There’s no question that green, eco-friendly, environmentally-driven businesses are increasing in popularity. And just like these businesses are growing, so are the resources that are available.

As with any business start-up, it all begins with the right kind of market research. This, of course, is a must: if you want success, you need to figure out if your market that you are aiming for is over sought after, or a place where you can stake your claim and flourish with it. Figure out who your target audience is, and what they would want or need. Who would be competing with you, and is there a way you can be unique? How can you convince folks that they need this? These are the things you need to start with.

Having a solid eco-business plan is also essential. At first, it doesn’t have to have a lot of detail; in fact, it will likely evolve as your plans do. But even a brief outline will help you get down all of the basics to getting started. From here, you need a marketing strategy; this time, it needs to be detailed. Figure out how to use social media, such as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, to your advantage. You’ll want to have an updated, fresh website, and, if possible, a blog to go with it. Acquire folks who know how to succeed with SEO, and track all of your efforts. Do a little inperson legwork, too, with attending events, conferences, and contacting local media.

Because you are building an online eco businesses, you need to ensure you have an effective online business presence. Your central locale will be your website/store, Facebook, Twitter, blog, LinkedIn, promo materials, and anything else on the web. If you can do this yourself, great! If not, then be sure to have someone on hand that can effectively get you moving in the right

There are many established online businesses that offer services to help you start in the eco-business direction. When you are looking for features for a free website, for example, companies that offer people a way to help the everyday person create unique pages are available. WebStarts is among these, a helpful resource that  gives you the creative freedom to change virtually every element of your page, including text, audio, video, forms, slideshows, widgets, and more. Essentially, they help out small business owners startup a website for free–and one that looks good, too. What is even better is that WebStarts is the first website builder that is designed to help with SEO and search engine rankings to help you get top results.

While some similar websites might still help you, they don’t have the free options that WebStarts has. Even the top tier plan that they have for clients is only $8 a month.

Building an eco-business is an ethical venture, one that requires knowledge combined with a passion for the environment. It’s a bonus for eco-entrepreneurs to know that there are compassionate companies out there willing to give a professional hand for little to no cost, and will help you in your goal for saving the environment… while saving you a few dollars.

When managing and working with an eco-business, it is important to realize the amount of waste a typical business goes through. The first mode of conduct would ideally be to reduce your resources. This can easily be done by avoiding using excess materials, reducing paper needs, reusing scrap paper, and recycle any shredded materials. Depending on the size of your staff, it just might require a few changes around the office (such as replacing waste bins with recycle bins), and designating specific bins for reusable scraps, such as note taking and memo writing.

There is also that business-savvy element to it; having an eco-friendly business attracts new customers and clients. Working to help the planet is abuzz right now; though it isn’t necessarily done to attract new customers, having an eco-friendly business, well, attracts new customers! It helps you start apart from your competitors, maintains existing clientele by offering something fresh and “now”, and gains new customers who want a business who practices a similar mantra to their own.

If you’re looking for more guidance in this area, there are many options, and doing your homework, exploring businesses, delving into Businessman video profiles, and exploring various sources is the first step to getting you there.

A significant challenge for some business owners is exploring your impact with your carbon footprint. There are plenty of calculators online to see how you relate to the carbon price, but there are also many ways to reduce the impact that occurs on your business from higher costs due to the carbon tax. The first step is to conduct an energy audit to effectively measure your business’ carbon footprint, which will help you and your team identify ways in which you can reduce its direct energy consumption and cost.

Take the time to review your costs, and determine whether they are direct costs, such as gas, electricity, fuel, and water, and indirect costs, such as travel and extra expenses. Then look at your pricing structure: are there additional costs that might affect your profit margins? If so, think carefully on whether you are increasing your prices, as your customers may or may not be happy with the change, even if to benefit the environment.

Another stepping stone is checking out digitaltips.org, a site from the Consumer Electronics Association that lists resources for you to sell and donate unwanted electronics. Non-functioning computers, fax machines, and copiers can still be reused because, generally, most of their parts are still workable. For those who are privvy to sensitive information, electronics recyclers can often remove any data on parts before reselling them.

Becoming more eco-friendly in your business certainly doesn’t have to be a challenge. In fact, it’s better in a business sense, offering more to the environment, to your staff, to your profits, and to your customers.

Here are four of our favourite earth-inspired, sustainable gift ideas to give to mom this Mother’s Day.

