Looking for Eco-Friendly Holiday Cards: ReProduct Eliminates Waste
Founded on the principles of Cradle to Cradle design, as defined by William McDonough's book Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things,ReProduct has designed zero waste holiday cards. The cards come with their own prepaid envelope, so the receiver of the card can send it back to a recycling center, where it will be repurposed into carpet backing. You can even get photo cards from ReProduct. Nearly 7.5 billion greeting cards are sold in this US every year. If we could recycle all these cards, we would help close the loop.
Black Friday is the day retailers traditionally kick off the holiday shopping season with big sales. The overconsumerism of western culture is not sustainable nor good for the environment, therefore, Black Friday is Buy Nothing Day!
Suddenly, we ran out of money and, to avoid collapse, we quickly pumped liquidity back into the system. But behind our financial crisis a much more ominous crisis looms: we are running out of nature... fish, forests, fresh water, minerals, soil. What are we going to do when supplies of these vital resources run low?
There's only one way to avoid the collapse of this human experiment of ours on Planet Earth: we have to consume less.
It will take a massive mindshift. You can start the ball rolling by buying nothing on November 28th. Then celebrate Christmas differently this year, and make a New Year's resolution to change your lifestyle in 2009.
Really Natural's 2008 Eco-Friendly Holiday Gift Guide
We've elected a new president who has promised us change, and you can do your part to bring about positive change for the environment and healthful living this holiday season by giving eco-friendly gifts. Less is more when living life naturally: less chemicals, less toxins, less stuff. Live life simply this holiday season and give gifts with small carbon footprints from sustainable companies. During these hard economic times, we have focused on value in our 2008 Eco-Friendly Holiday Gift Guide, but we also recognize that value goes beyond monetary amounts to larger issues of conservation and sustainability.
For Baby and Kids
Certified organic, fair trade, low impact dyes: what could be better? Go Natural Baby offers such eco-goodness in its Zah Collection of children's clothing. Go Natural Baby™ will only put our name on products that are made with
Fair Trade values, including providing a healthy work environment for
its workers, paying a fair wage, and ensuring that children are not in
the work environment.
Laptop Lunches are the big craze at my daughter's school.Although I try to avoid plastic, in children's lunches, plastic is a
safer alternative than glass, and Laptop Lunches are BPA-free. The Laptop Lunch System is inspired by the Japanese Bento.
The little compartments ensure you will pack your child a balanced meal with
many choices, as well as appropriately-sized servings. The Laptop Lunch
can be washed on the top shelf of the dishwasher.
Envirosax kids series
reusable shopping bags appeal to little ones with their designs, and children's excitement to have their own bag helps parents remember to use their own reusable bags in every store,
not just the grocery store. Envirosax are very compact, which makes
them easy to toss into a purse or backpack. They are also great for wrapping other presents in!
Beauty Products
Jurlique
has created a line of biodynamic, organic beauty products. Grown on
their own certified biodynamic and organic farms in South Australia,
each product combines herbs, flowers, and naturally derived
ingredients. These products do not contain parabens, mineral oils,
propylene glycol, sodium lauryl, sulfate, synthetic emulsifiers,
artificial colors, or fragrances.
What is Green Science? Green Science is a line of Aveda facial products
clinically proven to lift, making lines and wrinkles less visible in
four weeks. I've been using several of these products, and I really
like the Green Science Lifting Serum. This
serum promotes surface skin cell regeneration, moisturizes, and firms
skin. It is made from bio-fermented glucosamine, organic argan oil,
anti-oxidants and peptides.
Gilden Tree's two-sided Terra Cotta Footscrubber and Callus Remover
is the perfect tool for giving yourself an eco pedicure. Ranked as "The
Best" by "O" (Oprah) magazine, this footscrubber is long-lasting, easy
to clean, and eco-friendly. It is made by a women's cottage industry in
Pakistan, and if used regularly, it helps remove calluses, and reduces
dry,cracked heels.
Dr. Hauschka Cleansing Milk
is an amazing beauty product! This gentle cleanser is made from plant
oils that leave the skin feeling soft and healthy. Soothing jojoba
,almond, and rice germ oils combine with anthyllis extract to nourish
your skin. Fermented grain extracts and vitamin B strengthen and
fortify your skin, while gently removing impurities and dirt from your
face. Dr. Hauschka Cleansing Milk is perfect for all skin types! All ingredients are GMO-free and biodynamically grown. Dr. Hauschka products are truly natural!
Energy Saving Gadgets
Splurge on an iPhone, then your loved one can choose from five applications to help them save fuel!
