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December 20, 2007

Season's Greenings!

Instead of your annual cashmere hoodies,
We Hope you enjoy these eco-friendly goodies.

Some you'll love and some you may loathe,
Hopefully you'll discover organic gems from this treasure trove.

But regardless of your political stance,
You'll never know til you give them a chance.

Happy (Re)New Year!

Posted by sorsha at 10:59 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 14, 2007

Green Gift Giving 101

A couple of years ago, we gave everyone compact fluorescent lightbulbs for stocking stuffers. It didn't really go over so well, but we have continued to give green gifts, and over time, our family has warmed up to the concept. Nowadays, we use our Christmas gifts to introduce our friends and families to greener products they might not try on their own, sometimes because they cannot easily find them and sometimes because they'd never even consider trying them on their own. Lucky for them, this year green gifts are hot, and there are so many options out there, you're guaranteed to find the perfect green gift for anyone.

Every year we give my husband's grandma a live poinsetta. She keeps the thing alive for *years*. It changes colors, but still, the thing keeps on going.

	For the Gardener Green Gardening Books Live Plants like a Norfolk Island Pine. Heirloom seeds and seed saving kits A Bird or Wildlife Feeder A local native plant
	For the Cook A local farm produce subscription (Community Supported Agriculture) Organic spices and ingredients Bamboo utensils Live Herb Plants Recycled aluminum foil, Natural Wax paper, etc.
	For the New Homeowners The Kill-A-Watt Wattage Monitor Organic Cotton and Bamboo Fiber Towels Compact Fluorescent Bulbs An Energy Star Easy to Install Programmable Thermostat
	For the Teenager Organic Clothing like hoodies, socks, t-shirts, recycled fleece Organic, Fair trade coffee and tea A Bike A Bus/Rail pass An E-bay gift certificate (buy used!)
	For the Baby Organic Clothing and blankets All Natural Baby Health Products & Seventh Generation Diapers Organic Baby Foods
	For the Child Little-person sized gardening tools An edible plant Anything to get them outside Critter adoption like an African Pigmy Hedgehog or a Weedy Sea Dragon
	For the Pet Owner Organic dog and cat treats All natural toys
	For the Traveler Carbon Offset Coupons like the Terrapass program A reusable water bottle A backpack or picnic basket
	For the Reader Amazon's Kindle or other e-Book Reader A virtual magazine or newspaper subscription An audiobook subscription like BooksFree An LED book light
	For Anyone A dvd rental subscription like Netflix An Organic Food or Wine Basket Organic Health and Beauty Products Conservation International Season's Greenings Gifts Planet Earth on DVD, HD-DVD, Blu-Ray Reuseable Canvas Shopping bags A National Park Pass

Posted by sorsha at 12:57 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 11, 2007

International Mountain Day

It's a great day for a hike. Today, December 11th, is designated International Mountain Day by the United Nations, an opportunity to address the importance of mountainous environments and mountain resources and living.

Mountains cover 54% of Asia, 36% of North America, 25% of Europe, 22% of South America, 17% of Australia, and 3% of Africa. As a whole, 24% of the Earth's land mass is mountainous. 10% of people live in mountainous regions. Most of the world's rivers are fed from mountain sources, and more than half of humanity depends on mountains for water.

More at: Wikipedia: Mountains

Posted by sorsha at 1:52 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack