Babies need a lot of stuff and that fact can make shopping for baby shower or newborn gifts seem all too easy, but parents sometimes get inundated with stuffed toys and soft blankets and end up without some of the more essential items. Like diapers. But if you want to give something that’s a touch more exciting than that, we recommend the Green to Grow Welcome Home Set, which features a full set of BPA-free baby bottles that will last from the first few months until solid food is on the menu.

The Green to Grow Welcome Home set features two five ounce baby bottles and two 10 ounce baby bottles, as well as beginner, intermediate and expert nipples that can be switched out as the little giftee grows up, and an organic cotton baby burp cloth for post-feeding moments. All the items are free of BPA, lead, PVC and nitrosamine (a carcinogenic substance sometimes found in latex products) making the Green to Grow Welcome Home set one of the safest baby bottle kits you can buy. Click here to read more

Powered by Bookmarkify™

If you’ve got a message you want to spread, there’s arguably no better way to get buzz than to have it delivered by a bevy of world famous supermodels in various states of undress, and that was just the idea that model and Columbia University student Cameron Russell wanted to tap into for her efforts with 350, an organization dedicated to encouraging action from world leaders this December at the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference.

Russell’s short supermodel striptease video was released in conjunction with the Global Day of Climate Action (on October 24th) and demonstrates our current C02 parts per million level of 387, which is 37 parts more than the 350 parts per million that scientists have deemed a safe upper limit for for C02 in our atmosphere. As the models, who include Shannan Click and Heidi Mount, discuss our need to lower our parts per million number, they shed layers of clothing—all this global warming is making them hot…er, hotter than usual—and when they reach 352 parts per million they pause in their underwear and state that the world needs to get 387 down to 350 before they’ll see any more. Click here to read more

Powered by Bookmarkify™

Most of the time a trip to the ATM means draining money from your bank account, but if it’s a visit to the newly debuted EcoATM that you’re planning, you could actually end up with more money to your name. The EcoATM doesn’t withdraw cash but instead accepts used cellphones (we’ve all got one in a drawer somewhere), assesses their secondary market value, and offers up gift cards, trade-ups or charitable donations for the device.

The idea isn’t so different from the take back programs that are now being offered at some major electronics retail stores like Best Buy, but EcoATM hopes that the convenience of being able to visit a machine, get a quick estimate on value, and receive tangible rewards for the effort will convince more consumers to recycle their cellphones. And if they’re successful, the positive environmental effect could be huge; more than 100 million cellphones are thrown away in the United States every year and they leach toxic chemicals into landfills. Worse yet, the components that need to mined to make cellphones are wasted, instead of being reused by manufacturers who can avoid further mining—a problem EcoATM could be instrumental in solving. Click here to read more

Powered by Bookmarkify™

The average American adult is eating about 22 teaspoons of sugar every day—about 13 more teaspoons than the max recommended amount for men and 16 more for women. It’s not surprising, either; not only do many of us enjoy the taste of sweet treats, items like soft drinks and flavored yogurts can contain whopping amounts of the stuff that we underestimate.

All this sugar is not only dangerous to our waistlines and our health, but also to the environment. In 2004, the World Wildlife Fund released a report that indicated sugar might be responsible for more biodiversity loss than any other crop. From start to finish, sugar can be devastating, with initial habitat destruction to clear the way for plantations, heavy water consumption for irrigation, hefty amounts of agricultural chemicals for upkeep, and polluted runoff water.

Limiting your sugar intake is a quick way to get healthier (and reduce the impact of sugar on our planet), but if you want to take it a step further, it’s time to consider sugar alternatives. No, we don’t mean artificial sweeteners, which have been linked to a myriad of health problems including cancer (even Splenda). Instead, consider natural sugar alternatives, many of which are more easily processed by the body than regular sugar and don’t have the same detrimental effects for the environment. Here are five good options to satisfy your sweet tooth:

1. Certified Organic Agave Nectar, $4.69

Probably the most buzzed about sugar alternative, agave’s biggest claim to fame is its low ranking on the glycemic index, but it’s also hugely popular with vegans (as an alternative to honey) and raw foodists (because of its low temperature production). If one of your big sugar consumptions is sweetened drinks—tea, coffee or other—agave syrup is a perfect solution because of its quick-melting liquid form. Click here to read more

Powered by Bookmarkify™

In light of stalled negotiation leading up this December’s Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, the European Union is making some big promises. But are they big enough?

As part of the ongoing eco-aimed bargaining, Europe  has promised an emissions cut of up to 95% by 2050 and a 30% cut by 2020, provided a climate change pact is completed in Copenhagen, which is now little more than a month away. But while the offer would mean significant reductions, doubters are uncertain that it’s drastic enough to push a treaty through in time.

The United Nations has already expressed mixed feelings on what they expect the results to be from the Copenhagen Conference, with some officials believing it unlikely that a binding treaty will be reached and others optimistic that ambitious goals will be set and countries will commit. A lack of specific goal targets and figures from the United States, China and India are currently raising concern, and the unwillingness to offer up information has been an issue within the European Union as well, with Germany and Italy uncertain about promising action that could limit Europe’s bargaining ability in later negotiations. Click here to read more

Powered by Bookmarkify™