For the same reasons I like the foods on Foodzie,** I prefer buying handmade accessories, clothing and housewares on Etsy.** I really enjoy wearing items that are one-of-a-kind, but I find when asked about my source, many people shrug and say that they don’t have the time to weed through the enormous supply of handmade goods on Etsy.

Trust me, I get it. When I entered “eco-friendly clothes” as a search term on Etsy, I received 6,117 results. A little daunting, yes? However! If you just hone down your search by being a little more specific, you can find some wonderful handmade gems made by talented artists all over the world.

Here are are few items that currently have me smitten.

Oh boy, am I a fan of the wrap top! You can wear this style in so many ways, and it’s the perfect look for moms-to-be. (Just keep loosening that tie as your belly grows!) This top, by Econica,** is made from a very soft and stretchy blend of organic cotton and bamboo, and comes in tons of colors.**

Also by Econica, this dress** could last for years and years. The style is timeless, and the cotton/bamboo blend looks so soft and comfy. If brown isn’t your thing, choose from several other colors.**

For the Starbucks junkies out there, how cute is this reusable coffee sleeve? Forget all those paper sleeves, just keep this one in your purse and you’re good to go. By joyfulstar,** this 100% cotton sleeve also comes in several prints.**

Last, but certainly not least, these reusable snack bags by evelynfields** could completely cut down your plastic baggie usage. No synthetic or plastic liners, just natural unbleached cotton fabric next to your food. Sounds like a win-win to me!

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In early October, I spent an amazing weekend in Sonoma County with a slew of lovely ladies. Besides the great conversations, chilly fall weather and wine tastings in beautiful vineyards, I learned about some great new companies and websites that I hadn’t heard of before. My #1 new favorite? Foodzie.com.**

First off, I should probably tell you how much I love handmade, unique foods and gifts. I’m a total sucker for jam jars filled with fresh strawberry preserves and treats made with love. In fact, to this day, I dream of this wonderful horseradish cheese sauce and ancho chile chutney that was purchased near my grandparents’ home in Palm Springs. When we visit Palm Springs this winter, you can be assured I’ll get my hands on those two products again.

Well, this is the place** where you can find wonderful non-mass produced foods from all over America. In a nutshell, Foodzie** is an online marketplace where you can discover and buy food directly from small passionate food producers and growers. (Oh! But it’s so much more!) In fact, I challenge you to spend LESS than 5 minutes on the website. It is totally addictive. Cookies, coffees, jams, preserves, ethnic foods, cured meat, candies, you name it. (I’ve got my eye on the Bacon Potato Chips** and this Alfajores Sampler Box.)** Foodzie has it all, and the greatest part is that all of the wonderful food is produced by small producers and growers. You won’t be browsing through any bulk-wrapped “made in China” goods, if you know what I mean.

I highly recommend checking out this online marketplace, if not for the mouthwatering foods, but for the lovely guides Foodzie creates to help educate about products. This month’s guide about tasting tea** is full of tidbits on how to better understand the world of teas. If you are a tea enthusiast, I highly recommend taking a look!

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Can we all stop for a second and ponder the fact that it’s NOVEMBER? We are officially in holiday season, and to be honest, it makes me a little twitchy. Wasn’t it just summer like, two days ago? Maybe it’s the fact that my local weather is still hitting the 80-degree mark, but I can’t live in denial any longer. Thanksgiving is upon us, folks. I found a great article (and overall website) this past week at greenyour.com.** A fantastic green living online mecca, this website will certainly help you green your this and green your that.

Today, it’s all about greening your Thanksgiving. Check out the following great tips on making your Thanksgiving festivities a little more earth-friendly.

1. Serve local and organic food for Thanksgiving dinner - Local and organic foods reduce pollution and global warming emissions, as well as keep chemicals out of the environment.

2. Cook a vegetarian Thanksgiving meal - One word. Tofurky! Okay, for those of you who don’t find that option appetizing, how about a Thanksgiving full of sides? Mashed potatoes, stuffing, mac and cheese, dinner rolls, green bean casserole…that’s really the best part, right?

3. Decorate an eco-friendly Thanksgiving dinner table - Create your own eco-friendly decorations instead of buying new products for just a weekend’s use.

4. Choose eco-friendly dinnerware over paper plates and plastic cups - Use reusable plates and cups, as well as cloth napkins, this holiday.

5. Compost your kitchen scraps - If you can’t convince family members to take extras home in reusable containers, compost them! This keeps those food scraps out of the landfill and converts them into rich, organic fertilizer right in your kitchen or backyard.

