It’s that time of year.  Each of our contributors will be posting their own Green Holiday Gift Guide.  Here are some great ideas from our London-based writer, the fabulously green, Carrie.

For Men

• The new MacBook Pro—More energy efficient and highly recyclable
• Hemp Messenger Bag—for the eco-conscious man on the go, a smart-looking carry-all bag made of…hemp!

For Women

• Vosges Yoga + Chocolate Mini Bar Gift Box – Perfect for the health nut who loves dark chocolate. The gift box includes seven mind-freeing mini candy bars (one for each chakra), along with chocolate chakra recipes and a guidebook written by yogi David Romanelli with quotes, fun insights, helpful illustrations and links to music you can access through David’s website.
• PVC-free Lunch Buddy -PVC-and Teflon-free Lunch Buddy that exceeds CA Prop 65 standards for lead and other toxins, while being stylish and fun. Great for kids, too.
• Proud Mary Tote – A bright tote with gold straps for added panache, made by artisans in Guatemala. Proud Mary, an organization recently started by a friend of mine, pays double the average wage to their weavers for their work and is committed to providing them with a consistent income.
• Grounds for Change Fair Trade Bushel Basket – For the caffeine addict, includes three eight-ounce bags of Fair Trade coffee, two boxes of Fair Trade tea, five-pack bundle of Fair Trade Divine Chocolate Bars, a Fair Trade copper and brass coffee scoop from Chile and one can of Fair Trade cocoa powder from Divine Chocolate; (one of my fave chocolates)!

For Men and Women

Membership to an Organic Wine of the Month Club—send your loved one three bottles of organic wine a month because it’s good for the heart, and better for the planet. (more…)

• Whittle hand-carved busts of your family and friends out of found lumber. Not only will the DIY works of art be an attractive addition to any living room or mantle, but when times get really tough, the sculptures can be thrown in the fireplace or wood stove to heat one’s home.
• Give both Mother Earth and your wallet a gift by keeping that Chevy Suburban of yours in your garage for a week while you carpool with your mother-in-law in her Geo Prism.
• Dumpster dive for that Playstation One (PS1 circa 1995) that your neighbor just threw out, or that Cabbage Patch doll that your creepy cousin Duane was storing in his crawlspace.
• You’ve been a good dooby and have been faithfully composting for the last 12 years – give each of your lovely relatives a 30-gallon trash bag of your black gold for Christmas, accompanied by a bonus gift of a classic bong from your cherished college bong collection and get them jump-started on growing their own…
• Give each of the attendees at your holiday gathering a lovely handmade wreath made of recycled toilet bowl brushes.  The thoughtful decoration can also be used to address bathroom touch-ups during post-holiday cleanup activities…

Buying stuff just because you can, or just because it’s on sale is not eco-friendly.  That mindless practice oftentimes can be simply thoughtless and inane. But there are times when you really need to buy stuff, and when you do — be conscious about what you’re doing and why.

If you’re in the market for any of the following green goods, they can be had this weekend at discount prices.  Saving money on items you need is a good green practice.  So go have some fun, and be mindful of the planet.

• 25% off all items, even already on sale items.  Use code: BLACKFRIDAY at checkout.  Sale ends Monday, 12 midnight @  http://olivegreendog.com/
• Holiday Sale Nov 28-30 @ Arogya.net 20% off Gift Cards & Yoga Packages, 30% off Beehouse Pots, 50% off Selected Teas.
• November Exclusive Email Offers from Soaptopia, including free eco gift wrapping.  Use Coupon Code:  JINGLESMELLS at checkout, through 12/1/08.
• Stewart + Brown’s SaleOnSale savings on sweaters & coats or accessories.  Enter SaleSale at checkout. Valid until Tuesday, 12/2 at 11:59pm.
• Jurlique is offering a Green Friday 10% off sale through Thanksgiving weekend.

• U.N. Urges Climate Cash Boost to Poorest – reuters
• Nature’s finest…Zoo Creates Ornaments From Reindeer Droppings – myway
• (audio) Turkey Dinner’s Carbon Footprint – npr
• Green Taxes Need Explaining or Risk Backlash – enn/reuters
• Diet is important…Did Vegetarian Diet Kill Off Giant Cave Bears? – msnbc

December 5, 2008 UPDATE:  It’s official — our two lucky winners are Ronda G. and Joanne S.  Thanks to all for participating.  Everyone can be a winner at Blue Avocado when you use their special discount code: blogluv5 to receive a 5% discount on orders over $60.

The Blue Avocado Giveaway is Closed, but be sure to check out our current Great Green Giveaways listed in the middle column of this page. original post follows:

Make your move to eco chic reusable bags, or give them as wonderful holiday gifts. Compliments of Blue Avocado, two lucky readers will each receive a unique and innovative shopping bag kit, made from beautiful recycled materials. Available in three stylish colors; winners get to pick their favorite shade.

• First Prize:  the Cool Kit replaces 13 plastic shopping bags, ($44.99, pic above). 

• Second Prize:  the Ready Kit replaces 9 plastic shopping bags, ($24.99, pic above).
  Each prize includes free shipping to anywhere in the U.S.

(more…)

The ubiquitous cordless phone just got a teensy-bit greener. 

