Green is the new black

By Lauren Smelcher

Just as Kate Moss brought back denim cut-offs and Mary-Kate made Balenciaga a household name, Sophie Ulliano is making green the new black.

The California yoga teacher was infected with a case of 'eco-anxiety' a few years ago when she began learning the harmful effects of our actions on the environment. Unlike most people, though, Sophie decided to do something about it - and devised a total lifestyle plan designed to save the environment without giving up life's little luxuries (read: shoes, lattes and the odd mani-pedi).

Now, she's sharing her secrets to a gorgeously green life in a new book, aptly titled Gorgeously Green. She chatted to Lauren Smelcher.

What made you become aware of the need to be more environmentally friendly?
The deeper that I delved into some of the most pressing issues of our time, in terms of water and food shortages, the oil crisis, pollution and general health, the more passionate I became about wanting to do something about it. It’s truly about awareness and once we start becoming aware of the details of our everyday lives, we start wanting to make changes – primarily for our health; once we become aware of the unsafe chemicals in our skincare products or the pesticide residue on our foods, we start wanting to make some pretty radical changes.

The book is a step-by-step guide to being "Gorgeously Green” and you cover everything from makeup and fashion to food and working out. Do women have to change everything about their lives to be “Gorgeously Green”?
No! Women can pick and choose whatever area interests them: for some women it may be food because they have young kids, for others it may be beauty or how to save money. It all begins with small changes and my philosophy is that it has to be convenient or people won’t do it. I do believe that once you start making a few changes, it’s like a rolling snowball – your life will change for the better.

What’s the one thing women can do from their desks to help out?
Great question! Thanks to the internet, there is so much we can do. I love that I can become an activist in minutes by going to websites such as www.nrdc.org and sign a bunch of really important petitions. Women can also write letters to their local representatives about environmental issue that bother them. We have a voice and we need to start speaking up.

How did you get Julia Roberts to write the foreword for the book?
Julia is a friend and I sent her an early draft of the book. It was totally her thing and so I have been very blessed in getting this message out big time as a result.

Being ‘green’ is very fashionable right now – do you think that celebrities have a responsibility to do the right thing and speak out about environmental awareness?
Yes I do. Hopefully it will become the norm in a few years to come. I think we should applaud celebrities like Julia and Leonardo Di Caprio for making such waves in the green scene. I just wish that the press would stop nit –picking by saying that they shouldn’t use private jets or have big houses – it’s way more positive and helpful to look at the enormous difference that they are making globally.