Archive for green gifts

Greening Your Valentine

January 31, 2008 at 5:10 am · Filed under Going Green, Green Living, Healthy Living, Live Green, Organic, Sustainability, World of Green, environment, green, green gifts ·Tagged , , , ,

Want to wow your valentine and save the planet? Try a few of these gifts. They’re sure to impress.

Valentine’s Day. For most it conjures up fond memories of romance, chocolates, sweet cards, flowers… and a bit of pressure. We’ve all felt the pressure to get a one-of-a-kind Valentine’s gift without breaking the bank and (for all of us eco-conscious folks out there) not hurting the planet. Fellow Valentines, have no fear. We have a few options for you to Green Your Valentine. Just make sure you order in time to avoid the Valentine’s Day rush!

CHOCOLATE

No Valentine’s Day would be complete without chocolate. But chocolate has a not-so-romantic history which is why it is important to buy your chocolate organic and fair trade. Fair Trade ensures that your chocolates come from farms that support the human rights of their workers and Organic ensures sustainable farming practices for the environment. For the chocolate lover in your life, we highly recommend the following: Theo Chocolate. A few suggestions for every price range: (3400 Phinney Nib Brittle Dark Chocolate Bar ($3.25 each), 6 or 12 piece collection box of confections, ($12 to $24) or the Aphrodisiac Confection Collection ($40) created especially for the Valentine’s holiday.

FLOWERS

If your special someone is fond of gifts of a more floral nature, we suggest Organic Bouquet. Organic Bouquet’s selection of flowers, plants and gift baskets is strictly devoted to organically grown, sustainable and environmentally friendly gifts. Consider giving a plant (a miniature Tuscan olive tree, $64.95) or flowers in a bulb bowl (Paperwhites in a bulb bowl $16.95), to add an extra dimension of sustainability to your gift.

CANDLES

If candles are what your sweetheart wants, consider Novica’s artist from Thailand Kasarin Krisanamis, whose original and thoughtful designs will please and inspire any Valentine. We particularly like Cinnamon Parade ($24.95) and Wonderful Blue Corner ($62.95). Novica specializes in gifts from artisans around the world which are brought to market in a sustainable, ethical and fairly traded fashion.

If you are still stumped for gifts for your sweetie, nothing beats time spent with your loved one and a good, old fashioned card (preferably a homemade or recycled paper card) with a few sweet sentences attached. In fact, no matter what you do, make sure that quality time with your loved one and some heart-felt appreciation is part of your celebration.

Written by Penelope - the Newbie at We Can Live Green

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Hugo, Our Faces Love You!

December 17, 2007 at 2:01 am · Filed under Going Green, Green Living, Healthy Living, Live Green, Organic, Penelope - the Newbie, environment, green, green gifts ·Tagged , , , , , , ,

I am admittedly the biggest Hugo’s Natural Botanical Apothecary products fan ever! And when I saw Hugo this weekend at the EcoGift Expo, I was starstruck. The man is amazing. And humble. And brilliant. And he creates extraordinary products.

Hugo Natural Botanical Apothecary

Which brings me to a sample he gave me to try. Hugo’s Lip Balm in pineapple and coconut scent. I hope he gave it to me to try out of the kindness of his heart and not because he could see the sad, wintry chapped lips I have right now. But none the less, I was given lip balm. And I tried it.

Not that I would have expected anything less from Hugo, but I love the lip balm! My personal experience with lip balm is that your lips feel great for about half an hour. Then, before you know it, your lips are back to being chapped again. That is not the case with Hugo’s Lip Balm. (Again, I am not surprised. My personal belief is that Hugo is part-magician, as his products work miracles!) I put on lip balm at 7:00ish last night and it is 5:45 p.m. on Sunday. I haven’t reapplied lip balm since yesterday. It works that well! And the flavors are delicious…just don’t eat them. I mean it.

Penelope, the Newbie - We Can Live Green

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How the Greenie Stole Christmas….(But Saved the Planet)

December 3, 2007 at 2:43 am · Filed under Chase - Die-Hard Greenie, Going Green, Green Living, Healthy Living, Live Green, green, green gifts, green holiday shopping ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I may be a little too hard-core green for mainstream America on this one, but I’m going to give it a shot. I happen to think I’ve got some great ideas that aren’t too crazy and will make a huge impact on the planet.

Take Christmas. I may sound a little cynical from time to time, but the truth is, I am a sentimentalist just like many others out there. I love the holidays. I love the feeling in the air that permeates cities, towns and homes - the laughter, the songs, that general feeling of merriment.

But the thing is…I love planet Earth even more than any given holiday. And many of our holiday traditions are wasteful and harmful to planet Earth. So, I’m proposing people forgo the following activities this holiday season. Here are a few ideas:

1. Don’t put up holiday lights this year. I’m not putting up lights this year. Call me grinch if you want to. If you can’t imagine the holidays without lights, please use the more energy-efficient lights called LED lights. They are now widely available across the United States.

2 If you must have a Christmas tree, buy a living Christmas tree. Take care of it throughout the holidays and plant it after the holidays are over. You should be able to get your local forestry service to plant the tree, or in Portland, Oregon and San Francisco, California you can rent a living Christmas tree and they’ll take care of planting the tree for you.

