Go for the Green

Tree Hugger was never a stereotype you really considered yourself. Jock? Maybe. Prepster? Perhaps. But those free-loving tree-hugging hippies with canteens and peace signs were never really your thing…until now. Green is everywhere these days, from the presidential debates to the latest fashions in your favorite boutiques. Restaurants you frequent on the regular use lead-free paint and biodegradable takeout ware and you wouldn’t even know it. It’s almost as if you’re being ‘greenwashed’ with all the eco-friendly products and information being thrown your way.

As a native Angeleno, you always considered Los Angeles to be an entertainment, fashion, and dining capital – but is it green? With all of its smog, ever-jammed freeways, and large textile industry, the city hardly appears to be an environmental paragon. Yet in May of last year the Brookings Institute, a prestigious Washington think tank, reported that Los Angeles residents generate less carbon per person than any other big city in America except Honolulu. This may, in part, have to do with Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa’s Green LA plan to reduce the city’s greenhouse gas emissions by 35% below 1990 levels by 2030. The plan includes over 50 initiatives aimed at making Los Angeles the greenest big city in America.

It all starts with you. With all of Los Angeles’ green shopping and dining options, it’s becoming even easier to make eco-friendly lifestyle choices. Every single thing we do has an impact on the planet, for better or for worse. Simple decisions from where you live to what you eat and buy have global implications. Human impact on the planet is enormous – there is no better time to adopt sustainable lifestyle habits. Go for the green today!