I'm thrilled to share the first Green Swap q+a with West coast blogger Lillie of Lillie in the City. I was inspired by Lillie's post on joining a CSA (honestly, I had never heard of one before) so I asked her to share ways she's managed to bring simple, greeny changes to her everyday life in LA. Besides her blog that's brimming with lovely photos, Lillie has a Tumblr site of daily inspiration that makes me want to go yes, yes, click copy — love it all.
1. three simple ways you've gone greener in your life
+ Shopping at the farmer's market has
become one of my favorite weekend habits. There's no comparison for the
variety and flavor--and personality--that I find there! Plus, after
growing up in Massachusetts, I feel obliged to take advantage of the
awesome year-round produce here in California.
+ I use reusable tote/market bags all
the time: for daily lunch, grocery/market trips, regular shopping,
weekend travel, and everywhere in between. I have a big collection of
tote bags of all sizes and colors. I'm always happy to use them and to
avoid the clutter of plastic bags in my cabinets!
+ I carpool to
work a few days each week with a coworker/friend. I love having good
company on my daily commute--and the "green" aspect of carpooling is a
great bonus!
2. last green purchase
Just last weekend I bought an Earth Machine Composter at a free composting workshop hosted by the city of Los Angeles.
I've been wanting to compost for a couple of years now, so I was very
excited to get a bin setup in my little backyard. I'm already putting
it to good use!
Los Angeles is a totally car-obsessed city, and plans to improve public transportation are too many years away. In the short-term, I would love to see more encouragement and public acceptance of alternative transportation around the city--like biking, carpooling, and (dare I say!) walking. In LA, people almost always drive short distances that they would never question walking if they were in San Francisco, New York, or Boston. I think this change is very possible!
4. best green gift you've given, received, or coveted
For my birthday last summer, I received my first city bicycle--a Trek 7000, which is both practical and super comfortable. Biking has changed the way I can travel around and explore Los Angeles, and lets me leave my car at home more and more often. Plus, it opened up a whole other world where I don't have to worry about traffic jams or parking tickets!
5. hardest habit to break to be more eco-friendly
As much as I despise it, driving my car is still the hardest habit to break. The rushed daily life of the city and the urban sprawl of LA make it difficult to avoid the need to drive--but slooowly, I'm taking small steps in the right direction.
6. three ways you want to be greener this year
+ I am trying to be more intentional about the stuff that I bring into my life--both what I buy (only things I love; used over new; well-thought over spontaneous) and where I buy it (local, independent, and small businesses.)
+ I will continue to reduce my driving! With sunny spring days here, I can commute by bike/bus at least once a week and spend more time outdoors on the weekends.
+ I recently joined a CSA (community sustained agriculture) program that is bringing lots of fresh, organic vegetables into my life, while also directly supporting a local farm. I'm excited to see how that evolves over this year.
A big thank you to Lillie for swapping her green ideas with us!
{photography by lillie}
{green swap photograph by charlotte jenks lewis}
stay-tuned for tomorrow's q+a with katharine and susan of hable construction!
what's green swap? find out more here
