Gorgeously Green: 8 Simple Steps to an Earth-Friendly Life

Gorgeously Green: 8 Simple Steps to an Earth-Friendly Life

Are you confused by all the advice you hear and see daily on how to “go green”? Do you want to incorporate earth-friendly practices into your life, but you don’t know where to start? Don’t stress! Green guru Sophie Uliano has sorted through all the eco-info out there and put everything you need to know about living a green lifestyle right at your fingertips.

In Gorgeously Green, Sophie offers a simple eight-step program that is an easy and fun way to begin living an earth-friendly life. Each chapter covers topics from beauty to fitness, shopping to your kitchen—even your transportation. Whether it’s finding the right lipstick, making dinner, buying gifts, or picking out a hot new outfit, finally, there is a book that tackles your daily eco-challenges with a take-charge plan. Just consider Sophie your go-to girl with all the eco-solutions. Find out how to:

• Green your entire beauty regime
• Detoxify your home
• Indulge in guilt-free shopping
• Adopt a home fitness routine
• Prepare eco-licious treats
• Give your kitchen a green makeover
• Become more aware of your impact on the earth

The book’s dozens and dozens of eco-friendly tips, products, and practices combine to form a treasure trove of practical advice for every possible way to become stylishly green. Your questions about dressing, makeup, eating, shopping, cleaning, travel, and more are all answered right here. Adopting a green lifestyle is among the most positive, forward-thinking, and personally fulfilling choices that anyone can make–and Gorgeously Green shows that it doesn’t have to be tedious, time-consuming, or glamourless!

Questions for Sophie Uliano

We had the opportunity to chat with Sophie Uliano over e-mail about Gorgeously Green, her suggestions for saving the Earth, and the very real possibility of becoming a hippie. Here’s what Sophie had to say about the economics of eco-consciousness, the allure of non-toxic nail polish, and of course, whether it’s truly easy being green.

Amazon.com: I’ve heard a common complaint that energy-saving light bulbs, organic food and clothing, and other “green” products are not as economical as traditional products. Is that true? Any tips for readers who want to be eco-conscious and budget-conscious too?

Sophie Uliano: I think that going green has a double meaning in that it also is about saving money. There is no way that I would or could go green if it meant that I was going to have to pay much more. If you make the cleaning spray that I suggest in my book, you will save a bunch on cleaning supplies because it’s an all-purpose cleaner that I use on almost everything (a great germ-buster too). You will pay a little more upfront for energy-saving light bulbs, but as they last 15 times longer, you will save money in the long run. Food is the only thing that you may have to pay a bit more for, however, I think that your health is an important investment, so I choose to save on boring cleaning supplies and treat my family to food that not only tastes more delicious, but will keep them healthy and vibrant. Remember that if you follow all the energy-saving tips in the book, you are going to save a wad of cash too–so it’s a win/win.

Amazon.com: I think many people are interested in making more sustainable choices, but when it comes to the heavy lifting it can be hard to break old habits. We tend to think, “Someone else will ride their bike to work today–I’ll drive like I always do.” What advice do you have that can help people “walk the talk”?

Uliano: I agree that it is hard to break old habits. My suggestion is to break one habit at a time. Choose the one thing that bothers you most. For me it is using paper towels when I know that I can easily use a rag instead. Make a decision about the change you want to make and tell your friends and family that you have decided to do this one thing and that you want their support. It could be that you are going to cook one organic meal from scratch once a week, or that you are going to air-dry your clothes this summer or simply that you will wash out a barely used zip-lock bag, instead of throwing it away–easy!

Amazon.com: Furthermore, I’ve heard many people worry that eco-consciousness is the first step toward becoming a granola hippie, to use one of your own phrases from the book. Do you have to be a hippie to go green?

Uliano: You so don’t have to become the tree hugger/hippie to live a green way of life. I feel passionately that you can still have the glitz, the glam and the gleaming house because now there are so many eco-friendly companies that offer you safe and healthy choices: nail polishes, organic clothes that are fabulous to name a few.

Amazon.com: Not everyone lives in an area where green options are available and accessible. Can you suggest a few ways that readers can live a greener lifestyle even if they don’t have easy access to car-sharing companies, wet dry-cleaners, and other alternatives you mention in your book?

Uliano: If you don’t have easy access to some of the green options in my book, it really doesn’t matter. No matter where you live, you can make a start. I recently visited my in-laws in Georgia, who have fewer options than we do here in Los Angeles; however, they have embarked on making their own cleaners, composting, growing veggies etc. There’s advantages to living in a metropolitan city in that you can buy all the great eco-stuff, but if you live in a more rural setting, it’s fantastic too because you may have a yard in which you can grow tomatoes or air-dry your laundry. I’d pick the latter if given the choice!

Amazon.com: Your book is mainly directed toward female readers–what tips do you have for men who are interested in making sustainable lifestyle changes?

Uliano: I wrote my book for women because I realized that as a mom, wife and working girl I could show like-minded women how easy it is to become green, however, men can totally benefit from my book too! My husband doesn’t have a huge interest in non-toxic nail polish, but he’s fascinated with everything solar and has started biking everywhere. We work together as a team, inspiring each other with our daily green discoveries–it’s fun!

Customer Review: I wanted to like this book….
I wanted to like this book, I really did. I found it to be very cute, but a bit of a puff piece.

There’s alot of tid bits of information, but nothing substantial. Some information is conflicting - on one page Sophie says she avoids microwaves and doesn’t want it altering the molecules in her food. Yet, on another page, she writes that the microwave is the most eco-friendly way to cook, as it uses the least amount of energy.

And yoga sun salutations and exercise instructions don’t belong in a green guide. They just don’t!

