Does anyone have suggestions for a coconut substitute to use when people hate coconut and you need that look that the coconut gives for the look you are trying to create?  Some of the things I might normally use coconut for might be, grass, lettuce, hay, hair and so on. Is there anything else that  can be colored and shredded to achieve the same look just as easily?  This amateur baker would appreciate any suggestions that you may have used.  

How about a grass tip? Or modeling chocolate pushed through an extruder?

Or even modelling chocolate or fondant pressed through a sieve, if you don't have an extruder, makes quite good grass or can be used to cover a cake. It's really quick too! I would use the extruder for jobs like  hair for figurines, or other detailed work.

White chocolate bar scraped on a fine carrot shredder.

AShredded wheat? I don't know how you'd color it. Airbrush, I guess.