6. Reduce your Thanksgiving travel carbon footprint - Instead of traveling halfway across the country over the holiday weekend, stay home like my family! Come on, you’ll probably see them in December anyway.

7. Go green on Black Friday - Take notice of the items you buy. Are they organic? Where we they produced? Also, instead of driving all over town, buy online. Some might call it lazy, I call it SMART and ECO-FRIENDLY.

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Let’s see. You buy organic foods. You recycle. You’ve completely decreased your paper towel usage. (I’m still working on that one. Ahem. ) Maybe you even compost? What are some other steps you can take to become more eco-friendly in the one room many of us spend a decent chunk of time in? I found some really easy ways to decrease your “dietary footprint” in the kitchen on thedailygreen.com.**

Ditch the Bottles - Well, DUH. This is the FilterForGood website, isn’t it? Use what comes out of your tap and get a good filter to boost its purity.

Buy Local - Reduce unnecessary food shipments by purchasing products from surrounding areas. Check out my post** about localharvest.org for local purchasing options.

Dispose of Disposables - Use actual dishware instead of single-use containers. I know it’s not as easy, but the resources saved will really add up!

Get a Green Thumb - Add some plants around your kitchen. They can help rid the air of toxins that might be created by cooking.

Eat Less Meat - Modern meat is energy- and resource-intensive, and factory farms are huge polluters. Eating lower on the food chain reduces those problems.

Use Your Appliances Wisely - Unplug unused kitchen devices and get an energy audit on your appliances.

Cook! - Plan meals ahead of time so you aren’t scrambling to pick up something convenient, which is likely to be less healthy and wrapped in more packaging.

What are some of your tips for going green in the kitchen? The easier, the better!

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Like many women, I am slightly addicted to beauty products. In fact, Sephora is what I envision heaven to look like. (Well, minus the prices.) And speaking of prices, I’ve noticed that “eco-friendly” and “organic” beauty products are through the roof these days! Just plan on adding an extra five to ten bucks for a product made from organic ingredients.

Well, I’ve found a few inexpensive (some entirely free!) tips and tricks for making your skin look its best, thanks to an article at Treehugger.** Do you utilize any of these tips already?

1. Save your coffee grounds -A handful of moist grounds (organic is preferable, of course) makes a fantastic facial exfoliant or all-over body scrub. The grounds exfoliate your skin AND the remaining caffeine tightens and firms pores. (Has anyone tried this? I am super intrigued.)

2. Moisturize with a banana peels - According to Donna Maria Coles Johnson,** scrape off the inner peel of a banana, apply it to your face, and then rinse off after 15 minutes. Your face will be dewy soft and hydrated.

3. Wash your makeup tools - I know it can be hard to remember, but makeup brushes need to be washed regularly. All types of nasty bacteria can grow on them, which will make your face one big ZIT.

4. Massages aren’t just for your back - Massaging your face increases circulation, thus improving the firmness of your skin. Rub in small circles while washing your face and/or applying moisturizer. (Or your new found banana peels.)

5. Steam clean - A weekly steam facial can flush out toxins and open pores. Bring water to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, drape a towel over your head, lean over the pot and let the steam do it’s magic. Just be sure to keep a safe distance. We don’t need anyone scalding their eyelashes off, mmkay?

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Have you decided on your Halloween attire this year? (Or at least your kids’ costumes?) My son is slightly obsessed with dressing like a pirate for the holiday. I’ve checked out a few pirate costumes, but think it would be equally as cute (and definitely more original) to create a pirate outfit from old clothes we already own. How hard could it be? Some tattered pants here, a jacket there…I think we could do it…uh, right?

Another option I’ve been considering is purchasing a handmade outfit from Etsy.** If you haven’t read my past praises, Etsy is an online community of artists and crafters that buy and sell just about anything handmade. Jewelry? Check. Clothing? Check. Housewares? Check. If you haven’t spent some time over there, I highly recommend it.

Earlier this month, Etsy held a contest for the best Halloween item for children.** If you are looking to buy handmade or just garner some new inspiration, I think these items could be right up your alley.

This candy corn set** would be adorable for a younger tot who doesn’t want to be dressed in full garb:

Dress up your patio or your child’s room with this crocheted Halloween Spider Web:**

How about these FairyTails** to spice up your child’s overall look?

(Okay, to be honest, I really want those for myself.)

