‘Tis the season to give and receive. It is a time to express our love and appreciation for family, friends, and colleagues. But many are also looking for gifts that give a little bit back to the Earth and express a concern for a lighter footprint. So without further ado, here is Hippie Magazine’s recommended resource for green, organic, and fair trade gift selections for everyone on your list:

It can be tough to find holiday gifts that the special “hippie” in your life will appreciate, or maybe the hippie inside you would like to find gifts for your friends and families which give back to the world. In either case, a new North American marketplace called Ethical Ocean has put together a great ethical holiday gift guide which will help Santa be a little greener this year.

Covering fair trade, eco-friendly, organic and animal-friendly gift ideas for everyone from the newest addition in your family to the love of your life, this guide clearly spells out what is ethical about each product and why they’ll love it. From eco-friendly boomerangs for the kid (or kid at heart) in your life, to an organic home spa kit that comes in a bamboo steamer, holiday shopping for hippies has never been so simple.

EarthTalk® is a weekly environmental column made available to our readers from the editors of

Dear EarthTalk: I am very interested in purchasing household cleaners whose ingredients and final product are not tested on animals. Where do I look? – Debbie Reek, via e-mail

According to most animal advocates, the fact that manufacturers of household cleaners still use animals to test the toxicity of their products is not only inhumane—why should innocent animals have to suffer and die so we can get our floors a little cleaner?—but also illogical, as modern lab tests not involving living creatures can discern more practical information faster and for less money. Another problem with animal testing is that its findings don’t always successfully predict real-world human outcomes.

According to the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), for instance, animal tests on rats and rabbits over several decades “failed to predict the birth defect-causing properties of PCBs, industrial solvents and many drugs, while cancer tests in rats and mice failed to detect the hazards of asbestos, benzene, cigarette smoke, and many other substances.” The group blames these shortcomings of animal testing for “delaying consumer and worker protection measures by decades in some cases.”

While animal product testing is still allowed in the U.S. (researchers here are continuing to improve alternative testing methods that can potentially replace the use of live animals in the lab), Europe is leading the charge toward a future where highly trained lab technicians with computers and robots will replace sacrificial animals in assessing the toxicity of various substances. A ban on animal testing in cosmetics and household products will go into effect across the European Union in 2013.

American animal advocates would like to see similar legislation on the books in the U.S., but at this juncture it appears unlikely to happen for some time. Nonetheless, many are hopeful that Europe’s action on the issue will help move the cosmetics and household products industries in the U.S. and elsewhere away from harming animals for consumers’ sake.

In the meantime, if you’re looking to avoid household cleaners that subject critters to poisons, you’ve never had so many choices. Back in 1996 eight national animal protection groups banded together to form the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics (CCIC) in order to unify behind one standard for so-called “cruelty-free” cosmetics and household products. The resulting Leaping Bunny certification logo is now proudly displayed on the packaging of more than 300 cosmetics and household products for sale across the U.S. The shopping guide on the coalition’s LeapingBunny.org website points consumers to various household cleaning and other types of products that don’t contain any ingredients subject to new animal testing.

Some of the top household cleaning products that meet Leaping Bunny criteria and are practical for a wide range of domestic tasks come from companies such as Seventh Generation, Earth Friendly Products, Earth Alive, Citra Solv, Nature Clean and Vermont Soapworks, among many others. You can order these products online via websites like Planet Natural and Green Feet, and many are sold in natural food stores.

Contacts:
HSUS
LeapingBunny
Planet Natural
Green Feet

Image Credit: Leaping Bunny
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Preserve makes personal hygiene products, such as toothbrushes and razors, and some table and kitchen ware, out of recycled yogurt cups and other grade 5 plastics. In addition to just designing with recycled material, they make it easier to recycle their products when you’re done using them. The Preserve toothbrush is packaged in a slim pouch with a business reply label and prepaid postage. You can mail in your old toothbrush when you’re done using it and the plastic handle will be recycled into other Preserve products (nylon bristles are always new). You can even sign up on their website for a toothbrush subscription and schedule for Preserve to send you a new brush on a regular schedule.

At $2.99 you can only feel good about turning a typically disposable personal product into a cycle of reuse. Not to mention a chance to reinstate the interesting producer-customer back and forth relationship that many companies have given up in favor of expansion and disposability.

Interestingly, most light sources we have create round light.  Go ahead, look around you and notice the shape.  This is handy for illuminating entire rooms or large spaces.  However as noted by the folks at Green Tech Media, many elements of life are, in fact, square or straight.  Read: desks, roads, paper, etc.

The value in a new product coming from a startup in Austin, TX is that their LED light source creates a square light which will work from a practical and design perspective in more applications.

So what the heck does this mean for the everyday consumer?  A lot actually.  This all boils down to efficiency.  When installed in a typical office environment, a square LED light source will illuminate a work surface with approximately 80% efficiency.  A standard round light source is closer to 30% efficiency.

