Keep her sweet from head to toe!

This week's White Apricot newsletter features an eco-conscious gift guide and includes Coco-Zen's Chocolate Body Gift Set under gifts "for her"...

Eco Friendly Gifts For Everyone On Your List

A chocolate alternative to Chapstick...

The Gloss includes Coco-Zen Chocolate Lip Balm in its round-up of winter lip balm alternatives to Chapstick...

10 Alternatives To Chapstick

Shop To Stop Slavery...with Coco-Zen Fair Trade Chocolate Body Treats!

From Shop To Stop Slavery:

"I just had the best spa indulgence with fair trade certified and organic chocolate. I used the chocolate sugar body polish, chocolate edible lip scrub, and chocolate lip balm all from Coco-Zen. My body felt smooth and the lip scrub can be licked off! Yummy!."

Read the rest...

Spa Induglence with Fair Trade Certified and Organic Chocolate

VIDEO: Karma - Bike Riding

*Previously posted on 11.12.08

Just a little green humor...

Quote of the Week - 11.21.10

"Laughter is an instant vacation."

~Milton Berle

"A piece of Fair Trade chocolate is an instant vacation."

~Coco-Zen

50% Off Green Products from 12 Green Companies!

The Ladies over at Celebrate Green have just published their annual 50% off coupon sheet...just in time for holiday gift giving! With great items from 12 green companies (yes, Coco-Zen is one of them), there's something for everyone.

Click on the image below to download the coupon sheet (PDF file). From there, you can just click and shop from any of the offers on the sheet.

Participating companies...

Coco-Zen: www.Coco-Zen.com

Digs: www.Digs.com

Eco Party Time: www.EcoPartyTime.com

Kids Konserve: www.KidsKonserve.com

Magic Cabin: www.MagicCabin.com

My Mama's Love: www.My-Mamas-Love.com

Overall Beauty: www.OverallBeauty.com

Sweet P's: www.SweetPSkincare.com

Terra Trendz: www.TerraTrendz.com

This is it Creations: www.ThisIsItCreations.com

Wind and Weather: www.WindandWeather.com

World of Green: www.WorldOfGreen.com

New Chocolates to Wear!

Introducing the newest additions to our Chocolate Body Treats collection...

Chocolate Sugar Body Polish Polish away dry skin cells while moisturizing to reveal soft, supple and sexy skin! This rich, thick scrub looks, smells and feels like a sugary fudge batter. After cleansing, use your fingers to scoop the polish and gently scrub all over in a circular motion. Then rinse off with warm water and pat dry. Organic almond oil, cocoa butter and aloe vera work to moisturize your skin - no need to apply additional moisturizer. Your skin will feel soft and supple, while faintly smelling of sweet chocolate...sexy!

Cocoa Butter Bath Bombs Soak yourself in chocolatey bliss! Toss our moisturizing bath bomb into a warm tub for a deliciously decadent spa experience right in your own home. As the bath bomb dissolves and "fizzles" in your bath, the organic/Fair Trade cocoa butter and organic sweet almond oil will moisturize your skin, while the lush chocolate scent carries you off into a blissful state of mind. Sit back, close your eyes, breathe in...enjoy! Plan ahead for the holidays... Chocolate Body Treats gift sets are perfect for giving!    Head-To-Toe Gift Set    Lips-To-Go    Salt Scrub 3-Jar Gift Set

VIDEO: The Story of Electronics

"The Story of Electronics, releasing Tuesday, NOVEMBER 9, employs the Story of Stuff style to explore the high-tech revolution's collateral damage—25 million tons of e-waste and counting, poisoned workers and a public left holding the bill. Host Annie Leonard takes viewers from the mines and factories where our gadgets begin to the horrific backyard recycling shops in China where many end up. The film concludes with a call for a green 'race to the top' where designers compete to make long-lasting, toxic-free products that are fully and easily recyclable."

Quote of the Week - 11.14.10

"An idea that is developed and put into action is more important than an idea that exists only as an idea.."

~Buddha

"A piece of Fair Trade chocolate that has been eaten and enjoyed is more delicious than a piece sitting in a box."

~Coco-Zen

Tips for a greener and less wasteful Thanksgiving...and save a little money, too!

Our friends over at Celebrate Green offer some useful tips and suggestions to help make this Thanksgiving greener and less wasteful. What's even better is that you'll save a little money, too!

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Plan ahead Thanksgiving saves time, money and waste

You may balk, but the best way to save money, save time, save waste and save your sanity if you want to have an eco-friendlier feast this year, is to--say it with me now--plan ahead.

Planning helps zero in on when to buy, how much to buy, how to decorate, how to deal with leftovers and all the other details around hosting a fun, Earth-friendly celebration.

One hour of planning can make the difference between a pleasurable event and a frenzy of expensive over-consumption.

So gather the kids, a pen and pad (or be extra-eco and write on a blackboard), and start by posing and discussing these 10 questions:

1. What foods do we traditionally serve? Are we going overboard? If we usually provide eight side dishes, could we cut that to six?

