Why not put more green into your holiday gift giving this year. This means more than leaving less impact on the planet; it’s about choosing gifts that are made with recycled, quality, eco-friendly non-toxic materials. This often leads to one-of-a-kind items that say as much about your creativeness as your eco-friendliness. Giving green can mean everything from reusing gift-wrappings, to putting all-natural lotions and beeswax candles in stockings.

Here is a guide to my favorite eco friendly gifts. Have some fun and spread a little green holiday cheer this season.

Gifts For The Eco Wine Lover:

• This converted wine oak barrel lazy Susan adds style and practicality to the center of any table. It displays the original imprint of the winery of origin. A great addition is that you can custom stencil this item for that special someone. The perfect gift for any wine lover!

Wine Barrel Lazy Susan

• The Wine Barrel Stave Bread Bowl is ideal for serving bread or fruit, or for displaying seasonal arrangements. The authentic recycled oak server offers historical character without losing any of its charm.

Wine Barrel Stave Bread Bowl

• This Clear Recycled Glass Wine Decanter Set with casual recycled tumblers and decanter dispense formality and provide carefree swilling. The glass goblet is perfect for water, a parfait dessert, sparkling wine, or fruit salad.

Clear Recycled Glass Wine Decanter Set

Gifts For The Eco Geek:

• The Solio Magnesium Charger is the world’s most advanced hybrid charger. The Solio Magnesium edition combines clever solar panels, (with battery), to collect power from the sun. The strong yet elegant magnesium is the most powerful and versatile hybrid charger ever made. A great gift for anyone who loves his or her gadgets.

Solio Magnesium Solar Charger

• The Eclipse Solar Gear Messenger Bag is designed with all of the functionality and looks of a well-equipped messenger bag, but with the added bonus of a solar charging module. The bag has pockets for your cell phone, iPod and any other gadget you may fancy. It’s the perfect bag for solar lovers.

Eclipse Solar Gear-Fusion Messenger Bag

• This Iqua Solar Powered Bluetooth Headset has a little solar panel on board, letting you juice it up just by wearing it out in the sun. It’ll give you 12 hours of talk time when charged, and when you wear it in the sun it provides infinite standby time. Now you don’t have to worry about always having to recharge your Bluetooth headset anymore. The sun is all you need.

Sun Solar Powered Bluetooth Headset

Eco Gifts For Him:

• English Retreads adds eco style to the messenger bag. The Bentley is a great option for work, the gym or school, and the large model creates a nice ride for your laptop. Each one-of-a-kind English Retread is made from reclaimed truck inner tubes. Does it get any cooler then that?

Bentley Bag

• These one-of-a-kind ballpark cufflinks are the perfect gift for the sports fan in your life. Made of material salvaged from the seats of famous ballparks, the sterling silver cufflinks give your baseball fan an eco alternative to wearing his team’s jersey. Each item comes with a certificate of stadium material authenticity.

Authentic Baseball Stadium Cufflinks

• This creative clock is handmade with a vintage record and old-fashioned telephone by Minnesota artist Debra Dresler. The perfect gift for music lovers and antique lovers, this clock will definitely get the guy in your life talking about what a great gift you gave him.

Pendulum Record Phone Clock

Eco Gifts For Her:

• Fashion and eco-friendliness come together in this recycled Newspaper Clutch Purse, and it doesn’t get cooler then this. Made from recycled newspapers woven together to form a stylish purse, it’s as durable as any bag you’ve ever used. This clutch is the perfect size for your essentials like phone, keys, glasses, money and whatever else you need to tag along.

Recycled Newspaper Clutch

• This recycled necklace is sure to make some waves with the loved one you give it to. Made of used skateboards, this super cool necklace is a one-of-a-kind that will not only bring hipness to any outfit, but a story too.

Recycled Skateboard Wave Necklace

• Does the favorite woman in you life need a stylish place to store all her jewels? Well look no further; the Japanese kiri wood Tansu chest is the perfect solution. The tabletop tansu’s small chest organizes rings, necklaces, and bracelets. The black trim adds an elegant design, perfect for any décor.

