Historically, earth-friendly strategies are defined in terms of reduce, reuse and recycle but eco-chic takes this definition a step further. For, eco-chic spaces are a reflection of how we feel about the environment, not just a lifestyle but a decorating style as well.

Keeping it simple (as in simple living) is the name of the game. Use monochromatic (shades of the same color) schemes in soothing shades of green, larger but fewer plants, bolder colors as accent, foliage over flowers, “designer” vegetables, and mixing it up; for example, interspersing “edibles” with flowers. Environmentally friendly products enter the scene as garden accessories. Eco-chic décor products are not only environmentally friendly in the way they are produced but do not end up in a landfill. Instead of throwing out the old, products are used in an alternative form, viewed as ‘shabby-chic’ or refinished. Recycled glass pavers, sculptures and Zen water features made from recycled metals such as copper or aluminum are eco-chic and for the more whimsical crowd, garden furniture made from discarded items such as sports equipment.

Sylvia Hoehns Wright, the ‘from eco-weak to eco-chic’ bi-weekly columnist for www.Richmond.com , is a Virginia Master Gardener and graduate of Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden’s landscape design courses and VA Natural Resource Leadership Institute program.

Featured by VA Home Grown WCVE Richmond PBS TV, the Times Dispatch newspaper, State by State Gardening magazines and Birds & Blooms magazine for her hands-on design strategies, Wright is a contributing writer for the Washington Gardener, Virginia Gardener, Green Profit, HouseTrends, the Mid-Atlantic Grower newspaper, The Designer, and volunteers as the managing editor for the Virginia GoGreen newsletter. A speaker for the Garden Writer’s Conference held in Canada and 2008 Maymont Flower and Garden Show, Wright is the recipient of the VA Horticulture Foundation 2005 educator’s award. In 2007, she partnered with Doug Hensel of the Great Big Greenhouse to encourage ‘greening’ the landscapes of the Greater Richmond Area.