Dec 17 2008

Holiday Gift Ideas

On the First Day of Christmas My True Love Gave To Me…

Great Gift Ideas for Her:

  1. Scarves are all the rage right now.  Women are wearing them inside and outside.  Buy her one of these unique hemp scarves.  They are a beautiful fabric and wear nicely.
  2. Organic cotton is the most luxurious feelings against the skin and these organic cotton t-shirts are no exception.  Made in the USA, these t-shirts are tailored for a woman with a perfect fit.  Choose one of many clever sayings.  Re-Think Peace, Mother Earth or Live Simply each in a nice color.
  3. Does she practice yoga?  Give her the eco-friendly yoga mat made of natural rubber rather than PVC.

Great Gift Ideas for Him:

  1. Hemp Neck Ties are a great addition to a suit or worn with dress shirt.
  2. While riding the subway to work or lugging your laptop around, the Hemp Messenger Bag is perfect for the worker bee on the go.  Made of hemp with bike tire straps, the bag is very stylish and waterproof.
  3. We know guys like their gadgets, get the guys on your list this shaker flash light.  It uses no batteries, it only needs a few shakes to create the current and light up this flashlight!

Great Gift Ideas for the Kids:

  1. With so many scares in the media these days, have a little piece of mind and get your child one of these adorable Organic Cotton Dolls.  Each tells a story about the environment and 1% of the proceeds goes to the planet!
  2. Perfect for any child at heart, these 3D puzzles are made of 100% recycled cardboard.  Fun animal shapes that will get everyone talking.  They come flat so you can decorate them before you put them together.  Not into art?  They look great straight out of the box!
  3. Traveling this holiday?  Give one of these Find It Games! to your kids.  Time each one as they try and find as many shapes and objects in the container.  Then someone else gets a try.  It’s perfect for the car rides–quiet, contained and interactive.

Great Gift Ideas for the Person Who Has EVERYTHING!

  1. Dryer Balls.  Stop using dryer sheets and use these!  Good for 2 years worth of drying, these dryer balls reduce your drying time by 40% and softens your clothing. 
  2. Beeswax Candles.  You can never have enough candles.  Beeswax burns clean and lasts up to 3 times longer than paraffin.  Try one of the unique shapes!
  3. Rejuvenating Gift Set.  A nice set of organic goodies including: Lavender Body Wash, Honey Lip Balm, Protecting & Rejuvenating Hand Cream, Organic Foot Cream and Lavender Shea Butter.  
  4. Green Guides.  These are inexpensive ($7.95) little books for anyone.  Read up on ways to green every area of you life.  From the office to composting!  Or buy one or buy them all!

Give the gift of Green this year!

 

Posted by Paige at 1:26 PM 4 comments
Dec 12 2008

Greening Your Holiday

I love working in the Eco-Shop in December.  Everyone is in a great mood.  People are busying themselves getting ready for their kids to get out of school, preparing to see family and bubbling about holiday festivities.  It’s been fun hearing what folks are doing and how they are making less of an impact on the Earth this year (or continuing from years past!) 

I wanted to open up the discussion to hear what you and your family do to be a little Greener for the holidays!

Some of my favorites are:

  • Making Recycled Christmas Tree Ornaments - I’ve seen (and heard) of using everything from toilet paper rolls to pine cones as decorations on the tree.
  • Burning Beeswax Candles around the house or at the holiday table.  Paraffin candles leave soot on the walls and in the air we breath, so beeswax candles are not only Eco-friendly, they are healthier too.
  • Buying a locally grown Christmas tree from a no-spray farm.
  • Using newspaper or brown bags from around the house to gift wrap.  Some of the prettiest wrapped packages I’ve seen use decorated Kraft paper.
  • Opting for simple giving - one family each picked a charity that was important to them and each made a donation rather than swapping gifts.
  • Decorating with LED holiday lights.  Not only is this a huge energy saver, up to 70% more efficient, these are less of a fire hazard in your home.

What is your GREEN tradition?

 

Posted by Paige at 6:02 PM 4 comments
Dec 2 2008

Eco Shop's New Site Launches!

I am very excited to have the new eStore ready for use!  Please take a look and let me know if you have any feedback.  It is a work in progress, so new features will continue to be arriving!

The past couple of weeks have been busy for us at the Blue Ridge Eco Shop.  We attended the Green Festival in Washington DC, the Green Build 2008 in Boston, and right here at home the Mistletoe Market in support of the Junior League of Charlottesville and the charitable work they do.  On top of that we’ve been hurrying to get the new site up for your enjoyment! 

Check back over the next weeks as I Blog about Going Green for the Holidays and Tips and Gifts for being a little more Earth-Friendly this time of year!

In the meantime, I would also like to promote SPARK! and their upcoming workshop. 

Home Energy Savings 101
Monday, December 8th at 6 p.m.
Charlottesville Community Design Center (100 5th St. NE)

Learn energy efficiency improvements that aren’t a financial investment but can save you the most.  As well as local resources on where to find help.

Posted by Paige at 5:44 PM 1 comment