Epicurean Eco-Friendly Kitchen Essentials

Here are six ways that we are certain will help you move to a more environmentally-friendly lifestyle, that’ll help both you and our planet!

Make your laundry a little greener

Front loading washing machines clean clothes more thoroughly and use less water and energy than  most top-loading counterparts, and using cold water will improve its energy efficiency. In addition, using phosphate and bleach-free products made from biodegradable, plant- and vegetable-based ingredients is better for the water supply, and nixing the dryer saves loads of hydro costs. Read more tips for greener laundry here.

Keep your house cooler

In the heat of the summer, keeping the doors and windows closed is your best bet–even if you’re just running outside for something. What’s more, make sure you have good insulation, which prevents heat leaking through the walls and ceilings, and air sealing prevents heat coming through air movement. Finally, consider upgrading to a programmable thermostat, and  take advantage of “fan only” option, which uses some of the cool basement air and circulates it within the house. Check out more ideas for cooling your house in the summer here.

Live off the grid

Go big or go home, right? If you think you might want to live off of the grid, it takes a lot to do it the right way. But a good way to get started is reducing your energy use and trying some alternatives to appliances. One idea is a DIY washing machine: all you need is a five gallon bucket and a toilet plunger. Go even a step further by making your own laundry soap, too. Check out more details here, and other ideas for off-grid living.

Buy a bike

If you don’t already own a bike, it’s time you did. Not only are they better for the environment than an automobile, but they are also a great way to improve your health and enjoy the outdoors. Even if you don’t plan on riding often, opt for a comfort bike, hybrid, or commuter bike, all designed for the casual rider, with lower (or no) gearing and an upright riding position.  For a comprehensive list of tips on choosing a bike, read more here.

Use less water

There are plenty of ways you can use less water in your home, and most of them just take a simple swap to what you’re already doing. When you’re running your dishwasher or washing machine, wait until you have enough dishes or laundry to run a full load. In the springtime, use a rain barrel placed below your gutter downspout, which will help capture water and save it for another use. A few times a week, cut back on eating meat if it is a part of your diet: it takes 1,857 gallons of water to produce a single pound of beef. You can also head to to the Water Footprint Calculator or download the Waterprint iPhone app (Free from itunes .com) to check out how much water you use. For 15+ more tips, check out ideas on saving water here.

Recycle the right way

Although we know generally what to recycle: paper, plastic, cans, and glass, there are many things we’re recycling the wrong way… electronics especially  When it comes to your own computer, consider cleaning it out and, if it still works, donating it to a local charity, school, or organization. To recycle ink cartridges, Hewlett Packard will take them. For batteries, you can drop off them off at many retailers, including Bell Mobility, Blacks Photography, Canadian Tire, Fido, Futureshop, Home Depot, Telus Mobility, Best Buy, and Target, among others. Because these batteries won’t end up in the landfill, it’s better for our environment and the recycled remnants are used to manufacture new Ni-Cd rechargeable batteries. Collective Good International snags old cell phones. Check this out for more out-of-the-ordinary recycling needs.

The building, located in the historic Woolworth Building in New York City, has achieved Forest Stewardship Council™ (FSC) Project certification in March of 2013. FSC Project certification verifies use of FSC-certified and/or post-consumer reclaimed input materials in a project.

“At the Rainforest Alliance, we have long supported the responsible management of forests,” said Dave Bubser, US region manager of RA-Cert at the Rainforest Alliance. “Achieving FSC project certification for our new New York City headquarters is testament to this, and demonstrates how building materials connect with forests worldwide.”

The Rainforest Alliance headquarters obtained this certification, with the scope of the certification encompassing wooden floors, plywood in workstations, desks with organizers and restroom benches and tables. Most materials for the office renovation were purchased from Rainforest Alliance certificate holders including Columbia Forest Products, Atlantic Plywood and Jensen Leisure Furniture.

“Having our FSC-Certified PureBond® panels featured in the Rainforest Alliance’s offices and the iconic Woolworth Building they reside within is a remarkable milestone for our firm,” said Brad Thompson, president and CEO of Columbia Forest Products. “As the first North American hardwood plywood and veneer producer to enlist with the Rainforest Alliance for FSC certification services in 1998, Columbia’s employee owners congratulate the Rainforest Alliance for its unmistakable contribution to sustainable forests, agriculture and tourism.”

The FSC is widely considered the leading global standard-setter for responsible forest management. FSC project certification is applicable to new building or renovation projects, or one-off production of a specific item. For more information, see the project certification standard.

