Green Options » gifts

Fodor’s Green Travel Guide

Courtney Carlisle — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:00:39 +0000

If you are planning a big holiday trip, check out Fodor’s Green Travel, which features the best eco-friendly lodgings around the world.

The foreword by Richard Hammond discusses how travel can still be responsible and what main elements a savvy traveler should take into account. Fodor’s also explains what criteria they use to rank each resort in different regions of the world.

The “EcoFile” sidebar gives information on rooms, rates, locations, times to travel, how to get there (including average CO2 emissions and estimated cost to offset). At the bottom of the sidebar, it further highlights why the chosen resort is socially or environmentally responsible and ranks it using a 6 leaf system - 6 being the highest award.

This is perfect for planning your next trip or as a gift for an eco-savvy friend.

For Related Posts on Green Travel:

TOMS Shoes for Tomorrow, Giving Gifts to the Poor as You Shop.

Lucille Chi — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 18:03:15 +0000

Starting from May 2006, TOMS Shoes for Tomorrow has given well over 10,000 pairs of shoes to children in Argentina and 50,000 pairs in South Africa through the purchases of caring customers. In 2008 TOMS plans to give 200, 000 pairs of shoes to children around the world. For each pair purchased, TOMS will give a pair of shoes to a child in need. This is a very special company, and for a glimpse into this you can read eco-supermodel Summer Rayne Oakes journal on the journey she took to help deliver these shoes. It is simply amazing that every pair you buy, then donates a pair of kids shoes to a child in need. They call this one for one.

This customer powered humanitarian work is admirable and it reminds me of Wildlife Works and their term “Consumer Powered Conservation” or heifer.org with gifted trainers working in the field to give the gifts. It is superb organizations like this that are shifting the gears of change for major industries while offering smarter choices for shoppers.

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Green Greeting Cards I Love!

Lucille Chi — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 20:48:14 +0000

These sustainably harvested yellow birch cards by Night Owl Paper Goods are as cute as can be!

Going clockwise from top, each card is more enchanting than the next:

Bird and Gourd is featured first above, followed by Terrarium Butterfly ~ A Botanical Delight, next is Strawberry Bunny, and finally Be My Honey.

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Conscious Correspondence: Fun, Fresh And Fabulous Recycled Greeting Cards

Stancie Wilson — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 22:07:39 +0000

It’s no secret that I have a love affair with my internet connection but opening up the mailbox and finding a handwritten note that made its way across the miles just for muah makes me giddy each time. Because I have a ‘thing’ for paper and especially unique cards & stationery, I absolutely love it when I come across the recycled sort. But don’t get me wrong, I don’t gravitate towards the dried petals and chunky paper pulp variety.

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Can Your Jewelry Save the Earth? Ours Can! Part III

Talancia Shelvin — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 05:00:41 +0000

Whenever you combine two of girls’ favorite treats, chocolate and jewelry, it’s bound to be a successful fundraiser. With this in mind, Relief Beads and Compartes Chocolatier have partnered to raise awareness and money to aid refugees in Darfur. Relief Beads, a grassroots campaign, is selling handcrafted bracelets made from sand in Ghana, Africa. Each purchase helps to fund Relief International’s medical clinics for women and children, educational programs for students and counseling for victims of violent acts.

But to make this good cause even better, Compartes Chocolatier has created an African Collection of chocolates to pair with each Relief Beads bracelet. The collection is made up of authentic African ingredients like cardamom, coconut, Grains of Paradise, caramelized plantains and so much more. You can buy a 5 piece set for $20 or 10 piece set for $30. I know this is more than what we usually pay for chocolate treats, but each purchase can give one child food for a week or life-giving heat on cold nights. Get your special Compartes gift packages online or at their boutique in Los Angeles!

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Lingerie Party

Lucille Chi — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 05:00:19 +0000

MAS Holdings, Sri Lanka’s biggest apparel company, has a new lingerie factory backed by Marks & Spencer (M&S), who is one of their best clients. The undergarment factory uses 40% less energy than a factory of the same size and the electricity is from renewable sources like 10% from on-site solar panels and the other 90% from hydro-power plant energy. MAS is reported to be the world’s first carbon-neutral clothes factory.
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How to Avoid the Card and Wrap Trap

Delia Montgomery — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 05:55:32 +0000

What is a card or wrap trap? A waste of resources that eventually cost more than money! Most people spend special occasion and holiday funds on ultimate trash when they buy conventional cards, gift wrapping paper and ribbon. Such items are rarely recycled and cause an excessive landfill burden, especially during December.