Tansu Chest

Gifts For The Eco Adventurer:

• This backpack is made from recycled PET fabric. The sleek-profiled pack is designed with sustainability and convenience, which allows for an easy transition from work to the trails. Perfect for extended day trips and short hikes, and it’s eco-friendly, that’s the best part!

Mountainsmith Hiker Recycled Backpack

• Protect the environment without sacrificing comfort and efficiency. The Marmot EcoPro plus 30 sleeping bag is made from 100% recycled fabrics and 80% recycled insulation. A great gift for those that love the outdoors and the environment.

Marmot EcoPro, 30+ Sleeping Bag

• This Hand Crank Radio and Flashlight is the perfect survival tool. Simply turn the crank to power this AM/FM radio and the self-powered generator recharges the internal battery pack. The LED light will last forever, unlike traditional light bulbs.

Hand Crank Radio with LED Flashlight

Gifts For The Eco Home:

• These Root of the Earth Platters are the perfect give for hostesses. Each individually carved platter is great for serving bread, crackers, cheese, fruit, or sandwiches, and the eco-friendliness is great too!

Root of the Earth Platter

• A great addition to any table, this Twig Flower Centerpiece is cast from real twigs. As easy to use as they are creatively designed, they perform beautifully as instant centerpieces.

Twig Flower Centerpiece

• This awesome Rolled Magazine Storage Crate is perfect for any room, in any home. Made from repurposed magazines collected from all over the world, each crate is unique. Think of all the other eco-gifts you can add to it too.

Rolled Magazine Storage Crate

Eco Gifts For Colleagues:

• These record coasters are made of labels cut from the center of classic vinyl records. Comes in a set of six assorted labels, perfect for the music-loving colleague, and great for your eco-conscious boss too.

Record Coaster

• This is the perfect gift to help do away with the use of plastic cups. Perfect for any office desk, these Global Warming Mugs are sure to be a topic of conversation. This mug shows the side effects of global warming. Just pour in a hot coffee, and the ocean starts to spread across the continent as ice caps melt and water levels rise. Gotta love this one!

Global Warming Mug

• This recycled bike chain, hold business cards while supporting the planet. Simple, modern and functional, this gift will tell all those who take a card that you’re active and eco aware.

Bike Chain Business Card Holder

Eco Gift Sets:

• This collection of chocolate-covered pretzels, snicker doodle cookies, bittersweet and peanut butter crunch chocolate bars are all organic and totally addictive. The gift arrives in a large Root of the Earth Bowl, which becomes a second gift as server, sculpture, or centerpiece.

Organic Chocolate Decadence

• This Tea Lovers’ Root Basket is sure to please any gift getter. Loose-leaf herbal teas prove that organic sources are the purest, most concentrated flavors as they calm, soothe, and rejuvenate. This assortment comes in a one-of-a-kind basket, hand carved from the root of a reclaimed Chinese fir.

Tea Lovers' Root Basket

• The people we care about deserve the best eco-friendly gifts. The Opulent Vintner’s Collection contains a 2005 Ceago Cabernet Sauvignon as well as a 2007 Ceago Del Lago Chardonnay. To complete the biodynamic bounty, there is a Ceago Vinegarden’s estate-grown, cold-pressed olive oil, certified organic and biodynamic. Completing this are the freshest seasonal fruits and nuts, and decadent chocolates. This is exactly the gift you would want someone to send to you.

Ceago Opulent Vintner's Colection

Eco Gifts For Pets:

• Give your pet a comfortable place to chill and help the environment at the same time this holiday season. The Bella Pet Bed is made of eco2-recycled cotton that eliminates the need to grow, process, and dye the fiber, perfect for any dog or cat!

Bella Pet Bed

• Don’t forget about that happy family member that just loves playtime this holiday. Pups like gifts too! West Paw Toys are hand crafted from 85% post consumer fibers, perfect for your best friend.

West Paw Design Holiday Dog Toys

• Help the environment while giving your furry friend a warm blanket to cozy up with. Made from eco2 recycled cotton the Bella Binky Pet Blanket is super soft, and durable. The blanket is also hypoallergenic and washable.

Bella Binky Pet Blanket

There certainly are a lot of eco options to choose from. I hope this has helped in your search for that perfect green gift for the ones you love. And of course we can’t forget that some of the best gifts we can give are to those who are truly in need. Please make sure to check out our Top Eco Charities and Fair Trade sites for other ways to give this holiday season.

