Would you drink milk from a bag? If you live Eastern Canada (and you're not lactose intolerant), you've probably been drinking bagged milk for decades. You may even think it's normal ... but it's not.

However, that doesn't mean that bagged milk shouldn't be more widespread. The bag o' milk phenomenon isn't limited to Canada by any means. South Africans, Hungarians, Argentinians and the Chinese all embrace the bag; and the UK is currently following suit. Are these nations blazing the eco-packaging trail, or simply clinging to a backwards milk-drinking tradition?

One of my resolutions is to be more sustainable in 2010 by making more meals at home. And while it's great that I'll be disposing of fewer take out containers, grocery shopping has a few challenges, too.

Namely, in these tight economic times, when is it worth shelling out for the organic stuff? Is "all natural" good enough, and does it really make a difference if the chicken got to play outdoors before it became dinner?

Actually it's easier than you might think to make good choices at the supermarket -- plus there's are even a few iPhone apps to help!

This New Year's Eve, the world famous dropping ball (I'll do my best not to make puberty jokes) in Times Square will be powered by people who can't afford a gym membership ... as well as a few celebrities who stopped by for a photo-op.

That's because, according to our friends at Holidash, Duracell has set up a fleet of six fancy stationary bikes (dubbed "power rovers") that feed their pedal-powered electricity directly into the giant copper-tops that will illuminate up the iconic 2010 numerals at the stroke of midnight.

Anyone who wants to donate a few extra calories is welcome to drop by the Smart Power Lab, located at 1540 Broadway from now until 3PM on New Year's Eve. Think of it as a free spin class.

The annual December consumption-fest is wrapping up. The presents have been exchanged, left-overs eaten until we can't look at another ham sandwich or slice of cheesecake, and who can face the mall? Even if they were giving gold away for free! Yes, 2009 is wheezing to a close.

That means it's time to pull out your list of New Year's Resolutions!

Everyone makes "get healthy, save money" vows, but going greener can help you accomplish both of those goals, plus help save the Earth. Everyone wins! Try one, or all of these:

How's that last-minute holiday gift list going?There's still time to make a sustainable food-preferring person on your list happy this holiday season!

From food baskets to books or movies or even a live ewe, there are loads of creative and delicious choices that will surprise, delight and stimulate.

Consider something that will appeal to his or her intellect:

This year the Dread Swine Flu has even the most chemical-aversive of us displaying big pump-topped bottles of hand sanitizer on our desks and stashing mini bottles of it in our bags and pockets. I even have a new routine at the gym that involves swinging by the hand sanitizer dispenser multiple times during my workout. And again when I'm done!

This renewed love for water-free germ killers doesn't change the fear that many of us have about what the heck is actually in them? Are they dangerous to use on kids? Do they really contribute to the growth of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and viruses? And what about production processes? Good or bad for the environment?

Before you get into an H1N1 prevention-fueled tizzy (like I almost did), check out the Best Hand Sanitizer list from the Good Guide.

When you're a kid, Halloween is your chance to get a ton of candy, for free, which you then eat until you get sick. And when you're an adult, it's a reason to buy all the candy you'd normally never let in the house ... which you then eat until you get sick.

Here's the truly scary part: it's not just overeating that makes you sick, it's the stuff in most commercially produced candy bars that will make you turn green, even if you're only reading the label!

I was checking out Fitsugar, and was reminded that most candy contains high fructose corn syrup and food coloring. Bad, but if you're only indulging once or twice a year, not going to kill you. But then there are the hydrogenated oils, which are so bad they even cause miscarriages!

Okay, girls/women/wymyn, it's time to have a candid talk. Yeah, we've discussed this topic before, but my dear friend, and GreenDaily assistant editor, Kristen Seymour, sent me a link and now I can't stop asking myself: could I knit -- and use -- a reusable tampon?

There are plenty of reasons to avoid the ubiquitous "petal soft" plastic applicator Tampax. Let's start with health issues like toxic shock syndrome, not to mention whatever side-effects are caused by the chemicals used to bleach the cotton. Plus there's the issue of waste created by "feminine products" -- even those applicator-free o.b. tampons.

We all want to reduce our impact on the planet. Or at least we say we do. But are you really ready?

We've all done it. In a weak moment at Walgreens, or maybe at the gym, you see the appealingly slender bottle of SmartWater, with all of those magical electrolytes that you've been conditioned to believe will make you stronger, thinner and (yes) smarter. Your good tap water intentions fly out the window and before you know it you're locking lips with Jennifer Aniston -- metaphorically speaking, of course.

Remember to stay strong! Don't give in to the lure of Jen's sunkissed smile and promises of Hollywood glamour!

It's easy to find information to help you strengthen your tap water drinking resolve. Our clever friends over at Fit Sugar have a great list of the reasons to pick tap water over bottled water, many of which are echoed by ingenious folks at Tappening:

(Photo by Daniel Berehulak, Getty Images)

I know I'm a little late to the No 'Poo Party, but I love -- no really, love -- hair product and styles and rituals. I'm a loyal salon customer, and my bathroom looks like a beauty supply store. So the thought of completely giving up shampoo puts an icy shard of fear in my heart.