3. Make your gifts this year. Back to the sentimentalist in me, those presents are best. Enough said on that.

4. If you’re buying gifts, check out our Green Gift Guide as well as our online directory. If you plan to buy gifts, please buy gifts that are responsible.

When it’s all said and done, each decision we make is either hurting or helping the planet. There is really no gray area here. So, make the decision to help the planet by foregoing a few holiday traditions. Come to think of it, that’s really the spirit of Christmas at work, isn’t it? Maybe this Greenie isn’t trying to steal Christmas after all.

Chase - Die Hard Greenie, We Can Live Green Staffer at http://www.wecanlivegreen.com

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Green Gift Ideas

November 24, 2007 at 8:43 pm · Filed under Allie - Reporting Green, Fair Trade, Going Green, Green Living, Healthy Living, Live Green, Organic, environment, green, green gifts, green holiday shopping

The holiday season. For most it conjures up fond memories of warm family moments, childlike joy and…sheer panic. We’ve felt the sheer panic at trying to find the right gift for our special someone without breaking the bank and (for all of us eco-conscious folks out there) not hurting the planet. Holiday shoppers have no fear. We have a few options for you that are sure to please. Just make sure you order in time to avoid the holiday rush!

For the Chocolate Lover, try Dagoba Chocolates. Dagoba’s organic, full circle sustainability chocolates are a delight to the senses. Winner of the EPA’s Green Power Leadership Award, Food and Wines’ Tastemaker Award, and the San Francisco Chronicle’s Best Dark Chocolate Award, these chocolates are a true work of ‘Art of Chocolate Alchemy.’ We recommend the Hot Chocolate Trio gift box for cold nights by the fire and the Dagoba Organic Dark Chocolate Lavendar Bar for a decadent afternoon treat. (http://www.dagobachocolate.com)

For the Spa Guru, try Hugo’s Natural Botanical Apothecary skin care and spa products line. Hugo’s exquisitely scented line of products are soothing, moisturizing, all natural, organic and vegan approved. Hugo Saavedra, owner and creator of Hugo Naturals says, ‘Be good to your skin, be good to the earth.’ With these fantastic products, who wouldn’t? Our favorites: the Brown Sugar and Kumquat Body Scrub, Lemon Verbena and Bergamot Shower Gel, and Vanilla & Sweet Orange Effervescent Bath Salts. (http://www.hugonaturals.com)

For the Highly Fashionable, try a design from Linda Loudermilk’s Fall 2007 collection. Her incredibly creative, always lovely and amazingly fashion-forward garments include such fabrics as sasawashi, bamboo, sea cell and soya. With her Luxury-Eco designs and fabrics, Loudermilk is proving that Going Green is necessary, attainable and hyper-cool. Check http://www.lindaloudermilk.com for stores near you.

For the Philanthropist in your life, try giving a charitable gift that will make a big difference - the gift of livestock. Heifer International, an organization committed to ending world hunger by providing needy families with livestock, focuses on providing communities sustainable resources so they can become more self-sufficient. Their specific focus is livestock, which are an integral part of the family unit, providing food security and nutritional self-sufficiency. To learn more, please visit http://www.heiferinternational.com.

For the Outdoorsperson, try the InfoMate World Band Solar/Generator Portable Radio, a solar-powered, compact and lightweight radio. You can listen to AM/FM radio, short wave foreign radio, VHF bands, television audio and the National Weather Service. Check http://www.survivalunlimited.com to order online.

For the Beer Lover in your life, try Wolaver’s Organic Ales. Located in beautiful Middlebury,Vermont, Wolaver’s Organic Ales blend a love for great ale with a love for sustainable production. Brewed in small batches to ensure freshness and quality, Wolaver’s Organic Ales are made with no less than 98% certified organic ingredients. For a retailer near you, go to http://www.wolavers.com.

For the Kid(s) in your life, try Progressive Kid. An amazing website with a tremendous assortment of eco-friendly, progressive and organic products for children of all ages. For more information, try http://www.progressivekid.com.

For the Pet Lover, explore EarthDog and Purrfectplay, two companies committed to making sure Fido and Fluffy are organic too! Their pet products include natural organic beds, organic toys and treats and much more. For more information, go to http://www.earthdog.com and http://www.purrfectplay.com.

For a New Baby in the family, shop at Little Twig. These fun and trendy items are great for baby and the environment. We suggest the Bath Time Basics Bath Kit, the Bumblebee Travel Basics Kit and Scrubby Bug Mitts. To order, go to http://www.littletwig.com.

For that Special Someone in your life, try Jurlique’s Almond Carrier Oil for massage and relaxation. Pair this with a little quality time, and your special someone is sure to thank you. Go to http://www.jurlique.com for more details.

For a Fabulous Stocking Stuffer, try the Go! Towel. This poker-sized 100% bamboo fiber towel expands to 14” x 20” when water is added. This natural antibacterial/microbial, organically grown, unbleached, undyed and unscented towel promises to revolutionize the way you look at tissues, paper towels and paper products in general. Oh, and did we mention they are machine washable and completely biodegradable? For more information, go to http://www.luxebamboo.com.

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