Perhaps you’ve noticed gift and holiday supplies proudly claiming recycled, post-consumer, chlorine-free, or tree-free? Sounds nice, but are you confused? Most consumers are when trying to decipher it all. Frustrations peak when claims are misleading.

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Eco Zen Boutique - Where Going Green Is The Fashion

Reenita Malhotra — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 18:20:28 +0000

I often think about how ‘feel good’ a one-stop shop online would be if it could really answer my call for style. Just imagine…..eco-friendly cosmetics, jewelery, clothing, all the things every girl looks for, under a single cyber roof. Folks I have good news: Eco Zen Boutique, a socially conscious, Arizona based green fashion boutique owned and operated by eco-preneur Tandy Stepp, has recently opened a new online store at ecozenboutique.com.

This eco-friendly shopping site offers eco chic clothing, organic cosmetics, recycled handbags, earth friendly jewelry and green gifts and goodies at competitive prices. What’s more, in light of a new environmentally conscious business trend, Eco Zen Boutique has aligned itself with two different environmental organizations: it is offsetting its carbon footprint through Carbonfund.org, one of the country’s leading carbon offset organizations and through its alliance with 1% For The Planet, Eco Zen boutique contributes 1% of company sales to environmental organizations.

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Clark’s Candles Are Not Your Average Candles!

Tiana Griego — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 14:28:56 +0000

Clark’s Honey Farm is committed to help SAVE THE PLANET.

With all the news’s going around about the disappearing of the bees, (about 70% on the East Coast) I became very intrigued to learn more about this honey farm’s passion to help save the planet.

At the current time they have over 2,000 healthy bee colonies. Their goal is to double the colonies in the next few years. Each colony has over 60,000 + bees.

They claim to provide enriching environments for their bees to thrive. “The bees are instrumental in the survival of the planet”.

They also ship their bees across the country to help farmers in need of pollination.

Bees pollinate up to one third of our food plants, and in recent months, bee colonies have been mysteriously collapsing. Up to 70% of bees on the East coast have disappeared, and about 50% in other parts of the country. One recent news account from New Hampshire says this: “The problem, called colony collapse disorder, already has hit beekeepers in 24 states, part of Canada, and several European countries. Many bees seem to disappear, with few to no bodies of dead bees found near the hives. The remaining bees, meanwhile, show mysterious symptoms. ”

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Green Diva’s Guide to Fresh Style: 5 Smart, Sassy & Sustainable Eco-Jewelry Designs

Megan McWilliams — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:22:16 +0000

I’m not really a big shopper, but there are few things more satisfying than finding beautiful baubles to adorn oneself that are also ethically and sustainably created. Okay, so maybe more than a few things are more satisfying, but it is a great feeling to know that while decorating ourselves or someone we love, we can also be more mindful of where these things come from, who made them, and perhaps even where some of the profits of the purchase may go.

I love jewelry, so this is an easy one for me. In my travels over the last couple of years, I’ve come across some interesting jewelry designers and concepts, some of which are really gorgeous in addition to being a feelgood style. Here are just a few I would recommend:

X-NYC Traffic Light Jewelry!
I met a woman (whose card I’ve lost) last summer at an eco-event @ Lincoln Center who had purchased literally tons of the old glass that used to be used for NYC traffic lights. When they changed to LED-style lights, she heard that all this glass was headed for the landfills. She asked if she could have it, and arranged to have it delivered to her instead! She has a method of breaking them down and tumbling them smooth to make some wonderful jewelry. Visit her web landing page to find out more - SoleArts.com

More Beautiful Eco-Jewelry . . .

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Carry Your Stuff, Not Guilt with New Tote Bags from Tokyo Bay Inc.

Lucille Chi — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 18:01:26 +0000

Carry Eco bags are an environmentally-friendly alternative to paper and plastic ones, the bags are offered in many pattern and color schemes, and made of 100% recycled bottles as strong as water-repellent canvas. Not only are the Carry Eco bags manufactured using sustainable materials and procedures, they are also ethically audited.

