Pssst! Here’s a little secret. You can save 30% on Nau’s entire collection of eco-friendly and sustainable men’s and women’s warm down jackets, sweaters, shirts and scarves through midnight tonight. Just sign-up for Nau’s “Off the Grid” newsletter and they’ll send you a ‘secret’ discount code.

If you can wait til December 10th, (Saturday), a bunch of Nau’s coveted and most popular jackets will go on sale.

Looking for a classy yet frugal way to send your holiday greetings? For the past several years, I’ve been using Jacquie Lawson holiday e-cards – Lawson always has a kick-ass selection of beautifully rendered animations AND you can personalize them.

eco-cred: there’s a lot of “waste” involved with traditional cards – even cards made of recycled paper & eco-friendly inks. By e-mailing greetings, there’s no need to: purchase stamps, or use paper and energy (including gasoline and transportation) in order to have traditional paper cards created and physically transported around the planet. (more…)

The holidays are here! What exactly would be the perfect gift for mom and dad? What about those friends who have stuck to you like jelly since junior high? How do you shower gifts of appreciation for these people in your life without encouraging unsustainable consumption? For this holiday season, consider these earth-friendly, creative gift ideas for both the mildly green and extremely green-minded people in your life.

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• The Jewelry Bedazzler – Does one of your parents or friends just love to accessorize? Well, give the gift of Can Can Earrings or your fave piece of jewelry made of recycled material. In the Can Can’s case, the materials were made from a recycled garbanzo beans can. It was made in Brooklyn, NY and is available from one of our favorite eco boutiques, BTC Elements $24.
• The Photo Framer – I think we’ve all given someone a photo frame for some occasion, but have any of them been made from a recycled bike chain? This one is made in Oregon and available at  uncommmongoods.com, ($32 – $38).

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• The Bag Lover - Check out eco-artware.com for an assortment of cool items made from recycled materials. This website offers ecofriendly mini bags, a sports pouch made from a recycled rice sack, a variety of tote bags, and some wonderfully patterned reusable bags for both men and women! Prices vary from $15 to $215. The colorful tote above is made of recycled juice containers ($59).
• The Holiday Ornament Lover – Eco-artware also has a cool selection of ornaments and holiday wreaths, including this leaf-patterned wreath made of recycled cardboard; $38.

Finally, after all your planet-friendly fun gifts have been bought, be sure to check out their tips for sustainable gift wrapping. Happy Holidays!

Let’s get one thing out of the way right off the bat -  this lovely primitive piece of art looks a little more like a salmon than a trout.

The rustic piece of art is entitled ‘Rainbow Trout’ and has been created, cut and framed from discarded shipping pallets. The pieces of the fish were cut by hand and stained with earth friendly milk paint. The frame was stained and sealed with a danish oil finish. A great gift your favorite fisherman, or woman.

Created by artist Beth Anderson and sold at her RepurposedonPurpose Etsy shop.

• Industries may reduce their carbon footprint…Can ‘Carbon Ranching’ Offset Emissions in Calif.? – npr
• Cockerell’s bumblebee- catch the buzz…Rarest Bumblebee in the US Rediscovered – livescience
• Political corruption is a global phenomenon…Brazil Senate OKs Easing of Rules to Limit Amazon Deforestation – msnbc
• Great headline…NASA Telescope Confirms Alien Planet in Habitable Zone – yahoo! news
• These glaciers have lost 25% of their area over the last 40 years…French Alpine Glaciers in Retreat – bbc
• Not in Florida…High-Speed Rail Networks See Global Expansion – worldwatch institute

This time of year is all about the kiddies. And having fun. With so many eco-friendly, safe, engaging gift items for the wee ones now available – scoring a cool, worthwhile present is easy as 1, 2, 3.

We’ve gathered a few of our favs from Planet Happy Toys – one of the best conscious consumer shopping sites dedicated to the discerning mini me crowd. Choose from their well curated selection of Fair Trade, phthalate-free toys, games, musical instruments, dollhouses, decor & furniture, and lots more … shop by age, interest, country of origin or brand – it makes shopping for playful tots and toddlers a pleasure.

