Green Daily

(Photo by Getty Images)

June is the wedding month, and my family is taking it to heart! My brother, sister and cousin are all planning weddings, so lately every family get-together has turned into an advanced bridal idea exchange.

A lot has changed since I got married seven years ago. People are much more open to the idea of eco-friendly options, like email save the dates and using recycled paper (or the kind with wildflower seeds that you can plant) for invitations.

Over at Yum Sugar, Gail Simmons from Top Chef shared her favorite eco-friendly wedding tips, like skipping all of the extra envelopes in the invitation, giving out eco-friendly reusable shopping bags as favors, and sending the floral centerpieces home with guests.

It might sound crazy, but lately I've been really enjoying commercials. Yes, those (usually) annoying ads that interrupt a perfectly interesting show about lawyers or dancers or ER doctors. But instead of scowling or taking a bathroom break, I've been watching with fascination as mainstream companies finally jump on the recycled, sustainable, compostable bandwagon. Happy Days are here!

Reynolds Wrap has a new 100% recycled foil available, in regular and heavy weights. The foil is made of pre- and post-consumer aluminum, the boxes are made from 100% recovered paper and printed with water-based inks. According to the site, this recycled product takes 80% less energy to make than when they use virgin materials. And it produces fewer emissions and reduces landfill waste.

And now Ziploc has a new line of sandwich and storage bags made with 25% less plastic than regular Ziploc bags, and work exactly the same way. The "evolve" bag is made from a new resin blend, and manufactured using at least 50% renewable wind energy. Packaging is 100% recycled paperboard carton with a minimum of 35% post-consumer content.

You might feel like you couldn't possibly live without air conditioning. I know the feeling -- I just worked up a serious sweat walking out to get the mail. However, running the a.c. at full blast isn't exactly the most energy efficient way to live, is it?

There are lots of ways to chill out without cranking up the air. Check out the video above for some simple tips that might surprise you (like eating spicy foods -- who knew that cooled you down?), and then be sure to weigh in with a comment telling us about your favorite way to cool down when the mercury starts rising.

Parents can get pretty intense when it comes to picking the most natural, safe, and beneficial products to use on or have around their newborns. And rightly so, although this puts a lot of pressure on people picking baby gifts -- you don't want to be the bad friend who put the vulnerable little angle in any danger!

Just like with products for adults, in the past five years it's gotten easier to find high quality organic baby products that are also stylish.

One great source for organic, all natural baby gifts is peek a green. This site was started by a mom who was hunting for safe and eco-friendly baby gifts. She packaged her finds into collections, like bamboo, newborn essentials and safe $10 gifts. She also has them categorized by activity, price, and age.

(Photo by Getty Images)

The days are getting longer and school is almost out. That means it's time to make summer vacation plans!

After a few seasons of "staycations," many people are craving a break from their everyday life -- we want a little adventure! By the same token, the economy is still shaky, and the spirit of giving back is still a strong influence on all of our decisions.

How does a conservation-minded person reconcile all of these feelings and motivations?

One answer is to take advantage of the World Wildlife Fund vacation packages that promote conservation while taking travelers to remote sites in a sustainably-managed way. The programs offered include:

• a trip to the Arctic to see polar bears, who might be gone soon and need all the support they can get
• a voyage to Kenya's Masai Mara Reserve to help improve the water and ensure conservation of natural resources
• visit remote islands in New Zealand and help prevent the bycatch of dolphins
• a family vacation to Belize to help conserve the Mesoamerican reef, which you even get to visit on a snorkel excursion!

The International Eco-Tourism Society offers even more choices of location, beneficiary and location, as well as tips and educational tools. The site even has a brand new eco-tourism job board, in case the thought of going home fills you with dread.

If your budget is still a bit tight for international any travel, there's always a day at your local zoo. It may not be as exotic as Kenya or Belize, but it can still be educational, entertaining, and in a way you're supporting conservation efforts. And if you're very clever about how you take pictures, you might even be able to convince the gang back at the office that you were in a truly wild place!

(Photo by Getty Images)

I know you're busy, and I don't want to add to anyone's daily burden of stuff to do, but if you're a pet owner, it's important to ask: Have you considered your pet's Carbon Paw Print?

Yes, I'm serious, but no, it doesn't have to be a difficult, expensive, or painful process to make your pet as green as you are! In fact, it might even make your life better.