We’ve had the opportunity to review a Twaddle Shopper which, compared to anything else, is the best reusable shopping bag that we’ve ever used. Really. And trust us, we don’t have to say that.

Twaddle Shoppers are far more than your typical tote bag, for many reasons.

But first, we’ll outline the frustrations that we have with reusable bags in a mini manifesto:

1. They aren’t all eco-friendly

That’s true. Though their job description reduces waste and provides a reusable alternative to negate having to use so many plastic bags, not all reusable shopping and tote bags are eco-friendly themselves. Are the fabrics, dyes, and materials good for the environment? It is something you should keep in mind when doing the shopping for… well, something you’ll be doing more shopping with.

2. They get stinky, sticky, or loaded with germs

I have a pile of reusable bags from my local grocery store, and although they are good in most areas, they are made of a materials that just soaks in the grime. Yes, any bag can tap into those odours and stains, but my grocery store ones really suck them in. I don’t love it.

3. They aren’t durable

Listen, if I wanted a bag to rip when loaded with groceries, I would pay the 5 cents for a plastic one. Instead, I want to be able to load my bag with too many groceries and successfully have it stay in tact. Can we make that happen? Thanks.

4. They’re ugly

Okay, yes, aesthetics aren’t everything, but let’s be honest: they count for something. In the case of my reusable bags, they don’t have to be pretty, but darn it, they should be pretty appealing, at least.

But that’s pretty much it. There isn’t much else to dislike; after all, they’re just your average reusable shopping bag.

But then we found one that trumps them all, one that surpasses our expectations, and then some. One, well, that we really, really like.

Twaddle Shoppers.

Twaddle Shoppers are the next evolutionary step in your reusable shopping bags. This is because they combat (and surpass) all of the aforementioned issues, while still getting the job done.

The Twaddle Shopper is, indeed, eco-friendly. It’s fabric is entirely safe for the planet, and uses a special AirDye tecnology to help preserve the environment in the coloring process. AirDye is a revolutionary new process that dyes and prints textiles without using water. It also produces up to 84 percent fewer greenhouse gases, and 86% less energy.

In fact, the whole company is dedicated to making things a little bit greener. At Crypton, they believe that lives are interconnected with our community and environment, and because of this, we are in the midst of making the world that we want to live in.  They continually look at innovative solutions to reduce their eco-  footprint and, in turn, bring this to the consumer.

Their efforts include investing in renewable energy and carbon offsets, testing new eco-friendly items and ideas, using the best practices possible to reduce water and energy, use, emit less pollution, and reduce the use of packaging materials, and create recycling programs.

But back to the bag.

See, the thing with the Twaddle Shoppers is that they aren’t ever going to be stinky or disgusting. This is because they are stain, germ, and odor resistant. In fact, to clean it, most liquid spills can be blotted with a towel, and difficult stains can be spot cleaned with a simple mixture of soap and water. But everything else, really, just rolls right off. That’s because these bags are not only stain and bacteria resistant, but also contain a built-in moisture barrier that prevents liquids from penetrating the fabric.

Durability isn’t even a question here: to test it out, I loaded it with the heaviest groceries I could muster. Did it last? Yes. Does it last each time? Yes. The bag includes 20 by 24 inches of pure strength, perfect for whatever I want to stuff in the bag.

And finally, the biggest key to them all: it isn’t ugly. Not even close! It comes in five colours: Glow, Electric, Buzz Storm, Fire, all of which are swished and swirled with black. Just like their name, they feature the Power Lines design from artist Randy Twaddle.

If you are an avid grocery doer, and bring your own bags, this is definitely the shopper for you. Available from Crypton, these bags sell for $36 and are worth every penny.

The fantastic thing is that you can really make it whatever you want!

Here are our four favourite recipes for twists on traditional hummus… and be sure to serve them with lots of fresh pita bread and veggies.

Sweet Potato Hummus

1 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
6 cloves garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup tahini
Juice and grated zest of 2 medium lemons
Water, as needed

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Toss the potatoes and garlic in olive oil, sprinkle with cumin and cayenne pepper, and roast until tender, about 30 minutes. Cool 10 minutes.

Put the sweet potatoes, garlic, and salt in the food processor. Process until smooth. Add the tahini, lemon zest and lemon juice, and water, letting process until the desired consistency is reached, adding additional water as needed.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

For foodies or for those looking to add a little oomph to your diet, here are some of our newest favourite superfoods that are standing a little stronger in the spotlight.

