Bodkin Founder Eviana Hartman's Green Guide To New York City

We've got a serious crush on Mother Nature, but come April 22, we're always stumped as to the best ways to get our Earth Day on. Even if you don't have time to plant a tree or start a community garden, you can still do some good for the planet. So, to help us craft an environmentally friendly game-plan, we turned to Bodkin eco-chic founder Eviana Hartman, our go-to Captain Planet, for some do-gooder secrets that will have us looking, feeling, and smelling great without that over-sized carbon footprint. From her very own organic tunic to some yummy, stinky cheese, Hartman makes helping our world that much more appealing.

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Here's Eviana's top 5 picks to conserve in style:

1. Bodkin Nimbus tunic in organic cotton chambray ($285): "I wear this pretty much every day; it's the most useful thing in my closet. The shaped front hem makes the wearer look lean and leggy, and the super-long shirt-tails add an interesting dimension when layered underneath a hip-length jacket or sweater. Plus, it will only get better with age." Available at Bird, 220 Smith Street (at Butler Street); Brooklyn; 718-797-3774.

2. Young Herb Plants from Red Hook's Liberty Sunset Garden Center (from $4): "The most exciting new development in my life is the massive new herb garden on my deck--basil, sage, mint, cilantro... (I'm in the pro-cilantro camp). This nursery makes a great day trip--it's set right on the harbor, and their array of plants is downright psychedelic. For the lazy gardener, they sell certified organic young herb plants that you can simply transfer into pots, and soil fertilized with fungi, not 'organic' factory-farm chicken droppings." Pier 41, 204 Van Dyke Street (between Ferris and Conover streets); Brooklyn; 718-858-3400.

3. Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Liquid Soap ($3.99): "If you're not using this already, you should be. Everything we wash down the drain comes back to bite us in the ass." Available at St. Mark's Market, 21 Saint Mark's Place (between 2nd and 3rd avenues); 212-253-7777.

4. Saxelby Cheesemongers Cheese Club (from $49.50): "I got this as a semi-selfish Christmas gift for my boyfriend. You receive three cheeses from small Northeast farms each month or season, along with the story behind each one. Anne Saxelby truly loves and knows cheese, and she even organizes educational weekend trips to nearby cheese-makers." Essex Street Market, 120 Essex Street, (between Delancey and Rivington streets); 212-388-0449.

5. Transportation Alternatives: "New York has become much more bike-friendly in the last year or two, but we have a long way to go to catch up to places like Berlin and Amsterdam. I like this organization and I benefit from their efforts every time I ride from home in Clinton Hill to work in Williamsburg."

R29 GIVEAWAY:
One Eco Warrior will win this super stylish (and green-friendly!) Equinox sample-size dress ($380), but we asking you to get active. Email R29's local councilwoman, Margaret Chin at chin@council.nyc.gov, and tell her to support a car-free Central Park. Be sure to cc us at feedback@refinery29.com and the most impassioned letter will win!

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