Pictured above:

• Shuttle Playhouse $79.95
• For the leisure minded: Patio Play Set $24.95
• Large Puzzle Stacker $39.95
• Fair Trade Junior Rhythm Pack from Jamtown $49.95
• Airport from Plan Toys $99.95
• ABC Learning Game $12.95

Related: more green holiday gift ideas from The Alternative Consumer

Achmad Kurt is a German expat who’s been living in Indonesia for over 20 years. His company, All From Boats, specializes in creating one-of-a-kind rustic furniture from the reclaimed and salvaged wood of old fishing vessels.

Kurt buys decommissioned boats from local South Pacific fishermen and uses the raw material from the exotically painted boats to create colorful pieces of rustic furniture.

Kurt’s furniture is hand crafted and made entirely from old boat timber, generally hard woods such as ulin, teak and intaran. The wood is 100% reclaimed and obtained from old trawlers (typically, these boats are 40 to 60 years old) that plied their trade in the exotic waters of Indonesia, Bali, Java, Lombok, Sulawesi and Kalimantan.

All From Boats practices Fair Trade. Kurt has made agreements with local fishermen – when a fishing trawler becomes too expensive to repair, or is about to be disassembled and burned as cooking fuel, he buys the boat – providing the fisherman with weeks of income.

There’s a lot to like about this revolutionary green cleaning product line called bio+green crystals. I just tried their Glass & Window Cleaner, and it does an AMAZING job of cleaning glass and mirrors. No streaks. No funky smells. Just sparkling clean and green. I used it on mirrors in my bedroom and bathroom; glass cocktail table and glass-top desk; and my car windows. WOW, great stuff.

• Manufactured by NBGS (National Bio Green Sciences) it’s the world’s first line of crystalline, vitamin-based household cleaning agents — made in the USA, and safe for people, pets and planet. The Glass & Window Cleaner contains plant derived surfactants and absolutely nothing nasty — there are no: phosphates, petrochemicals sodium lauryl sulfate and VOCs.

• All you do is drop a water soluble sachet of cleaning crystals into a 32 ounce spray bottle, fill it with water and you’re good to go. Whenever you need a refill, simply buy a sachet refill and repeat the process.

• From an ecological perspective, it’s great because the company isn’t shipping heavy products (no bottles filled with water) from manufacturing to market, the sachets take up less shelf space, and they’re lightweight and easy for us to carry home and tuck into the cleaning supply cabinet. Just be sure to recycle the outside plastic package. (No doubt, someday that little piece of plastic will be made from a biodegradable material.)

• Did you know that according to a 2007 study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, exposure to cleaning products accounts for 15 percent of all asthma cases? The line is endorsed by Doctor Kenneth Bock, a pioneer in children’s health advocacy, and one of the founders of 4-A Healing Foundation, which assists families with children affected by Autism, ADHD, Asthma and Allergies. A portion of Bio+Green profits are donated to the foundation.

• Non-toxic, eco-friendly, hypo-allergenic and effective … With 7 different products available today, we’ll be keeping an eye on this company’s future developments.

Learn more about NJ-based company founder and father of 6 children, Nikolaos (Nik) Renieris, and find more info & pricing @ biogreencrystals.com.

full disclosure: I received one bio-plastic spray bottle and one packet of Glass & Window Cleaner for the purposes of this no -strings-attached Tried and True Green Product Review. It retails for $5.99/per packet.

UPDATE: IT’S OFFICIAL: CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR LUCKY WINNERS, ANNE T & DAVE H. THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR PARTICIPATING. Enjoy your holidays.

For active guys and girls who want to look good – enter our exclusive Great Green Giveaway sponsored by high performance apparel maker, Icebreaker. Go sleek and stylish – layer up – without bulking up – as you bundle up this season.

2 Lucky Winners! We’re giving away 2 luxurious Icebreaker mid-layer fleece garments – one ladies and one men’s – made of their revolutionary Realfleece 260 fabric. One female and one male winner will each have choice of size and color. Open to residents in USA and Canada.

(Above, L to R) Stay warm, snug and stylish in their soft, sensuous new mid-layer garments:  Cascade Full Zip for women and the Sierra Half Zip for men. These items are great for jogging, hiking, boarding, skiing or just hanging out..side. Designed to resist moisture and odor, they feature a comfy collar to block cold, zippered sleeve stash pocket, and lightweight yet insulating merino wool. US retail values: ladies $180, men’s $150. (more…)