A chic tote that is durable, replaces disposable bags, looks good, and lasts. The carry-all fold-up totes are under thirteen dollars and come in a variety of designs. For the price and look of this line I’d say these make a great gift for creative kids with art supplies, Moms with babies, beach combers, farmers market and flea market fanatics and anyone who loves bright colors. The large capacity bag nicely folds into its own interior pocket. It easily goes from beach to town, for anything like picnics, shopping, laundry, or as a colorful accessory to that hot summer sun dress.

More about Reusable Shopping Bags:

Image courtesy of Tokyo Bay Inc.

Pack a Green Picnic This Summer

Deb Hiett — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 05:32:05 +0000

Eco-Friendly, Biodegradable Tableware from Let’s Go Green

Picnic in green style this summer with eco-friendly biodegradable plates & bowls, and compostable utensils and cups from Let’s Go Green. Made from sugarcane fibers, these bowls and plates are 100% biodegradable, but sturdy enough for your sloppiest Joes. Their 16- and 20-oz. plastic cups are made from corn, and their PSM (plastic starch material), compost-certified utensils will naturally decompose back to organic elements. Let’s Go Green also offers 100% recycled lunch and dinner napkins, recycled without chlorine bleaching.

Save big when you buy their Picnic Sampler, which includes 50 each of knives, forks, spoons, and 9″ plates — all for only $19.99.

Let’s Go Green has dozens of wonderful products for every room in your home. In fact, a great housewarming gift is one of their Green Home Starter Kits….

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The Nature Conservancy: Top 10 Tips for the Perfect Green Wedding

Jonathon D. Colman — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 16:12:41 +0000

In honor of the impending wedding season, The Nature Conservancy offers tips to make your special day one Mother Nature will celebrate.

Something old, something new, something borrowed, something… green? It’s really not as out of the ordinary as it sounds—last year, Brides.com estimated that approximately 33% of future brides and grooms in the U.S. are planning an eco-friendly wedding.

Today, The Nature Conservancy is issuing tips for planning a greener wedding or commitment ceremony, with ideas from invitations through the honeymoon to help reduce your celebration’s impact on the planet—and maybe even reduce the impact on your wallet as well.

“There’s no need to sacrifice your dream wedding for a green wedding,” said Sanjayan, lead scientist for The Nature Conservancy. “Just imagine the power of one simple change—be it as small as reducing wedding travel or serving organic food at the reception—multiplied by the thousands of couples who plan to marry this year. The littlest changes really add up, and can leave a positive impact on the Earth for generations to come.”

Invitations: Sending invitations electronically or on recycled paper stock will save money and trees. Bonus for going the electronic route: You’ll save on the fuel used to deliver the cards.

Gift registry: Register for gifts that you actually need and will definitely use, and if possible, are healthy for the planet. Many of your favorite stores probably carry organic and environmentally sound products already, and with a little research, you can ensure that your new ice cream maker has a minimal carbon footprint.

Reducing consumption can have more of an impact than simply buying recycled/recyclable products. If you don’t need anything, ask your guests to donate to your favorite charity.

Flowers: Organic flowers are one option, but tastefully arranged dried or silk flowers can make as big a statement as fresh floral arrangements.

If you’re set on fresh flowers, try decorating with potted plants native to your area. What’s fresher than still-living flora? You can even plant them when the ceremony is over—wedding décor and landscaping in one fell swoop!

Fashion: The Condé Nast Bridal Group estimates that most brides spend about $900 on just their gowns—and that’s not including the many accessories most brides need to polish their look. An environmentally and cost-friendly solution is to wear a vintage or hand-me-down dress. A female relative or friend’s gown has likely (hopefully!) only been worn once, and you do need something borrowed, right?

If you’d prefer a new dress, look for one that’s made of certified organic cotton, since polyester is petroleum-based, and most other cotton is grown with harsh pesticides. Grooms and ushers can get on the all-natural natural-fiber bandwagon as well by wearing a dress shirt made of hemp or organic cotton.

Do your bridesmaids a favor and forgo the puffy sleeves and universally unflattering fits, and select a gown that your girls would gladly wear again. If you’re stuck with a frock reminiscent of an ‘80s-era prom nightmare, forgo dumping that hideous gown in the garbage, and check out HGTV’s suggestions for turning sequins and taffeta into stylish home accents.