2. What items should we be sure to buy organic? (Here's the list of fruits and veggies with the most pesticide residues and those with the least.)

3. How are we going to decorate the table? Can we use décor we already have? Borrow? Use items from nature? Do double duty with edible décor?

4. Can we check with friends and neighbors to see if they'd like to join us in buying organic produce in bulk at reduced cost?

5. Can we aim for a no-waste Thanksgiving by avoiding pre-packaged items?

6. Can we find what we need at a local organic farm and save money while having fun by picking veggies and fruits?

7. Can we consider an organic turkey or a heritage variety? (It's complicated and time consuming to wade through all the labels you may find on turkeys, but the USDA organic label offers pretty clear standards. If you're buying from a local farmer, ask about methods used in raising and slaughtering. Their turkeys may not be labeled organic because of the cost involved in doing so, but assuming you trust the farmer, you should be purchasing a healthier alternative to conventionally raised birds.)

8. Do we have enough dishes, flatware and glasses for the crowd? If not, how will we sidestep purchasing new? (We suggest asking guests to bring their own place settings. To add meaning to the greening, ask them also to be ready to share the history of the plates. Were they a wedding gift? Handed down from great grandma? Purchased with your first paycheck?)

9. How much of our meal can we make using in-season items instead of those imported from far away?

10. What will we do with leftovers? Will we provide guests with upcycled glass jars for them to take home what they like? Can we make something delicious from leftovers and take to a food bank? Freeze for later? Will we compost anything we can't use? If we don't compost ourselves and haven't asked, can we call our local trash service and ask if they will compost food scraps?

Whether you go all out in celebrating an eco-Thanksgiving or take one or two steps, be sure to give thanks for the bounty that the Earth provides.

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Lynn Colwell and Corey Colwell-Lipson are mother and daughter and co-authors of Celebrate Green! Creating Eco-Savvy Holidays, Celebrations and Traditions for the Whole Family, available at www.CelebrateGreen.net.

Quote of the Week - 11.07.10

"The best way to prepare for life is to begin to live."

~Elbert Hubbard

"The best way to enjoy chocolate is to eat Fair Trade."

~Coco-Zen

Stuff We Found Today - 11.02.10

FLOTUS plays flag football to promote childhood fitness

Family, Kids & Health Stuff

• Study finds BPA easily penetrates skin - (Mother Nature Network) "New study suggests handling store receipts could be significant source of BPA."
• Best Organic Deodorants (That Actually Work) - (EcoSalon)

Food Stuff

• The BBC looks at the benefits of Fairtrade chocolate - (BBC News) Video
• 'Bitter' Chocolate Report: Hershey Dominates U.S. Market, But lags Behind Competitors in Avoiding Forced labor, Human Trafficking, and Abusive Child Labor - (CNBC.com) “Hershey has been hiding too long behind its image as America’s chocolate company and a responsible corporate citizen...”
• Pumpkin Cake Bars With Cinnamon Icing - (Food Renegade) Mmmmm...these look and sound so yummy - perfect for the winter holidays!

Home Stuff

• Eco Homes from ECO HAB - (found via @GreenCartoons) Cool little eco homes in a "hobbit" kind of way.
• We Tested 9 New Energy Saving Light Bulbs. See Which Is Right for You - (TheDailyGreen)

Beauty & Fashion Stuff

• Inflatable Airbag "Collar" Protects Helmet-free Cyclists From Broken Skulls - (Ecouterre) Hmmm...cool or funny?? ...or both?!
• Freitag Launches Backpacks Made From Recycled Truck Tarps - (Inhabitat) These are cool for both guys and gals.

Tech & Science Stuff

• Cannabis Electric Cars: Canada 1, U.S. 0 - (Change.org) Why are we so afriad of industrial hemp?
• A perfect marriage: Electric car charging and solar power - (Mother Nature Network) "Envision Solar's 'groves' shade parking lot vehicles while also capturing power from the sun. GM is applying this no-brainer tech to the Chevrolet Volt."
• Insane Traffic-Straddling Bus May Come to America - (Inhabitat) Wow...imagine never getting stuck behind a bus again. We know...we should be on the bus instead of in the car behind the bus.
• San Francisco Will Launch Electric Vehicle Taxi Program - (Inhabitat) Pretty cool...

School, College & Student Stuff

• Oregon to help Iraqi universities build green engineering programs - (Grist)

Nature & Environment Stuff

• It's a Communication Challenge, Not a Scientific Challenge - (Huffington Post) When talking green to people... "You cannot change the mind of a global warming skeptic by citing scientific facts." Great read.

Political, Social & Economy Stuff

• FLOTUS and the NFL promote the "Play 60" campaign for childhood fitness - (Obama Pics Daily) Probably some of the best FLOTUS pics ever...the woman rocks!
• The Environment Is Not Political - (The Good Human)