Green Daily

Business schools face increased pressure to promote sustainability

Ellen Slattery — 2008-05-07T12:00:00 00:00

A new report from the Global Foundation for Management Education finds that educators might find it difficult to keep up with changing demographics and an increasing emphasis on sustainability worldwide. For instance, in order to keep up with other associations and schools with an environmental focus, business school institutions will have to hire and train more professors and administrators, and the reports from environmental accreditation groups will become more meaningful.

To help the institutions grow, the foundation recommends that schools foster strong partnerships with environmental associations, as well as business and government leaders.

Or, you could eschew "regular" business school altogether and apply to places like the Bainbridge Graduate Institute, which integrates sustainability through every course, and maintains an overall focus on environmental and social responsibility. (Your final degree? Why, an MBA in Sustainable Business, of course).

All in all, the foundation's study seems to be a positive thing. Many business schools have the reputation of being stuffy, with older professors that have a "my way or the highway" attitude when it comes to business and management. Integrating new professors and a new emphasis on environmentalism seems to be an inevitable step, what with the way eco-consciousness has invaded our society and businesses around the world. We want the people managing these businesses to know as much about these new practices as possible, right?

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Dorm room plants: Snake plant

Amanda Miller — 2008-05-02T11:34:00 00:00

Filed under: Green on Campus

As a student, you might not have a mother-in-law yet, but the Snake Plant, or "mother-in-law's tongue" might be the perfect plant for your dorm room anyway. Easy to care for, this plant won't be going anywhere no matter how much you try to ignore it!

While it prefers bright sunlight, it will also grow in fairly dark rooms, and won't hog your water. From spring to fall, you only need to water it once the soil becomes dry, and in the winter, it only needs water every 1-2 months!

The one caution I should include is that by watering too much or too often, the plant will easily begin to rot. Still, as long as you can avoid being a stalker, your Snake Plant will thrive. In fact, it's even a good air purifier!

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Dorm room plants: Jade

Amanda Miller — 2008-05-01T11:22:00 00:00

Filed under: Green on Campus

There's nothing like a plant to brighten up a small room, and dorms are no exception. Although many students have never taken care of a plant before, there are many that even a novice can keep.

With that in mind, let's take a closer look at Jade, or Crassula arborescens. You don't have to worry about forgetting to water this one, because it isn't high maintenance like that. In fact, it's best if you let the soil dry before watering. Jade grows slowly, and won't need to be re-potted any time soon.

Jade does prefer bright light, so if your dorm room faces another building and doesn't get much sun, this might not be the option for you. Average temperatures suit the plant well, so your room should do nicely. You can even make mini-Jades by placing their fallen leaves in moistened soil, which make great (and cheap!) gifts.

Once mature, Jade plants will sport flowers in the winter months. You can even find varieties with red on the leaves, or with different leaf arrangements.

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Students Post-it up

Amanda Miller — 2008-04-29T11:01:00 00:00

Filed under: Green on Campus

Students use a lot of paper, from class notes to daily reminders, so I was excited to hear about Post-it's focus on sustainability. Just how eco-friendly is your average pad of Post-it notes?

Apparently, all Post-it notes are 100% recyclable, so stop throwing them in the garbage. You shouldn't have a "waste-paper bin!" Secondly, all of their 3M paper mills deal solely with certified sustainable forests.

If that's not enough for you, keep your eyes out for their Recycled Notes line, as they're made from 100% recycled paper, with a minimum of 30% post-consumer materials.

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Earth Day: Campus review

Amanda Miller — 2008-04-22T18:03:00 00:00

Filed under: Fashion, Home, Shopping Guide, Tips, Green on Campus

It's Earth Day and if you're stuck inside with nothing to do, we have some excellent suggestions about how to have an eco-friendly blast!

In fact, we have a whole host of student-friendly tips and ideas, all rounded up to ease your surfing woes. From partying hard to shopping 'til you drop, you won't want to miss this list!

Students and your futures:

Students, drink your way to success with Green Drinks! From job connections to powerful contacts to beer, you might want to consider attending these parties.
Green up your Facebook profile in order to help the environment while providing a professional 'profile' for employers, potential dates, university personnel, and anyone else who might have cause to Google you.
Are you still feeling the tax-time blues? Why not take some time to organize your finances and take the weight off your shoulders while saving trees.

Feel like shopping?