Bizcard Holiday Card

Printing is one such process that produces harmful wastes leading to environmental pollution. The use of petroleum inks, varnishes, laminates and adhesives, leads to the production of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The release of these VOCs in the atmosphere has adverse environmental effects.

A great company called Bizcard is an online printing company that has made a strong commitment to eco-friendliness and corporate social responsibility; understand that historically, the printing industry has not been a friend to mother earth. By building partnerships with reliable non-profit organizations, Bizcard has been able to alter their environmental impact through online, grass root endeavors. Their committed efforts include using post-consumer paper, eliminating damaging photo chemicals from the printing process, and purchasing materials from GreenSeal certified companies.

Bizcard Invitation

Bizcard uses recycled paper for all its products and purchases its resources from responsibly managed forests lands. Plus, since they’re partnered with “American Forests,” a tree is planted for every product purchased.

With the holidays just around the corner, sending a note card is the perfect way to express yourself. Let your friends and family know you care by keeping in touch. There are literally 1000’s of unique designs to choose from and Bizcard also has a range of product such as announcements, invitations, postcards and business cards.

Bizcard Business Card

Many companies are resistant to changing traditions and their way of doing things that have been in play for many years, but it’s companies like Bizcard that are converting the eco world to fit with the changing times, and the eco conscious consumers will help them in their endeavors.

Napkin Rings

Are you getting ready to entertain for the holidays and want some help dressing up your table?

When you set your dining-room table, especially during the holidays, you set the mood for the entire meal. Along with mouth-watering dishes and fun recycled dinnerware, you can also add style with something as simple as a napkin ring. Here’s a simple, eco-friendly napkin ring you can easily make yourself to add some eco flavor to your dining occasion.

These cork napkin rings are simple, yet have the potential to add elegance to any table. With corks endless opportunities for customization, it’s no surprise that cork is quickly becoming the go-to material for designers and crafters. Since cork is derived from the outer bark of cork oak trees, the material is entirely natural and renewable.

For all the DIY instructions, click here.

Construction on the 35,000 Lbs. billboard, that will be advertising the Ricoh Americas Corporation, (an office equipment and document storage supplier) will begin this month.

It will have 16 wind turbines and 64 solar panels and produce enough power to light six homes. It will be lit by floodlights, rather than light-emitting diodes, and won’t have a backup generator, so it could go dark during long periods of little wind or sun.

However, company spokesman Ron Potesky said the sign’s turbines will be able to keep the billboard lit even after four days without breezes or bright sun. It has also been estimated that the sign will keep 18 tons of carbon out of the environment.

A lighting ceremony for the 126-foot wide, 47-foot tall sign is scheduled for Dec. 4. Although the sign may not be as glitzy as some of its neighbors on Broadway, it will definitely make quite a statement.

This year’s New Year’s Eve, revelers will be able to get a close-up view of the first eco-friendly billboard. What a great way to bring in the New Year.

• Your garage probably contains more potentially hazardous materials than any other location in your home. To find out what some of the more common chemicals are so that you can safely store them and know where or how to properly recycle or dispose of them, head on over to Ecollo.

• New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg proposed that NYC begin charging shoppers 6 cents for each plastic bag issued at registers across the city. The policy is the latest attempt by the city to go green and reduce its environmental footprint. To read the full story, head over to Inhabitat.

• There are several leaders who demonstrate exceptional commitment to the environment in their home countries and in the international arena. Treehugger has highlighted the 5 most inspiring leaders in green.

• How do you green your bathroom? A few small changes will leave you “clean” of both body and conscience, while leaving enough water for the rest of us. Grist has a few great tips to greening your bathroom. Click here.

• Want to know how to fight toxic exposure and protect your home from dangerous chemicals? Elephant Journal offers us tons of resources about companies you can trust and products you shouldn’t.

• Environmental Graffiti has a great story on homes that are as far from “traditional” as you can get. Just clean, green, natural buildings smoothed from dirt, straw, clay, and loads of ingenuity. Click here view.

Legs are the rivulets of wine that run down the surface of the glass after swirling or sipping. Legs are not an indication of quality; rather they denote alcohol content, (the higher the alcohol, the more distinctive the legs).