The Rings: The production of one tiny band of gold results in 20 tons of mine waste, according to Earthworks, an organization that works to protect the environment from the impact of mineral development. Show your commitment to your brand new spouse with a recycled or heirloom ring, or start a new trend by sporting silver bands, since the mining of silver is a bit gentler on the environment.

The Location: Holding your festivities in a central location will cut down on travel for your guests, which will make both them and Mother Nature even happier to be a part of your joyous day. Another thing to consider when choosing a wedding locale: “Believe it or not,” said Sanjayan, “big cities might be better than country locations because cities, for the most part, have less energy use in terms of per capita carbon.”

It’s possible to keep the travel to a minimum once your guests have arrived, too. When Evan Parker, The Nature Conservancy’s manager of digital membership, got married last October, he and his bride-to-be chose a church and reception site within walking distance. Post-ceremony, the bride traded in her formal shoes for sneakers, and the couple and their guests walked to the reception, held at a restaurant just blocks from the church.

Food: Feeding your guests unpronounceable pesticides is no way to show your appreciation for their attendance, so consider serving organic food and wine at the reception. Local produce is also a great, low-impact option, and your menu will be fresher for guests and easier on nature.

Favors: The Bridal Association of America estimates that the average couple spends over $400 on favors for their guests, which seems like a lot for a couple pounds of after-dinner mints. A greener option? Donate the amount set aside in your budget to a favorite charity.

The Nature Conservancy offers a number of favor options with a minimal carbon footprint. Help reforest Brazil’s Atlantic Forest by contributing to the Plant a Billion Trees campaign, or adopt a few acres of Costa Rican rainforest in honor of your guests.

If you absolutely must give your guests a sweet treat, try organic, local goodies like chocolate or wine. Really, does anyone need yet another tiny lace pouch of Jordan almonds?

The Honeymoon: The party might be over, but the honeymoon fun’s just begun—and it’s easy to maintain a green theme throughout your romantic getaway. One way to lessen your trip’s environmental impact is to forgo a far-flung destination. (And as the cost of fuel continues to rise, keeping it local will also save you a bundle in travel costs.) If you’d prefer to spend your first few days as husband and wife in a more exotic locale, remember that many travel companies offer eco-trips or environmentally friendly excursions. You could even go on a Nature Conservancy Conservation Journey!

No matter how you decide to spend your honeymoon, you can buy energy offset credits to offset the toll your travel has on the environment.

…And Baby Makes Three?: If there’s a baby on the way, or you’re planning to start a family soon, have eight trees planted on your child’s behalf, said Sanjayan. “Eight trees will offset the amount of carbon a person releases by simply breathing during an average lifetime.” While you’re at it, why not plant a few for yourself as well?

For more information on going green, learn how you can become an everyday environmentalist.

Eco-Chic Beaded Necklaces Make Sustainable Stylish

Deb Hiett — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 18:12:47 +0000

Cornstarch-Based Resin Never Looked So Hip

EverybodyGreen.com expands their celebrity-favorite “go! Green” line of eco-chic accessories with the addition of the highly anticipated new summer style: the SeedBead Necklace.

The necklaces are each three strands of beads made from cornstarch-based resin, and feature two 41 inch rows and one 36 inch row of 4mm “GreenBeads.” Each necklace sells for $18.00, and comes in a choice of five rich color combinations.

“We trust that our go! Green collection will demonstrate to consumers that it is fun and fashionable to choose green. It is imperative that people start to see every choice as an opportunity to help the environment, by choosing eco-friendly, fair trade, and sustainable,” comments Keith Berman, Director. “We are thankful that our green accessories have been so successful in raising awareness of eco-friendly alternatives and green practices.”

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Essere Organics Showers Mom with Eco-Friendly Gift Registry

Courtney Carlisle — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 02:17:04 +0000

Shopping for baby showers can be a daunting task, especially when you want to be eco-savvy when it comes to your gift. Enter Essere Organics and their new eco-friendly gift registry that helps you select the perfect, responsible present for the mom to be and her baby.

Committed to supporting healthy arrivals and a toxin-free environment, their site offers some excellent suggestions for gifts. Organic crib mattresses, sheets and burp cloths will give the new mom one less thing to worry about.

They also offer products to indulge mom and dad as well as baby after a long day (and night) of taking care of their new bundle of organic joy.