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Around this time last year, I wrote a post about the Dirty Dozen,** the Environmental Working Group’s** list of the top twelve pesticide-ridden fruits and vegetables. Although I can’t recall all of them by memory, apples, strawberries and grapes were emblazoned on my brain because my son eats those fruits ALL THE TIME. I try to buy organic whenever possible, but sometimes, it just doesn’t happen. If I stop to think about the amount of pesticides my son has ingested from all of that fruit, I get a little twitchy.

Luckily, there’s a flip side to the Dirty Dozen. The Clean 15 are the fruits and vegetables that have the least amount of pesticides, according to the EWG’s study.** You can bet I’ll be hounding my son to eat more of these in the future! Since the following have the lowest amount of pesticides, you can save money by purchasing the conventional (non-organic) options and focus on buying organic when it comes to the Dirty Dozen. Without further ado, the Clean 15.

1. Onion
2. Avocado
3. Sweet Corn
4. Pineapple
5. Mango
6. Asparagus
7. Sweet peas
8. Kiwi
9. Cabbage
10. Eggplant
11. Papaya
12. Watermelon
13. Broccoli
14. Tomato
15. Sweet Potato

Now, I know what you are thinking. How are you going to remember all of these AND the Dirty Dozen? Behold! The EWG designed an iPhone app** to reference when you are out and about at your local market or grocery store. Just pull out your iPhone and both lists will be available to you while you shop. Don’t have an iPhone? Feel free to download the EWG’s PDF version of the guide here.** Happy shopping!

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I’m a little ashamed of just how excited (through the roof excited! SO EXCITED!) I am over a child’s lunchbox, but you all, I found the perfect one for my son to take to preschool. It’s called the Goodbyn** and I’m quite smitten.

Up until this point, I had been using a fabric insulated lunch bag for outings, but I wasn’t too happy with food becoming crushed while stuffed into my son’s backpack. Plus, the amount of plastic baggies I was using to keep his food separated was was really adding up. Every Monday morning, while packing his lunch, I would joke to my husband about how my plastic baggy usage would probably get me fired from writing for this website.

Thus began my search for the best children’s eco-friendly lunchbox, which was actually quite exhausting. There are a fair share of lunchboxes out there, but the Goodbyn had so many great features that I ordered one immediately.

In a nutshell, the Goodbyn is the first lunchbox to eliminate the need for plastic bags and drink boxes. It is 100% recyclable, dishwasher-safe, free of BPAs, phthalates and lead and made in the USA. Plus, I’m kind of a stickler for design, and the Goodbyn has a simple aesthetic with a great choice of colors. (Although, the box comes with 275 stickers, so feel free to decorate to your heart’s content.)

Take a look at some of the features:

A. Kid-tested intuitively-designed animal ears make for easy opening.

B. Built-in handle

C, D & E. Different sized, individually-sealing compartments for all types of food.

F. 8.5-ounce bottle, which totally eliminates the need for juice boxes.

G. A sticker set to decorate the lunchbox.

We’ve been using the Goodbyn this past week, and I really can’t say enough about it. (Although, phew! That was enough, don’t you think?) If you are in the market for an eco-friendly lunchbox for your little one, I highly recommend it!

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Although I consider myself pretty organized, my one major downfall is keeping up-to-date on my household supplies. In fact, at this point, I should have my own personalized shopping cart at Target because I can never get in and out of a store without forgetting something for my house. (Specifically cleaning products and/or products for kitchen storage.)

I know what you are thinking, “Keep a list, Sarah!” Well, it’s just not that easy. I do keep lists, but somehow my black hole of a purse sucks them into the vortex of disappearance. I even tried keeping lists on my iPhone, but to no avail. When it comes down to it, in order for me to be supremely organized, I need my dang computer. If only I had a website that would manage all of my household product purchases and consumption.

*cue angels singing*

Enter Alice.** The website that will make sure you never run out of toilet paper again - and the rest of your household essentials too. Check out what Alice does:

1) Alice makes it easy to automate and manage your household purchases. (i.e. reminding you when you are low on supply)
2) The prices are competitive with big-box stores.
3) Free shipping with every order.
4) Alice automatically applies coupons to your order.
5) Offers budgeting tools so that you can keep your spending in check.
6) Saves you time by eliminating store trips so you can do things that do matter.

Pretty cool, right? And the best part is that alice.com** is continually adding eco-friendly and organic products to the website, already boasting a wide assortment of trash bags, shampoo, diapers, pet food, laundry detergent, etc. Some of the eco-friendly brands Alice carries are Seventh Generation, Better Life, Vaska, Radius, Eco Discoveries, Biggs & Featherbelle and Perfect Organics. You can shop exclusively for these brands and eco-friendly products under Other Ways to Shop.