Camu Camu

• One of the richest sources of vitamin C in the world, housing about 60 times more than an orange
• Rich in antioxidants and powerful phytochemicals, as well as varying amino acids
• Because vitamin C strengthens the immune system while reducing inflammation and protecting against infection, camu camu powder and berries do the same — but more efficiently
• Camu camu has also been linked to healthy skin and protecting against damage caused by free radicals
• Swirl it into a smoothie, add it to yogurt, or sprinkle it on your cereal

Goldenberries

• These chewy berries have a sweet flavor with a hint of tartness, with high levels of vitamins A and C
• Also known as Cape Gooseberries and Incan Berries
• They are a good source of fiber, including pectin, and are home to a significant amount of protein
• Because they are loaded with bioflavonoids, they have anti-inflammatory properties and are rich in antioxidants
• They have also been linked to decreased inflammation, which can contribute to reducing the risk of heart-related diseases
• Vitamin C is known to protect again free-radical damage, thereby reducing cancer risk, as well
• Toss them in your next trailmix and add them into curries

Our friends at the Rainforest Alliance have launched their annual “Picture Our Planet” photo contest. This contest celebrates the essence of sustainable tourism and uses photography to capture the world’s most beautiful places in a single shot.

Sponsored by Polaroid and Tour Operators Promoting Sustainability (also known as TOPS), this contest will allow folks to take part in one of the best parts of living on this earth; this, of course, is because the beauty of travel is being able to capture it on film.

“Taking photos is an essential part of the travel experience,” said Tensie Whelan, president of the Rainforest Alliance. “To ensure that the world’s iconic destinations — and the people and wildlife that depend on them — continue to thrive and prosper for generations to come, travelers must engage in sustainable tourism.”

The grand prize winner receives an eight-day, seven-night eco-trip for two to Costa Rica. Courtesy of the  TOPS program, a community of tour operators committed to supporting sustainable tourism in their respective markets, it doesn’t get much better than that. The grand prize winner will be selected by renowned wildlife photographer Art Wolfe. The trip includes eco-tours to the Arenal Volcano, the Monteverde cloud forest, and Manuel Antonio National Park.

There are six category winners in total, each of whom will receive a Polaroid high-definition pocket digital video camcorder. All of the six winners, along with the grand prize winner, will also receive a one-year honorary membership at the $100 level to the Rainforest Alliance.  All winners will also receive an honorary one-year membership at the $100-level to the Rainforest Alliance.

The six categories include

• Iconic Destinations: famous travel destinations around the world
• Forests: boreal, tropical or temperate forests
• Water: rivers, streams, waterfalls, beaches, wetlands or coral reefs
• Wildlife: insects, birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles or fish
• Adventure tourism: images that depict people engaged in adventure tourism activities
• People and Culture: images that celebrate a destination’s culture and communities

The submissions will be judged based on three criteria: (1) the visual appeal and composition of the photograph, (2) the use of the portrayal of the Rainforest Alliance’s mission, and (3) originality and creativity of the photograph. The staff from the Rainforest Alliance will then select five finalists in each category, post them on the website, and ask folks to get involved and vote on their favorites in each of the categories. Art Wolfe will select the grand prize-winning photo from the group of finalists.

The photographs need to be submitted to http://my.rainforest-alliance.org/site/PageNavigator/comm/photocontest2013.html by June 30th, 2013. The winners will be contacted through email on or before July 31st, 2013.

Parabens, for example, are used to assist in the prevention of growing microbes in cosmetic products. They can be absorbed through the skin, blood and digestive system. According to the Environmental Working Groups’s Skin Deep database,  parabens are linked to cancer, endocrine disruption, reproductive toxicity, immunotoxicity, neurotoxicity and skin irritation.

Pthalates are used in cosmetics to keep a hold on the colour and scents that they contain. They are often found in makeup and nail polish items.Pthalates are linked to disrupting the hormonal system, and more specifically with sex hormones.

Lead, arsenic, mercury, aluminum, zinc, chromium and iron are found in all types of cosmetics. Skin Deep tells us that most heavy metals are linked to toxicity, and some are linked to cancer-causing agents.

Formaldehyde is used mostly in shampoos and liquid body soaps, which is meant to prevent  bacteria from growing in water-based products. It has been linked to cancer and causing sensitivity to the skin.  It has been known to create allergic skin reactions and rashes in some users.

