It’s time for the big game, the Super Bowl! Whether your team made it or you just want to watch the commercials and have a good time with friends, don’t forget your eco-ness! Check out some of these fun and simple tips that can help save you money, as well as the earth this coming Super Bowl Sunday!

• Decorate in your team’s colors with items you already have. Fruit and veggies are great in glass bowls (strawberries and blueberries for the Pats or oranges and blueberries for the Giants, etc.) Don’t purchase single use, disposable decor as they are toxic, wasteful of both money and resources and fill up landfills. Besides, you can eat the edible decor at the party!
• Opt for reusable dishware. You can even ask guests to bring their own plates, utensils and glasses! But if you’re not in the dish washing mood and want to conserve water, opt for eco-friendly, 100% compostable dishes, napkins and utensils instead.
• Buy local, organic produce for your salads, snacks and grillin’!
• Recycle! Beer bottles, soda cans, etc – be wise and have a well labeled recycle bin placed in a convenient location at your party.
• Grill green! A solar powered grill is the most eco-friendly way to grill, but if that’s not an option for, opt for a natural gas grill instead of a charcoal one as it burns cleaner. And if you don’t have an outdoor space or it’s too cold, invest in an indoor grill or a nice grill pan!
• Make smarter drinking choices like juices with organic liquor, organic wines and beers and most of all, drink responsibly.
• Opt to make a healthy dish to bring to the festivities. Pre-packaged sides and snacks are full of preservatives and unpronounceable ingredients as well as yucky plastic packaging that fills up our landfills. If you can’t cook, bring organic bagged lettuce, organic dressing, a big bowl and you’ve brought a healthy side everyone will appreciate ; )

Good luck!!!

The economy is still struggling and many folks are still out of work. It’s a new year and possibly, it could be a new you! the world is your oyster and perhaps a new career in green may tickle your fancy? Maybe some ideas might help you get excited about the possibilities:

• Bike or Walking City Tour Guide
• Working at a nursery teaching folks how to grow their own organic herb and vegetable gardens
• Green fashion designer using recycled fabrics
• Eco blogger, writer, journalist and/or film maker
• Organic chef

There are so many green jobs out there and you may even be at the helm of creating a new one. If you need some help in searching, take a gander at some of these sites that could help you out:

• www.greenjobs.com
• www.sustainablebusiness.com
• www.greenjobsready.com
• www.greenjobs.net
• jobs.greenbiz.com

So if you’re in need of green in your wallet, that just might be the color of your next job!

This is the year your going to do it, right? You’ve saved, you picked the place and you’ve even set a date. But you want to travel as green as possible as it will save you money while also being nice to mother nature. Well, here are a few easy tips t help you get to your exotic destination, the eco way!

1) Carbon offset credits – Flying is one of the biggest fuel guzzling acts anyone can partake in. And unless you have unlimited time and funds, chances are you won’t be sailing across the globe to see it. Flying is a necessary evil but by purchasing carbon offset credits, you can rest easy knowing that the money will be put to good green use!

2) Eco lodging -Do your best to stay at green friendly hotels. More and more, hotels and motels are going green by providing everything from hypoallergenic, organic rooms and bedding, to dual flushing toilets, etc. Many exotic resorts are super green so relax in green luxury, worry free!

3) When in room – Instead of having housekeeping change your sheets and towels every day, skip a day or 2 to save on the water and electricity it takes them to wash your not-so-dirty goods. Also, make use of your room and prep meals there by keeping left overs on ice and using your coffee pot to heat up food and soups!

4) Eat veg -Depending where you are in the world, eating vegetarian is easier then other spots. But you can always load up on local produce and fruit for snacks instead of opting for packed junk food like chips and cookies! Get to know local foods and cultures by checking out nearby markets and taste testing their goods!

5) Bring your own bottle -Always, always, always bring your own water bottle. For health and hydration but also to keep plastic bottles out of the landfills. I don’t leave home without my reusable glass bottle!

6) Take walking or bike tours – When traveling, it’s fun to do some touristy stuff and take guided tours. Look for walking or biking tours so that you get some exercise in and steer clear of gas guzzling buses. Good for you and good for the planet!

Wherever you go on your next trip, make it healthy and green!

So you say you want to go green. You say you want to eat healthier, more locally and organic. Well, a simple solution to all of these is to grow your own herbs and veggies!

Regardless of your space, or lack thereof, there are a number of ways to grow your own organic garden. One of these is by the cool company, Potting Shed Creations. With a wide variety of cool potting alternatives like bamboo, recycled glass bottles and even eco pouches, space is no longer an issue!

Great in any kitchen, apartment or even a nice way to bring some green to your office, all of their potting solutions are eco friendly and even aesthetically pleasing. Affordable, organic and a wide array of herbs, flowers and potting receptacles to choose from, this is your easiest, and coolest way to go green!