Thinking about trying out some organic fabrics, but don't have a huge wallet? Check out how Wal-Mart is going green and supporting farmers while bringing organic cotton products to store shelves with low prices.
If you're already looking ahead to your summer reading list, why not recycle your old books, and get new ones for free?
Get your drink on while being green, whether you're into water, caffeine or booze.
Check out some of the hottest stores that carry organic, fair trade, eco-friendly products at knockout prices!
Attention musicians: you won't want to miss our coverage of the new no-wood, bamboo guitar.

Are you spring cleaning, moving, or looking to furnish your place?

Are you in the mood to clean? We have the latest tips on eco-friendly cleaning, disposal, and furnishings for your dorm room.
Get a hot style for almost no impact to your wallet or the planet.
Check out how you can be more organized using regular household items. There's even a tip about refreshing your alcohol!

Trying to think of activities for Earth Day?

Looking to celebrate? We have the top 5 ways to spend your Earth Day 2008!
If you're looking for some fresh air, check out this video of real Muggle Quidditch and get inspired to green-up your outdoor activities.

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Earth Day nudge: Recycle those batteries!

Amanda Miller — 2008-04-22T15:30:00 00:00

Filed under: Gadgets and Tech, Home, Green on Campus

While we've talked about the hazards of batteries being put out with your garbage before, it seems as though Earth Day, falling during spring cleaning, is the perfect day to round up the used batteries sitting in junk drawers and recycle them.

Many stores near you will take your old batteries and dispose of them for you, as well as many local area schools, including colleges and universities.

Are you looking to recycle rechargeable batteries? While they are better for the environment, they still shouldn't end up in landfills, there are plenty of retailers and programs that will take these as well.If you're feeling studious, read more on the types of batteries manufactured, their impact on the environment, and how and where to recycle them.

Students, contact your schools to find out where to drop off your batteries, and let your friends know. Heck, do a quick door to door around your dorm for some exercise and collect some batteries to turn in yourself! What with iPods, cell phones, watches, laptops, calculators and more, students are huge battery consumers.

Help keep lead and other dangerous chemicals from leaking into our groundwater this Earth Day.

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Bamboo guitar for Earth Day

Amanda Miller — 2008-04-22T14:08:00 00:00

Filed under: News, Shopping Guide, Green on Campus

The paradox is that musicians as a group tend to be pretty progressive and ecologically savvy and concerned -- until it comes down to their guitar.... They don't want to take the chance that they won't have the absolute best tone. It requires a little bit of education and it requires them to see the product. - C.F. Martin & Co. head of artist and public relations Dick Boak.

First Act is unveiling a guitar made entirely from bamboo, a highly renewable resource, especially compared to some of the most popular woods used in instruments that can take hundreds of years to mature.
Dubbed the Bambusa, this guitar boasts a densely laminated bamboo body and neck, a water-based natural matte finish, and food safe glue.

Currently available through First Act's website for only $399, this environmentally-friendly guitar has a tone that makes it a keen substitute for instruments made from high-quality tonal woods, at a price that won't break your budget.

This Earth Day, why not do some research on this revolutionary instrument and see if the Bambusa is worth adding to your collection.

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Earth Day: Students on a budget

Amanda Miller — 2008-04-22T11:40:00 00:00

Filed under: Fashion, Home, Shopping Guide, Green on Campus

As we near Mother's Day, graduations, summer birthdays, and Father's Day, many students are on the lookout for unique and affordable gifts. In the spirit of Spring and Earth Day, let's explore some of the coolest Earth-friendly stuff you can pick up, at prices that won't break the bank.

From large retail stores like American Apparel, to fair trade operations and charities, we've got a list that'll satisfy all your eco-gift-giving needs.

Clothing:

Check out organic cotton at American Apparel and Wal-Mart! In fact, Wal-Mart even has a line of clothing, in partnership with Coca-Cola, made from recycled Coke bottles!
Get vegan shoes from MooShoes.
Looking for some hip, sporty, sexy new knickers? GreenKnickers has my vote for the coolest organic undies, at a pretty decent price!

Gifts:

The Rainforest Site has compiled a great selection of Mom-appropriate gifts, with many under $20 and some under $10! Proceeds go to support rainforest habitat, and items are usually fair trade and environmentally friendly.
Novica is featuring a great selection of Thai gifts with up to 10% off right now.
Global Girlfriend uses fair trade and supports working women around the world. Hand-crafted, unique items make great affordable gifts.
If you like Global Girlfriend, you'll definitely love Ten Thousand Villages! If you're a Canuck, they even have a Canadian site, with shipping discounts and other goodies that apply to Canadians. They also have a list of recommended gifts for college students.
Shop WWF and 20% of the proceeds will go to the World Wildlife Fund.

