How the French are helping to save the planet
Move over, hippie ponchos and fireside cardigans
Some might say that the French got it right on nuclear power (I’m not so sure). Others might point to the TGV (a truly fine thing). But I think the way they can really help save the earth is with their style. Take a look at former US president Jimmy Carter in his earnest cardigan, and then at French president Emmanuel Macron in what we call a turtleneck and the British more tastefully call a polo neck.
This isn’t so-called “green” fashion. It’s just a sweater, an ordinary garment that most of us have in a drawer. But there’s something about the way the French wear their clothes that is simply different from most of the rest of us. Yes, I’m speaking for myself, someone whose natural tendency is frump. Frump doesn’t persuade people to wear warmer clothes to reduce energy use. But the Macron polo neck? Another story entirely.
A review once criticized me for not being hair-shirt enough. I made green living sound too easy, apparently. I don’t think the issue was that I made it sound easy, but that I didn’t make it sound grim. Grim and virtuous, that’s what all too many people think a more ecologically sound life has to be. I’ve never believed that, and I’ve always known that browbeating won’t change enough people to make a difference.
Not only can we look stylish when the heat’s turned down, but we can eat well while keeping climate change in mind. Take any cookbook about a traditional or provincial cuisine and you’ll find plenty of recipes that are “green” - lots of grains and legumes, plenty of local vegetables, and only a little meat and dairy.
Here are a few ideas from a few pages in Elizabeth David’s famous French Provincial Cuisine: Potée Lorraine (a vegetable soup with a little bacon for flavor), Tourin Bordelais (a simple onion soup that requires no meat stock), Chick Pea Soup, Cream of Turnip Soup, and Cream of Cauliflower Soup. David, one of the best known food writers of the 20th century, says of those last two soups: “It is worth following the recipes exactly; both produce very delicious soups.”
I’ve written elsewhere about the wonderful “green” recipes found in Darra Goldstein’s books on Georgian cuisine (green in every sense, because Georgian cuisine uses vast quantities of fresh herbs in the summertime dishes). But those who fear the loss of fine dining can take comfort knowing that French cuisine has plenty to offer even in a warming world.
Throw on an extra sweater, tie a scarf around your neck, and put a pot of beans on to simmer! Solstice is coming and then spring will be around the corner.
More Stay-warm Fashion
How about a soft hat to wear inside? Or fingerless gloves? I adore the gloves my sister knits, and they work as an extra layer under outdoor work gloves, too.
She also clued me in to Nordic skirts, made in Minnesota. I have been wearing long knitted skirts over jeans and leggings for years. They must have been a fashion item once because they would turn up in secondhand stores. When I started lowering the thermostat, they came into their own as a soft extra layer, very easy to wear. But I am tempted by the Norsari!
Another layer I love is an Oscar de la Renta tweed dress, picked up for a couple dollars at the glorious Berkshire Botanical Gardens tag sale. The world is full of ideas, from padded Chinese jackets to the “foot muff” I just read about in a Dorothy Sayers novel from the 1930s.
I’d love to hear about other ways to dress for warmth and style, especially when we’re facing unprecedented energy prices and other global challenges. When I put on an extra layer, I remind myself that saving energy isn’t just about money, or just about climate change, but about solidarity with the brave people of Ukraine.
Questions & Answers
