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

Green Gadgets for a Green Father's Day

Our friends over at Celebrate Green have some great ideas for Father's Day presents that will help Dad go greener with his gadgets.

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Thinking electronic gift for dad? Think green!


Dads tend to love electronic gadgets and on Father's Day, who doesn't want to give dad what he craves? The challenge is fulfilling dad's wishes while staying aware of the environmental issues raised in the making, using and disposal of electronics.

The best gadget would use solar or human power, be made locally of recycled materials, come in no or minimal packaging (which is compostable), contain no harmful materials and would be fully recyclable when dad is done with it.

Dream on!

We have yet to reach electronics nirvana. But there are options that meet at least some eco-expectations. Choosing one of these is certainly better than ignoring the issue.

If given the choice between two items that perform in the way your dad wants, see if one of them is better on the green front.

Look for:

Products powered by the sun, gravity, human power or at the least, rechargeable batteries. Solar chargers are widely available as are items like cool, hand cranked flashlights and radios.

Products that are comparatively energy efficent. Computers, TVs and printers are some of the products that companies are working to make better in this department. Check out Energy Star labels where available.

Products made with fewer hazardous materials. All electronics contain hazardous materials (PCs, for example may contain lead, cadmium, mercury and flame retardants in plastic casings). This is why they should never be thrown in the trash. Look for electronics that meet European standards which, while not perfect are better.

Products containing recycled content. Moblie phones and computers are just two of the items available that use some percentage of recycled materials.

Another great idea is to upgrade what dad already has instead of buying a new unit. Adding a larger internal hard drive to his computer, paying for a professional "tune up" so the computer will run faster or purchasing extra memory for a camera are all eco-friendlier alternatives to buying new. And of course, buying the item used, but usable is another green option.

How about gifting dad with a surge protector that turns off power to idle devices eliminating electricity usage and saving money?

As a bonus gift for dad, whether buying electronics or not, offer to recycle any he's ready to get rid of. Electronics make up 70 percent of all hazardous waste and very little of what could be recycled actually is.

So collect dad's outdated gadgets, head to Earth 911 and find out how to recycle them close to home.

Enjoy a happy, green Father's Day!

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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.

This holiday, "save green while celebrating green"...

Can you believe it's already December? ...and time for all the holiday gift giving! Since most of us are still trying to watch every penny, we really appreciate these great tips and ideas on how to make green gift giving easy on the wallet. Thank you to our friends over at Celebrate Green!

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Great green holiday gift buying tips

It's a fact of life--most Americans' wallets (and credit card limits), are slimmer this year. But that doesn't mean we should give up our eco-conscious ways. Why would we when there are so many opportunities to save green while celebrating green?

Kids

If your young children are pining for expensive gifts, it's hard to deny them (not that a bit of denial isn't good for us!). A few solutions--there are others--just say no, find ways for your child to raise some cash toward the dream or see whether you can find a used gift. (You might be surprised that a clean, used toy without the packaging is just fine with most kids.)

To find a previously loved toy:

• organize a toy swap in your neighborhood, at a school or community center
• ask in your online or other groups, whether someone has a toy they'd be willing to sell or trade
• give your child a temporary substitute for the gift and buy it after the holiday when it may be on sale

Help your child contribute toward the purchase by going through his current toys, selecting as many as you like and selling them on your local Craigslist.

Another idea is to discuss the situation with your child and ask, "Would you be happy if you only get this one gift this year?" If the answer is "yes," and you have friends and relatives who normally gift your child, ask for a contribution towards her heart's desire.

Teens

When it comes to teens, think "downloads." What teen doesn't love music or movies? Purchasing music and movies online is inexpensive and eco-friendly.

Ask your teen to give you a list of chores she doesn't like to do. Your gift can be doing one or more for a limited period of time. (We know this won't be a favorite of yours, but it costs nothing but your pride and patience!)