No Need to Breed
There are a few simple things you can do from the start: always adopt, and remember to spay or neuter your pet. With so many more animals than homes, these two steps are the most sustainable and responsible things a pet owner can do.

Take to Your Kitchen
The next most practical and simple thing you can do is make your own pet food. There are some great dog food recipes here, and cat food recipes here. You may balk at the hassle-factor, but you must admit it makes sense. Just like with human food, you avoid unnecessary processing, you know exactly what's in it, and you can buy ingredients in bulk to save money in the long run.

Green the Poop
And then there is the poop factor.

For dogs, you need to deal with picking it up. A plastic bag takes forever to decompose. A plastic bag full of poop takes forever to compose, and smells that much worse. Use a biodegradeable or compostable bag, like the Mutt Mitt or the BioBags made from corn. Or you can use some of that cool TerraCycle All Natural Stool Destroyer!

I also learned lately that traditional clay cat litter is terrible on every level, so a green cat lover looks at alternatives there, too. You can use newspaper, or you can cut to the chase and get The World's Best Cat Litter, made of corn.

When a Toy Isn't a Game
The final thing to think about? Toys. Chew toys, chasing toys, that feather on the end of a string that drives Mr. Whiskers out of his mind. Before you buy, consider how and where they are made. Would you personally chew on a squeekie toy made in China? If not, maybe you should be buying your sweet puppy a nice hemp rope toy instead.

Of course, I firmly believe that Catnip is the greenest cat toy solution, and btw should be legalized asap. Hey man, it's a plant. It's natural. And I'm pretty sure Woody Harrelson's cat totally agrees with me.

Do you have a genius green pet owner tip? Drop it in the comments -- this is an equal opportunity poop problem solving community!

(Photo by 7th Generation)

I wish I could say that I'm clueless about why The Recycled Toilet Paper Debate keeps coming up, but let's face it -- we've had the "Eco-sandpaper Experience." Butts are tender and recycled paper can be rough!

Compounding the difficulty of finding a recycled TP solution is the challenge of finding a brand that meets the whole family's demands for softness, absorbency and cost, while being made with an environmentally-correct amount of post-consumer waste.

So why bother? There are plenty of compelling reasons for using recycled bathroom tissue. As the Natural Resources Defense Council says:

"If every household in the United States replaced just one roll of virgin fiber toilet paper (500 sheets) with 100% recycled ones, we could save 423,900 trees."

Just to do the math for you, when we cut down trees, we end up with more CO2 in the air, which equals climate change and melting polar caps and general mayhem. We need all the trees we can get.

At last it seems like technology is catching up with need. Recycled product choices have multiplied, and there are many recycled offerings that are both quilted and soft. Of course, the proof is in the wiping, so if you want to do your own comparison, take a look at:

• Seventh Generation -- 100% recycled, 80% post-consumer, quilted and surprisingly soft
• Trader Joe's -- 100% recycled, 80% post-consumer, and love that jumbo pack!
• Marcal Small Steps -- 100% recycled, minimum 60% post-consumer, 50 years of experience making recycled paper
• Scott Naturals -- 40% virgin fiber isn't great, but is better than 100% virgin fiber and you gotta start somewhere!
  

Got a bathroom favorite not on the list? Share in the comments!

(Photo by Richard Termine)

As Josh mentioned earlier this week, First Lady Michelle Obama has finally made the big time: she did a PSA for Sesame Street! She and Elmo star in the spot, which promotes the benefits of a healthy diet and exercise.

We know that Michelle is big into gardening, which helps you get both, so in her honor here are some tips for starting your own garden in your backyard.

Step One -- Pick Your Spot
Plants needs sun, space, water and dirt. You'll also want a spot that is safe from rabbits, deer, and light-fingered neighbors who crave fresh strawberries or zucchini.

Step Two -- Make a Plan
The experts at BackyardGardener are very clear about this: for a successful garden you need to figure out what you're going to do before you do it, and then you need to stick to your plan. This includes drawing a scale plan of your garden, deciding what you want to grow, and planning for different growing season so that your garden yields as many carrots, tomatoes and beans as possible.

Step Three -- Figure Out Your Soil
Knowing your soil will tell you which plants will do best in your garden, and what fertilizers you need to balance out any acidity or alkalinity, or to compensate for a lack of nutrients. There are ways to test at home, or you can send a sample to a lab and have it done for you.