Motorola just announced the introduction of its new D10 and D11 cordless phones.  The eco-friendly handsets are designed to look great and consume less energy.  The phones’ ‘eco-mode’ (the variations of features with ‘eco’ in the name is getting ridiculous) reduces energy consumption while increasing talk time.  Manufactured using 20% recycled materials, these phones also have nice backlit displays in glowing gold or blue.  They’ll go on sale soon.

more info

via: cellphone beat

We’ve run our New York City tap water through this filter and darned if it doesn’t work! The Z-Pitcher has a filter on top that you pour your tap water through to clean it up.  The filter features five different filtration stages to eliminate organic, inorganic and radiological contaminants–lead, chromium, mercury, hydrogen sulfide and other funky matter to make your tap water taste better and be cleaner. The cool part is that ZeroWater provides an independently-made electronic water tester with each pitcher, so you can do before-and-after testing on your tap water and do comparisons to bottled water. The 1/2 gallon pitcher has a quick-drink button that lets you dispense water without moving the pitcher.

The electronic tester helps you know precisely when to change your filters. Each filter has estimated average filter life of 25-30 gallons of water.  You save on water, don’t have to lug gallons of bottled water around and don’t send plastic bottles to the landfill.  We figured that using this pitcher full-time would cost about one-third as much as buying the equivalent amount of bottled H2O.

It reduced the parts per million dissolved solids in our NYC tap water from 62 ppm to 0.  Typical tap water measures between 75 and 300 ppm.  Not bad.

You can get the Z-Pitcher and one filter @ amazon.com for $36.49 or go to the ZeroWater website for their special offers.  Replacement filters run about $14 each (less if buy bulk).

You can also send the filters back for recycling and get $5 off your next filter purchase.

I was hanging around the Thanksgiving dinner table and the ensuing Tryptophan hangover I got as a result of my looking both cute and hungry has me wiped out, so I’ll keep this one short.  Pictured above is a classy collar created out of the recycled leather scraps of designer handbags.  For all you fancy urban hounds.  You can get a matching leash, wristlet or harness.

$21.97 @ scrappypet.com

Focus on all that we have, rather than that which we may not have. Gratitude to those who have been there for us in good times and bad.  Replace fear with hope.  Happy Thanksgiving!

This post is from the archives, originally posted by Molly – Nov 19, 2007.

1) Invite your friends

• Send cards from Charity Cards, and the company will donate 10% of your purchase to a charity of your choice.

2) Set the Scene
Check out hemstitched organic linen napkins from rawganique.com. Their beautiful yet simple detail is sure to add class to your Thanksgiving table setting.

Stick whole cloves stem-down into organic oranges. Place on a baking sheet and bake for around 20 minutes at 300 degrees. It will make your house smell distinctly spicy and cheerful. Plus, you can simmer them in a pot of apple juice to make delicious homemade cider.

3) Eat Meat- but don’t feel too guilty

• Dartagnan.com is dedicated to sustainable, responsible farming and supports City Harvest among other charities. They specialize in traditional holiday meats and game such as rabbit, duck, and of course turkey.

(more…)

• U.S. Ready to Climb into Hot Seat on Climate Change – yahoo! news
• Shocking! White House Turkey Pardoning Scandal? - abc news
• Insurance companies never have a problem not paying claims…Trees to Fight Warming? Insurers Ponder Risks – reuters
• President Obama Plans to Green the White House – ecorazzi
• 5 Most Insane Versions of Thanksgiving Around the World – cracked.com

UPDATE December 3, 2008:  It’s official.  Congratulations to Burt N., whose name was selected at random as our Giveaway Winner.  Thanks to everyone for participating.  Although this giveaway is closed, be sure to check out our current Great Green Giveaways listed on the middle column of our page. original post follows…

Looking for a smart and useful holiday gift? Compliments of Kathy, one lucky reader will receive a free Standard Climate Kit — a collection of tools and tips that will help you save money, energy and water.
(valued at $44.95, plus free shipping to anywhere in the U.S.)

(more…)

Please don’t hurt yourself rushing to buy this piece of crappy Chinese solar technology.

This collapsible traffic cone presumably fits in one’s trunk. The little built-in solar panel charges a rechargeable battery that powers red LED bulbs.  Add some reflective ‘material’ and you have a supposedly green highway safety gadget.

No info on how a it gets solar-charged while stored in the dank, dark trunk of your Smart car…do Smart cars even have a trunk?

$55 @ gadget.brando.com.hk

Bask in the intrinsic character and beauty of reclaimed wood flooring while doing your part to conserve our trees and forests.  Deforestation and logging of old growth forests are a threat to ecosystems worldwide, why not do your bit for the planet while imbuing your home or office with the natural richness and warmth reclaimed lumber can provide. Kansas City-based, Elmwood Reclaimed Timber creates great looking wood flooring from reclaimed woods including white oak, heart pine, chestnut and walnut.

Elmwood also creates reclaimed wood counter-tops, paneling, mantels, cabinets and ceilings.  They keep it green in all phases of their operation, and all of their antique wood products are 100% reclaimed from old buildings, barns, rural structures and sustainable sources of reclaimed timber.  They’re also FSC certified.

see more @ elmwood reclaimed timber