There are plenty of soaps, though, that don’t use any of these ingredients. Here are some of our favourites:

Dr. Bronner’s

www.drbronner.com

Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps are  traced back to German-Jewish soapmaking tradition. Since 1929, they’ve been delivering high quality, versatile and eco-friendly products. Arguably their most popular, the Pure Castile Soaps combine organic extra virgin coconut, jojoba, hemp, and olive oils, with other pure essential oils, to create a unique soap available in both liquid and bar forms. The fair-trade soap is also completely biodegradable and vegetable-based, with no synthetic foaming agents, thickeners, or preservatives, and made with 100 percent post-consumer cylinder bottles with paper labels. We especially love their Peppermint Bar Soap, with a therapeutic peppermint oil that works as a mild stimulant to increase vitality and clarity. It is wrapped in 10% hemp-flax / 90% post-consumer recycled paper from Living Tree Paper Co.

Plantlife Natural Body Care

www.plantlife.net

Plantlife Natural Body Care has been in the business manufacturing 100% natural products since 1994. Having always been a green company, everything they make is natural and chemical free, with  no parabens, phthalates, artificial colors, artificial fragrances, dyes or synthetics. They are developed in small batches to ensure product quality and freshness–products which are all vegan and gluten-free (minus the lip balms). They do not test on animals, either. You’ll love their body washes, gentle and moisturizing without SLS, harmful chemicals, preservatives or synthetics. We really dig the Lemongrass body wash, with its fresh, invigorating scent that’ll liven up your shower routine.

Our friends at the Rainforest Alliance have been busy this year, and thirteen companies that attended the huge expo launched new products that feature the Rainforest Alliance Certified^TM seal, which means the company has made a commitment to sustainable sourcing.

According to Alex Morgan, the senior manager of sustainable agriculture at the Rainforest Alliance,  “These new product launches reflect growing recognition of Rainforest Alliance certification as an important tool that enables companies to ensure sustainable production of agricultural goods. By sourcing goods from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms, companies can support sustainable agriculture while also ensuring the long-term viability of supply chains.”

Amy’s Organic Kitchen: Amy’s Gluten Free Brownies, made with cocoa from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms.

Balance Bar®: three new flavors made with 100 percent cocoa from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms: Dark Chocolate Crunch, Dark Chocolate Coconut and Dark Chocolate Peanut.

Bissinger’s Handcrafted Chocolatier: three new bars featuring the Rainforest Alliance Certified green frog seal: Banana Pecan Caramel Bar, Coconut Caramel with Red Hawaiian Sea Salt Bar and Dulce de Leche with Sea Salt Bar. All bars are made using 100 percent cocoa from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms.

Clif Bar & Company: new flavor of CLIF Bar — Clif Bar Sierra Trail Mix — made using 100 percent of cocoa ingredients from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms.

Endangered Species Chocolate: two new natural chocolate bars featuring cocoa from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms: Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt and Almonds and Dark Chocolate with Cherries.

Justin’s: Organic Peanut Butter Cup Singles in milk and dark chocolate, featuring cocoa from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms.

NibMor: chocolates featuring the Rainforest Alliance Certified green frog seal with the addition of Mint Bar, featuring 72 percent cocoa content sourced from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms.

The Republic of Tea: Moringa tea featuring the green frog seal, which is the first in the company’s line of SuperHerb teas. This blend boasts healing properties from the leaves of the moringa oleifera. Made using green rooibos from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms, this blend can be found online and in stores nationwide. In addition, the company launched its Limón Black Iced Tea, containing fine black teas from Rainforest Alliance Certified tea gardens.

Salazon Chocolate Co.: salted-chocolate bars featuring the Rainforest Alliance Certified green frog seal with the launch of its new Organic Dark Chocolate with a Sea Salt & a Touch of Organic Caramel bar. Made with 57 percent, single-origin cocoa from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms in the Dominican Republic.

Seth Ellis Chocolatier: Sun Cups, a line of chocolate cups that come in four different flavors, including milk and dark chocolate sunflower butter cups, mint cups, and caramel cups. The line is gluten-free and nut-free, and made using cocoa from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms.

Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker: Chocolate Maker’s Series Bar made with cocoa beans from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms in San Juan de Cheni, Peru.