Step Four -- Get Some Tools
I have to admit, this is my favorite part -- shopping! Your individual needs will depend on your preferences -- do you care if your shoes get muddy, or do you want gardening clogs? Is it more fun to get on your hands and knees and dig, or is it better to have a long pole between you and any odd mushrooms?

Whatever your preferences, some of the basics you'll want to pick up at Target or order from Gardeners.com include:

• sun hat
• gloves
• trowel or rake
• bucket
• watering can
• one of those cool kneeling things
• shovel
• bucket

Step Five - Pick Quality Seeds (Or Just Buy Some Plants)
If your seeds are duds, no amount of water, fertilizer or prayers to the Gods of Green Things will makes your garden grow. Purchase seeds from somewhere well-known to you, like your local organic co-op, or go to a big store like Home Depot where the high volume of shoppers means the inventory is probably fresh. There are also many well-known online seed sellers, like Burpee. Just remember, this is no time to pick up a deal at a garage sale down the street!

If the seeds thing is stressful, skip this step and buy seedlings, which are plants that have been started for you.

Step Six - Water and Weed
A lot of gardening is about hanging around, making sure everything is neat and orderly (weeding) and getting enough water. Some folks consider this to be the best part: A reason to spend time outdoors, getting a little (but not too much, that's why you bought a hat) sun and fresh air.

Step Seven -- Harvest and Share!
If you've done everything right, after a reasonable period time your plants should bear fruit -- or vegetables or flowers, depending on what you planted! Imagine your pride when you sit down to a big meal and savor food you grew yourself. And it's always a treat to visit a gardener and leave with a big bag full of produce, so enjoy the chance to be generous, even to those light-fingered neighbors. They'll probably appreciate it the most!

Of course there's a bit more to it than what I've outlined here, but remember that gardening is a fun, easy and rewarding way to spend time with your family, or as a time out from the hustle of everyday life. Check out some of these helpful online resources for more information:

• BackyardGardener
• How to Grow A Garden
• The Helpful Gardner
• Weekend Gardener
• How To Grow a Vegetable Garden by Cynthia Rice
• How to Grow a Low-Maintenance Garden by C. Colston Burrell

Photo caption: First Lady Michelle Obama visited Sesame Street, Tuesday, May 5th, to tape a Public Service Announcement with Elmo as part of Sesame Workshop's Healthy Habits For Life initiative. Mrs. Obama and her pal Elmo talked about eating right, exercising regularly and being a healthy and positive role model for children. (c) 2009 Sesame Workshop. All Rights Reserved.

We have a winner of the Terracycle natural and nontoxic pet products kit. Winner Matt will have a fresh and clean home, a healthy and happy pet, and be environmentally responsible with this great basket of cleaning products:

• Yard Odor Remover
• Stain & Odor Remover
• Trash Can Protector Spray
• Skunk Odor Remover -- the pet equivalent of a fire extinguisher – hopefully you never have to use it!
• Bird Feeder
  

Matt shared this funniest pet clean up incident:

The worst has to be when you forget to bring a bag (we're city dwellers in a land of militant poop police!) and struggle to find ANYTHING to collect and cart away the "business"... leaves are ideal and even a luxury! Too often you're in a distinctly public place where you'll be scorned or ticketed for moving more than 5 feet - even if you're trying to find something to fashion into a waste collector! I once had to wad together about 20 register receipts from my wallet to pick up some nasty stuff! Walking it to the nearest trash can was even worse (add to it a dog who had seen a cat at this point and was pulling the leash all over the place!) - but for my best friend it was worth it!

It sounds like Matt's dog is lucky to have such a great buddy looking out for him!

(Photo by BethelWY on etsy)

Are you in on the plarn bag phenomenon?

First, how fun is it to say "plarn"? For anyone uninitiated out there, it's yarn made of out plastic bags, and the newest ecool material.

Seriously, how ecool is it that crafty, DIY folk are taking yucky plastic bags and transforming them into something so groovy? It's the very pinnacle of upcycling-chic.

Sure, reusing is good, but a plastic bag gets torn easily, plus it's rare to find one that's pretty. And those handles might as well have tiny razors built into them, they're such hand cutters! But thanks to a bunch of smart, creative people out there, it's relatively easy to take those plastic bags and turn them fashionable, functional and fun tote bags -- all of the directions are online, and anyone can do it!