I also purchased Easy Green Living by Renee Loux and found it to be much more substantial and informative - like a mini encyclopedia on what you need to do to live green.

Customer Review: my bible!
This is the best book i have bought in a long time.. Very insightful and life changing.

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Coby Electronics is a manufacturer of quality consumer electronics products designed to deliver outstanding performance for value conscious consumers who do not compromise on product performance. Coby incorporates new designs with innovative technologies to produce great looking and great performing consumer electronics products.PRODUCT FEATURES: Sensitive AM/FM tuner; Digital Clock Big Red LED display; Wake to Music or Alarm; Timer Function - Sleep/Alarm; Snooze button; Battery Back up with 9V battery (not Included).
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Customer Review: It does it’s job.
I needed a small compact clock for my room as I was tired of finding my cell phone to see the time…. So I got one of these as it was cheap and compact looking. I cant comment on the alarm clock function as I use my cell phone for that, or for the radio, as I have my own stereo system…. Hence only 4 star. Other than that, it’s sturdy, small enough to fit in the spot I wanted it to, but not too small that I have to strain my eyes to see the time. For $5.99 and promotional 4 for 3 deal, I think it’s a great value for the price.
Customer Review: This clock radio is good only for providing the time
I do not recommend this product if you’re looking to use the radio of this item. The reception and sound on this radio is unbelievably bad. I’ve put the radio in every room in my house trying to see if the reception would improve but it did not. This is the second time I’ve purchased a product made by Coby. I purchased a Coby DVD player 3 years ago and it did not work from the day I pressed the power button. I had hoped that their products’ performance may have improved since then but I now see that it has not. I’m now saying goodbye to Coby products forever.

Stop the Clocks
Oasis have been at the helm of the world’s music scene for over ten years. To mark that achievement, this first-ever Oasis retrospective draws together the years of multiplatinum albums, No. 1 singles, and–unique to Oasis–instantly familiar B-sides into one 18-track double album, entitled Stop the Clocks. Furthermore, this collection has been chosen by the band themselves–selecting the songs they believe encapsulate their remarkable career to date.

More from Oasis

List Price: $18.97
Amazon Price: $9.97
Used Price: $5.00
Customer Review: Looking for an Oasis in the musical desert
I am one of those people who’ve always thought the Gallagher Brothers to be one of rock’s over-rated pair of siblings. They made two killer albums, Definitely Maybe and (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?, then fell into the trap of believing their own hype. Once you get past the Beatles mimicry of their best single, “Wonderwall,” there’s precious little here that suggests originality. Not like that ever stopped a rock band from being great. These two CD’s make a case for Oasis being one white-hot singles band, even if they skipped Be Here Now to do it. There’s plenty of spot the influences to play here, from “Cigarettes and Alcohol” ripping off T Rex to the Stonesey swagger of Liam’s vocals. There are a couple of anthems to be found here, like “Don’t Look Back In Anger” and “Go Let It Out.” Oasis always did one other thing right; when all else failed, make a glorious big racket even if the song wasn’t perfect (”Rock and Roll Star” or “Champagne Supernova”). I hesitate to rate this higher than average, mostly because of the spotty selection. Noel and Liam seem to berate their own work - publicly voicing their distaste for “Be Here Now” for instance - at the cost of leaving gaps in the chronology. For someone looking to dig deeper into what Oasis is supposed to be legendary for, it shorts the band. For a casual listener, this will probably do fine. And frankly, getting those first two CD’s will also probably give you all the Oasis you’ll ever need.
Customer Review: A missed chance
Back in 1994 I was pretty much fed up with grunge, specially the way the music industry had exploited the alternative rock genre, but in late 1994 I saw the video for “Live Forever” by a new band from Manchester, England, Oasis and made an instant impact on me, I tought these guys are going to be huge, and they were. Their debut album “Definitely Maybe” was an instant classic and in less than a year they followed it up with their sophomore album “What’s the Story (Morning Glory)” and they were on top. In reality the Brit-Pop Scene had been started a couple years before by Blur and Suede, but Oasis were the biggest band of them all. Now was Oasis destined to be the next great Rock N Roll band and release more great albums? We now know that wasn’t the case, they became bloated. The albums they released after, weren’t as nearly as good as their first two albums. In 2006, 12 years after and with their contract expired with Sony, it was time to release a retrospective of their hits. This was not Oasis first compilation, in 1998 they released “the Masterplan” a collection of B-sides up to that time. So Noel Gallagher took the task of assembling the greatest anthems this band ever produced, which to me is a no brainer, right? It looks like Noel had a very different idea, he selects 4 B-sides already included in “the Masterplan”, ignores “Be Here Now” completely and almost “Standing on the Shoulder of Giants” by including only one song of it. They pressed 2 CDs but only put nine songs on each. I knew all this but the reason I bought this compilation was an improvement in sound, it was minimal. To be honest if you already have the albums, you don’t need this, if you are just getting into the band there is no way around it, buy the first two albums, they are classics, as for this compilation the one good thing about it is the price. I see now a box set in the future which should be more comprehensive, but for now this is my ideal song listing: Disc A: 1.Rock N Roll Star, 2.Live Forever, 3.Supersonic, 4.Cigarrettes and Alcohol, 5.Slide Away, 6.Roll With It, 7.Wonderwall, 8.Morning Glory, 9.Don’t Look Back In Anger, 10.Champagne Supernova. Disc B: 1.D’You Know What I Mean, 2.Stand By Me, 3.Don’t Go Away, 4.Go Let It Out, 5.Who Feels Love, 6.The Hindu Times, 7.Stop crying Your heart Out, 8.Layla, 9.The Importance of Being Idle, 10. Stop the Clocks (I heard they recorded a new song, but for some reason didn’t include it in this compilation).