Teatulia Organic Teas: Organic Round Teabag Collection, a line of organic teas featuring the green frog seal that come in five different varieties including black, green, earl grey, lemongrass and the brand new variety of jasmine green. 100 percent of all teas sourced or grown by Teatulia come from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms and are 100 percent organic.

Yogi Tea: Cinnamon Vanilla Healthy Skin tea, adding to its current array of herbal tea products featuring the green frog seal. Made using rooibos from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms.

We say kudos to these companies who have taken the effort to source raw materials from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms. They help create our food options to be a more sustainable model, while simultaneously improving farming communities worldwide and conserving natural resources for future generations.

Luckily, giving a wash to your produce with plain water certainly helps, though if you really want to kill those germs, there are a variety of easy do-it-yourself homemade vegetable washes that will help eliminate the possibility of getting pretty sick.

Basic Vegetable Spray

1 cup cold tap water
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Put the water, vinegar, and lemon juice in a spray bottle. Shake well. Spray on your produce, then rinse with tap water before using.

Baking Soda Vegetable Spray

1 cup cold tap water
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Put the water, baking soda, and lemon juice in a spray bottle. Shake well. Spray on your produce, then rinse with tap water before using.

Simple Vegetable Soak

4 cups cold tap water
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
2 tablespoons salt

Put the water in a large bowl. Add the vinegar, and  salt. Swish around until well mixed. Add the fruit and vegetables and let them sit for about 30 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water before using.

Berry Soak

4 cups cold tap water
Juice from 1 lemon
1/4 cup salt

Put the water in a large bowl. Add the lemon juice and  salt. Swish around until well mixed. Add the fruit and vegetables and let them sit for about 10 minutes. Drain and rinse gently under cold water before using.

Greens Wash

4 cups cold tap water
1 cup  distilled white vinegar

Put the water in a large bowl. Add the vinegar . Swish around until well mixed. Add the fruit and vegetables and let them sit for about 2 minutes. Drain and rinse gently under cold water before using.

Stronger All-Purpose Spray

2 cups distilled white vinegar
2 cups undiluted hydrogen peroxide

Fill two different spray bottles with each ingredient (put vinegar in one, and peroxide in the other). First spray the fruits and vegetables with the vinegar. Follow up with a spray from the hydrogen peroxide. Rinse thoroughly under cold water before using.

The Candy-Free Easter Basket

There are plenty of ways to give your kids an exciting Easter basket without making it a chocolate and confectionery explosion. Consider gifting them with a few good quality, low sugar, and organic options to fulfill the sweets quota, then top the rest of the basket with toys, certificates, and more. Check out our Nine Candy-Free Easter Basket Ideas, each with a theme that will suit whatever your kids love, with everything from gardening, to sleep overs, to video gamers, to art supplies.

All-Natural Egg Dyes

Egg kits are notorious to contain little tablets made from chemicals. Though they are easy to use and create great-looking eggs, they also inevitability gets on your (and your kids’) skin, which, in turn, absorbs the additives into your systems. These food colourings have been linked to various developmental issues, such as ADHD. Lucky for us, it’s super easy to Dye Your Own Eggs Naturally.

Delicious Spring Produce

With Spring finally in the air, one thing is for certain: we are basking in the produce that comes along with it! Our favourites include fresh artichokes, completely worth the prep time; slender, green asparagus stalks that are tender and delicious; antioxidant and fibre-rich blueberries, perfect for pie; sweet plump peas excellent for a Mint Pea Soup; crisp, bright stalks of rhubarb in a simple, but Classic Rhubarb Pie; mixed and matched with brightly colored, plump strawberries. Check out all our tips in Spring Produce 101. berries with their leaves intact.

Fiddleheads Two Ways

If you want to serve your guests something a little different, opt for fiddle heads. These little spirals carry a nutritional kick of carotenoids and phenol compounds, both of which make fiddleheads an antioxidant powerhouse. What does that mean for our bodies? They can halt the growth of cancer-causing cells and taste amazing, too. Read more about preparing these little veggies, along with some recipes, in The 411 on Fiddleheads.

Organic Easter Basket Candies and Chocolate

Instead of using Easter baskets, try reusable bags. Swap that shredded recycled paper for plastic Easter grass, and enjoy  dinner filled with organic, local ingredients. But the most important part of Easter? Keeping those goodies; just make sure that they are Organic Easter Treats instead.