From finding the cheapest price per gallon to graphing your fuel
economy, these iPhone apps can help you find out what your car's gas
mileage really is so you can be a better hypermiler!
USBCELL AA Rechargeable Batteries
are like other rechargeable batteries in the sense that you can use
them hundreds of times; however, these batteries can be recharged using
the USB port of your computer. There is no need for a separate charger,
and they are easy to use. Just pop off the cap and plug them in to your
computer. Over 15 billion batteries are discarded each year. Don't toss
'em, recharge 'em!
Fashion
Less is more when it comes to fashionable denim, as most Americans have more clothes than they need. Del Forte Denim
offers sweatshop-free, organic cotton, designer jeans. These jeans
combine high fashion with sustainability. Del Forte Denim participates
in the Sustainable Cotton Project (SCP).
Founded in 1992, Maggie's is one of the first companies to offer US consumers affordable, organically grown cotton clothing.
Prana clothing products have long been the favorite of climbers and outdoor enthusiasts. Comfort and durability are synonymous with the brand, and now organic cotton material and sustainable energy practices make the prAna Divine Organic Cotton Pant truly eco-friendly. Perfect for yoga or just lounging around, these pants truly live up to their name "Divine". They are made made from 90% organic cotton with 10% spandex for stretch. Not only are these pants
made from organic cotton, but they are manufactured using renewable wind energy.
You don't always have to buy something to show your love. Giving a charity donation to an environmental group in a loved one's name or buying your friends and family members carbon credits are eco-friendly and socially responsible options for any holiday. Don't forget the pets this holiday season and give them eco-friendly treats! You also peruse our monthly round-ups for more great natural gifts and ideas to celebrate this winter holiday season.
Made with real fruit extracts and gluten-free sugars, YummyEarth Organic Lollipops are certified organic. These delicious treats are perfect for handing out Halloween eve. The 100% natural colors and flavors make these vegan treats a great solution for the crap most children receive while trick-or-treating. In fact, in my family, we exchange every piece of junky candy for organic treats, in order that my children do not lose out on the fun of trick-or-treating and don't fill their bodies with dyes and additives.
I thought this National Lampoon video parody on drugs in our drinking water would be perfect for April Fool's Day. Too bad the reality of it is truer than we would like to imagine.
Valentine's Day is around the corner, and although I am not a big fan of greeting cards in general since they usually just get tossed out, the childhood tradition of giving Valentines to your friends is very sweet. Stubby Pencil Studio offers do-it-yourself, 100% recycled, chlorine-free, made with renewable energy Valentine's Day cards.
Eco-friendly cards for kids to color, trace the letters, and create their own greetings. Printed on heavy, 100% post consumer waste stock, our recycled cards feature crisp, black and white illustrations to encourage do-it-yourself card making for young children. Interactive, educational, and green!
Stubby Pencil Studio also offers earth-friendly art supplies, such as soybean crayons and eco-friendly colored pencils. Did you know that some crayons contain asbestos? Most companies have voluntarily phased out the use of asbestos containing talc from their crayon production, but there are no government regulations requiring crayons to be asbestos-free.
Don't forget to give your sweeties some organic chocolate for Valentine's Day!
An LED flashlight. Everybody needs one -- for emergencies, camping, your car. Shake for 60 seconds and get 30 minutes of light.
For Her Maine Warmers heating or cooling animals. Like a hot water bottle you can snuggle. All natural, filled with corn. Microwave for three minutes and your toes (or back, or bed) will be nice and snuggly warm for hours.
Solar Charger. Not just for guys. This solar charge comes in hot pink. Better still, you can use it to charge your cell phone, your GPS, your iPod, or your digital camera.
Alice Water's new book, The Art of Simple Food. A beautiful book, providing real insight into how the Chez Panisse chef thinks about food.
Update: Sportsman's Guide appears to be sold out of their solar-powered LED lights, but Get Organized is carrying them for $20 for a 26' string of 60 lights. Buy them at Get Organized LED holiday lights.
We've switched our clocks for Daylight Savings Time. And what better use is there for that extra daylight than....solar powered LED holiday lights?
Sportsman's Guide is stocking these lights, available in strings of 50 or 100 bulbs, and in white or colored lights. Place these lights anywhere outside - cover your house, string them on a tree, deck the front bumper of your hybrid SUV - and the sunlight will recharge the battery. When the sun goes down, the lights turn on automatically. Voila! Twinkle, twinkle, without the high electric bills or eco-guilt.
