Setting an Example
I have always believed in using renewable resources and locally sourced things in my home and in my design work. I like antiques, which are a form of recycling, and I try to look for items made from recycled sources and materials that are natural, such as paper, raffia and wood. To me, being green means supporting and respecting Mother Nature through conscientious recycling, only using air conditioning minimally, using a rainwater tank, and not watering the garden. Becoming a mother changed my focus on my life and environment. I do my best to set an example for my children and educate them on things they can do to be Eco Warriors. I strongly believe that every generation has a responsibility to empower and affirm the next generation.
– India Hicks

India's Favourite Charity
Environmental Relief works to protect the delicate marine ecosystems on Harbour Island in the Bahamas, including coral reefs and populations of sea turtles and marine mammals. The island is a major commercial and sport-fishing location, with few regulations on catch sizes. This non-profit organization assists the local government in implementing environmental protection plans and changes to regulations. Visit environmentalrelief.org.

India's Green Tips:
1. Air dry your family’s laundry instead of using the dryer.

2. Avoid unnecessary packaging. The new preservative-free collection of products, India Hicks Island Living, for Crabtree & Evelyn, are wrapped minimally.

India's Hotlist:
1. “I have Elizabeth Peyton’s work hanging framed above my bath.”
2. The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion (Vintage).
3. Anish Kapoor’s “Cloudgate,” a permanent sculpture in Chicago. “It’s enormous and emotive.” (Anish is godfather to India’s son, Conrad.)
4. A safari lodge made with local materials by the Masai in Shompole, Kenya.
5. Danish fashion label Day Birger et Mikkelsen. “The clothes don’t wear you, you wear the clothes.”

First published in Wish April 2007

Spotlight On