga and giving sun salutation diagrams and explanations.

I figured I'd be all set on this because yoga is already my preferred form of exercise. Then I started thinking back. Between the wedding, move, settling into new routines, etc. it had been at least 6 months since I had any regular yoga practice. I know it makes me feel stronger and more flexible, but it's still one of the first things to fall by the wayside when things get crazy. (Ironically, I realize this is when I need calming exercises the most.)

My plan - I'm making an extra effort to build in at least 10 minutes of yoga every morning to get my day started.

Wrap Up - For Now. That's as far as I've gotten so far. I'm taking it slowly and thinking about each issue as I go through. I'll let you know as soon as I've moved on to the next section. Chapter 4 is about "Soulful Shopping." Sounds especially appropriate as the holiday season approaches.

While I'm thinking about these issues, feel free to pick up your own copy and let me know what you're thinking about in your own lives: