Guest Editor: Courtney Webster – Why the Internet is an Innovation – and our Best Resource for Going Green

For an invention that has been around for less than a century, the Internet has quickly risen to be one of the most innovative developments of the 20th century. Most businesses have their own websites, most adults have their own email addresses, and even most children have their own computers.

Whether we like it or not, the Internet has become an integral part of our lives, and its prevalence can be used to our advantage. Instead of going to the store, you can shop online, and instead of picking up the phone, you can shoot someone an email, all with the click of a few buttons. With all the convenience the Internet provides, you’d be hard pressed to come up with even more reasons why we should reap its benefits.

But I have at least one more reason to add to the list, not just saving us time, but helping save the planet. As an entirely online resource, the Internet can be used to share information across the world, without ever having to waste natural resources. Online bank statements reduce corporate mailings, while websites like www.photobucket.com allow us to share our pictures without making eco-costly prints. When shopping online, using credit cards and online order confirmation, we save the paper and ink that would other wise be used to print cash and receipts, and without making the trip to the store, we’re reducing our carbon footprint in the process.

So with the prevalence of the Internet, it was only a matter of time before someone came up with an entirely Internet based company, almost completely eliminating any environmental impact. Enter businesses like Nvohk (pronounced “invoke”), the first eco-friendly clothing company managed entirely online! And this company can do one better, providing a chance to become part of a team working not only to manage their own clothing line, but also for the greater good of the planet, with 10% of the proceeds going to an eco-friendly charity of the members’ choice!

With the prevalence of the Internet, and newly formed Internet-based companies like Nvohk, we can make a significant impact on the environment right from our own homes. As an advocate for going green, whether it’s driving a hybrid car, or switching to more energy efficient light bulbs, I’m always looking for ways to lower my impact on the environment. And as more and more companies like Nvohk are going entirely online, I’m finding it much easier to reduce my impact, and get my fashion fix at the same time.

About Nvohk: Recruiting since December 2007, Nvohk now boasts over 2,800 Members worldwide, and the company will officially launch its site this June. The cost of membership is just $50, and using sustainable materials like bamboo, and allowing its members to take the drivers seat in all major business decisions, Nvohk is prepared to bring their eco-conscious viewpoint to the fashion industry. Benefits of membership include a limited edition Nvohk co-founder t-shirt designed by Robb Havassy, an exclusive member sticker, and a “plant-a-tree” seed pack. For more information, or to become a member, please visit www.projectnvohk.com.

Elwood Clothing Review

I’m such a lucky Green Girl. How often do you get to sample beautiful, sustainable clothing without having to go shopping? Well just recently Elwood Clothing gave me the opportunity to do just that.

Now I have to confess that this is breaking a bit of a fast for me. At the New Year I said I would only stick to second hand or hand made clothes in an aim to R, R & R in the wardrobe. However, I don’t need to feel guilty about these clothes because they’re made by a company who supports green fashion big time.

Gorgeous Clothing
The more I find out about Elwood Clothing the more I like them. Firstly, the clothes, made from organic cotton, hemp and bamboo; I received the Pamela Pants, the Whitney Dress and the Simone Poncho.

Having never worn bamboo fabric before I couldn’t believe how soft these clothes are, so comfortable and so flattering at the same time. The Whitney dress can be worn either as a cute little evening dress or as a top over jeans and it is the kind of classic style and shape that allows it a long life span. All the same is true for the Simone Poncho too, giving a lovely luxurious feel.

The organic cotton Pamela Pants are like your favourite pair of jeans except they’re brand new. The really great thing is that these pretty, feminine clothes are also tough and made to last. Elwood Clothing guarantee that if any of their products fall apart they will be repaired or replaced for free - Now what does that tell you?

Checking out the other products online, both men’s and women’s, you can see that all of the pieces are cool and casual. Wave goodbye to your ideas of green, affordable fashion being scratchy and unflattering, these clothes are soft and sexy.

Company Credentials
Sustainable fashion is about much more than the clothes, right? How else is the company doing their bit for the environment? I hear you ask. Well I’ll tell you.

Elwood Clothing are involved in 1% For the Planet and use innovative ways to recycle old Elwood products. To celebrate Earth Day they held an event to collect old jeans which were then donated to an organisation who uses them to create insulation for green homes. Those who donated an old pair of jeans received a new pair from Elwood.

Their past environmental and ethical schemes include donating profits to Global Green and other social projects and charities. Future plans involve further work with 1% for the Planet and supporting the work of Rational Animal, an organisation which helps homeless and working animals and wildlife in NYC.

Skateboarding Roots
I can’t talk about Elwood without mentioning their biggest love and influence, Skateboarding. In fact, if you know about skateboarding you’ll be impressed to learn that the Elwood team includes Kenny Anderson, Anthony Pappalardo, Silas Baxter-Neil and John Rattray, who are involved in the design of the clothing.

Music is also a large part of Elwood and last year these two passions went hand in hand with the company releasing their first skateboarding and music video called 1st and Hope. You can watch the video trailer at the Elwood website and enjoy the great Beck soundtrack (one of my favourites).

Elwood also tell me that they support and dress music artists such as Money Mark from the Beastie Boys, Jack Johnson, The Shins, Tristan Prettyman, Rogue Wave, Mt. Egypt and many more.

Have you ever seen so much cool and green all in one place?

Check them out at www.elwoodclothing.com

Guest Editor: Elaine Dutton - Why Craft is for Keeps…(and naturally eco..)

Nearly all of us have an object at home whose sentimental value far outweighs its worth in cold hard cash. And despite what some may say, savouring your precious object doesn’t make you a ‘Gollum’, and I think it is a really valuable characteristic; one that will help us all to make the most of what we have, and keep it that way for the future.

Most of us are already questioning how our lifestyle impacts on the planet; in particular our consumption of resources such as fossil fuels, food, clothing and household goods. I propose that one of the best ways to reduce our rate of consumption (particularly of personal and household goods) is to invest in objects of quality that last, that we can keep, and that we can share with others.

Having worked in the craft sector for 4 years now, opening Pure Design, an eco-design gallery earlier this year, I regularly visit craft fairs to scout for new eco-design talent. This week I met Amy, a maker who has set up an alternative luxury knitwear brand called ‘Keep & Share’. Her mission is to create a sustainable ‘slow fashion’ label, which seeks to reverse the effects of throwaway fashion by creating ‘best friend’ pieces that will transcend short-lived trends and age gracefully. I thought this was right on the money.

And the great news is, there are many more makers and designers who have a very similar outlook to Amy. Susiemaroon, a Scottish eco-designer takes leather otherwise destined for landfill and creates chic floor hides and cushions. An Alleweireldt from Oxx uses old floppy disks, vinyl records and lollipops she has hoarded over the years to create cutting edge jewellery. What many describe as a labour of love (41% of UK earned less than £10,000 in 2002) drives these artists to create unique and beautiful pieces of design that we can buy and admire every day. Craft also satiates our desire to collect, with individual pieces acting as souvenirs or memories of a person, place or time.

AND as craft is small scale production, designers are able to keep tabs on exactly what goes into their ‘product’. They can source greener, sustainable materials, often using locally sourced, found or reclaimed materials. They can control production techniques, using non-toxic dyes and chemicals. And with so many artists working from home – they can keep their own carbon footprint right down. Weaver, Angela Morley talks about her passion for nature and natural materials in BBC’s Made in England

With these positive eco aspects to craft, and not forgetting the fact that craft can suit all budgets, shouldn’t we all need to take a little more time to measure the true worth of products before we pay out? And with all the economists telling us we need to watch our spending, I think craft for keeps could be a very sound investment…

Elaine set up Pure Design, a social enterprise and online eco-design gallery in October 2007. Its mission is to promote sustainable design and designers in the UK. Pure Design does this largely by providing a platform from which designers can show and sell their work, and encourages exchange of eco-design knowledge between established and emerging eco-design talent. To find out more visit our Pure Design website. www.puredesigncompany.co.uk

Special moreeco offer for GGG readers!

Well, aren’t you lucky? Our friends over at moreeco are giving GGG readers a special offer on eco products and a chance to offset their carbon all at the same time!

How moreeco works:
When you buy from one of the many, many eco shops via the moreeco site you earn points which can be redeemed for shopping vouchers, products or be donated to charity. Plus they offset 1kg of CO2 for every 10 points earned.

The GGG offer:
Receive 200 extra points when you join, up to 5% cash back in moreeco points AND free carbon offsets!

What are you waiting for? Visit the moreeco site now and take advantage of the offer just for you.

Mattel Greenwashes Barbie

As little girls we all wanted a Barbie Doll, as grown women we all wanted to be Barbie.  Face it, as the saying goes “the bitch has everything”, the dream house, car, and guy, not to mention she’s had every career under the sun.  Barbie’s been an astronaut, school teacher, nurse, business woman, Rock Star, and we’ve enjoyed it all and at times look forward to her latest incarnation.

The makers at Mattel have introduced a new line of clothing and accessories for our favorite “it” girl in what they call eco-friendly fashions. 

According to  Mattel: “Barbie is always a reflection of current cultural trends and issues, and girls are increasingly aware of making a green statement,” said Richard Dickson, Senior Vice President of Marketing, Media and Entertainment, Worldwide, Mattel Brands. “Barbie BCause is for eco-conscious girls who believe that being environmentally-friendly is the right thing to do, and we are thrilled to give extra meaning and extra style to what was once just extra Barbie doll fabric.”  (They are taking the scrap pieces of fabric from the other collections and making clothes for this new collection.)

 Hmmmm…okay Mattel, BUT, what about the entire doll that’s made from molded plastic, and all the plastic that is used to package it, not to mention all its other billion pvc accessories and outfits that aren’t of the new eco-friendly (i’m starting to hate this word) line.  Truly, eco-conscious girls (and parents) would not be buying Barbie to begin with me thinks :)!

I always try to applaud companies for at least taking small steps toward sustainability (except Walmart), but Barbie is and always will be a symbol of fun decadence, heck I say just leave her that way!  Barbie has always been marketed as the smart, intelligent girl about town, well so are we, and we see through your obvious ploy to tap into the hot green market right now.

Saving the earth- in style

When I first agreed to review Green Chic by Christie Matheson, I admit I was not prepared to be inspired.  Aside from the fact that the book arrived with another  unrequested book from the same publisher called  “Porn Stars Secrets of Sex”,  (note- bad practice for publicists)  the idea of combining the drive for style with earth friendly tips seemed dubious.    After all, it seems almost the purpose of fashion magazines to make us perpetual consumers. 

Although I have never  been much on following the latest style trends , having a family and  raising children who need the newest flair  or ever lowering  waistline to their jeans  has made me a consistent if reluctant consumer over and over again.  Green Chic  offers  well researched facts and suggestions  on everything  from home care, to transportation,  and  of course the fashionista staples of clothing, hair and makeup solutions.

What made me want to go back to Green Chic, was that Matheson, admits early on to being  a new environmentalist ,  and  she shares an  authentic journey of  transforming  her own life decisions based on her research.  I appreciated the places where she choose to  give up favorite fashion practices like nail polish as well as some that she couldn’t – deodorant.   Her honest  tone made the book  feel like a conversation I would have with a friend and not a preachy  list of “should do’s”.  

Where her book made a real impact in my own life choices was when I read the chapter about giving up  shopping bags.   From Christie,  I learned that  worldwide,  we use and throw away over a trillion shopping bags- Here in the US  that translates to  an average household disposing of  1000 plastic bags in a year.  Most of these bags end up in landfills where they take hundreds of years to degrade  and  because of their petroleum base they release toxic chemicals into the air, ground and water.  Even worse many bags end up in streams and rivers where they poison hundreds of thousands of animals per year.  The ten billion paper bags we use in this country, requires fourteen million trees to be cut down.  This is a problem where individual choices can go a long way.   And it felt  like a transformation of sorts, the day I decided I wasn’t  going to use another  disposable bag-paper or plastic.  So even when I have to run out to retrieve the bags from the car,  the satisfaction of  making this small but powerful change is liberating.  

Feeling free from any life habit inspires you to try out others and so the slow process of change which sustains itself  also inspires itself.    Christie’s also offers some great research for Bedroom accessories, which although it didn’t include my favorite love products, made a seriously good argument for organic cotton sheets.  Another shift I plan to investigate soon.  So even if you have never thought of yourself as fashion conscious ,  Green Chic is a great resource for  making informed and thoughtful choices on a  path to making your life greener and the world a little healthier.   

See the following link to purchase. www.amazon.com/Green-Chic-Saving-Earth-Style/dp/1402210825 

Interview with Carrotmob’s creator, Brent Schulkin

You may have seen a very interesting video knocking around the internet lately from the innovative organisation Carrotmob. In this video called ‘We Make it Rain‘ they use consumer power to turn a regular grocery store to a much more environmentally friendly one. I don’t want to give too much away, you really need to watch the video yourself, then read the interview below…

Carrotmob Makes It Rain from carrotmob on Vimeo.

Carrotmob’s ethos really appeals to me. It’s all about reaching those with the real power - businesses - to make actual, tangible changes. Plus this isn’t done through demonising business, negative pressure or boycott but actively encourages businesses to compete to become more environmentally friendly.Here at Green Girls Global we’re very lucky to be able to get an exclusive scoop on the genius behind Carrotmob, Brent Schulkin, and find out what inspires him, how Carrotmob works and where it’s going next….

Q1 Welcome Brent. The idea behind Carrotmob and your ‘We Make it Rain’ campaign is one of the most inspiring I’ve seen in ages because it really speaks to businesses in a language they understand - profit and competition. Where did you get the initial idea?

Why thank you! I started off thinking about the consumer side of the transaction. Several years ago, I read a book called Smart Mobs, by Howard Rheingold. It got me thinking about the power that can be created just by connecting groups of people into networks, and spurring those networks into action. Later I realized just how promising a network of consumers could be as a carrot to change corporate behavior. The idea of creating positive incentives for business to do good is not entirely new, but there are several recent developments that make now a good time for this approach to flourish: First, technology now allows us to easily connect and coordinate our activities like never before. Secondly, in the last couple years, environmentalism has gone mainstream. And third, we have a reputation economy, and companies are putting huge resources into protecting or improving their reputation. Moreover, these days bloggers and normal citizens have much more power over the reputation of businesses. In an age when companies are desperately trying to be seen as authentic and good, they have plenty of motivation to try and please an authentic grassroots network of consumers like us, since they know we have great power when it comes to defining their reputation.

Q2 How did you publicise your first campaign and gain so much support?

I emailed my friends, and then it turned out that people thought that the idea was interesting enough that it was worth forwarding the email to their friends. I would also give a lot of credit to Facebook and other social networks.

Q3 In the Make it Rain video we see a regular grocery store taking part and gaining some real financial benefits. How do you see the same principle translating to big businesses?

There’s something very attractive about having a community event, and focusing on local businesses. I want to keep doing that, and cultivate little Carrotmob franchises all around the world. However, in order to have a greater environmental impact, I’d like to see our main focus turn to big well-known brands. Once our network is big enough, we should be able to go to competing consumer products companies (who make things that your average consumer would want to buy) and have them compete to see how much good they are willing to do, relative to their competitors. It will be challenging to develop a system for comparing the proposed actions of companies that may be doing business in very different circumstances, but we’ll figure out how to do it, and then companies will do what they do best: compete for profits. I think we can use that competition to get them to commit to making significant improvements. And the nice thing about dealing with the heavy hitters is that even if they are only willing to do something relatively small, the impact would still be enormous compared to what a little grocer can do.

Q4 Does it matter what a businesses’ incentive is to improve its environmental practices?

The short answer is no, but I must make a few distinctions. There are privately held companies and publicly held companies. When some rich family owns a company, they can do anything they want with it. They can be greedy and pollute, or they can be environmentally responsible and make sustainable choices. They may be susceptible to arguments about morals, right and wrong, etc. But when you are dealing with publicly-held companies, you’re dealing with a cold machine that knows nothing of right and wrong. When you’ve got a gazillion stockholders and financial institutions calling the shots, profit is the only thing that matters. It is actually illegal for publicly-held companies in the US to do good unless that good is also profitable. That goes back to the Dodge brothers suing Henry Ford for trying to give some cash to his workers rather than his investors. But I digress. The point is that when you’re talking about these huge companies, there’s no point in asking what the business incentive is, because there is only ever one incentive: money. It’s an ironic situation, because lots of these companies are filled with people who have very strong morals, but even a company with Mother Teresa as a CEO can’t get around this situation. Imagine that Mother Teresa decides to take the profits of her oil company and spend billions of dollars to clean up old oil spills, give college scholarships to the children of all their workers, end world hunger and cure AIDS. The next fiscal quarter rolls around and shareholders find that they didn’t get to line their pockets as much as they expected. They have the power to fire Mother Teresa. They also have the power to sue. Mother Teresa isn’t calling the shots here, it’s the corporate entity itself that demands a focus on profit. Luckily, if a group like Carrotmob exists, we can translate good into profit. Mother Teresa COULD get away with it if she knew that in exchange for ending world hunger, Carrotmob would send more customers her way, her company’s reputation would soar, the other oil companies would struggle, and overall her company’s profits would go up. So we don’t have to worry about their motivations if we can find and embrace these mutually beneficial situations.

Q5 If someone wanted to start a Carrotmob style campaign in their home town how would they go about it? Do you have starter packs or campaign guides?

I would love to see some local campaigns get going. For now people can go to our list of cities and leave their contact info so that others can connect with them. Once we get on our feet a little more we will try to get some great resources and tools that people can use to coordinate their own campaigns. We want to have a central Carrotmob entity that deals with larger companies, and then a distributed grassroots network that uses our site to get things going in their own communities. We can do global AND local at the same time!

Q6 What other ways would you say consumers can work with businesses rather than against them to bring about change?

There is no other option. EVERYONE MUST JOIN CARROTMOB IMMEDIATELY. Ha ha. But seriously. There are a lot of options for socially responsible investing. Shareholder activism is great if you own shares of something. And people working inside companies can do a whole lot of innovation from within. Of course there are a lot of sticks out there as well. I’m advocating the carrot approach, but I don’t want us to drop our sticks and exclusively switch to carrots. It takes a team effort.

Q7 Can others join the Carrotmob movement and is there a place to share ideas?

Everyone is encouraged to join Carrotmob by visiting our site and joining the mailing list. You can also link up with us on:
Facebook
Myspace
Twitter
and Digg
You can share ideas by leaving comments all around the site or on the Facebook discussion board. The next version of the site should have a better forum for sharing.

Q8 What’s next for Carrotmob?

Ha ha, I’m working on it! At this point I still have another job part-time to pay rent, so it’d be nice to get some sort of funding so I can work full-time on this, but for now I’m thinking we will do another local campaign in another retail environment, on a larger scale. Help us spread the word and soon we will be the most powerful mob in all the land!

Thank you Brent. GGG wishes you lots of success with Carrotmob and do keep us in touch with your news.

Well you heard him, go spread the word about Carrotmob!!

www.carrotmob.org

Guest Editor: Trish Smith - Green Thrift Store Shopping Tips

Instead of spending your paycheck on an expensive new outfit or gadget, how about saving some cash and helping out the environment by shopping at a thrift store.

Thrift store shopping is just another form of recycling and regulating CO2 emissions. Not only do you get to reuse a unique or vintage item, but you also stop factories from making more items and creating pollution, and that greatly reduces your carbon footprint.

Make the Most of Your Experience
If you’ve never been to a thrift store, then you may not know what you’re getting yourself into. Most thrift stores are disorganized and crowded, which may overwhelm shoppers and cause them to turn away in disbelief.
But if you’re willing to take some time to poke around the store and ask employees questions, then you may find that special something you’ve always been looking for.

Here are some tips to follow when thrift store shopping:

Go Through Your Personal Belongings
First, decide which items you are willing to donate. People don’t realize how much waste is created from items that were thrown away but could have been reused. You’ll not only make some extra space in your home for your newly bought thrift store items, but you’ll also provide someone with a reusable item. Once you have a bag of donations, then you can see what needs to be replaced.

Make a List
Know ahead of time what you’re looking for so you won’t be scrambling to remember amidst a sea of shoppers. If you’re getting something for someone else, like clothes, write down their sizes. (To reduce paper waste, write this down on a scrap sheet of paper that has already been used).

Choose a Location
Look up the locations of the thrift stores so you don’t get lost trying to find them. There are usually Salvation Army and Goodwill stores in most cities, so they should be easy to locate. (The best thing about these two organizations is that they give their proceeds to humanitarian efforts.)

Bring Cash
Even though almost every store in the world accepts credit cards, there are many thrift stores that only accept cash. So go to the ATM or borrow some cash from a friend before you head out to go shopping.

Transportation
If you live close enough to a store and the weather is nice, you can walk or bike to it. That will save you gas money, reduce CO2 emissions and save you time from trying to find a parking spot. But if you have to drive, know exactly how to get there so you don’t waste gas driving around.

At the Store
When you’re searching for items, think green.

• If you don’t find the perfect shirt you’re looking for but you find a few that have certain elements you like, look for ways you can recycle the elements. You can find cool fabric from one item to add to another, or you can make something completely original from a mix of fabrics. And if something isn’t exactly your size, it can be easily altered and hemmed.
• Try not to choose items that need to be dry-cleaned. Dry cleaners often use perchlorethylene (PERC), which is a man-made substance that can damage the central nervous system, liver and kidneys. You can read more about the dangers of dry cleaning here.
• Don’t buy things you’ll never use. That means don’t buy something just because it’s super cheap and you think it’s too great of a deal to pass up. Buying a stack of books you’ll never read, some pots you’ll never cook with or a record you’ll never listen to will only wind up in a landfill later, and then you’ll just be contributing to our land pollution problem.

Also, don’t forget to check for price tags and correct sizes. Sometimes a price tag is missing or the clothing item doesn’t have a size label, so ask an employee if you need help. The more that you get to know the employees, the more you’ll be aware of cool sales or future shipments.

Back at Home
After you’ve returned from the thrift store, you need to wash any clothing that you purchased. If there are tough stains on the clothes you can use a mixture of water and baking soda to get them out. You can also add a ½ cup of vinegar in the wash cycle to help kill bacteria and other germs on the clothing.

You can find a whole list of homemade cleaning products here.

Thrift store shopping can be a fun, green experience for everyone. Finding cool items that can be recycled will not only help the environment, but they might just help you brighten up your eco-lifestyle.

About the Author:
Trish Smith is a copywriter for Green Student U, a blog-style site that introduces today’s students to a wide variety of global environmental issues by recognizing college campus green initiatives and personal success stories, as well as how the world is being shaped by environmental reform

Vote local!

As great green girls you probably already know all about this but just in case…!

The Federation of Small Business has just launched a national petition which calls on the Government to pay special attention to securing the future of independent shops across the UK.

You can sign here on the 10 Downing Street website. It takes less time than it takes to eat a locally made organic choc chip biscuit!

The FSB has also launched a Small Business Manifesto which urges local authorities to take specific steps to champion small businesses.

It’s our duty as green girls to do all we can to support the distinctiveness of our unique, independent businesses! Also take a minute to check out Brighton-based uniqueto.co.uk - who alerted me to this petition - their site offers the easiest way for locals and vistors to find unique local businesses.

And if you’re in London, you could also consider investing in a Wedgecard - the local shop loyalty card. Am hoping these cards make it to Sussex soon!

Katie
www.ethicalweddings.com

Green Chic Book Review by Guest Editor Julie Coleman

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It is very easy reading, its thought provoking and offers fun, realistic and practical tips to make changes and re-think your lifestyle. The book is a neat pocket size and has a nice feel to it, it explains why it is in book form and advises the reader of where the materials have come from to produce it.

The first chapter ‘Green Glossary’ is written for the layman, which is great. We all hear green terminology and don’t always understand what they mean, this chapter provides a quick, concise explanation of each, for everyone to understand, without blinding them with science.

I particularly like the information in chapter two, it breaks down all the statistics and makes them relevant to everyday life. One of my favourites is ‘dry time’ which makes perfect sense. Leave your hair to dry naturally and then finalise it, not only does it save energy but is better for your hair. Many of the sub chapters were of a similar nature and I found them very easy to put into practice. Another favourite which I have tried is the ‘cool wash’ which is to cold wash your laundry. To my surprise this works! And now I am converted.

The book doesn’t go overboard and lecture, it just says it how it is and leaves you and your conscious to decide whether to make changes.

There is a theme that runs through the book which is basically not to buy into commercialism, don’t spend on unnecessary items and be confident enough to revamp and design yourself and your home without compromising style.

‘Green women don’t get fat’ – what a quote, its so true, even without eating organic, just to eat local produce and fresh fruit and vegetables, take a walk instead of the car will keep you in check. Its not difficult and it makes perfect sense, true of many of the tips in this book.

Favourite quote ‘Buy only what you truly need or love’. There are many other topics and quotes but if I quote them all it wont be worth you reading the book!

For me the book was like having a conversation with a friend, easy and comfortable, sharing experiences and knowledge without any pressure to take forward any of the topics discussed, but as with advice from a friend you will find yourself taking it on board and making changes.

‘Green Chic: Saving the Earth in Style’ by Christie Matheson