Rob and I try to be as earth-friendly as we possibly can. We drive as little as possible (which, where we live, is difficult given the lack of public transit and the… spread-outedness – I made a new word!- of everything), we make sure to separate our garbage (actually it’s the law here- we have bins for recycling, waste, and compost and God forbid you accidentally put a banana peel in the waste bin because they will hunt you down and fine you!). When we have kids, they are going to be wearing the cloth diapers. We donate to kiva.org although that’s not actually a donation since you get your money back eventually. When I start feeling guilty about all the driving I go donate to carbonfund.org, to help offset our carbon footprint (for this one? I like to imagine Al Gore eating the carbon that we produce. I know, I know). I’m mental about turning off the lights/tv/computer etc. if we’re not using them. Occasionally I will make my husband go 100% crazy with this trait; he’ll leave the room to go get a drink and when he comes back 12 seconds later everything is off.
Christmas is coming, and this year I’ve been researching eco friendly products for gift giving. Unfortunately the stores we have around here (walmart and zellers) aren’t super-environmentally-friendly, to say the least. That’s where the GreenAndMore.com website comes in.
I’ve searched through the different categories on their site, and they seem to have hundreds of really great gift ideas, and just basically good ideas for things to have around the house. Also, clicking around, I’ve discovered that the company lives their mission and follows green practices on-site (no plasticware, recycled office supplies and kitchen goods, 100% recycled cardboard boxes, etc). They offer education and information from their learning centre. On their blog, staff of the site talk about how they have made changes in their lives to be a bit nicer to the Earth, and give tips and information that would help the general public on their way. So that’s a good site.
Now if only Al Gore was working there, eating carbon. That would make it super-cool.
Ran across your blog through thinkin-lincoln. I just wanted to add that I work for a company that is likewise dedicated to green living (besides selling eco-friendly stuffs, we use all recycled and biodegradable supplies, are wind-powered, etc), and we have a website! http://www.bluehouselife.com – it’s a small business based in Baltimore and if you’re still looking for gift ideas, we’re in the midst of updating our site with new holiday (and non-holiday) eco-friendly stuff. Hope it helps