Seriously, it's easy, even if a trip to Michael's Crafts doesn't make you tingle all over.

First, you need raw materials: the plastic bags. In San Francisco, and like-minded cities, that's actually getting a bit difficult because grocery stores aren't allowed to use them anymore. Fortunately, there's still the protective blue plastic bag from the New York Times, and any number of pink bags from the "variety" stores and bakeries in Chinatown. Color is key, as is weight and texture. Remember, what you put in is what you get out -- if all of your bags are dingy grey, the final product will be dingy grey!

Once you've amassed and sorted your bags, it's time to turn them into plarn. Rather than try to explain this simple but amazing process, I encourage you to check out this excellent "how to make plarn" video tutorial from Lemonade Mama. She also has a very cute finished bag on her site.

I was also blown away this bag by by Holli Friedland from the Baltimore Knitting Examiner. She has amazingly detailed directions, perfect for you smarty knitting types.

For crocheters, here's another bag and pattern, from My Recycled Bags.

If none of these bags are quite your style, or you want one but seriously just don't do crafts, go to etsy and search "plarn." You will find dozens of fun bags, all of them creative, affordable and gentle on the planet.

(Photo by Getty Images)

If your home is your castle, then it stands to reason that you have the ability to designate your backyard as a special safe zone for wildlife. And the National Wildlife Federation will even help you make it "official"!

For a mere $15 application fee, you can get a certificate that confirms your garden is a "NWF Certified Wildlife Habitat™"

Okay, it's a little more involved than just paying a fee, but not much. And if you already have wildlife visitors -- deer, bunnies, foxes, squirrels or birds -- your yard probably already boasts many of the elements required for certification:

• Food Sources: native plants that bear fruits, berries or seeds
• Water Sources: like a birdbath or pond
• Places for Cover: this can be a man-made birdhouse or particularly dense shrubbery
• Places to Raise Young: more shrubbery, or a pond
• Sustainable Gardening: yes, your compost pile counts!
  

In addition to the official looking certificate -- which is personalized, so it's perfect for framing -- you also become a member of the National Wildlife Federation, with a one-year subscription to the magazine and the quarterly e-newsletter. Plus your name gets listed in the National Wildlife Federation's registry of certified habitats. That's public acclaim!

You can even order a sign to post in your yard once it's been certified. Maybe squirrels can't read, but your neighbors can. They will be impressed, and maybe even motivated to certify their yards. You could trigger a bonanza of wildlife havens!

If you're ready to take your love of wildlife to the next level, visit the online application on the National Wildlife Federation website and get started!

(Photo by The Sak)

One of the many ways we celebrated Earth Day here at GreenDaily was with a fantastic combination giveaway:

• The Sak Eco Harmony Dip Drawstring Bag -- made of 100% Bamboo and Recycled Cotton in hot caynne red
• The Unity Collection from Altru -- a collection of Altru home frangrance items, in the sensual Unity flavor
• Physicians Formula Organic wear® 100% Natural Origin Makeup-- a full collection of this new and incredible line of natural makeup!

There were loads of entries, but we could only pick one winner, Angie, who shared these Earth Day plans:

I have actually already started celebrating Earth Day! On Sunday, I attended Columbus, Ohio's Earth Day Celebration in Goodale Park by visiting all the many information tents and enjoying a vegan hot dog. Tomorrow, my hubby and I (he is taking the day off from work) are going to start the foundations of our new organic vegetable garden! I can't wait!

We hope she looks and feels awesome while working in her new garden and enjoying her eco-friendly prizes!

(Photo by Getty Images)

I have a "big" birthday coming up soon, so lately I've been thinking about parties. Gone are the days of buying loads of paper plates and matching plastic forks. No more throw away decorations, or gag gifts, and don't even think about mylar balloons!

All that doesn't mean we can't have fun festivities. We just have to be more thoughtful ...

Invitations
I love paper, but electronic invitations are the way to go. It's faster, easier for people to reply and you know it's less wasteful. Email or Evites!

Themes and Gifts
From kids to adults, more people are having a theme party to raise money for a beloved cause. Guests are asked to donate to a specific organization rather than bring a gift. It might raise traditional etiquette eyebrows, but imagine how good you'll feel saving the rainforests while dancing the Samba and drinking celebratory caipirnhas, or funding cancer research while enjoying pink grapefruit sorbet and rocking out to Pink?

