The patchouli scented, hemp wearing, hippie image of the eco girl is getting a serious makeover thanks to Sophie Uliano. Sophie is the author of the Oprah endorsed tome Gorgeously Green, which guides women through an eight-step process to become eco-friendly and maintain their sex appeal. I was fortunate enough to see the principals of her book applied at the entertaining LA book launch. Ashaka Restaurant in Culver City was divided in two halves: one side for adults and the other for tikes. The children were occupied making mobiles from scrap wood, bouquets for their moms from organic roses, or decorating cupcakes at a tiny table. It took every ounce of self-control I could muster not to squeeze myself into a wee chair and join the children slapping brightly colored frosting onto chocolate and vanilla cupcakes. Yum. Instead I retained my miniscule shred of dignity by opting for the SPARITUAL organic manicure. The manicure station was set up in the children’s room so mothers could keep an eye on their babies or, in my case, a protective eye on the cupcakes. I walked away from the kid’s room with a fierce set of newly polished nails without the usual chemical fume headache. In the adult room a full gourmet buffet and organic drink bar served the glitterati of LA. The Swag tables at this party were not as glamorous as some Hollywood parties, but in every way more fun and useful. Reusable totes were filled with Burt’s Bees and Method body products, Target brand refillable steel water bottles, organic granola bars, cork notebooks with recycled paper, and Dr. Bronner’s Magic Pure-Castile Soap (an absolute must for any green home).

I was able to pull myself away from the fun and talk to Sophie briefly about her new book. When asked about her intended audience she purred in a soothing English accent, “I wanted to bring green to the main stream. It was important that the book could be bought at Target and Wal-Mart and not just at niche stores. I wanted these ideas to be simple and accessible to everyone.” Then she popped a mini veggie burger into her mouth, which was encouraging to me since she has an amazing petite figure and one could almost suspect foul play. The book, geared specifically to women, focuses on simple habit altering steps to become Gorgeously Green. Sophie plays the reluctant environmentalist, honestly discussing the pitfalls and triumphs that come with attempting to lead a sustainable life. The book manages to be informative with “It’s True” facts (1.2 billion people worldwide drink polluted water) and helpful with suggestions such as call 1-888-567-8688 to have yourself removed from the pre approved credit card junk mail list. She’s loaded the book with websites that sell every kind of earth friendly product imaginable, which is helpful to people who don’t have organic merchandise accessible in their area. Sophie is also not without humor. While offering recipes to help you make effective homemade cleaners she promises that if you use them your home will not smell like a “dingy hippie commune.” So…why should men bother to read this book? There are a few good reasons. Sophie is a beast with chemicals and never plays dumb. She gives you the hazardous ingredients to look for on labels with all the variations of their market names, as well as information on how it degrades, and what health and environmental problems it could cause. She gives imaginative tips like using beer to trap slugs in your garden (little drunks!) and reuse Styrofoam peanuts as drainage at the bottom of potted plants. True, the chapters on beauty supplies and shopping might not be up every man’s alley, but might I strongly and urgently suggest that her recommended websites are the perfect place to look for gifts. Some environmentalists might say the steps in Sophie’s book are not extreme enough and she caters to a lifestyle that perpetuates waste and consumerism. However, few individuals will make change unless it’s convenient and enjoyable. Gorgeously Green is easy, entertaining and never boring. So here’s hoping that more people read it and see how fun it is to reuse, reduce, recycle, and re-imagine.