Quick tips for a fashionably 'evergreen' lifestyle

Gone are the days when environmentalists were Tie-dye wearing hippies and hairy tree-hugging potheads that thought D&G was a deodorant and Karl Lagerfeld was a type of beer.

With so many celebs jumping on the Enivronmental band wagon (hybrid of course) it seems that the trendsetting elite of the world agrees; Green is the new black. 

We've seen many of the world's biggest stars trade in their Hummers for Hybrids, but before you go and blow all your cash on solar panelling in the midst of a world recession, think about starting small with some everyday changes that would make Cameron Diaz and Leonardo di Caprio proud.

Here are some really easy changes you can make to your every day life:

1) Set your aircon one degree higher and heater one degree lower - u won't be able to tell the difference but you will definitely save energy.

2) When you run a bath, put the plug in before you start, it won't make a difference to the overall heat but it will save water.

3) Instead of using a lighter for your cigarette, opt for matches, preferably from matchbooks with cardboard matches. If all smokers used these instead, 5.5 million trees would be spared every year. (The Green book)

4) Don't take a stack of paper napkins when you get takeout - just take one or two as needed. We are not neanderthals, we invented knives and forks and have the coordination to get food neatly into our mouthes.

5) Drink tap water. The carbon footprint on bottled water is ridiculously high - especially the imported stuff. It's water for crying out loud!

6) Activate e-statements and e-accounts, it will really cut down on paper usage and it also means you can get your bills wherever you are and save your credit rating from being crushed if you are away for an extended period.

7) unplug appliances and chargers that aren't being used - they sap electricity when plugged into the wall.

8) Use both sides of every piece of paper. It sounds simple, but so many people don't do it.

9) Buy eyeliner pencils that are encased in wood as opposed to plastic - wood is biodegradable, duh... 

10) Don't put the washing machine on hot, rather use warm or cold. It will save energy and your clothes too. Also, rather hang your clothes out to dry - any fashionista will tell you that the dryer is to clothes what sandpaper is to your car's paint job (hybrid of course) ;-p

Going green never looked this good

So, Jill Grogor's Go Green Art/Fashion show went really well. I got to wear a stunning Prada coat from Callaghan and managed to keep upright in the face of the dried leaves that were scattered all over the floor. My fellow celeb models were Jennifer Su, Loui Fish and Christina Storm who all looked absolutely stunning in fashion from Hyde Park, especially Loui who needs to share her diet secrets with me.

There was also a really cool art auction to raise funds for Food and Trees for Africa. 10 established and upcoming  artists donated work, of which 7 were sold, raising R131000 so far. Legacy also donated an all expenses paid holiday at their new Eco lodge in Madagascar worth R70 000 to the highest art bidder. This little bit of deliciousness went to my awesome friend, actress Catriona Andrew.

The take home treat that makes any function worth while is the goodie bag and this one did not disappoint. Thank you Lindt, Clarins, Mischa Estate wine, Dossier magazine and Glaceau Vitamin Water!