The Easter Lily

If you’re visiting family or friends over the holidays, consider giving them a lily as a gift. With their large, bright white, trumpet-shaped flowers, subtle yet notable fragrance, and beautiful simplicity, Easter lilies are a traditional Easter-time bloom that brings brightness to any room. If you’re not sure how to take care of it, whether it is your own or to offer others some advice, here is our Easy Guide to Easter Lilies.

Make Your Own Easter Grass

Growing your own Easter grass is far more environmentally friendly than the plastic scraps you use to fill your children’s baskets. Even better, it is a great activity for the family to do together. All you need are wheat berries/seeds, vermiculite or potting soil, a basket to grow it in, a spray bottle filled with water, a piece of plastic, cellophane, or similar to line the basket, and a sunny spot at Send Easter flowers 800florals florist. Here are the instructions for DIY Easter Grass.

Recycling the Egg Cartons

After we sit with our families, friends, and children in our  kitchens, dipping hard-boiled eggs into food colouring solutions to create a vibrant creations,  what can we do with those left over containers? Luckily, egg cartons are perfect for a dozen convenient household tips and techniques. These are our favourite ways to Reuse Egg Cartons After Easter.

GoodGuide

Free; available here

The GoodGuide app helps users figure out which products are green, safe for themselves and the environment, and are sustainable to boot. The app includes a barcode scanner that gives you access the ratings that GoodGuide delivers, using health, scientific, environmental, and social ratings for over 170,000 products. Users can narrow it down to what they want to search for, such as prioritizing nutrition, healthy ingredients, animal welfare, human welfare and rights, climate change, sustainability, organics, and more. The products, whether it is food, personal care, home cleaners, baby items, children’s items, pet food, clothing, and more are given a grade of passing or failing based on your chosen criteria. It also lets your create personalized shopping lists, making choosing eco-friendly options a breeze.

iViro

Free; available here

iViro makes home energy analysis easy and quick, letting you save money and reduce your home’s eco-footprint by doing a full home energy analysis and helping you implement the right changes. Users can perform a detailed energy analysis with no prior technical experience, or, if time doesn’t allow, a quick one, too. With a few easy steps, you can gather information on your home’s costs on heating, cooling, lighting, hot water and appliance energy consumption, complete with yearly cost estimates and CO2 emission estimates. The app takes into account your home’s design, the specific heating and cooling equipment it uses, local weather conditions, the number of skylights, doors, and windows, whether your appliances are energy efficient, and various energy prices in your area.

Seafood Watch

Free; available here

Seafood Watch makes recommendations to help users choose ocean-friendly seafood both at the store and while dining out. The app is always updated with the latest recommendations for seafood and sushi, and lists complete information about how each item should be fished or farmed. It provides free, up-to-date recommendation and uses your phone’s GPS for regional information. You can help refine the search using “Best Choice,” “Good Alternative” or “Avoid” rankings, and sushi options are listed both by Japanese and market names to avoid any form of confusion. Even better, the new Project FishMap feature lets you contribute to the app by adding the names of restaurants and stores where you’ve found ocean-friendly seafood and locate businesses where others have found sustainable seafood

Carticipate

Free; available here

App users can save money on gas while helping the environment by “carticipating” with friends, family, groups, or co-workers. This app lets you coordinate driving plans, carpool, or a ride share by indicating where you are going, when, and post your ride. You can then match with other users who meet your needs. The scheduler allows you to create and manage multiple trips, and it comes with a list of pre-loaded example destinations which you can edit, delete, or add for your own custom locations.

iGreenpeace

Free; available here

Fun for kids, this Greenpeace app helps support various Greenpeace campaigns with Alex the Penguin, a character who loves good food, friends, playing games and saving the planet. He lives at the South Pole and is experiencing problems due to global warming, and is trying to create change. Kids can have fun using the Penguin Clap Game! Tap and clap with Alex the Penguin and see how long you can last. Other users can about up-to-date Greenpeace news from around the world, find the tools to be an online-activist, and have opportunities to donate to support Greenpeace campaigns to save people, penguins, and the planet.

There are plenty of ways to have a greener Valentine’s Day. You can keep it simple, using same Valentine’s Day celebratory techniques from the past with a greener twist. You can make some delicious, vegan desserts, such as Cherry Champagne Sorbet and or a sweet Chocolate Graham Truffle Tart (among others!), you can hunt down some ethical chocolate and flowers or opt for a rich pot with creamy vegan fondue. For the man in your life, you can opt for some stuff specifically for guys, and no woman would say no to any of these gifts.