Teenagers also may be much more willing than you anticipate, to help others. Especially when times are tough, learning that there are others worse off than you are can help quell the self-centered longings adolescents experience. You can give teens a real gift by inviting them to participate in one or more volunteer activities during the holiday season. Let them experience the real meaning of giving. We know one teen who, after volunteering at a home for abused kids, told his parents he didn't want anything for Hanukkah except to make a contribution to the organization.

Adults

Of course, if you're crafty, you already know that amazing gifts can cost next to nothing. Short on ideas? Two great sites are Instructables and eHow, though you can google just about any item and find out how to make it.

And if you're "all thumbs," great green gifts are available by the truckload, many for under $25. There are many sites featuring inexpensive gifts. Here are a few. Find more by doing a search for "green gifts under $25."

• www.GreaterGoods.com
• www.GreenwithEnvyGifts.com
• www.Zimbio.com

But the best buys from an eco-perspective, are those made and purchased locally. Check out local eco-friendly stores as well of course, as holiday craft fairs.

Other excellent eco-friendly gift buying habits:

• Look for companies that give back. Many for instance, are members of 1% for the Planet (an alliance of businesses that donate at least 1% of their annual revenues to environmental organizations.)
• One of the most eco-friendly things you can do when buying a gift for someone of any age is to be sure the recipient will like and use it. This is especially true when it comes to food that if not eaten, may spoil and end up in the trash.
• Avoid buying gifts with layers of packaging and/or whose packaging cannot be recycled.
• When it comes to wrapping, think about whether you really need to wrap the gift at all. How about hiding it? Kids love this, but even adults (at least those with a sense of humor), can get into it as well. A few additional alternatives to buying new gift wrap:
  • Fabric you already own. Scarves are wonderful. And any fabric wrapping can be used again and again. For ways to beautifully wrap any gift: www.bobowrap.com or www.furochic.com
  • Magazine pages
  • Maps
  • Children's drawings
  • Paper bags decorated with drawn or stamped on images
  • Decorated glass jars that can be reused for food storage
  • Decorated cardboard or plastic boxes

Top tips for a green holiday

• Plan, plan, plan. Avoid driving all over town, especially to pick up just one gift. In fact, getting together with a group of friends and carpooling to shops not only saves money and is better for the Earth, but it's fun too!
• Commit to saving paper! Gifting a magazine lover? Choose an online subscription.
• Challenge your family to create a no-waste holiday. Buy less. Decorate with items from nature. Compost, recycle and re-purpose as much as you possibly can.
• To save money, take advantage of every holiday coupon available. Before buying online or going shopping, google the name of the store plus "coupon."

Top picks for shopping green and saving green with gifts under $10

Not all the gifts in the stores below cost less than $10, but all these online shops carry a number of great gifts at this price point.

• www.MrElliePooh.com
• www.BotanicalPaperworks.com
• www.Coco-Zen.com
• http://www.reusablebags.com/
• www.NubiusOrganics.com

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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.

From Joyce's Desk: Gift to Our Readers - One Day of Carbon Neutrality

So, in my daily scouring of the web for "green stuff", I learned about this viral campaign called One Day from Brighter Planet which allows people to give the gift of carbon neutrality for one day...at no cost to the "giver"!! - other than just filling in name and email address. The amount of carbon offsets given is based on current estimates that the average American emits 136 pounds of carbon dioxide each day.

I found this campaign on EcoSalon (a green blog/news site that I subscribe to) who was doing what I'm now doing of passing along this gift. I figured what the hell, I'll participate - they just need my name and email address. After clicking EcoSalon's gift link and filling in One Day's little entry form, I almost immediately received an email saying:

"Congrats, you're now carbon neutral for a day! 136 pounds of carbon offsets have been donated in your name by Brighter Planet."

Included in the email was a link allowing me to now pass on this gift to 5 other people.

So...to you, our readers, I'd like to pay this gift forward. The first 5 people to clink on this link (or the badge below) will receive carbon offsets from Brighter Planet to cover one day. Hope you'll join in and pass your own gift of carbon neutrality to 5 more people. Not only will you be helping to create more carbon offsets, but you'll be spreading awareness about clean energy.

Who knows, maybe the link will work on more than just the first 5...we haven't tested it out yet :)