Nose refers to how a particular wine smells, its aroma, or bouquet. The body describes how the wine feels in the mouth: whether it’s full like a Cabernet Sauvignon or light like some types of Sauvignon Blanc. Wines are generally classified as light, medium, or full-bodied.

Just a few wine tips I thought you might enjoy. Now onto the delicious food pairing for this weekend. When you eat foods that are in season you get the best flavors and nutritional value. Pace Webb has paired this Yalumba Organic wine with her delicious Pumpkin Coconut Soup, a great in-season dish, perfect for this weekend. Enjoy!

Green house gases stay can stay in the atmosphere for an amount of years ranging from decades to hundreds and thousands of years. No matter what we do, global warming is going to have some effect on Earth. Here are the 5 deadliest effects of global warming
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It’s a great, if concerning, read - don’t have nightmares!

“I was trying to think of a good club concept for the next generation. I think green is cool, and if it’s not cool yet, it’s going to be cool.”

The new green hotspot will highlight liquor shipped from all over the globe and will highlight bottles of the eco-friendly 360 Vodka which is made in a green distillery and shipped in reusable bottles.

Greenhouse’s efforts may set a new standard for eco-partying. Here are a few of the nightclub’s green highlights:

Greenhouse Night Club

The bi-level, 6,000-square-foot space is the first nightclub in New York to seek LEED certification, the official stamp of approval from the US Green Building Council. The walls are made of sustainable bamboo rather then wood and LED light bulbs are used which use one-thirtieth of the energy of regular incandescent bulbs. Edun, (a clothing company owned by eco-warrior Bono and his wife Ali Hewson), sustainably makes the employee uniforms in Africa. Electricity for the sound system and the rest of the club is said to be 100 percent wind-powered. However, since there are no windmills on the roof, the club uses “renewable energy credits,” which means green power is created somewhere else in the country to replace the regular energy that powers the nightclub. The use of waterless urinals and low-flow toilets will make for a big reduction in water use, at least 15,000 gallons saved annually.

Greenhouse hopes to host weekly events with the hundreds of environmental nonprofits based around town, which will draw in tons of people from the green crowd.

Can a hot new NYC club really fight global warming? I think it’s a great effort to try and do so. I wish them luck and look forward to stopping by.

Using eco-friendly products, reducing, reusing and recycling during Thanksgiving can help diminish waste to the environment. An eco conscious Thanksgiving will enrich your family’s holiday experience, because you’ll know you have helped reduce the impact on the environment, something we all should be thankful for. Here are a few tips for having a green Thanksgiving.

1. When running around picking up all your necessities for the big day, make sure you bring along reusable bags. See if you can reduce the amount of waste you produce by buying only as much as you need and choosing products that come in packaging that can be recycled.
   

   Reusable Shopping Bags

2. Buy locally grown food. It’s a great way to have a green Thanksgiving. Locally grown is generally organic and therefore good for your health and the environment. It requires less fuel to reach local store shelves which saves on fuel. It also contributes more to your local economy by supporting the local farmers and merchants. Foodroutes can help you find local merchants in your area.
3. Buy organic fruits, vegetable, (apples and potatoes are very high on the pesticide hit list, and retain huge amounts of the chemicals sprayed on them), and grains grown without chemical pesticides and fertilizers. Organic farming also increases soil fertility, prevents erosion, and is more cost-effective for farmers.
4. If you’re having Turkey as part of your dinner, search the Eat Well Guide. You can find types of meat by production methods, and locations where you can purchase an organic turkey. The “production methods” section allows you to select items labeled 100% vegetarian fed, grass fed, free-range, non-confined, no antibiotics, organic, etc. You can also contact your local grocery store and ask if they carry turkeys labeled “American Humane Certified,” or “USDA Certified Organic.”
5. Lift a glass of organic or biodynamic wine, (in recycled glasses of course), and give thanks to sustainability. Serve organic wine with “real” corks not plastic or twist off tops. Your eco-friendly Thanksgiving party can help preserve the cork industry.
   