Without brick-and-mortar locations, Alice saves the material and land resources from the building of actual physical stores, and their method of delivering products to your door means less energy and land use. Product packaging is made of 66% recycled material and is 100% recyclable, and the inks used are non-lead, water-based inks.

You should definitely check out Alice (including the great press they are receiving) at their website, alice.com.**

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I’ve been cutting back on my magazine subscriptions lately. On one hand, I’m a little sad because nothing makes me happier than lounging on my couch with the new Vogue, but it seems all of my fashion and beauty editorial needs can be met online. (Bonus - online magazines don’t use paper and are FREE FREE FREE.)

All of my favorite magazines have websites which I frequent, but some of my very favorite Internet finds are eco-friendly fashion blogs. Here are the top three on my radar right now.

1. Ecofabulous** - First off, the tagline is “sexy, sustainable style.” Who could turn away from that? The website features many lifestyle subjects (such as beauty, travel, etc.), but my fave is the fashion section.** Without Ecofabulous, how would I know that Hanky Panky now makes panties** from 100% organic cotton?

(p.s. - those are really comfortable, ladies.)

2. Green Lashes and Fashion** - Covering eco-fashion, organic beauty, green travel, ethical living and vegetarian food, this spot has it all. Written by a British freelance writer, I am guaranteed inspiration by her weekly eco-friendly outfit ideas.**

3. Green Grechen** - Green Grechen’s Eco-Chic Weekly and her Must-Have posts are littered with fashionable links from all over the world. I must confess, I have to hide my wallet when looking at her posts. I am also enamored with her informative vintage shopping posts.**

What about you? What are your favorite eco-friendly fashion blogs?

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For one year, Colin Beavan and his family unplugged from the electrical grid, produced no trash, traveled exclusively by foot or bike, and bought nothing except food (all of it locally grown). By the end, they discovered something surprising: living simply wasn’t just good for the environment; it made them healthier, happier and richer in ways they’d never expected.

The above excerpt comes from the recently launched No Impact Project** Web site. It would be an interesting experiment, yes? Do you think you have what it takes to literally unplug from the world? I must say, I am so impressed with the Beavan family and so is Seil, check out her interview** with Colin. To completely shun many of today’s conveniences to help the environment has to be incredibly challenging, but it seems it made their lives so much richer in the end.

I’m fairly confident I could never complete such a lengthy challenge, but I am so intrigued by the whole process. Sure, I would be thrilled knowing I was directly helping the environment, but it’s the improvement in the quality time spent with family that would be the biggest gift for me. I strongly believe that most of our modern “conveniences” are actually detracting from quality time spent with loved ones, and I have no doubt that the Beavan’s family bond is as strong as it’s ever been.

The No Impact Experiment** is a chance for you to see what a difference no-impact living can have on your quality of life. It’s not about giving up creature comforts. It’s a chance to see whether the modern “conveniences” you take for granted are actually making you happier or just eating away at your time and money.

Taking the leap is simple. The No Impact project has has put together a 7-day action plan that will guide you, day by day, toward a no-impact lifestyle. Check out the video above to see if the plan would be something you would like to tackle with your loved ones!

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We’re a little gadget crazy in my household. Oh, we love our laptops and iPhones and cameras and well, you get the picture. This past weekend, I decided to clean out and organize my little office in the hallway cabinet yet again. Once I started digging in, I realized I had a decent number of gadgets gathering dust for quite some time. Either I had stopped using them completely or had upgraded to the next best model, but nevertheless, they were just sitting in the cabinet.

Usually we make an annual trip to Goodwill with these types of electronics, but given the current state of the economy, I wouldn’t mind getting a little cash in my pocket for the items in good condition. Hey, let’s be honest! Money talks!

I did some online searching and found Gazelle,** which might be my new favorite website of all time. Gazelle gives you cash for your gadgets! Here’s how it works - you enter information about your product and they give you an offer. It’s pretty much that easy. Here’s a video** detailing how the program works, and if they aren’t paying for your particular item, you can still send it in to be recycled responsibly. (They pay for shipping too!)

Gazelle’s purpose is simple: to provide a practical, rewarding way for people to finally rid themselves of all those old cell phones, digital cameras, and gaming systems that they no longer use, but can’t seem to find a way to let go of.

(That’s me! I’m the person who can’t seem to let go of my Palm Pilot from 2002!)

Gazelle is also building a network of local recyclers** that can help you responsibly recycle the items that aren’t being accepted online. Either way, it’s a win-win. Recycling starts with reuse.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to check on a couple of items myself. To learn more about Gazelle, visit their website.**

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