Check out Echoage, an online service for kids parties that lets you organize the entire thing -- from invitations to donation -- online.

Cakes and Party Food
Food can be a great way to bring your theme to life. As always, pick food that is in season, grown locally and of course organic. Rather than buying a lot of packaged "party" foods, like chips and candies, roast up some spiced nuts (bought in bulk), or make your own sweet potato chips. How about a cake with edible flowers?

And remember, you can reuse those beeswax birthday candles!

Servingware
No, you can't buy that jumbo pack of plastic sporks at Costco. But that doesn't mean you'll have to do dishes for two days after your event.

Stalk Market plates are made of sugar cane, and are surprisingly sturdy. Even better, you can recycle or compost them. Pair them up with utensils made of corn or other vegetable starch, which are also compostable. Also compostable are cold cups made from corn -- especially good if your tipsy guests can't be trusted with the good crystal!

This way you can sweep leftovers, plates and utensils into a paper bag, and dump it all in your composting bin. When you clean up, you'll be helping your garden grow!

Decorations
What's a party without decorations? Before you hit the party superstore, check out Green Party Goods, an online party store with neat eco-friendly decorating options like garlands made of muslin flowers or biodegradeable paper butterflies.

Before you set up vases of cut flowers, consider festive potted plants, or arrangements of fruit. A bright bowl of oranges and limes smells as great as it looks, and you can always use them to garnish drinks!

And believe it or not, latex balloons are actually biodegradable and fairly earth-friendly. So you can have your balloon bouquet and still be green!

(Photo by The Sak)

We have an eco-tastic double giveaway for you this week, in honor of Earth Day. The prize pack includes an amazing eco-friendly bag from the Sak, filled with amazing natural treats for your home from Altru, and gorgeous organic goodies for you from Physicians Formula. Check it out:

• The Sak Eco Harmony Dip Drawstring Bag -- made of 100% Bamboo and Recycled Cotton in hot caynne red
• The Unity Collection from Altru -- a collection of Altru home frangrance items, in the sensual Unity flavor
• Physicians Formula Organic wear® 100% Natural Origin Makeup-- a full collection of this new and incredible line of natural makeup!

And best of all, we're giving away another whole set of these prizes at sister site, StyleList! So when you're done entering here, go and enter there, too, for a second chance to win.

To enter, visit the original post before 5pm EST today and tell us how you celebrated Earth Day. It's that easy!

In honor of Earth Day, we have a truly eco-fantastic giveaway this week. It's an amazing eco-friendly bag from the Sak, filled with amazing natural treats for your home from Altru, and gorgeous organic goodies for you from Physicians Formula. Everything in the prize is earth-friendly!

(Photo by The Sak)

The Sak Eco Harmony Dip Drawstring Bag -- You'll love the look of this fabulous and fashionable bag, which is made of 100% Bamboo and Recycled Cotton. As always, you can count on the functional SAK interior, with two pockets and a zippered pocket. It also has some eco-cool bling: a hand carved and painted mandala made of sono-wood, a sustainable wood from Indonesia, attached with traditional Indonesian prayer beads.

The Unity Collection from Altru -- Make your home an oasis with this collection of Altru home frangrance items, in the sensual Unity flavor, a combination of burmese woods and honey. The collection includes a soy blend wax candle in hammered copper, interior fragrance oil with diffusing reeds, and rich exotic incense sticks.

Altru, which was created by Manuela Testolini, is commited to social responsibility through it's support of Perfect World, a non-profit organization that she also created, to help children become "compassionate, socially conscious and responsible leaders."

(Photo by Altru)

Physicians Formula Organic wear® 100% Natural Origin Makeup -- this is an incredible line of natural makeup available at drugstore prices. It's 100% free of harsh chemicals, synthetic preservatives or parabens, comes in eco-conscious packaging, and contains 100% certified organic ingredients. The prize includes a huge set of Organic wear® products, including the yummy Superfruit lipgloss and the mascara with the green leaf applicactor that everyone is talking about!

And even better? We're giving away another whole set of these prizes at sister site, StyleList! So when you're done entering here, you can go and enter there, too, for a second chance to win.

Are you ready to celebrate Earth Day with all of this schwag? Then let's get this giveaway rolling!