By increasing the efficiency of millions of light bulbs across the world, the net energy reduction could be significant.  What’s more, by increasing the effectiveness of the light, outputting less lumens, less watt-equivalent while increasing the effectiveness of the lighting translates to less energy consumption.

As if more icing were needed on this cake, the unique shape and construction of this new light will decrease cost of production and packaging, translating to cheaper consumer prices.

This new light, designed by optical communications engineers, promises to vastly improve, if not revolutionize the lighting industry.

Disposable plastic packaging, bags and food service containers are just some of petroleum’s many uses. Making the move away from fossil fuel dependency will require substituting renewable materials for oil-based sources we currently rely on in numerous industries. One company working to achieve this move is Michigan-based Fabri-Kal, which produces high quality food service containers called Greenware® and other consumer packaging made from a biopolymer derived entirely from plants.

Fabri-Kal’s Greenware® is made in America from source material that is annually renewable. It is derived from domestically grown plants which can be replanted yearly and are not part of the food supply. Currently the feedstock is made mostly from corn, but many other plants can be used. The containers and packaging are 100% compostable in an actively managed facility and offer “significantly reduced greenhouse gas emissions,” according to the developer of Ingeo™ biopolymer, IngeoNature Works LLC. Greenware® is also recyclable, but the common availability of such facilities has yet to materialize. Fabri-Kal stands behind their products and claims with a No Greenwashing Pledge.

Although only “about 4 percent of the world’s annual oil production of some 84.5 million barrels per day is used as feedstock for plastic,” according to Grist Magazine, “and another 4 percent or so provides the energy to transform the feedstock into handy plastic,” moving toward renewable resources is a step in the right direction. Fabri-Kal continues to push into the frontier of environmentally conscious packaging helping to wean our culture of convenience and consumption off other oil-based products.

Animals have developed a plethora of ways to adhere to surfaces in their environment. Scientists once believed that this “stickiness” was accomplished by natural glues composed of sugars and oils in combination with hooked claws and light body weights. However, a closer look with a high-powered imaging and microscopic force sensors revealed that the gecko foot is covered with tiny hair-like structures called setae. These hairs split even further into tips with surfaces as small as 200 nanometers in diameter. The hairs adhere independently of surface polarity using van der Waals forces. They work on hard or soft textures and on dry or wet surfaces, can hold on under water, in a vacuum,  and can  support the entire weight of the gecko with just one toe pad. The gecko manually un-sticks itself with a toe curling motion, which can happen quite quickly as it runs up walls or tree trunks.

By discovering that gecko adhesion is due to geometry and surface area, scientists at Berkeley were able to begin considering practical applications. Gecko inspired adhesive would be strong, but reusable and self cleaning and unaffected by environmental conditions like dampness or rough surfaces. The Biomimetic Lab is looking at its application to robotics, where locomotion is necessary in difficult environments. Without relying on mechanical wheels or sticky glues for adhesion, robots could become much more efficient in data collection and rescue missions.

Though gecko feet have been a topic interest and research for decades, recent work at Berkeley came to light as the greater scientific community became more aware of a concept called biomimicry. This approach looks closely at nature’s solutions and applies them to more complex design issues. It can include anything from building using thermal regulation inspired by termites to designing a garden to mimic natural ecosystems to designing new adhesives based on gecko feet. Look at many human inventions and you’ll see it’s not such a new idea to be inspired by the natural world, but many scientists think that the last few decades have been dominated by more synthetic solutions and that many of our design problems, as well as environmental issues, can be faced by taking a look at natural solutions that have had thousands of years to evolve around us. These alternatives are typically nontoxic, reuseable, and adaptable to a variety or conditions and environments. To learn more, check out Biomimicry, Janine Beynus’ popular book that helped form an entire new movement in engineering and design, as well as the Biomimicry Institute.

Instead of a bouquet of flowers from a florist, why not a handpicked arrangement of wildflowers?  Even small kids can get in on the action and feel included in mommy’s special gift from the heart.  If you’re still stuck in a blanket of snow like me, try planted herbs that can grow on her windowsill.  She’ll surely remember your thoughtfulness everytime she uses the herbs in her cooking!  Potted flowers, bedding plants, potted tomato plants and even trees also make great alternatives to a store bought bouquet.  Another great idea for kids is to make paper flowers out of scrap paper around the house.  Have them write a mushy thought about their mom on each flower.

Instead of dinner out, how about dinner in?  You can try a meatless recipe as an eco-friendly menu or perhaps take the 100 mile challenge where all of the ingredients must be sourced within 100 miles of your home.  If you’re not that adventurous, try some free range chicken and an organic green salad.  Make sure that she (and the kids) know why it’s important to eat organic and the difference between free range chicken and the traditional chicken farming methods.  Mother’s day can be a great opportunity to teach your kids about the world we live in and how we should treat it.  Can’t cook at all?  Not to worry.  Research local restaurants looking for their green certification.  There are many search sites online that can help with that.

