1. Shop Online.  Online retailers tend to have better prices and more choices than brick and mortar stores, plus you’ll save gas, time and stress. Comparison shopping sites are especially useful for finding the best price and checking product specifications before you buy. Online purchases are often shipped straight from the factory to you, so it can also cut down on the overall freight impact.

2. When you do shop at a brick and mortar store, take your own reusable shopping bags, they’re inexpensive and hold more than the plastic bags used by most stores.

3. When purchasing gifts make sure it’s something the person will actually use by considering their interests and looking for a greener choice. For example, for jewelry, chocolate or tea and coffee lovers, try organic, fair trade products. There’s a huge selection of gorgeous and unique fair trade, organic jewelry available from companies like Gifts with Humanity, Original Good and The Andean Collection, to name a few. Fair trade merchants not only sell beautiful, eco-friendly, handmade gifts but they also help empower and provide a living wage for artisans in developing countries.

4. Gift cards can be a great present for those hard to buy for recipients on your list and don’t require much packaging. Many retailers are even offering earth friendly gift cards made from bio-plastic. My Mom thinks that they’re too impersonal but I disagree, I like receiving gift cards so that when the after Christmas sales start I can hit the stores and get in on the great deals available.

5. For the techies, wireless e-book readers like Amazon’s Kindle and Barnes & Noble Nook are hugely popular alternatives to hard copy books and magazines. They provide instant access to millions of books, magazines, blogs and more, at a lower cost than hard cover editions and The Nook will even allow you to share your e-books with other Nook users.

6. Candles make fantastic gifts but conventional candles are made of petroleum based  waxes loaded with synthetic dyes and artificial fragrances that may smell great but often trigger allergies and produce soot. You can still enjoy giving candles and scents by choosing earth friendly soy candles scented with essential oils. They burn longer and cooler than traditional candles and rarely trigger allergies. Soy candles are available at most stores that sell conventional scented candles.

7. If you like to decorate your gifts with bows try using fabric. Gift wrap itself presents environmental issues in that the metallic and plastic types take a long time to decompose compared to plainer wrap and can give off toxic fumes when burned, so consider recycled paper or newspaper, wrapping gifts in scarves, towels or fabric or placing the gift in a basket or reusable shopping bag.

8. About 40 percent of annual battery sales occur during the holiday season. Buy rechargeable batteries for your electronic gifts, and consider giving a battery charger as well. Rechargeable batteries reduce the amount of potentially harmful materials thrown away, and can save money in the long run.

9. Have a create-your-own-decorations party! Invite family and friends to create holiday decorations such as ornaments made from old greeting cards or cookie dough, garlands made from strung popcorn or cranberries, wreaths made from evergreens and flowers, and potpourri made from kitchen spices such as cinnamon and cloves. Use LED tree light sets, they’ll last far longer and use a great deal less electricity and put a timer on your external lighting decorations to save energy.

10. The Holiday Season is an important time for you and your family, think outside the box a little and you can have a greener Christmas that will benefit the environment without sacrificing holiday cheer.

Guest Blogger: Lori Hernandez (Dealhippie.com)

