Seasoned Fashion Editor Tamsin Blanchard's new book, Green is the New Black hits our bookshop shelves today, and with a foreword by model Lily Cole, it promises to show us style will save us all. Now, I'm the sort of person who usually runs a mile when the term 'celebrity endorsed' is used to sell a product, and anything that smacks remotely of 'chick lit' is enough to have me spitting blood. So having seen its very pretty cover, I suspected I was not an ideal candidate...
However, the book is very much a reflection of what Blanchard does best, and has secured her reputation as a Green Goddess. Her talent is bringing eco-living to the masses, by reminding us all that it is possible to be both glamorous and green. What I like best about Blanchard's approach to environmentalism is here realistic attitude: she recognises that the majority of women will have some interest in their appearance, and that tapping into this seemingly innate need, a few simple principles can help us make greener decisions in our clothing and shopping habits.
A report yesterday showed that more than 700,000 women are in the grips of "shopaholism", having an average shopping debt of about £8,000 each. Now, regardless of whether or not this statistic fills you with horror, it's clearly an epidemic that exists, and isn't going to go away overnight. So what Blanchard is proposing is why not get people educated on what choices they can make while indulging in their favourite habit that will do the world some good? The book has some great info on what to bear in mind when you're choosing an item, what individual high street shops have (and haven't) done to help, and how to make best use of your own skills to produce beautiful DIY clothing and accessories.
If you like what Tamsin Blanchard has to say about eco-aware shopping, you can also visit her blog.
