Southampton - Al Gore had it right. It's inconvenient to have to be mindful of the effect of virtually everything we do, buy, consume and dispose of. We can't just buy stuff anymore without a twinge of guilt if it isn't at least a little "greenish," or compensate for our "indulgence" with some sort of acceptable hedge position like offsetting our carbon footprint. It strikes me as either a cosmic joke or a lesson from Mother Nature that reduced cash flow in a sinking economy dove-tails so well with green living. By necessity, most of us will have to do, buy, consume, and dispose of less than we used to.

It all comes together with the help of a designer who thinks green. Photo courtesy of Maggie Wood Design and Consulting

In fact, the green truth is out there to such an extent that it's impossible not to be overwhelmed with the amount of information available now, and overwhelmed, as you well know, is one of the main reasons to put off addressing anything.

Where do you start? What's "green enough"? There are few approaches used to answer this question - first, assume any small attempt at "going green" is better than none; second, start making informed choices at every turn you can.

As far as home design goes, it would appear that antique, vintage, and flea market finds are the 'new black,' if you will pardon an overused expression. Rethink, reuse, recycle, repurpose, repaint, and refinish are also now part of a home decorator's favored vocabulary, hopefully.

Times like these bolster the argument that buying the best quality you can afford pays off in the long run. A higher quality product lasts longer and looks better while aging. The difference is that now there are other important criteria to consider when bringing new products into the home.

Lighting
Essential to good home design is beautiful, effective lighting. While there is a very long list of green options for the home, changing your lightbulbs is easy and falls into the "no brainer" category. CFL stands for compact fluorescent light. They last five to seven years, (which is about the life of 10 regular bulbs), but only uses about a quarter of the energy.

The problem has been that CFL's have been on a par with the term "organic" meaning "good for you but tastes like cardboard." For all their great, commendable qualities, the light was cold and ugly and it flickered too. Ugly lighting doesn't equal a good or even a pleasant solution. Good news! CFLs are very much improved recently. The color of the light is warmer, and turns on instantly with no flickering. The only downside is that most aren't dimmable. Ask the experts at Suffolk Designer Lighting (455 County Road 39A, Southampton, 631-283-4800, www.suffolkdesignerlighting.com) to help you track down the dimmables that are available.

Paint
As I mentioned before, there are now small libraries on green building, renovation techniques and materials to guide you, should you so desire, but any homeowner will simply need to paint from time to time.

Going green can be as easy as changing a few lightbulbs.

VOC's stand for volatile organic compounds, which are low-level toxic emissions released by conventional paints. One major company at the forefront of addressing this issue is Benjamin Moore (found in the Hamptons at Aboff's Paints, 264 Butter Lane, Bridgehampton, 631-537-0444) with two new formulas, Aura or Natura, containing low or zero VOC's. Any of their extensive color line can be mixed into these bases.

Fabric
How harmful can fabric be? Sneaky harmful. In the U.S. alone about a quarter of all cotton grown here is cultivated in soil containing pesticides which can emit lethal fumes overtime. Consider how wool is harvested. Those lambs get very dirty. Wool, because of the natural oils, is hard to clean. Because of this, toxic solvents and detergents are frequently used.

Go organic - 100 percent organic cotton is available and labeled as such. The same is true for wool. Wild-crafted silk is another good option. Bamboo and hemp are good options that are too hardy for bugs and no insecticide is needed for their cultivation. And when it comes to colors, natural dyes don't have the heavy metals that the chemical colorants often do. Drop by the fabric department at Hildreths (51-55 Main Street, Southamptons, 631-283-2300, www.hildreths.com) for plenty of organic and eco-friendly options.

Furniture
Here's a big wake-up call - balance the fact that furniture built with responsibly harvested wood often costs more, with the other fact that according to infoforhealth.org, "The world's forest cover is shrinking. Over the past 50 years nearly half of the world's original forest cover has been lost - with another 40 million acres vanishing each year. Forests absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen, anchor soils, regulate the water cycle, protect against erosion, and provide a habitat for millions of species. The forests are nature's lungs."

Benjamin Moore Paints has two green paint lines to choose from - just pick your color.

What can you do? Chose pieces made from wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) which ensures timber is harvested in a land and habitat-friendly way. Another way to go is to look for furniture companies that use reclaimed wood.

There's more, constructing wooden furniture and frames takes nails and/or pegs and glue. This furniture glue often has formaldehyde and can be found in finishes and plywood too. Look for the use of natural and water-based alternatives as sealants instead.

Once you start looking for alternatives that won't pollute the air in your home, it's a wonderland of new materials. Soy-based cushions, reclaimed plastic chair and sofa backs, pesticide free wool padding and formaldehyde-free medium density fiberboard are just a few of the new options. Just start asking a lot of questions about how things are made, and you shall receive a new education in the green ways of the world.

When In Doubt, Ask An Expert
Maggie Wood Design and Consulting (652 Peconic Bay Boulevard, Jamesport, NY, 631-722-4547, www.maggiewood.com) offers full green-minded service for new construction and renovation. They will work with your architect, contractor, and interior designer to ensure your project meets the highest standards of green design. Says Wood, "Given the complexity of applying green principles and materials to building, renovation and home design, a consultation with us is very useful. Not only will you clarify your goals, but given our expertise and experience, we can make suggestions for your project that you wouldn't have thought of otherwise."