Getting Purelled is the growing phenomenon of sanitizing one’s germ-infested mitts with the alcohol-based, Johnson & Johnson product known as Purell.

What’s in the name, William Safire students might ask?

Pure, I imagine, denotes the opposite of tainted, which in flu terms translates into ralphing, the runs and the unpleasant sensation of having been poisoned by Satan. Elle is French for she, as in, she is cruel that H1N1 Virus, widespread in 47 states now. Elle also is a swank Fifties ad-on, like ette for dinette. …

Tags: Alcada , alcohol , bacteria , cdc , eco , environment , germs , H1N1 Virus , Life in the Green Lane , plastic , Purell , sanitizers , schools , swine flu , teens , toxins , upcycling , vaccinations , viruses , waste , work

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No one growing up during the upbeat, Mattel-directed Sixties figures they’ll be worse off in middle age, forced to scrounge harder for work, buy less, live smaller.

Those Barbie songs my sister and I sang along to in our pink and green room constituted teenage visions of a supercalifragelistic future that we owned, co-starring Dick Van Dyke, four kids, a shiny Lincoln and full-service yacht.

“Here’s a cake, that you and I can make, I’ll share the recipe, if you say yes to me.”

But due to the recession and soaring costs …

Tags: affirmations , aging , birthday , blessings , book clubs , children , conservation , debt , Disney , family , green , jewelry , Life in the Green Lane , luxury , Mary Poppins , menopause , nature , pets , recession , San Francisco

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This is the third in Luanne’s new lifestyle column, Life in the Green Lane. Read the inaugural column, “The Pros & Cons of Being Married to an Eco Man” and the follow-up, “Why Is it So Hard to Get My Mom to Go Green?”.

My dog has fleece. And that’s not all. There are dozens of reasons why this impossibly adorable pug is leaving behind a puny carbon paw print.

If you consider dogs part of the family then it’s important they’re pulling their weight in the eco …

Tags: bio bags , biodegradable , birds , carpool , china , compost , Conserve , dog beds , dog food , dog toys , dogs , endangered , fleece , fuel , green , hybrid , Life in the Green Lane , organic , pets , plastic , pugs , recycle , reuse , Smoky Bear , walking

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My mother, the nice Jewish lady seen here at her box at the Hollywood Bowl,  is among the biggest paper and water consumers in the country. It hasn’t been easy getting her to turn over a new leaf. (Or rather, fewer of them.)

She has a varied and colorful history of helping herself to fistfuls of disposable napkins at restaurants, collecting hundreds of brown paper grocery bags from Gelson’s Market and requiring daily soaks or showers. She’s pretty darn clean, my mother.

“I never, ever get …

Tags: children , composting , conserving , Italy , Jewish mothers , Life in the Green Lane , parenting , recycling , renewable energy , seniors , towels

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How do I love thee? Let me count the watts!

And so it goes when betrothed to a well-meaning eco sentinel, a man on a mission to recognize the dangers and combat the plagues of global warming.

Don’t get me wrong; I’m very committed to a greener lifestyle. I write for EcoSalon (Exhibit A) and turn off the tap when brushing my teeth (Exhibit B). I recycle, compost, carpool and use bath towels at least twice before washing. I rest my case.

Still,  I never figured the “other woman” in …

Tags: biking , David Yurman , eco mania , energy , environment , flip flops , green fashion , husbands , knives , Life in the Green Lane , marriage , Neiman Marcus , organic , pinky rings , walking

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