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Students drinking green for success

Amanda Miller — 2008-04-17T14:05:00 00:00

Filed under: Green on Campus

While much of today's social networking is organized online, it isn't all done on Facebook. In fact, there are meetings regularly being held all over the world, in big cities and little towns, that could take you to greener pastures.

Green Drinks International is a network that helps green people meet up with local residents with the same lifestyle interests. While informal, with drinks and chit chat, many find new friends, job connections, and acquire a finger-on-the-pulse of local goings-on; all things that are valuable to students.

To see if there are meetings being held near you, you can check out their website, or contact them to start your own meetings. Actually, you can even find them on Facebook! It's a great opportunity, and did I mention there'll be drinks? Your greener future awaits!

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Smart Facebook for students part two

Amanda Miller — 2008-04-16T13:40:00 00:00

Filed under: Green on Campus

After reading through Smart Facebook for students part one, I'm sure you're excited to learn more about a green Facebook. Check out our gallery guide to transforming your Facebook profile green:

Gallery: Facebook Green

If that doesn't satiate you, consider hosting SocialVibe on your Facebook:

Step 1: Sign up. Then choose a sponsor, and some artwork that you like.
Step 2: Choose a cause, or a group of causes that you want to support.
Step 3: Get your sponsorship posted on your blog, website, Facebook, MySpace, and more!

For every page viewing (not click), you will earn your charities money that they desperately deserve. There are environmental charities, as well as health, education, and other categories.

Do you use social networking sites in order to play around with friends, or have you begun to take advantage of their power in the academic and professional world? Do you display your support for causes and your interests in all things green, or do you try to avoid anything political?

Whatever your style, the options for utilizing sites like Facebook are steadily growing. Where will you stand?

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Smart Facebook for students part one

Amanda Miller — 2008-04-14T11:30:00 00:00

Filed under: Tips, Green on Campus

Whether social networking is your cup of tea, it is your future. Employers are connecting with employees and applicants using websites like Facebook, and your profile has evolved from its other purposes to become a portfolio and resume of sorts.

What you say and do, what applications you add and groups you belong to, and who your friends are and what they say and do, will all have an impact on your image, and thus your career. In fact, I would be surprised if colleges and universities didn't look up applicants as well.

Let's take a closer look at how to set up your Facebook profile in a way that will be professional and beneficial to your future. In part two, we'll explore how you can adjust your profile to showcase your green interests.

Restricting privileges
One of the easiest ways to keep employers and schools from knowing something about you is to restrict certain privileges to certain profiles only. While this will avoid embarrassment and preserve your privacy, you won't be taking advantage of the vast amount of good that your profile could do for you.

At the top right of any page in Facebook, you will see the words | home | account | privacy | logout |. If you click on "privacy," you will find that you can block profiles, make your profile private, and selectively restrict aspects of your profile for certain eyes only. For example, you could make sure that your employers cannot sift through your photo albums, but your family can.

Making Facebook work for you:

Rather than hiding things, why not just remove anything that needs hiding? For example, you can host your less-than-professional photos on a site like Photobucket, and only allow friends and family access. Examine the groups you are in, any text that you have written, and photos you might have for potential inappropriateness.
Start re-wording your "about you" to sound more like a resume. Facebook has many excellent tools for doing this, including allowing you to list where you've worked, when you worked there, and with whom.
Join any appropriate networks, such as your local area network, your alumni network, your company network, etc.
If you really like applications, hide the ones that are less appropriate, and bring the ones like Causes to the forefront. If you simply must know what your stripper name would be, consider keeping the badge off your profile afterwards! Tip: Click on "applications" on your left side-bar, scroll down to the one you find questionable (or embarrassing, you Care Bear lover), click "edit settings" then "customize" and you can literally choose on a person by person basis who will be able to see that you have this.
Groups show where your passions and interests lie, and are therefore a key tool for revealing more about yourself.

Green-out your profile
Whether you are looking for a green career or simply would like to show off that particular aspect of yourself, we have some great suggestions for applications and groups you can join to go green on Facebook. Head over to part two of this article to explore the top 12 green boxes you're going to want.