Yep, we’ve made another trip around the sun. The new year is upon us filled with brand new opportunities and chances. Let’s do our best to make it an even greener one with these simple tips!

1) Decrease Your Meat& Animal Product Consumption – While not everyone is ready to become 100% vegetarian, there is little doubt that eating less meat is one of the fastest ways to reduce your carbon footprint. Pick one or two days a week where you will only cook vegetarian food. Find a good vegetarian food cooking book to learn the best recipes, and you’re set!

2) Seasonal Shopping – While it can be tempting to eat strawberries in winter, when they have been imported from halfway across the planet or grown in energy-hungry greenhouses, they’re hardly sustainable. Do some research into what is naturally grown in your area in the season, and prefer these. This way, you’ll also rediscover the pleasure of meals changing with the seasons!

3) Pedal Your Way Through the Year -  People who re-start cycling to work and/ or the supermarket often say that it’s lovely to rediscover their neighborhood that way. In fact, unless you live in a very mountainous area, this could be the most relaxing resolution you take!

4) Bus it, Train it or Carpool it -  Granted, in the middle of the mountains or when there is half metre of snow outside your door, cycling sounds less appealing. If that’s the case where you live, start using public transport to go to work and the supermarket. If public transport connections are poor in your area, then it’s time to wake up the local campaigner in you and ask for it – make 2011 the year when your community stood up for sustainability.

5) Green Your Abode -  By now, I assume most of you have switched to CFL lightbulbs - so it’s time to take home efficiency to the next level. Check your house for heat loss (there are companies specialised in this if you don’t feel expert enough) and make it your DIY project in 2011 to fix them. If you haven’t yet, lower the thermostat during the night. The ideal temperature to sleep is around 16 degrees celsius. If that’s too cold for you, do it in steps – half a degree less each month. You might realise you even sleep better – and you will see it on your heating bill!

6) Toss Out The Toxins – This might take a while in research, so plan to do it over the whole year. From beauty products to clothes detergent and computer parts, we have become used to toxics products in our daily lives. Time to stop it. When buying new products, check what they are made of, and pick the one that will have the least toxic residues.

7) Take Care of What You Already Have  – New cellphone? Must absolutely have the latest iPad? How about the newly released gaming console? Our consumption of electronics is reaching records. Make a break, and promise not to buy new electronics this year, unless the one you already have breaks down (and when it does, ensure it is recycled properly!).

Recycling 2.0 -  You probably have two different bins in your kitchen, sorting your waste to have it recycled. It doesn’t end here though. In 2011, try to reduce the amount picked up by the garbage truck. If you have a garden, start your own compost. When you’re at the supermarket, prefer products that are not overpackaged (you know the one: plastics wrapped in plastic, itself wrapped in cardboard…). If there are to many of these items in your local supermarket, time to start campaigning! Write to the store manager and express your concerns – and convince your neighbours to do so as well.

9) Make More Outdoor Time -  Learn to enjoy nature again. Make a habit of taking a weekly walk outside. We have become so used to live in our houses and in our cars, many people have no idea what nature looks like anymore.

10) Convince (at least) 3 friends to Go Green With You - Why three? Because almost everyone knows three people they can influence. If those three convince three more people next year and so on, we will grow a movement capable of protecting our planet – and the resolutions above will become a no brainer for everyone.

11) … What is your green resolution for 2012? Tell us in comments below!

Just because Christmas is over and Hanukkah is about to wrap up doesn’t mean
that holiday festivities are done too!
There are still parties and events and New Year’s Eve
calls for some snazzy looks too.
Why not make your own, one-of-a-kind snowflake earrings
to add a little extra sparkle to your New Year’s ensemble?
Check out this awesome video to see how fun and easy
it is to be stylish as well as green!

You know you love it!
Ugly holiday sweaters and parties are all the rage.
Get your creative juices flowing and make a fun and festive
kooky sweater that will be the talk of the holiday season!
Check out this fun DIY video and get
bedazzlin’!

A great thing to do while the kiddies are home from school is arts and crafts.
Why not make some unique holiday cards
for the folks on your list?  They are budget friendly, eco-friendly
and a lot of fun that will create many memories
for years to come.
Check out the following DIY video on how to make these super cool
stitched greeting cards this gift giving season!

So maybe you don’t have a fireplace or you do but you have small children or pets
who you don’t want getting near a blazing fire.
Or perhaps you want to go green, save a tree, and not pollute the air,
especially if you don’t need a fire for warmth.
Why not create your own awesome fireplace  by adding some LED lights into your
hearth or even building your own with cardboard?
Lay down a layer of pine cones or cinnamon brooms so the heat of the lights give off the aromas
of the season when you turn on your lights.
Have fun and be creative this holiday season by being safe, eco and budget conscious!

It’s the most wonderful time of the year and that means gifts!
With the economy the way it is as well as wanting to decrease your
carbon footprint, DIY holiday gifts are
totally in vogue this year!
Check out this fun DIY holiday gift for under $5!