In her new book, "Green Chic: Saving the Earth in Style," Christie Matheson tells us that being environmentally friendly doesn't have to mean giving up the beautiful things in life. The book takes a green wannabe through the basics of saving energy - and offers stylish ideas along the way. One tip: using organic cotton sheets. Regular cotton sheets, she says, are usually sprayed with cancer-causing pesticides that seep into the groundwater, contaminating fish and wildlife. And they are often treated with formaldehyde or bleached with chlorine - processes that release carcinogens.
"We should all be very choosy about who and what we sleep with. No?" she writes.
Between book parties, the freelance writer, who splits her time between Boston and San Francisco, took a moment to chat.
Q. What started you on the road to green living?
A. Like many, I saw Al Gore's "Inconvenient Truth," and that flipped the switch for me.
Q. You mention that you gave up your car. . . . Do you think people who don't live in urban environments can do this?
A. If you're able, you can go from a two-car family to one. Or maybe change your driving habits, drive less, or carpool.
Q. Wearing natural fibers such as silk and cashmere is great, but doesn't that get expensive?
A. Initially, yes. But I suggest buying quality over quantity, and that will save money in the long run and be more green.
Q. What do you tell the 16-year-old daughter who wants the latest trends?
A. Maybe [allow your daughter to purchase] one beautiful thing that she's dying to have that season.
Q. You mention that shade- and organically-grown coffee is more green since it spares the rainforests and that
A. Not all the time, but when I go, I bring my own cup.
[Harriet Blake]
GREEN TIPS: Send questions and ideas to hlblake@aol.com.