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Students, their wallets, and Wal-Mart

Amanda Miller — 2008-04-08T18:00:00 00:00

Filed under: Fashion, Green on Campus

Many students unfortunately do not have extra cash floating around, except maybe from the bank by way of loans. Money can be a very limiting factor when it comes to 'going green.'

All too often, our purchasing options steer us towards less environmentally-sound options. As an example, let's consider underwear. While one might fully agree that certain fabrics like organic cotton are much healthier, both for the environment and for our bodies, we can't all afford $20 per pair or more.

Besides, it's not as though students are known for their stringent laundry schedules, so four to seven pairs at a minimum of $80 to $140 just isn't going to cut it.
This becomes especially apparent when looking for panties that are a little less like our grannies'; maybe we can't all import from that stylish eco-conscious online boutique in the UK.

At this point, we're perusing the shelves of large companies like Wal-Mart and La Senza or even Victoria's Secret, because comfort, style, and our wallets are putting on the pressure.

Now that Wal-Mart has begun purchasing organic cotton as well as transitional cotton from farmers in order to produce cheaply made organic cotton products, it's even more tempting to shop there.

Sure, they are encouraging farmers to make the switch, and even supporting them while they do by purchasing transitional cotton; many farmers previously would have opted out of changing their practices because their crops can take up to three years before they are certified as organic. This means up to three years of increased costs for them, without the ability to sell their crops for the price that certified organic cotton fetches. Does this compensate for their other, more questionable business practices?

Of course, if your wallet can only stretch so far, the injection of more environmentally friendly products into large chain stores is a positive. If you cannot afford to shop elsewhere, at least now they are offering more options, including locally grown produce, organic apparel, apparel made from recycled Coca-Cola bottles, and more.

Learn more about their Earth Month (April!) campaign or check out the new environmentally-friendly section of their website.

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Green dorm round-up: Getting organized

Amanda Miller — 2008-04-05T11:11:00 00:00

Filed under: Home, Tips, Green on Campus

Earth Day is near, and as temperatures are rising, many North Americans have caught the spring cleaning bug. Unfortunately for students, this time of the year is also the time for final exams.

Still, there's nothing like some fresh air, a clutter-free workspace, and a good night's sleep to do us all wonders. Why not take a break, open the windows, put on your favorite CD, and do a little organizing to help straighten out your thoughts and your personal environment?

Pass through the break for our top 5 tips to a greener, cleaner student life.

Mix up some cheap and effective cleansers and do a little dusting. You choose the scent; try something refreshing like eucalyptus or citrus, or calming such as lavender and chamomile.
Push out all of your worries by taking a time out to organize and deal with your finances. Check out our guide to going digital and reducing your clutter while easing your mind and saving on paper.
Bag or box up all of your empty pop and soda cans and hit the recycling bin. Take a walk to the campus store and find ways to drink your fill while reducing consumer waste.
Will you be moving after exams? Here are some handy resources for acquiring the stuff you need and passing on the stuff you don't.
Have you been throwing out items you could be using to keep your place clean and organized? Check out our tips for reusing household items.

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Earth Day: Five ways to celebrate on campus

Amanda Miller — 2008-04-05T10:00:00 00:00

Filed under: Green on Campus

On many campuses, Earth Day is more than a day, it's an event, although its proximity to exams is hardly desirable.

How will you be celebrating?

If you're low on ideas, we have got you covered, whether you are a partier or a dutiful scholar. There is, after all, no reason why you can't have environmentally clean fun on the day, even if you are stuck with your books.

Gallery: 5 Ways to Celebrate on Campus

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Clean your dorm with green

Amanda Miller — 2008-04-02T09:06:00 00:00

Filed under: Home, Green on Campus

We've all been told that vinegar mixtures do a fantastic cleaning job. So why do we keep buying Windex, Clorox, and other harsh chemical cleansers? Why are we paying through the teeth to do it?

Let's pretend that it's not the flashy advertising, or the sales, or store reward points that get us; let's just say we're all really lazy and don't want to mix up solutions every time we go to clean, let alone several for different surfaces. Besides, maybe I'd rather my dorm smell like cedar than vinegar.

What if mixing your own cleansers could be fun, and sport any aroma you choose? What if you could keep a cheap selection of cleansers in handy dandy devices like (free) spray bottles, and not half to worry about mixing just because you want to do a little dusting? Let's explore, shall we?

