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Sure, green consciousness is hot and cool, but don't miss the larger, truer point—going green is a responsibility we should and can all easily confront in our everyday lives. That might mean something as simple as bringing your own cup to the coffee shop or reusing a shopping bag to purchase your groceries, but there are tons of other ways to make your life greener and reduce your carbon footprint while remaining you, whoever you are.
- Move to New York. There are a lot of ways of getting around the Big Apple and many of them are green. Lots of people who live here eschew car ownership entirely, making the need for expensive, hard-to-get hybrids irrelevant. With the greatest public transportation system in the country and one of the best in the world, take the subway or bus for a mere $81 per month. You don't have to buy a car, insurance or gas—these things, no matter where you live, will cost a lot more than $81 per month and what's more, you're doing something good for the planet. You'll actually get to read books you like in print (forget the audio books) and make awkward eye contact with strangers on your way to work! Or do what many in the city do and get a bike. However you choose to get around, you'll be using less petroleum and nothing is cooler than living in New York.
- Throw a Party! No one said green had to be preachy, didactic or sanctimonious in tone. So many beer, wine and even liquor makers now offer biodynamic, organic and otherwise eco-friendly products. Feature them at your party. Recycle the bottles afterward. Have a dinner party and serve sustainable seafood, avoiding fish like Chilean Sea Bass but serving instead Sablefish, Wild Alaskan Salmon or Pacific Octopus. You don't have to make a big thing of it, but when guests/party attendees talk about how delicious what they're eating/drinking is it's easy enough to say "Oh yeah, totally delicious and we're not, you know, destroying the marine ecosystem in the process." Lots of eco-awareness is spread word-of-mouth; it's pretty easy to make a big impact.
- Send an e-card. While a handwritten note can be nice, it's good to save paper and ink where we can. Some e-cards have hilarious, hip options that are perfect for a quick "hello," a tongue-in-cheek apology or a vulgar flirtation, depending on your purpose, of course.
- Make a Signature Scent. With tons of places like The Body Shop, The Fragrance Shop, or a local incense/candle/perfume shop in your town, making your own scent is easy. Being green doesn't have to mean being a cliché, being like everyone else. Choose alcohol free, local and organic oils made from natural herbs and botanicals and blend to make a one-of-a-kind scent to be your signature, or make a few and switch from season-to-season or day-to-day.
- Wear this Shirt. In 2008, there's nothing quite as cool as socially conscious irony. Available through angryjournalist.com, wearing this "print is dead" shirt is an obvious contradiction, which makes it funny, which makes it cool. Made from organic cotton, however, it is an eco-friendly shirt that, if not necessarily endorses, confirms that "print is dead," which, to the extent it is true, is good news for the planet.
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