From: "E-The Environmental Magazine" <karen@emagazine.com>
Date: Nov 23, 2012 2:04 AM
Subject: Deck the Halls - Not the Malls - this Holiday Season
To: <aquarianm@gmail.com>
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Watches are great go-to guy gifts, and from style to sustainability there is nothing quite like Sprout which uses materials like corn resin, organic cotton, fish leather (a byproduct of the fishing industry), bamboo and cork to create some one-of-a-kind watches. We like the silver oversized numbers atop a cork dial on one of their Tyvek-strap watches ($55) which features a corn resin (corn-based plastic) case and looks sturdy enough for everyday wear. Like all Sprout's watches it features a mercury-free battery and a percentage of proceeds benefits environmental causes. 
In the Spirit
With metallic ink in gold and silver on a black background, these bags bring holiday sparkle to every toting need. SnapSac ™ from 1 Bag at a Time makes gift giving stylish and eco-friendly with its Natasha line of totes. Delivering a signature look, wide tops, closeable flaps and pockets, these totes are also fully lined for double durability and are completely machine washable. Suitable as an eco-friendly gift bag or as a gift in itself, Natasha retails for just $8.99 each. The entire SnapSac™ line features geometric patterns, neutrals and bright pops of color for a look that's both fashionable and functional. Look for insulated styles that easily replace foam coolers and non-reusable lunch bags. Sold at select grocery stores nationwide or online at 
An Organic Gift Crate ($59.95) from Vermont Soap Organics is like an organic spa in a (real wood) crate. If you choose the Lemongrass scent theme (you can also choose Country Lavendar or Unscented) you'll find nestled within the recycled shredded paper a moisturizing Shower Gel in Sweet Orange that smells like a Creamsicle; Lemongrass Zen Foaming Hand Soap and a Lemongrass bar of soap—a mere whiff of which will help the tensions subside; a tin of Certified Organic Pure African Shea Nut Butter perfect for chapped lips or dry skin; a jar of unscented bath salts; a loofa scrub; a nail brush ; a wooden soap dish and a bottle of their Aloe Castille Liquid Soap which can be used for cleaning body, hair, laundry or woodwork. All their products are made with a combination of organic ingredients and essential oils and extracts. 
There are plenty of lip tints, balms, sticks, glosses, shimmers and shines competing for your gift-buying attention. But the Love Your Lips Color Quench Lip Tint Trio ($18) from Pacifica provides a different spin. The colors are rich, the smells pick up on the fruity but understated scents of their candles and lotions, and the tints are good for your lips, with coconut oil, vitamin E, and rosemary leaf extracts. The colors—Guavaberry and Blood Orange—offer different takes on red, while the Coconut Nectar provides a pale glimmer that gives lips a touch of frost. 
There's a lot to love about olives: The olive tree is the symbol of peace; its leafy branches used to crown victors; and the olive itself has been revered as a fruit for thousands of years for its health properties. Kiss My Face pays homage to the mighty olive in its All Olive Collection ($29)—a basket of paraben-free, phthalate-free skincare items designed for skin nourishment that includes an Olive and Aloe Moisturizer; a tin of Olive My Body body balm; a Pure Olive Oil Soap Bar; Olive and Aloe Moisture Soap and Green Tea & Bamboo Moisture Shave. 
BeginAgain makes quality, no-frills toys that are meant to hold up under use and encourage imaginative play. They build their toys from a host of plant-based materials in efforts to ride toys of oil-based plastics (they don't believe in batteries or electronics in toys either). Their charming Earthworms grasping toy ($10.99)—able to bend and twist—is made from wooden beads and plantation grown rubberwood and painted with child-safe paint in yellow, blue, red or green for ages six months and up. 
Also on the imaginative eco-friendly front are Discovery Boxes from Green Kid Crafts. With recycled paper and ribbon, natural materials (like wool yarn, colored sand, clay and wood) the crafts keep waste to a minimum while promoting artistic tendencies in making (in the Feathered Friends Box) a birdhouse, bird puppets and a scope; or a dragonfly family, bug wings and a bumblebee wand (in the I Love Bugs Box). Dinosaur and Outer Space Boxes are also available. 
If your teen doesn't already have a smartphone, it's a good bet that it's high on his/her holiday wish list. Why not get them one that's received accolades for reducing toxic materials? The site GoodGuide which rates products based on both environmental impacts and company social practices gave its highest cell phone rating (out of 707 phones) to the HP Veer 4G WebOS phone (around $100). The WebOS is super compact—more square than rectangle and just over three inches long when closed—and has a sliding QWERTY keyboard that's best for smaller fingers. The site 
The cook in your life will always have herbs on hand and an artful way to display them with the Culinary Three Herb Wreath ($54.94) from Organic Bouquet. The wreath features rosemary, thyme, bay leaves and chili peppers grown in Mendocino County in California. It is certified organic, and the red and green provide a beautiful natural complement to holiday décor. 
While the Sundown Bag ($99) from Lilypond would be a great gift for anyone who likes to head out on weekend getaways, it's also the perfect bag for athletes and gym-goers, with a ventilated exterior/interior pocket for holding the sweaty stuff, yoga mat straps and adjustable shoulder strap with a padded shoulder. The bag has a unique design with a continuous top handle and the external and internal contrasting fabric is 100% recycled. 
Sip in Style
Dogs and their human companions will get a chuckle—and lots of quality playtime—out of Planet Dog's Orbee-Tuff® Snowball ($9.95)—a geometric white ball printed with the word "Snowball" that's nontoxic, recyclable, minty and guaranteed "doggie-durable." For feline friends, nothing beats the cuteness of the Ho-Ho Hairball cat toy ($10) from West Paw Design, a Santa hat-wearing furball with eyes that's filled with certified organic catnip to drive Whiskers wild. 
Start an adventurer's trek off right with the Mountainsmith Kinetic TLS Waistpack ($44.95) from REI. The handy pack is made of 100% recycled PET material and designed to travel well on long treks, with ergonomic design, a fleece-lined front pocket for a smart phone/mp3 player (and a headphone cord port) and mesh side pockets for stowing water bottles. For extra usefulness, pack it with single-serving organic pasta, casseroles, chile and bisque packs from Mary Jane Farms ($8) which can be cooked right in the pouch, and organic freeze dried blueberries, strawberries, apples, bananas or mangoes ($4.25) from Natural High. 
Terracycle has a knack for giving waste new life, whether it's turning juice pouches into fencing (seriously), tree skirts or messenger bags; wine barrels into composters; or recycled plastic containers of all stripes into window boxes, trash cans and a signature Recycled Watering Can ($11.99). We like the watering can's curvy design and durability—and the fact that it's made in the U.S. and keeps waste out of landfills. 
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A personal quest to promote the use of wind energy and hydrogen technology in the Great Lakes area of the United States. The Great Lakes area is in a unique position to become an energy exporting region through these and other renewable energy technologies. *Update 2014: Just do it everywhere - Dan*
Friday, November 23, 2012
Deck the Halls - Not the Malls - this Holiday Season
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "E-The Environmental Magazine" <karen@emagazine.com>
Date: Nov 23, 2012 2:04 AM
Subject: Deck the Halls - Not the Malls - this Holiday Season
To: <aquarianm@gmail.com>
From: "E-The Environmental Magazine" <karen@emagazine.com>
Date: Nov 23, 2012 2:04 AM
Subject: Deck the Halls - Not the Malls - this Holiday Season
To: <aquarianm@gmail.com>
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