Ask your friends and family for their used milk jugs, water jugs and spray bottles. If toxic chemicals were previously stored in them, make sure you rinse thoroughly. If toxic chemicals are currently in them, take a pass.

Many of the recipes will also require liquid dish soap; I recommend something mild and fragrance-free, like Dove soaps or certain types of Dawn (you know the commercial with the duck covered in oil).

Next, you need to determine what your green room should smell like. For fun, you can mix your own scents, or stick with something classic. Remember that when handling essential oils, you should avoid contact with the skin until it has been properly diluted.

There are several mints, citrus scents, flowery aromas, wood/earthy scents, and more, including my personal favorite, tea tree. Experiment with different combinations, or take inspiration from your favorite scents used in your shampoos.

Now, for mixing!

All Purpose cleanser
In a spray bottle, mix 1/2 tsp of sodium carbonate (washing soda), a few drops of dish soap, and a drop or two of your choice of essential oils. Fill the rest of the bottle with hot water, and shake until dissolved. After application, simply wipe off.

Window/glass cleanser
In another spray bottle, combine 1/2 tsp or less of liquid soap with 3 tablespoons of vinegar, a drop or two of essential oils, and hot water. Shake, apply, and wipe off.

For more mixtures, check out Planet Green's list, including oven cleaner and furniture polish. Tip: Save on paper towels by turning old socks, boxer shorts, etc into rags and storing them in a pillow case.

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Quidditch: At a Muggle college near you

Amanda Miller — 2008-04-01T09:05:00 00:00

Filed under: Movies, TV and Books, News, Green on Campus, Fitness

Taken right from the pages of the Harry Potter books, Quidditch has become an actual intercollegiate sport, boasting a participation of 80 campuses, including Princeton, and growing. The above video shows the Muggle adaptation in action.

You'll be happy to note that Quidditch is a pretty green sport. Played outdoors, the main impact on the environment is lawn maintenance, which campuses provide regardless. Players use volleyballs and dodgeballs, and wear campus clothing, or their own clothes in college colors. The Seeker even utilizes a sock for purposes of being caught.

Of course, you can't help but notice those enchanting brooms. Alivan's, one of their suppliers, produces only high-quality, hand-made and inspected brooms, with solid hardwood handles from varying types of wood. They are not factory or mass-produced, and they are not made from plastics or resins.

Alivan's also has a viewpoint on play that is healthy for minds and the environment alike.

In this age of computer games, MP3 players and electronic toys, children are often mesmerized by glitz rather than ideas. An Alivan's wand offers a reminder of times when toys were made of wood and games were played by creating within our minds.

I would have to say this holds true not just for children, but for all of us in our high-tech world. Sometimes, it's a good idea to unplug, literally and figuratively.

For more about Quiddich on campuses, check out CBC's coverage of another game being played at Amherst College.

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Get your college books free

Amanda Miller — 2008-03-31T10:22:00 00:00

Filed under: Green Giving, Green on Campus

On the heels of Freecycle's success comes 2Swap, a new website dedicated to helping you pass your old books into loving hands, while receiving books of your choice for free.

Although its newness has not produced many text books, it would be a keen source for classics and modern literature, as well as providing for your guilty pleasure reading.

Simply create a free account and list some books you wouldn't mind sending out. For your first 10, you'll get three credits; that's three free books. Once you find one you want, just click "want it" and the owner will mail it to you at their expense, using a postage label you can print from the site.

In return for the postage, the owner receives a credit; in the end, you come out even, only ever having paid a dollar or two. There's nothing better than free books (well, assuming no one is giving out free beer).

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Turn your college bills green

Amanda Miller — 2008-03-30T14:00:00 00:00

Filed under: GreenFinance, Green on Campus

So you arrive at college and life's a party; until exams come and bills start rolling in. Well, I can't help you with your exams, but I can offer some advice for your bill situation.

It seems obvious that setting up all of your bills to be delivered online rather than on paper is the greener option, but do you really know how much of a positive impact you'd be making?

According to a recent study, if one American household converts all of their bills and statements (on average about 19 per month), as well as payments (7 per month on average) from paper to online, 24 square feet of forest would be saved each year.

Not sure where to start, or why you should go to the trouble, aside from the pretty trees? Let's explore how to set up web transactions and what benefits they will bring.

First and foremost, you probably receive statements for the following:

Statements of account balances for each of your accounts, including savings and checking, RRSPs, etc.
Statements for each of your loans or lines of credit.

