November is well underway and another cold winter is looming for most of us, and that means more than just chilly temperatures—it means spending more money. The average American household is spending more than $2,000 a year on energy bills and almost half of that is from heating and cooling. While AC in the summer can be avoidable, depending on where you live, there are many who have no choice but to reach for the thermostat once the temperature starts to plummet.

Making the (small) investment for a programmable thermostat, however, can help you lower your monthly energy bill and reduce the carbon emissions that result from your energy use. One of our favorites is the Clairion Eco-Save Programmable Thermostat, which is truly an easy investment at $48. The Eco-Save Thermostat connects to your gas, oil or electric heating and/or cooling system and can than be programmed to meet your heat needs as they vary. Different settings for weekdays and Saturday and Sunday mean you won’t be blasting the heat while you’re away at the office or going without when you’re stretched out on the couch on Sunday afternoon (all without you having to change the thermostat). Click here to read more

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When most of us see an organic brand on the shelf at our local grocery store we assume that not only is the product inside superior to a conventional alternative (thanks to less pesticides and funky chemicals), but we also conjure up visions of it being crafted by small, environmentally-geared companies with just as much concern for the earth as for our taste buds. Unfortunately, underneath many of the most popular organic food brands being bought up in supermarkets are major corporations that you might be trying to avoid in the first place.

The GOOD Blog recently released a diagram showing the ownership of many of the main organic foods brands and it features almost all the major conventional brands that have been linked to GMO food issues, poor manufacturing practices, and human labor concerns. The Boca Burgers that are staples for many vegetarians are owned by Kraft, the largest food processor in the United States and a company that is itself owned by Philip Morris. Heinz owns a broad spectrum of organic brands from Spectrum Organics to Rice Dream and Garden of Eatin’. Even ConAgra, a company spotlighted for environment, health, labor and ethical issues—as well as a heavy use of GMO foods—owns a few well-known organic brands (Lightlife and Alexia Foods). Click here to read more

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Erin Brockovich claimed fame in the legal world when she worked on a team that won the largest settlement ever paid in a direct action lawsuit in the United States, but it wasn’t until Julia Roberts took to the screen to recreate the events that Brockovich became a household name. Since then she’s secured her position as an important environmental activist and used her notoriety to help others around the country, and Brockovich’s latest efforts with the Seventh Generation Million Baby Crawl fit perfectly with her philosophy that every person has the right to the truth about potential health (and environmental) dangers.

The Million Baby Crawl is a campaign spearheaded by Seventh Generation to get the government working on stronger chemical laws that would ensure children—who are especially vulnerable to many of the toxic ingredients in  household products—wouldn’t be endangered by everyday products. As both a mother of three and an advocate for the consumer’s right to be informed about what’s in the products they buy, Erin Brockovich jumping on board to aid the campaign is no surprise (especially not when she’s joining the ranks of fellow campaign partners like Dr. Alan Greene, the well known eco-friendly baby book author). Click here to read more

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We’re so busy worrying about the big eco-impacts from flying (namely lots of carbon emissions) that sometimes we overlook the little ways that travel is getting in the way of going green. Anyone who spends a fair amount of time flying, however, knows that getting ready for a plane trip means finding toiletries that are each under 3.4 ounces and can collectively fit inside a petroleum-derived plastic Ziploc bag. There’s nothing environmentally friendly about purchasing products you don’t need for occasional use, and having to switch to smaller-sized versions of your regular skincare routine for flying can mean moving to products that don’t have the same green standards as your usual favorites (even if it’s just for a few days).

Instead of the usual packing panic, we like the idea of investing in one travel set of all-natural eco-friendly skin products, so that you’ll never be without the tools you need to get green and gorgeous (even abroad). The MyChelle Dermaceuticals All in One Set is one of our favorites because it includes everything—and we mean everything—you could need, and all the products are 100% natural, paraben-free, and made without animal testing. Plus, the MyChelle Travel Set includes a reusable FAA-approved zip bag to get you through security in a breeze (without having to stock a box of the appropriate-sized plastic bags at home). Click here to read more

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As more Americans get interested in sustainability and reducing their carbon footprints, future university students have started assessing prospective schools based not only on their academics and recreational offerings, but on how green they are. Universities have responded in a range of ways, with some schools striving for carbon neutrality, some creating sustainability strategies, and many fighting to come out as the clear eco-friendly choice. There’s even been enough eco-activity at universities that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) started to rank them by renewable power purchases in 2006.

But now the quest for a greener school is starting to shift to an even younger demographic—the primary and secondary set—and the EPA has released their first ever list of the Top 20 Green Power Purchasers in the K-12 category.

In total, the EPA found that K-12 schools purchasing renewable energy are helping reduce to the equivalent of the carbon emissions from the electricity of 11,000 Americans homes in a year, and that Texas and New York are both home to multiple high ranking green schools. In fact, the Austin Independent School District ranked number one for their large purchases of biogas and wind energy (New York’s first appearance on the list is in the number three spot with the Rochester City School District). Click here to read more

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