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1. The Green Dimes “Eliminate Home Junk Mail” Gift Card helps stop unwanted mailers, catalogs and more.  Less mail means less paper is produced, and fewer trees cut down. Plus, the less paper you recycle, the more you shrink your household’s waste footprint. The gift card is good for a one-year membership.  Green Dimes will also plant up to 5 trees in the gift recipient’s name.  This super green gift is only $19.99, but you can often find it on sale.
2. Envirosax Reusable Grocery Totes offer a great alternative to those not-so-earth-friendly disposable plastic and paper bags. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, Americans throw away 100 billion plastic bags a year – bags that pollute our coastlines, choke marine animals, and take hundreds of years to decompose.  Paper bags aren’t necessarily better, as some studies show they currently take more energy to produce and recycle than plastic ones.  The best solution?  Grab some reusable totes before you hit the stores.  Envirosax features a variety of chic designs: each bag rolls up into a compact pouch, perfect for stocking stuffers.  Instead of buying individual bags, buy the 5 pack and you’ll save about 20% per tote.
3. Numi Organic Tea’s Single Origins Tea Set is an exotic treat sure to please any tea-lover. The set features a charming tea set for brewing and serving, and an assortment of four organic single estate teas from around the world, including White Rose Tea (China), Gen Mai Cha Green Tea (Japan), Darjeeling Black Tea (India), and Rooibos Herbal Teasan (South Africa).  Organic teas are cultivated without the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or insecticides. So each cup of tea you brew is not only delicious, it’s good for the planet.  The list price of the set is around $35, but you can often find it for less.
4. P3 International’s Kill-a-Watt Meter connects to your appliances so you can find out how energy-efficient they are. An LCD display counts consumption by the kilowatt-hour, letting you calculate your electricity costs by the hour, day, week, month, or year.  Use less energy, and you’ll save money and help the environment.  Talk about a gift that keeps on giving!  At this writing, we found deals on the Kill-a-Watt as low as $21.95, though prices can fluctuate.
5. Eco-Friendly Plan Toys are created with recycled, chemical-free rubber wood and colored with non-toxic, vegetable-based paints.  What’s more, kids love ‘em!  There are tons of toys to choose from – everything from an adorable pull-along snail to a red-hot banjo. Here’s a selection for you to peruse.  Many items are under $25, so Santa can deliver lots and lots of earth-friendly toys without breaking the piggy bank.

Happy Green Holidays!

Guest Blogger: Karen Schiff, Co-founder of Ecobunga! – your guide to green giveaways and deals at www.ecobunga.com

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Fields Organics is one of these green companies, featuring 100% eco-friendly plant-based cleaning supplies that have a balanced pH and are fully biodegradable. Because these eco-friendly products contain no VOCs (volatile organic compounds that evaporate and thus contaminate our atmosphere), it is perfectly safe for cleaning up around babies, pets, and small children. When shopping for a green cleaner, look for all natural ingredients and stay away from cleaners touting to be eco-friendly but actually contain harsh chemicals. Truly green companies use elements such as tea tree oil (a natural sanitizer); coconut, jojoba, and palm oils; lavender; citrus; and natural spring water to create cleaning solutions that can tackle any job. Fields Organics is 100% vegetarian, the products are never tested on animals, and meet all EPA requirements.

You can use eco-friendly cleaning products to help to create a hygienic home environment necessary to keeping surfaces free of bacteria and germs without the use of harsh chemicals.  Fields’ Toy Cleaner, for example, is ideal for cleaning plastic and wooden toys as well as any non-porous surface such as diaper changing tables, high chairs, strollers, playrooms, and bathrooms. Fields’ Pre-Laundry Stain Remover and Organic Stain and Odor Remover remove stains caused by formula, food, body fluids, and the like safely and naturally.  Whether they are small stains or really tough ones, eco-frendly products pack the same amount of punch as traditional cleaners and will get them out using healthy, non-toxic, organic formula.

Eco Kids Hand Soap is another essential in the Fields’ Organics repertoire of great cleaning products.  This soap cleans hands without leaving residue, making it super safe and effective for children of all ages. Fields Organics has many other products for home use, such as its children’s Home Pack, the Multi-Surface Cleaner, the Green Cleaning Starter Kit, and the Enzymes Complete Green Cleaning Kit.

Never forget that the solutions you use to clean your home should be as conscious as the foods you put in you and your family’s bodies.  A healthy lifestyle means choosing your household products carefully with an eye to using clean, organic, non-toxic compounds.

Guest Blogger: Michele Kadison
Blog: http://www.govacuum.us

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Metallic-Tote

Metallic colors never go out of style, they always come around on every season. A great gift to give to celebrate Earth Day is  this  specious woven Metallic Tote with a metallic leather look.  Also, check out these incredible Eco-friendly clutches made  from soda can ring pulls. Wow it’s amazing how creative designers can get with their designs! There is no doubt that even designers are now spreading the awareness to start a new change in the fashion industry.

Eco-Friendly-Clutches

Interested in viewing other  purses that are also Eco-friendly, check out these ones:

• Bamboo Cube Handbag
• Eco-Friendly Hemp Handbag
• The Sak Eco Harmony Malboro

Start now making a change by shopping smart and Eco-friendly!

