How much green do you need to be green?

Julie O'Brien, a Mount Prospect mother of three, stood perplexed in the produce aisle of a Des Plaines grocery store. "My kids love blueberries," she said. "And I'm standing here trying to figure out what's better for us and the environment -- the organic ones from Mexico or the regular kind from Michigan."

Sighing, she threw the organic berries into her cart. At nearly $2 more per pint, "I guess I'll have to ration them out," she said wryly.

With an increasing number of organic, recycled and other environmentally sound products on the market, you can spend a lot of green these days trying to be green.

The 2008 Lexus LS600h Hybrid might be fuel efficient, but at $104,000, it costs about as much as putting a student through college. Crate & Barrel's Bento Chifforobe, an armoire made from sustainable bamboo, is $1,800. On a smaller scale, Rawganique's Eco Couture boxer briefs are $25 a pair -- more than 2½ times the price of a Hanes three-pack at Target.

Whether the green movement has embraced consumerism or the other way around, the shift can be confusing for those who just want to do the right thing for the planet.

"Now it's kind of hip to be on-board with environmentalism," said Jim Montgomery, director of DePaul University's Environmental Science program. But, instead of embracing the "waste not, want not" concepts of the old-school environmentalism of the Carter era -- putting on a sweater instead of turning up the heat, washing and re-using margarine tubs -- green today often means purchasing new products to reduce our carbon footprint, an equation that's doesn't always compute.

Chuck Smith of Palatine appeared slightly shocked when his recent bill at Whole Foods totaled $54.96.

"Coming in the store, I had a list of wine, milk and cheese," he said. But the lure of organic smoothies, ready-made frozen lunches, goat-milk soap and all-natural energy bars surpassed his budget by $20.

"I probably don't need any of it," he admitted. "But every time I go here, I seem to keep piling non-gmo, no-bgh and organic extras into my cart."

But there's a difference between living green and buying green. Living green is wrapping gifts in old brown paper grocery bags, which you've stamped and stenciled yourself. Buying green is ordering recycled wrapping paper online at $5 for two 24- by 36-inch sheets -- expensive, but easier than making your own.

"We all live pretty complex lives that are consumer based," said Naperville resident Jim Camasto. "If you're the average working American, finding time to actually think about the green choices you make is tough."

Camasto, a former engineer, admits he began to "think greener" when he had more time on his hands.

"I got out of corporate life and started my own painting and repair business and the wheels started turning faster. I started doing energy audits on my house, installing solar panels, got rid of my third car." he said.

Though not all the tips will be practical for everybody, Camasto and South Elgin resident Faye Melville suggest the New American Dream, a nonprofit organization based in Takoma Park, Md., as a helpful resource for busy people making an effort. The Web site is www.newdream.org.

With a motto of "Live Consciously, Buy Wisely, Make A Difference," the organization is devoted to supporting and nurturing a new sort of American dream that emphasizes sustainability and nonmaterial values. "It's an emphasis on what matters instead of an emphasis on more," said spokesman Tim Sanchez. "It is up to the individual to determine what matters in his or her life, but we offer examples of time, nature, fairness and fun as points of emphasis over material goods."

Melville was drawn to the organization in 2005, during a slogan competition for reducing dependency on fossil fuels. The winner of the contest was to receive a Toyota Prius.

Though her slogan "Eco-Revolution, Hybrid Evolution," didn't win Melville a hybrid ("Green Cars Today, Blue Skies Tomorrow" took the prize), the organization's sustainable mission kept her on-board. "I don't think anyone has said it more succinctly and better than that," she said.

Today, Melville works for sustainability and living green on both the personal and professional fronts. As an executive assistant at West Chicago-based Ball Horticultural Co., she has helped eliminate Styrofoam plates and cups and plastic utensils in the company cafeteria, switching to china and silverware instead. Each company employee has been issued a reusable drink mug and receives a discount on beverages for using it.

At home, she's made basic switches, like showering for a minute less per day, washing most clothes in cold water instead of hot and buying green products whenever possible -- compact fluorescent bulbs, organic produce and Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee beans.

"Anyone, on any income, can live green, though some green products do cost more," she admits, advising shoppers to carefully consider what they're buying.

Want a version of living green for dummies? Focus first on things you eat, drink, breathe and consume in water, electric, gas and paper.

For instance, try to buy organic produce that's grown locally, rather than fruits and vegetables flown in (using loads of jet fuel) from faraway places.

Instead of picking up organic blueberries from Mexico at the supermarket, for example, consider shopping at a local farmers market, or sign up for an organic food co-op.

"If you can't get locally grown, at least buy products grown in the U.S.," Melville said.

Water-saving faucet heads, chemical-free cleaning products and single-ply toilet tissue with recycled content are more immediately important than blowing your savings on a new set of sustainable bamboo furniture.

For Camasto -- though he realizes he's more "gung-ho about environmentalism" than a lot of his neighbors -- "it's been small incremental changes I've made in the last 10 years that have gotten me where I am today."