   Protect Our Earth Glasses

6. If you have to fly for the holidays, purchase carbon credits at Carbon Planet to offset your portion of the carbon dioxide emissions generated by your flight. A typical long-haul flight produces nearly four tons of carbon dioxide.
7. Plant a Tree as part of the family affair. Trees absorb carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that contributes to the greenhouse effect and global warming. By planting one tree, in one year, that tree will absorb roughly 26 pounds of carbon dioxide and return enough oxygen to supply a family of four. The Plant-A-Tree-Today (PATT) Foundation was formed with its mission to react to problems caused by the massive and increasing levels of deforestation worldwide. Help raise awareness of environmental issues and the role forests play, take action against climate change, educate children on these issues and to Plant a tree this Thanksgiving.
8. Keep your thermostat at an acceptable setting, and start a fire in your fireplace to keep warm. If you normally keep your temperature at 74 degrees Fahrenheit, try lowering it two degrees on Thanksgiving. This will conserve extra energy.
9. Nature always decorates best, especially this time of year as the trees shed their brightly colored leaves. Take a nature walk and gather signs of the season from your local environment to create a simple, beautiful harvest centerpiece. With a little imagination, you can make great eco-friendly Thanksgiving decorations and have a lot of fun in the process. Gather found items such as pinecones, colored leaves, seedpods, branches and colorful berries and leaves. Place your treasures in recycled vases or bowls for a naturally green centerpiece.
10. Decorate your table with beeswax candles rather than petroleum-derived paraffin candles. The beeswax is not only healthier for you and the planet, but it smells better too! For an extra touch, fill a recycled glass bowl with seasonal grains, (such as corn), and place a pillar, (soy or beeswax), candle in the center.
    

    Early Bird Candle

11. All flowers remind us of nature’s bounty, but not all flower companies are eco-friendly. Most spray their crops with heavy amounts of pesticides. Order a gorgeous Thanksgiving centerpiece from Organic Bouquet. They’ll give ten percent of your purchase to The Nature Conservancy, and send your flowers in biodegradable, corn-based flower sleeves. Head to your pantry for empty containers such as seltzer bottles, spice jars, wine bottles, cans, etc. to use as vases for your flower arrangements.
12. Purchase recycled paper products, if you need to have disposable plates and cups. Otherwise, use regular plates and cups that can be washed so you don’t produce any waste.
13. Try and cook just the right amount of food for your family and friends because nothing is worse than wasted food. However, if you have too much food, send your guests home with a doggie bag. You can also donate leftover food to a local shelter or food bank. Mahalo can help you with this.

Sustainable Agriculture Chardonnay 2006

Whatever else you do on Thanksgiving, make it a time to say thank you to the people in your life who matter most. Many of the best moments in life are those spent with friends and family. As part of your eco-friendly Thanksgiving, give thanks to the many ways the environment sustains and enriches our lives.

The winning entry was by Edward Browka of Ecovative Design, New York, for his inventive packaging design. His conception, “Negative Volume”, exercised the natural bond between agricultural waste and created a structural form ideal for packaging. The product is a biodegradable substitute for polystyrene and styrofoam. “Negative Volume” is completely compostable and utilizes agricultural byproducts, meaning it also serves as a great fertilizer for the home garden after use. What a great green, creative product.

Negative Volume

Contexture Design was a runner up for their “Bentwood Coffee Cuffs”. Made from reclaimed architectural veneer, the striking wood scraps were shaped by hand in Contexture’s Vancouver workshop. The “Coffee Cuff” satisfies both form and function and the bracelet doubles as a java jacket. They’re truly beautiful to look at and even cooler due to their recycled elements.

Bentwood Coffee Cuff

David Gardener designed a lamp to eliminate waste in packaging. The lamp is made from recycled newspaper, is durable and completely biodegradable. The spindle houses the plug, energy saving bulb, socket, and electrical cable. I think this is a great concept and I look forward to seeing it soon in the consumer arena.

David Gardener Lamp

In Sarah Turners design, her lamp was created into an incandescent beauty using Cola bottles. Sarah found that a low percentage of bottles are actually recycled in the UK so she found a creative use for them instead of adding to increasing number being discarded.

Sarah Turner Lamp

Congrats to all those who participated and put their creative, innovative ideas out into the world. We look forward to seeing them in use in the future. Keep up the great green work. For info on the honorable mentions, others designs and photos of the event, head on over to Keeseh.