My sister and my sister-in-law are both having babies this spring, so the baby shower activity is in high gear around here. Naturally, I want to keep it all as green as possible, without pushing too many of my eco-beliefs on the girls.

Who am I kidding? I totally preach the green gospel, but that's what big sisters are for!

From the shower to the gifts, there are lots of ways to help a new baby -- and a mom-to-be -- get off to a healthy, happy and earth-friendly start.

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?

Finding natural and eco-friendly makeup is a priority for many of us grownups. Well, it's even more important for kids!

Who puts makeup on kids, you ask? Indulgent Aunties, like me, who always have a bag full of lipsticks and the willingness to face down stern parents who frown on six-year-olds wearing heavy blue eyeshadow.

It's no secret that I love makeup -- I'm crazy for all beauty items. And I really do doll up my nieces, so I was excited to see the Lil Sugar round up of five all-natural beauty products made especially for kids.

It's frustrating to know that the very products we use to get clean are often filled with unnatural ingredients, but that doesn't have to be the case. Seed, a fairly new company, has captured the nourishing benefits found in the grape seed in a few bath products. Oh, and they're offering these products for around just $20!

Seed offers three different items, each available scented or unscented. All products are paraben free, phthalate free and made with no synthetic preservatives, no petrochemicals, no artificial colors and no animal ingredients, plus, they're not tested on animals.

They rank high in sustainability, too -- the seeds used are actually a by-product of the wine-making process, and they opted for a solid shampoo bar in order to use less water. In addition to making all products in the United States, they also use recyclable and biodegradable packaging when at all possible.

There are some super-organized people out there who already have their holiday gift lists prepared and half-bought. For the rest of you (and by you I mean "us"), take a deep breath and relax: there are loads of great, green and affordable gifts out there!

One easy and always well-received present is the beauty gift set. With so many new green and eco-friendly beauty products on the market, there's always a fresh product to try out. Also, some of these lines are pricey, so gift sets let you sample without breaking the bank, plus the travel sizes let you experiment without committing to a product that could go to waste if it's not right.

You'll find some of the best product ranges and prices on the internet. Natural and organic beauty care site Beautorium carries well-loved green brands, like Dr. Hauschka, Pangea, and Juice Beauty. Some of their best gift sets include:

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?

Something I've been meaning to do for a while is clear out my makeup drawer. Magazines and beauty experts always tell you to replace your mascara frequently, and I have far too many odd-tasting, waxy lipsticks that will never see the light of day again.

Here's the thing: most of those makeup cases are made of weird, unrecyclable plastic. So even though there are increasing numbers of great companies, like Physicians Formula, who offer compostable packaging, clearing out the your old makeup can result in a wastebasket full of random plastic compacts, lipstick tubes and eye shadow palettes headed straight to the landfill.

And here's the solution: in this month's Self Magazine I saw an ad for the Return to Origins Recycling Program. They will actually accept your old makeup containers, and take care of recycling them responsibly, or sending them to an energy recovery facility, where they can be incinerated in a furnace with strictly controlled emissions. They'll take any brand, not just their stuff!

You may have noticed palm oil in the news recently.

Confectionery giant Cadbury bowed to pressure in New Zealand -- including a boycott of their products at the Auckland Zoo -- and reverted to the recipe of their Dairy Milk bar that contains cocoa butter instead of palm oil. Last week LUSH Cosmetics announced that they will no longer use palm oil because of environmental concerns.

Why all the hubbub? For those of you unfamiliar with The Palm Oil Problem, let me share the basics.

(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 e.l.f. cosmetics)

Just catching up on my Greeading* after a week away from the "office" and SheFind's post Vegan Makeup That's Friendlier To Animals Than Hayden Panettiere caught my eye for a couple of reasons, including the fear that a dolphin had attacked her. Because that's what they do (sometimes) and also what mammal could resist Miss Panettiere?

But no, the post was about vegan makeup, which is also really fun. SheFinds reviewed four vegan brands, including one of my green favorites, von Natur. This line is amazing because it's a) totally organic, b) vegan, c) has kick-ass colors, plus d) the lipgloss has this addictive minty goodness that's hard to explain, but you want to experience it, believe me.

Also on the list was Urban Decay's 24/7 Glide on Eye Pencil, which I adore, and had no idea was vegan. Again, fantastic colors, and cruelty-free.

(Photo by Beautorium.com)

Reader Mary G. commented on last week's All Natural Beauty Round-up post, asking how to tell when a "natural" product was really natural, especially since so many of them have some skeevy sounding ingredients.

Good question, Mary! Interestingly enough, last week's Smart 2 Be Green newsletter addressed the same question, and guess what? Your husband is right, natural doesn't always mean what you hope it means. Unless it says 100% certified USDA organic, there's no certainty that all of the ingredients are organic. And natural can mean almost anything!

It takes a little work, but there are some great sites out there to help you sort through it all. For starters, there is the Consumer Reports Greener Choices eco-labels center that Smart 2 Be Green recommends. It's old school Consumer Reports meets the new eco-millenium.

(Photo by Envirosax)

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post complaining about how hard it is to be green. But after thinking about it a little bit while I'm doing my daily life, I take it back: there are lots of things about being green that are easy!

Reusable straws -- I use straws for hot and cold drinks. Even at home. Believe me, the used straws start to stack up quickly. I was feeling guilty about my daily hollow plastic contribution to the landfill when my best friend gave me some cool acrylic straws from Crate & Barrel. I wash them, like cutlery. It's actually no big deal, and one little way to avoid producing needless waste. While still being OCD and orally fixated.

Recycled paper towels -- They are available everywhere, with several choices at all of my local supermarkets. My husband (who objects to "those gross brown ones") has even bought them by accident, thinking he was sneaking contraband virgin paper fiber into the house. Yes, I just said that it's so easy even a husband can do it. By accident.

(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 Getty Images)

The gals over at PrettyCity tell us that it's "pretty being green," and they're helping the rest of us put that uplifting idea into practice with their Green and Gorgeous pledge, which started on June 5th, World Environment Day.

Across the country, spas are participating in Green and Gorgeous by pledging to recycle, conserve water and energy and provide green products to their clients. And I was also intrigued to read that the spas are developing signature treatments that have a reduced negative impact on the environment.

While supplies last, green ladies -- and gentlemen -- who get a treatment at a participating spa also get a "Tote-ally Pretty" tote that is super cute and a great reusable shopping bag.