You need something cheap that is easily available in bulk, and that is acceptable to children. What do kids want, if not silly toys and tasty candy? Pens and pencils, and tiny boxes of crayons, are a traditional, sort of academically focused item. You could also buy several boxes of fat markers and strew them about in baskets; if you combined all these drawing utensils, children of varying ages will be able to choose one they like. Small musical instruments like kazoos, mouth harps, and whistles could be fun, if they aren't made of toxic Chinese plastic. Stickers, temporary tattoos, and trading cards are small and cheap. You could look up a variety of knock-knock jokes at the library, pick 10, and print each one on 30 business card-sized papers. There, that's my big idea -- knock-knock jokes.
(M)ake a collection of things that you own and are ready to get rid of, like CDs, books, jewelry, trophies, trinkets, and the like. Put them in a treasure chest of your own devising and let the children choose one item each. Ooh, sparkly.
NatureMoms' article includes a list of eco-friendly Halloween candies, trick or treat bags, party treats, decorations, and Halloween costumes. Read more at NatureMoms.
Here's something for folks who'd rather make their gifts than head to the store for a last minute shopping frenzy. Or who think spending quality time with the family is more important than material things - and if you can end up with something tasty to give away at the end of it, so much the better. Think of this as my gift to you.
Jess's Cranberry Almond Granola Recipe
(Adapted from Eating Well Magazine)
2/3 cup frozen concentrated apple juice
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup canola oil
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 cups oats
1 cup chopped almonds
1 cup toasted wheat germ
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup dried cranberries
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line two cookie sheets (with sides) with parchment paper, or grease them.
Place frozen juice concentrate, maple syrup, brown sugar and oil in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer and turn off heat. Stir in cinnamon and salt.
Mix oats, almonds, sunflower seeds and wheat germ in a large mixing bowl. Add wet ingredients and stir to incorporate.
Distribute mixture evenly on two cookie sheets. Bake for 15 minutes, stirring once. Reverse sheets and rotate top sheet to bottom oven rack and vice versa. Bake for another 15 minutes, untiil granola is golden brown. Remove from oven and cool on baking sheets.
Mix in the cranberries and transfer to mason jars. I like to tie a raffia bow around the top to make them more festive. Granola will keep for two months stored in the mason jars.
Treehugger published its 2006 Green Gift Guide, which includes some great tips for making your gift-giving a little greener this year. Among them:
1. Be sure your material gift will get used
It may be the thought that counts, but a gift that the receiver does not use is simply wasted: not a very nice thought. Give material possessions only if you know the recipient well enough to pick out something they were on the cusp of getting for themselves, or which they really need and will certainly enjoy using.
2. Give a consumable gift
Your friend will love your consumable gift twice: once while enjoying the organic teas, fair trade coffee, fresh flowers, fresh or dried fruits and nuts, or other consumable gift; and again when they appreciate that your gift leaves them with no guilty conscience about a gift left unused in the corner of their closet.
3. Share a piece of yourself
Avoid material consumption altogether. Instead, offer your services to baby-sit while your friend enjoys a cozy date with their partner, give a gift certificate for a relaxing massage, or a winter’s-worth of driveway shoveling (in which case you just save that massage for yourself).
4. Make a gift of a green service
If your time is prioritized elsewhere, you can buy a green service. Consider a gift of carbon offsets for a commuting colleague or a Zipcar membership for a friend who more frequently must turn to taxis to supplement their public transport lifestyle.
Candle, Candle, Burning Bright: LED Rechargeable Candles
My candle burns at both ends; it will not last the night; but ah, my foes, and oh, my friends - it gives a lovely light! - Edna St. Vincent Millay
I'm a huge fan of candlelight around the holidays. Heck, at any time of year. But I hate dealing with melted wax on my dinner table. And don't get me started about the time one of our dinner guests (who shall remain nameless!) set himself, and nearly the whole house on fire.
That's why I was excited to learn about the Aurelle Rechargeable Candles from Philips. They're kind of like our old reliable Candelas, only they come in pretty frosted glass vases and flicker like real candles. Plus, they're wind and water resistant, won't catch fire, and last for 10 hours on a single charge. Great for worry-free instant ambience - for your holiday decorating or as a gift.
Looking for Eco-Friendly Holiday Cards: ReProduct Eliminates Waste
Operating your 
Continue reading: 
Alice Water's new book, 
Save a tree and send an earth-friendly message by "wrapping" your presents in a 
Update: Sportsman's Guide appears to be sold out of their solar-powered LED lights, but 
Props to 
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