gift wrap: polluting all year round

We don't tend to give much thought to gift wrap - and it's environmental implications - most of the year. Around the holidays, the subject comes up, as crumpled-paper and used bows are tossed to the curb (responsible for a 25 percent spike in curbside trash in the USA alone, according to the EPA).

Trees are felled for the paper, the inks contain harmful chemicals, and everyone might feel just a little guilty about it all. But come summer, all that is out the window! From a hostess gift at a summer soiree to an adorable onesie given at a baby shower, our gift giving is spread out, and so too is the trash.

But it still adds up. The cards, the paper, the bags, the ribbon. Luckily, there are tons of amazing alternatives out there. So after you carefully peel off the tape and save another bit of wrapping paper for reuse (also a wise idea!), consider...

-a scarf, organic cotton baby blanket, beach towel or bath towel (gaiam.com)

-reclaimed NYC subway maps (forestsaver.com)

-cloth gift wrap, or furoshiki - great for wrapping books, wine bottles, and fragile items (wrapnatural.com)

-biodegradable flower seed paper (realgoods.com)

-resused felt squares (squidoo.com)

-birch bark or fresh banana or bamboo leaves (wholeliving.com)

-colourful cloth wrapsacks (greenraising.com)

coffee grinds really have superpowers

More tips for using those grounds once you've slurped down that fair-trade latte...

From apartmentTherapy.com, use coffee grinds and a q-tip to buff out those nicks and dings on your furniture.

bleedingespresso.com suggests putting those grounds to work as a pest and ant repellent, closet deodorizer, and a dust deflector next time you go to clean out those ashes in your fireplace.

For the kiddies, myfamilylovesit.com uses them to make...playdough! Check it out.

voluntravel and get dirty

"Voluntourism" closely follows ecotourism as the next hot travel trend. The idea is just as it sounds - combining volunteering with travel, as a way to give back, meet locals, learn a skill, save the world...

It has its negative nancies just like anything else, but for the most part, voluntourism really is a great idea. Treehugger recently named working on organic farms as the best volunteer vacation in its "Best of Green 2010: Travel and Nature."

You can meet local farmers while harvesting rice in Japan for example, or growing mangoes in Belize. There are a number of reputable travel companies offering volunteer vacations - we'd recommend Projects Abroad or BaseCamp International.

But do your research! Unfortunately, there are a number of unsavory characters out there more than happy to take your money. Our friends over at Verge Magazine are a good place to start if you're keen. And they're really nice - promise ;)

best description of 'upcycling' I've come across
http://ping.fm/ALlwQ

it's green because it says so

From CTV today: Consumer advocates say labeling on products needs to be clearer since some items claiming to be green may not be more environmentally friendly...Environmentalists are concerned about the labeling of products and the process of "greenwashing."

As words like eco-friendly, natural, and green permeate our collective vocabulary, companies looking to profit need go no further than simply labeling their products as such. Most consumers, unfortunately, are duped by what is in reality, very simple marketing.

Picture it: you're in the supermarket aisle, choosing dish soap. Two different brands stare back at you (realistically, more like 43, but go with me here), both the same price for the same amount of liquid. One bottle is green and says 'all-natural' next to the little smiling flower on its label; the other bottle is yellow and says dish soap.

Which will you pick up? The green one, most likely, if you're reading this blog. But what the hell makes dish soap A all-natural? I'm willing to bet the ingredients are the same in both. And hey, triclosan, IS an organic compound ... meaning it is a chemical compound that contains carbon, not to be confused with a natural compound, which comes from a plant or animal source. But I digress...

The point is, as consumers we need to buy less. Period. And what we do buy, we need to be smart about. Read the full article at CTV Winnipeg ~>

No Impact Man, the Film http://ping.fm/dGG8f