-Shenny

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solar messenger bag

Are you the type of person who walks, bicycles, skateboards, skates, scooters, or takes public transit to your daily destinations?  If so, you are the perfect user for the solar messenger bag.

Going to school, work or running daily errands will serve duel purposes;

solar canvas messenger bag

1. to get from one place to another
2. charge your electronics by the suns solar energy

When looking for a solar messenger bag for yourself or as a gift there are somethings that need to be considered.

• What electronics will need to be charged (portable mp3 player, digital cameras, cell phones, laptop, etc.)
• What kind of power outlet is needed?
• How many power ports are there?

blue solar messenger bag

Some messenger bags have the storage space for all electronics but limited power outlets and wattage.  Simply read the product details for the charging features such as AC power socket (ie. 2 or 3 prong wall socket), how long a full charge will take and how many watts of power are stored.

solar charger

If you feel really attached to your current electronic holders, consider researching other solar chargers that are small and portable enough to fit on your desk, helmet or even your car dashboard.

Increase your independence by making your own electricity!

- Desiree

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Tote bag

The exciting part  is that now Become.com has different  selections to choose from like the Rainbow Butterflies Tote Bag and for this Easter they have the Mini Easter Tote Bags. By using these cool tote bags, you will be contributing like me to save our planet Earth.

Mini-Easter-tote-bag

You can also get more ideas on organized recycling and  start being part of this amazing cause!

-Shenny

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The Empire State Building

The tallest skyscraper in New York, the Empire State building, is turning green and for good this time! The owners, Wien & Malkin, just announced that in the next 4 years they will invest up to $100 million USD of renovation in order to reduce the energy consumption and by the same time reduce the emission of CO2 of the colossal building. Former President Bill Clinton’s Climate Initiative has helped fund the project.

About 6,500 windows will be insulated on site; both the heating and cooling systems will be replaced with a more modern and efficient versions; extra insulation will be installed behind radiators to trap heat and cold air; and all lighting used throughout the building will be energy-efficient. Finally, to encourage ecologic awareness, workers in office spaces will be able to monitor online, the amount of energy being used and where: enabling efficiently managed energy usage.

Most of these changes will not be visible to the outside world since the building itself will still go green on the outside on St Patrick’s day and red and blue on the 4th of July, the owners, affirming that the exterior lighting consumes a relatively low amount of energy.

These greening changes should cut energy consumption by up to 38% per year, amounting to total savings of $4,4 million USD. To put these savings into perspective, the operation of 900,000 buildings in NYC accounted for 79% of the city’s total emissions. We can hopefully anticipate that buildings in US and around the world will soon follow the model set by the Empire State Building!

If you are conscious of environmental issues and want to help to preserve planet hearth check out our Earth Day page for tips and resources to apply to your daily life.

-Isabelle

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Monster Floor EZ1

All Floor Cleaner
If your home is like mine, you probably have; carpet floors in the bedrooms, linoleum floors in the kitchen, tile floors in the bathroom and hardwood floors in the foyer.  Instead of buying a messy mop and a heavy carpet cleaner for different sections of the house, the Monster Floor EZ1 replaces both with light and easy to use attachments that safely cleans every floor in your home.

Monster Floor EZ1 steam mop and floor cleaner

No Harsh Chemicals
Clean your home with 266 degrees (F) of sanitizing steam.  Since steam mops use only water, it is safe to use around living plants, kids toys and pet food bowls.  Steam is environmentally friendly and cheaper than buying specialty hardwood solutions or chemical filled carpet solutions.

If you are interested in buying the Monster Floor EZ1 steam mop and floor cleaner for your home, check out Become.com for a low price.

-Desiree

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Mimi

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So he made a little sticker like the one you see here and tested it at a local coffee shop, and lo and behold: it cut paper towel use by 15%, which over the course of a year is like a whole forest or something. He’s selling high-quality, smear-proof stickers for people to go out and place in their local hand-drying spots (with the owner’s permission, naturally). Head over to TheseComeFromTrees.com and pick up a few–if you do, Mother Nature promises to stop sending hurricanes and floods.

Aram

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