After spending five years in sustainability consulting, I’ve learned to stress the simplicity of going green.  “Don’t make it too complicated.  Distill it into sound bites.  Play up the benefits.  Minimize the hurdles.  Make it seem easy.”  So goes the conventional wisdom in green marketing.  The idea behind this, of course, is to sell people on change when their natural inclination is to resist it. But even as I continue down this path, a question keeps nagging me.

When did sacrifice become a bad thing?

Last weekend I went shopping for a new dress.  Having taken a break from buying clothes for a few years while sharpening my eco-intelligence, I had a reasonable (or so I thought) expectation that my first shopping spree of 2010 would yield some great green finds.  Imagining the perfect garment, I set out for something sewn from organic fiber, preferably “Made in the USA” in an energy efficient factory (or if made elsewhere, then at least by happy, well-paid employees). I wanted a sophisticated silhouette with a timeless design and quality construction – all at an affordable price.  After scouring on foot and online, I’m here to report that this idealized ensemble does not exist, at least not anywhere I've found.   

Thanks to directories like EcoFashionWorld.com, you can find loads of talented designers whose fabulous creations are ethical or sustainable. Still, even in 2010, shopping for eco-friendly fashion is a challenge unless you have a lot of money to spend, an adventurous spirit and/or a taste for the relaxed or unusual styles typically created from eco-conscious designers. 

I'm starting to get excited about Christmas, my absolute favorite holiday. I've had Christmas music playing for about a week and a half now (I just couldn't wait until after Thanksgiving).  Pretty soon we'll be watching The Nutcracker, putting up the tree, visiting Santa, and last but not least, doing some Christmas shopping.  Excited to show my daughter Jordan the four-story Christmas tree at Galleria mall, I invited her on a special girl's outing today.  On our way into the mall, I couldn't resist stopping in front of the American Girl store.  If you haven't heard of this place before, it's a pre-teen girl's dreamland.  The "boutique and bistro" is like a pint-size Nordstrom, complete with shopping, dining, and a hair salon for dolls (I'm not kidding).  Dying to see it (and knowing I'd be sorry if I did), I brought Jordan inside. Thirty minutes later I had to pry her out of there and to her dismay, we left empty-handed.  The dolls were lovely but am I crazy for not wanting to spend $95 on one?  We carried on with our mall outing and had a nice time, but the specter of the dolls loomed large in my head. Sure my daughter could live without owning one of these collectibles, but one day her peer group is going to be putting on the pressure and I won't get off so easy.  I'm not looking forward to that day.

One of the road hazards of trying to be green (or in this case frugal) is that sometimes you have to look but not buy.  Talking with my friend Anna later, she said, "Yeah, I know what you mean.  We try to be thrifty but sometimes you just get tired of not buying things." So what does she do? "Well, I recently took Arabella to a thrift store and I'm surprised to say that we had a ball.  We bought a little child's sewing machine for $2.99. All it needed was a new needle.  We bought an unworn princess costume for another $2.99 and a jump rope for $1.  We found this cute little doctor's bag with a stethoscope, cast, thermometer, shot and a band-aid package for $1.99. Altogether, I think we got out of that store for $12."  This story is amazing for a dozen reasons: Anna and her 2-year old had a fun outing for next to nothing, she was able to buy her daughter some creative gifts for a fraction of the regular cost, she kept some gently-used items from the landfill, and she supported a charity to boot.