Everyone loves chocolate, right?  Instead of the drug store version that’s been shipped overseas, try an organic or local alternative.  These chocolates will be fresher and have less of a carbon footprint than some of the alternatives that are available.  Luckily, organic chocolate is becoming easier and easier to find in even the most traditional grocery store.  Take her for a tour of a local chocolate factory and make sure you get lots of samples!  This would be an awesome family adventure that everyone would be sure to have a good time at.

Bath products have to be one of the most popular gifts for women.  There are plenty of great options to choose from when shopping for these sorts of products.  Every mall has a least a couple of stores full of handmade, fair trade, all natural bath products.  Feeling crafty?  Look online for lots of easy and fun ways to make your own bath products in the home.  Bath bombs, soaps and linen sprays are all fairly simple to make even with the “help” of a couple of small kids.  You could even sign yourself up with your mom to take a class on how to make natural bath products.

When I was little, we would often make my mom a coupon book for Mother’s day.  She’d receive coupons good for us doing the dishes, cleaning the bathroom and doing laundry.  This sort of idea not only frees up mom’s time, it also teaches kids the value of hard work.  Try buying some chemical free cleaners and phosphate free laundry detergents to do the cleaning with.  These sorts of cleaners are generally safer for kids to use and are much safer for our environment.  This can be a good chance to try some different brands of cleaners than you would normally pick up.  Remember, this gift comes with actual cleaning not just cleaning products!

Ahhhh, the spa.  There’s nothing more relaxing!  A massage, facial, mud wrap and steam bath can turn any stressed out mom back into her eco-chic zen self.  Many spas are now popping up around the continent with eco-minded services and products.  Make sure that the gift certificate doesn’t expire quickly causing mom even more stress trying to get there in time.  If mom’s kids are still small, make sure that you think ahead to making sure they are cared for on the day of her spa visit.

It can be both easy and fun to make Mother’s day into a day to cherish mother Earth as well as your own mom/wife/grandmother/aunt.  It just takes a little bit more thought and planning to make her special day as green as Earth day.  Remember that the best gift of all for moms of all kind is a kiss, hug and a big “I love you!”.  Absolutely carbon free.

Image Credit: Jinx!, courtesy Flickr

Think of those thin plastic bags in American grocery stores.  People shove virtually everything into a bag, bring them to the checkout, then put them in more bags.  Long since a target for environmentalists, the incidental packaging of consumables is a large source of landfill waste.

You have no-doubt seen the reusable grocery bags first utilized by healthfood stores decades ago.  Unpackaged took the next step, and required you to bring your own containers.  Whether a reusable bag, jar, tupperware, whatever.  You must come prepared.

Of course, Unpackaged takes their efforts all the way to the finish line by sourcing organic and local foods.

This is the exact choice many global businesses need to make.  I challenge businesses to make the scary decision and move into the future.  A future where there is no more waste than can be sustained by our world.  The impetus for change is in the hands of the consumer.  Challenge the next business leader you see to take a bold, risky and forward-thinking step into the future.

Image credit: Web Ecoist

Although electric cars are not new (read: Who Killed the Electric Car) they are growing exponentially as the only legitimate solution for removing the top cause of greenhouse gas emmissions.

FedEx announced recently that they will be converting a (very) small part of their fleet to all-electric vehicles. Specifically, four vehicles will be added to their Los Angeles fleet.

In line with my previous post on not buying a hybrid, FedEx is doing a good job of utilizing their existing fleet by converting them to hybrids.

FedEx is also selling the concept with an informative website, allowing users to track the FedEx truck as it makes it’s way across Route 66 on a promotional tour.  FedEx is also taking the initiative up a notch by advocating for a complete electric vehicle infrastructure and “homegrown energy production.”

Read more at the official FedEx site.

(source: EcoGeek)

But are all hybrids made equal? Can a hybrid SUV really be an environmentally friendly choice? Perhaps not when compared to the latest Prius, but some SUV models have made large strides forward when compared to their non-hybrid counterparts. So how do you make sense of the growing choices of hybrid models and environmental claims of “greener” (or at least more efficient) driving?

The Union of Concerned Scientists Hybrid Scorecard

The Union of Concerned Scientists has recently released the Hybrid Scorecard, an innovative web tool that helps consumers evaluate and understand the technical features, environmental performance, and real value of all the hybrid models on the market.

From a Cadillac Escalade (which scores higher than you might expect) to the tough-to-beat Prius (notwithstanding Toyota’s other problems of late), USC’s Hybrid Scorecard explains the hybrid market in a detailed, yet accessible – even entertaining – format.

If you’ve got questions on just about anything concerning environmental sustainability or global security – from climate change to energy,  nuclear proliferation, scientific integrity, agriculture, and more – the Union of Concerned Scientists a great place to start.