A Guide To Low Impact Gifting

Frances Sechler — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 13:55:41 +0000

The month of June is filled with weddings, birthdays and anniversaries! During this much celebrated time of year you may find yourself generously giving a great deal but do you consider the environmental impacts of the gifts you give? Here are a few ways you can reduce these impacts:

When choosing a gift, consider buying from a fair trade store. While your gift will probably be imported (which is energy intensive) extra money you spend to buy fair trade allows farmers to produce goods that are more sustainable. According to the Labor-Religion Coalition, buying fair trade protects the environment by “reducing or eliminating pesticide use, increasing composting and maintaining biodiversity.”

For those who would like to avoid the buying option I suggest crafting a gift by hand. Not only are handmade gifts a sincere expression of how much you care for the recipient, since you took the time and effort to create the gift, but if done right you can use virtually no energy. Here are two ideas I have used in the past which also encourage re-use:

Juice pouch bags- I saw Capri Sun bags being sold commercially and thought, “I can totally make that myself,” so I did. I found this pattern online for my own attempt, pictured above.

Denim jean pockets- When you are sick of a pair of jeans try making something neat out of them. In one of my teen magazines from way back when they suggested you cut out the back pocket and glue magnets to the back so you can use it to hold pens and pencils on your fridge.

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Green Diva’s Guide to Fresh Style - Great Green Products: Wheatware

Megan McWilliams — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 18:47:36 +0000

With the summer coming on strong, I thought of Wheatware(TM) products, which were one of my ‘editor’s’ picks for the 2007 holiday issue of Relevant Times. I was so impressed, I gave literally EVERYONE I knew one or a combination of these great bio-compostable, non-toxic, non-plastic products.

Wheatware is on a mission to save virgin forests and reduce our dependence on oil through the use of surplus wheat to create many items traditionally made from wood or plastic, such as: disposable flatware, guitar picks, golf tees, chop sticks, hangers among other items. AND, they are bio-compostable and are are designed to biodegrade in 45 to 90 days in microbially-active soil or a commercial compost facility. To bring things even more full-circle, Wheatware bio-compostable products are indeed recyclable and they are developing their own process to reclaim and create second generation products that originated from Wheatware.

The disposable flatware and golf tees particularly appealed to me at this time of year.

Does Wheatware have a negative effect on the wheat-based food supply?

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Crafting Mementos

Kelly Rand — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 23:43:46 +0000

This past week, I had the amazing opportunity to visit and enjoy Yellowstone, our nations first national park. I had never been and was completely amazed and overwhelmed by the vast mountains and wondrous landscape. I had the chance to see grizzly bears, wolves, bison, elk, otter, antelope and so much more.

Seeing such amazing wildlife just reinforced why I care so much about this planet and why we need to find a balance between people and wildlife. It solidified in my mind just how precarious that balance is and how precious clean air, water and land really is.

Like a typical tourist, I spent some time perusing gift shops at various points of interest throughout the park. I was taken aback by the amount of well, stuff, to put it politely, that I found in them. Much of the, ahem, stuff, was made from China, too. All I could think of was lead and the recalls. Ick. But I really wanted to bring back something special to the special people in my life.

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Spray Lotion Mist From Ola Hawaii.

Emma Pezzack — Mon, 19 May 2008 15:35:33 +0000

It could be that I’ve just returned from a holiday in the tropics but I LOVE these organic & natural Spray Lotion Mists from Ola Hawaii. The sweet, zingy, fresh smell of pineapple + lime is super delish but there are all kinds of scents to choose from if citrus isn’t your thing.

Keep it stashed in your bag during Summer heat to spritz all over as a refreshing, light, easily applied moisture solution that will leave you smelling gorgeous. Pop the top, spray and voila! A great addition to any ‘must have’ list for Summer.

Green Diva’s Guide to Fresh Style: Lovely Low-Carbon Gift Wrapping

Megan McWilliams — Tue, 13 May 2008 14:52:11 +0000

Lovely Lokta is naturally died paper made from the Daphne or Lokta bushes that grow in the Himalayan mountains. And it IS lovely . . . but it also is made quite sustainably - no trees were harmed in the production of this paper!

Here’s what makes it so groovy and green:

Lokta paper is handmade and sun dried, so there are no machines or chemicals involved;

The bush grows quickly and actually needs agressive pruning or it would die, but the bush also helps stabalize the soil and protect rural Nepalese villages from mudslides during the monsoon season;

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