Instead of indulging in the rich lather and floral fragrance of store bought shampoo, people are "cleaning" their hair with baking soda. And "conditioning" with apple vinegar. Please say it isn't so!

But loads of people are doing it, and not just the ugly hemp-ghetto girls and dirty hippies. To my amazement, the No 'Poo movement was started by Lorraine Massey, a stylist. The blasphemy! She swears that swearing off shampoo is what helped her curls become the envy of the hair world, and inspired her to write the best-selling Curly Girl, a guide to managing your waves and ringlets.

Every day it seems like another new all-natural and organic brand hits the market. It's hard, and kind of a hassle, to try to track down the story and to verify that all of these products really are made with TLC ... and not BPA!

It used to be that you could take a stroll or bike ride down to the local food co-op and chat with the folks behind the counter to get scoop on all the products sold there. Often you could even meet the producers or farmers, because practically everything was sourced locally.

For better or worse, times have changed and we have literally the entire world at our finger tips. And soon we will have a resource that blends that co-op feeling with the convenience and choice of the internet. Abe's Market is a new online marketplace where you can shop for all-natural beauty, food, kids' stuff, and home and garden goods, plus participate in a community to exchange information and tips. It's sort of like the co-op with the bulletin board except you can go there at 3 a.m. if you feel like it, and have it all delivered to you.

(Photo by Adwriter on Flickr)

Last Thursday I was grocery shopping with a friend. Produce is amazing this time of year and I couldn't resist grabbing a couple of fragrant, juicy peaches.

"What are you doing?" she asked me, horrified. "Those aren't organic!"

I looked at her blankly.

"The dirty dozen? Thin skinned fruit? Pesticides?" she prompted, which jolted my memory. Reluctantly I put down the filthy fruit, and went in search of the clean(er) organic version.

With so many other things to remember, I honestly don't feel bad that I forgot about the dirty dozen. But it did make me think about ways to make it easier to remember them.

(Photo by Getty Images)

In the end, it always comes back to poop, doesn't it? I was catching up, scrolling through my "green news" feeds, and there they were, one after another, on Huffington Post, Reuters, and the Lazy Environmentalist: stories about eco-friendly toilets.

The green issue, i.e. the least green thing about toilets, and therefore poop, is water. It takes a lot of water to wash away each person's daily "production." And in a world where fresh water is in increasingly high demand ... at some point the discussion becomes, "Do we prioritize drinking water or toilet water?"

But we green folk are nothing if not inventive, so of course there are solutions. For ages, one of my favorite eco-home-porn items has been a grey water toilet. The concept is simple enough: you collect the water from showers, face-washing and tooth-brushing and use it to flush toilets instead of valuable drinking water. Two people using a grey water system can save as much as 14 gallons of water per day!

(Photo by Dr. Hauschka)

One of the most fun parts about beauty blogging is getting to try all kinds of neat stuff I wouldn't otherwise hear about. And since all-natural products are one of the fastest growing markets these days, I've been trying a ton of eco-friendly, body-friendly, and gorgeous-making treats lately! Here are a few of my current favorites:

Dr. Hauschka Lemon Lemongrass Oil
I am totally obsessed with this body oil, which is purported to "reduce the appearance of cellulite." I can tell you that it made my bumpy upper arms smoother than I ever thought possible, and it smells like a sunny day on a citrus farm. My only complaint is that the bottle is too small -- I whizzed through it in less than three weeks, and at $28.95, it could get to be an expensive, but worthwhile, habit to maintain. It's no wonder Dr. Hauschka is "swamped with demand" for their products!

Decléor Aromessence™ Neroli
Another oil I am really into lately is this face serum from French spa brand Decléor. The subtly sweet/bitter scent is a blend of neroli, sandalwood, petitgrain, sage, parsley and juniper berry essential oils, which leaves your skin glowing, and your mind calm. At first I was worried about using oil on my face, but you just use a dab at a time, and the results speak for themselves. It's $68 for a .05 oz bottle, but believe me, you use it much more slowly than the Dr. Hauschka body oil!

(Photo by Target)

Okay, so I get that we shouldn't use leather, because it's (theoretically) cruel to kill animals for fashion, and the tanning and dying process is (definitely) an environmental nightmare that produces evil, poisonous sludge.

A fashionable girl can still turn to fun (and bonus: inexpensive) vinyl options from trendy bargain retailers like Target and H&M. No animals hurt here! Except, wait, the production of vinyl is sort of nasty. But did I mention, no animals hurt? Vegan? Please, can't I at least have a leather looking bag?

Apparently the answer is "No." A news alert from the Center for Environmental Health just released results from a study that found vinyl bags bought in the Bay Area have high -- dangerously high -- levels of lead in them. Great! That's where I live, and I'm carrying a fabulous H&M vinyl bag right now. Except I just dropped it like a radiation-hot potato.