How many bills you receive will vary of course, especially depending on whether you're living off-campus or in residence. Here are the most common headaches billed to students:

One bill for each credit card you hold.
One bill for phone service.
A bill for your cell phone.
You might have a bill for cable TV.
You almost certainly will have a bill for your Internet connection.
If you haven't set something up through your landlord, then expect heat and hydro bills also.
Any menial items, such as subscriptions to magazines or games, that for some reason you are not already handling online.
Car insurance bills.
Life insurance bills; many parents hand these off to their kids at, or after, college.
Car payments.
Health/health insurance bills.

Whew! All right. Hopefully you don't have that many companies billing you! On a side note, you might want to consider bundling some services, such as TV/phone/Internet.

Let's simplify, shall we?

First, check out your bank's website or head over to your local branch and opt for the "no paper option" for statements and billing. You'll need to sign up for online banking, but that's a five minute deal.

That should swipe out all statements, and #1: credit cards. I don't know about you, but the banks never seemed to keep anything to one page. I'd always receive epic essays each month asking for my $10 minimum payment, not to mention return envelopes and advertisements.

Next, start taking your bills in person to the bank to be paid. For each one, inform the teller that you would like it added to your online banking. In a month or so, you'll never have to handle a bill again!

Once these bills are all online, you can stop worrying that they'll get lost in your messy dorm room, that you'll have to take trips out of your way to the bank, or that things will get lost (or come late) in the mail. Plus, there will be less on your to-do list; just tape a post-it to kick your butt into logging on once in awhile!

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Reusing household items, college style

Amanda Miller — 2008-03-29T09:44:00 00:00

Filed under: Home, Tips, Green on Campus

People are always thinking up new ways to make use of old things, and when you're living in a dorm room with limited space, you're probably finding a handy side you never knew you had. Chris Connel shows us some tips for reusing in the home, and many can be translated to campus life.

Her first item is a great, stackable way to save your plastic bags for reuse. Of course, you might want to consider simply buying the reusable shopping bags, which are especially useful to carry books home from the bookstore at the beginning of the semester.

The second item is a method to liven up champagne bottles that have been open for a time. Hmmm, I wonder if it would work for beer?

As for her plant fertilizer, it would definitely be handy for those dorm-window pots of cheer, but I'm not sure how many college students would actually have Epsom salts on their shelves.

Her water wings tip is the most interesting to me. Raid your parents' boxes of stuff from when you or your siblings were water wing-age, or hit up a yard sale. With the amount of packing and moving around you do while in college, this is a great way to protect your stuff while sparing the landfills of water wing plastic.

The last two items could also be useful. If you're a home-sewer or you would rather patch up your clothes than throw them away, a little hairspray might not be such a bad idea. Although, you could probably get away with dipping your finger into a pot of hair molding putty for the same effect, and spare the air. Last but not least, everyone hoards wrapping supplies do we not? Any method of reviving them for reuse is great in my books.

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Style your dorm second-hand

Amanda Miller — 2008-03-25T15:02:00 00:00

Filed under: Tips, Green on Campus

It is a well-known fact that many college students are strapped for cash, but there is a greener reason to furnish your dorm room with used stuff. Any time you are preventing usable items from ending up in a landfill, you're doing your part for the environment. If you can buy from a charity, more power to you!

Your first stop should be the garages and basements of family and friends. Chances are, you'll be able to acquire quite a bit of what you need for free this way. Of course, flea markets, garage sales, Goodwill, and the Salvation Army are also great ways to find useful or unique furnishings and decorations.

Is your dorm still lacking in personality and functionality?

There are several online sources for used and second-hand items that will help you make your room your own. Whether you want a vintage, retro or modern feel, they will have you covered.

The obvious and perhaps largest source of used items is e-Bay. Not everything in auction is second-hand though. Much of it is purchased new, or hand-made by the seller. Make sure you know what it is you're buying. For bonus good karma, try to bid on items for charities at e-Bay's Giving Works.
Another great source is Craigslist, although you might find some holes if you don't live in a major city.
Similar to Craigslist is Kijiji. I like to check both, because I live in a small town and the availability of items on either one is not always as high as I'd like.
One of my favorites is Freecycle. Not only have I found that even my small town has a strong group going, but you can get, or unload, things for free.
Finally, check around campus. You'll find posters made by seniors who are graduating and looking to liquidate, and you may even find a campus group similar to Freecycle. My campus had a t-shirt exchange program for used clothing.

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