When I’m asked where in Los Angeles I most want to do a photo shoot (like the above for Murad Skincare, coming soon!), two things spring to mind : the best part of the beach + the greenest hikes.

These are both rare commodities.  Living here for 15 years on and off I have watched the green almost decimated by years of drought.  I’ve seen beaches turn to trash sites and so much construction strip away the grandeur of expanses of nature and the most vintage of historic buildings torn down to make way for horrible multimilliondollar cement box-chaped houses and malls that people don’t really shop in.

While I am all for progress, there’s a difference between positive change and destruction.

I live, paradoxically, in a place where eco-friendly is being enforced by laws, growing every day.  There are strict smog laws on cars, there’s a ban on plastic bags when shopping at stores and there’s a more and more fierce restriction on water use for lawns.  Vintage is cool.  Compostable is not uncommon to see when it comes to forks and knives.

While my present city of Los Angeles is more seemingly conscious of the environment than most places, its become very clear to me and everyone I know that we all have to do the protecting of our planet on our own.  It’s our daily contributions, decisions and actions that make a difference.

Why is this feng shui?

The planet is everything. Without it we have no place to be.  Without Nature, we don’t have air or water or food.  Without connection to Nature we have no Tao.  We lose our grounded, powerful, true nature when the Nature around us erodes.

Every single step we each take to protect the Earth helps make the planet more prosperous and our lives, in turn, more abundant.  

Above is a cup I will re-use three or four times before it gets completely recycled.  If I don’t have a mug on me when I’m getting my tea around town (*I’m big on carrying mugs everywhere!) this is what I do.

Small shifts.  All small. All add up to a big impact.

Every week or so I try to add more greening to my lifestyle these days, and each change feels better and better!   If you’ve not done my FREE life detox jump start, you can start right HERE and get deeper into detoxing at home, and right now… here are some very simple ways to tap into Nature more and live far greener:

1. Pick up trash you see as you stroll around town and do all you can to recycle it if possible.
2. Walk instead of drive, or carpool.  I have to be everywhere all over a very big city and I’ve driven a total of 3,500 miles in a year in my hybrid car.  This big change to driving less started a few years ago- it didn’t used to be this elegantly low a number!- and not only is is a massive amount less of an impact on the planet, it’s been far more grounding to stay local and walk when I don’t need to drive!
3. Turn the water off when you brush your teeth + wash dishes!  This will save hundreds of gallons of water. If you pay your own water bills, this adds up quickly in $$$ savings, too.
4. Create a smarter home energy-wise.  My friend Carley is a digital wizard of lifestyle, and her ideas HERE for an energy-efficient home both major and simple.   This is the future, and it’s lovely to see.
5. Detox. Use up the rest of any toxic cleaning supplies you have (if you feel comfortable doing so, I did this when I transitioned to non-toxic years ago) and then recycle the packages and go DIY! (vinegar is the best cleaner ever! and there are so many non toxic answers to all your cleaning needs!)
6. Eat less meat if you eat meat, and only use animal products that are responsibly, ethically sourced.  The market really does respond to supply and demand.  Watching fast food chains lose their business and adapt to healthier and more responsible options has been an eye-opener- we can vote with our choices.
7. Say no to straws.  Plastic straw use weighs in at 500,000,000 a year in the USA alone.  If we all say no to straws, that’s hundreds of millions of plastic pieces that will not find their way into landfills and oceans.
8. Buy less pre-packaged foods when there are bulk alternatives, cook more and create less food waste.
9. Start composting!!! Food waste is 20-30% of what winds up in landfills. I am daring this one this year.  THIS is an amazing starter guide.  You can get a seperate compost bin for your food scraps and start turning them into the best enrichment for soil!!!
10. Shop Farmers Markets + garden if you can garden.  Local, delicious organic produce is at markets popping up all over the place and there are lots of opportunities to fill up a re-useable sack instead of lots of plastic bags.
11. Tech Recycling is a big deal.  Google where to recycle your old digital cameras, computers, phones, tablets and TV’s and do it the right way!
12. Start shredding (non-glossy) paper and recycling it in it’s own bin.
13. VINTAGE.  Buying vintage is a great way to not support throw-away clothing that’s creating massive pollution.  Unless you purchase clothes that are built to last and made in planet-friendly ways, lot’s of those “this inexpensive dress will last for a season before it unravels” purchases add up to landfill waste. Vintage is a less-expensive way to buy super-high quality style that are made to last.
14. Mugs.  These are easy ways to cut down on coffee-cup waste.  And they can be gorgeous and fun, too.  And vintage if you dare!
15. Fix water leaks.  Small water leak fix = huge eco-boost to your life and $$$ savings, too.  Plus it’s awesome feng shui.
16. Shut the lights off.  Wow what a difference it makes to keep lights off when not needed.  It’s better for your body as well, to stay in tune with the light-cycles of Nature.
17. Make soups and salads with leftover veggies each week.  Less food waste again, and a big nutritional boost + $$$ savings!  (I have a big, bright, multicolored cabbage salad to make this afternoon 🙂 )
18. Get a water filter.  Bottled water = waste in so many ways.
19. Stop printing things.  Paper files are not 100% obsolete, but now we can use electronic files a way larger percentage of the time.  I use paper only for art-making and journalling that gets shredded and recycled if not saved.
20. Plant, Donate + Sign= Plant trees or plants, donate to wildlife conservation if you can (every dollar counts) and sign those online petitions to save bees, to save animals and save our planet.

These are just the most immediate of ideas. Please take it much further.  If a huge group of people moves more and more toward the greener, we will see the tides shift away from stories of planetary crisis and toward the rejuvenation of everything around us…and this is super-inspiring on every level!!!

xoxo Dana

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And, if you want to dive in to your own personalized feng shui in a modern, practical way, Say hello to Feng Shui 101.  Its the guide I made for you to create your own personalized feng shui at home, in the office, wherever you may be… in 8 weeks.  It’s not filled with strict rules or what you “must” do.  Its filled with information, questions, exercises and even videos and classes to help you confidently create amazing spaces with killer feng shui and live with more flow.   Learn more about the 8-week feng shui adventure & grab your copy to get started right HERE…   And, as always, please let me know what happens!