greening of a former shoe-aholic

i'm what you call accidental greening. still a long way to go but at least i don't have to feel that guilty about all the shoes i bought in my past 9-5 working world and living on the east coast. weird because i walked less there than here and i had more shoes than now. to say the least i was shoe crazy. now you'll see me mostly in sandals all year round or my easy spirit oh so comfy walking shoes. i still love my shoes but i'm not as fanatical anymore. lifestyle changes. thank goodness. being fanatical about anything is exhausting.

for green week i take pause in how i'm doing my little part in this green movement. let's see, i use a laptop (they say it uses 90% less energy than desktops) and i turn off my laptop at night or in sleep mode when not in use. more points for me! i have an online store. big one. offering more organic body care to the product mix and more eco trends are in store for the future as well. less everything in this scenario - less packaging, low overhead costs, less electricity usage, paperless transactions, etc... huge forward movement!

my husband and i also went down from 2 cars to one car last year since the lexus was sitting in the garage most days. sabrina preferred the more sportier honda than the plush luxe leather seats. so we sold it to a very nice guy i see driving it around town. i wave a big happy wave when i see him. makes me happy to see how much he's enjoying it. so we bike it or walk it when we can and are more aware of combining errands. i've clothes shopped less. huge huge one for me. oh and bought my first bamboo slip dress last year. love it. supposed to be a nighty but it serves dual purpose. i wear it as a sun dress too. got it at bamboosa. if you get the sleep slip get it a size larger. it fits a little too snug on me. fabric is so soft and you'll feel good about wearing it. for my friend's baby shower i bought them organic cotton outfits, bib and hat at wholefood's west hollywood new lifestyle store. love that store. wish they had one up here in santa barbara.

i also shop veggies and fruits at farmer's market with an occasional last minute pick up at the grocery store. still working on bringing my own bag to the store though and not using plastic water bottles. anyone have a cure for that?

all in all. i feel great about the decisions i've made over the past year mostly based out of convenience and necessity so i'm feeling pretty good this eco week. see you don't have to be an environmentalist or tree hugger to care about this environment. leave the labels at home and start living the new dream.

how about a green assessment this week in your household. is your recycling growing bigger than your trash? they say it takes 30 days to make a habit. start small. maybe walk to the store or post office if you can. great way to integrate exercise with an errand. whatever you do, have fun!

have a beautiful week.