You’re the typical socially conscious Georgetown student. You’re down with the whole eco-friendly thing, and might have even stayed awake through Al Gore’s two-hour PowerPoint on the subject. There are a lot of ways to step up your green game, but perhaps the least painless (and the one most likely to simultaneously up your indie street-cred) is shopping at a second-hand clothing store. Second Time Around, the Boston-based designer resale store that just opened on M Street, is a great place to start for a trendy take on greener living.

Housed in the Jinx Proof Tattoo parlor’s former location and filled with an eclectic array of vintage couture, boutique items and a smattering of more traditional labels, the store has a certain flea-market chic to it. It’s easy to find something new and different to round out your fall wardrobe. The emphasis here is on different, and in the veritable sartorial orgy that is M Street, novelty is unusual.

“We offer something different by not being a major corporation or a mall brand that people see all the time,” explains manager Danielle Washinko. “Coming into a store like this helps you create your own individual style, whatever it is.” The original store in Boston garnered a reputation for elevating the lowly second-hand shop to a kind of syncopated couture, all while maintaining the refreshingly moderate prices of a traditional consignment shop.

As a resale store, Second Time Around works on the first tenet of eco-friendly living: Reduce, reuse and recycle. Almost all the stock in the store is in a sense “locally grown” because most of it has been contributed by Georgetown locals. This cuts out the carbon emissions associated with the transportation of retail items from manufacturer to vendor.

Additionally, resources and materials utilized for the production of the clothes themselves are also conserved. This is particularly important when, as noted by environmentalist groups such as Sustainable Cotton, 50 percent of worldwide insecticide use and 10 percent of pesticide use is for cotton production. Chemicals used in these products can be damaging not only to the local ecology, but also to the individuals involved in the harvesting of the plants.

Consignment shops such as Second Time Around thus present an easy alternative option for clothing consumption. All items at the store are consigned through a specific process, beginning with an appointment with store staff during which all items to be sold the store are checked for quality and priced. Pricing is generally half retail value, and may be a little less for items that are in less than mint condition. Money from all sales is split 50/50 between the consignor and the store and placed in the consignor’s store account. Money in the account can either be used as store credit or the shop will cut you a check during its quarterly payouts.

The result is high-end designer and retail items that can be bought at a fraction of the price. However, given that most of the stock is from Georgetown, brands like Ann Taylor and J. Crew are a little more strongly represented than others, but there are various cool and funky pieces that keep things from getting hopelessly Cape Cod.

Washinko notes that affordability is another huge draw for her clients, “With the economy as it is, people want to watch their dollar. Americans are noticing their consumption and want to reduce what they use and simplify their lifestyle; [consignment] is a great way for people to do that.” As a student, being able to pay $8 for that polo as opposed to $70, or $20 as opposed to $120 for that cute new high-waisted skirt, is always a plus. Additionally, the store’s Web site has a “wish list” feature that allows you to get harder-to-find items.

Second Time Around is a store that offers a chance to try something new by trying something old.