For a few more ideas, our friends at the Rainforest Alliance have come up with ways to spoil our loved one without spoiling the planet. By choosing goods and services that feature the Rainforest Alliance’s little green frog, you can help conserve forests, protect wildlife and improve the lives of workers and their communities across the globe.

Love a greener world

Can a sweet, sustainable treat bring two lovebirds together? Watch the Valentine’s Day video to find out! Demonstrate that you support a greener world by sharing the video.

Win a sweet treat

Do you love chocolate? Does your sweetheart love chocolate? Win a gift basket overflowing with sweet, sustainable chocolate, just in time for Valentine’s Day! Write an inspiring caption for our “Love a Greener World” caption contest for a chance to win a tasty assortment of chocolate treats.

Give a sweet surprise

This Valentine’s Day, demonstrate your love with a sweet, sustainable surprise.

1) Treat your love to sustainably produced chocolate. Farmed on over 18 million acres of tropical land, cocoa provides a livelihood for some 40 million people. Make sure the chocolate you buy contains cocoa grown in a way that protects forests and helps cocoa farming communities thrive. Find a list of chocolates that feature the Rainforest Alliance CertifiedTM green frog seal via Shop the Frog.

2) Surprise your Valentine with a beautiful bouquet, but make sure it was not grown at the expense of the environment. Flowers that bear the green frog seal were grown on farms that curb deforestation, conserve soil and water, provide habitat for wildlife and protect the rights and well-being of farm workers. You can find certified blooms at Whole Foods Market, Sam’s Club, Walmart and Costco.

3) Rekindle your love on a romantic get-away. Find stunning and sustainable destinations in Latin America and the Caribbean on SustainableTrip.org, a Rainforest Alliance website, which features tourism businesses that conserve natural resources, protect plants and wildlife, and support local communities.

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The Rainforest Alliance works with people whose livelihoods depend on the land, helping them transform the way they grow food, harvest wood and host travelers. From large multinational corporations to small, community-based cooperatives, businesses and consumers worldwide are involved in the Rainforest Alliance’s efforts to bring responsibly produced goods and services to a global marketplace where the demand for sustainability is growing steadily. For more information, visit www.rainforest-alliance.org.

With that in mind, this consumer-driven holiday tends to also be pretty bad for the planet. Lots of money is spent on wasteful items, plenty of gag or one-time-use gifts, and flowers that don’t come from sustainable sources.

Here are some tips for keeping this Valentine’s Day waste free, along with plenty of other ideas to celebrate it sustainably.

Say no to paper cards

Instead of purchasing cards that, sure, might shed a brief tear, make a smile spread across a face, or get you a romantic kiss, consider delivering an e-version instead. This doesn’t waste paper, and, really, does the job just as well. Save the in-person gift in the form of a hug or kiss, instead.

But if you need a card…

If a printed card is absolutely necessary, make or purchase recycled ones instead. If you are choosing to hand make it, look for materials such as reclaimed paper, and cut and paste from old cards. If you must buy, there are many options made of recycled material.

Figure out the flowers

Flowers are a classic option, so be sure to ask your florist about the source of the flowers you’re about to buy, and look for those from local farmers. You can also order organic options from web sources such as Organic Bouquet.

The right drinks

Need a bottle of wine? Do a little research to find organic wine sources, and supporting local growers if possible. There are also plenty of choices for ethical champagne. If it is something vegan you are after, Barnivore is a great source for figuring out what alcohol is vegan.

The right food

If you’re celebrating by going out to dinner, look for restaurant choices that thrive on local, organic foods. Many areas often have at least a handful of restaurants that look toward local sources for their menus.

The right gifts

Nope, your boyfriend doesn’t need a gag gift that he’ll never use. And, honestly, your wife hates teddy bears. And those trinkets for the kids? They’ll be forgotten about in a couple of hours. Check out our links below to a load of ideas to bring the right gifts to the forefront this year.

Eat chocolate

When all else fails, there are plenty of organic and ethical chocolate options for you to munch on. Even Cadbury has gone fair-trade! Look for high-quality chocolate sources to satisfy that sweet tooth of yours.. and your lover’s. By purchasing fair-trade chocolate, you will help developing nations help establish themselves and move out of poverty.

Need some more inspiration?

If you need some other ways to spread the love this Valentine’s Day, check out these articles, too!

Top Four Eco-Valentine Gift Ideas for Her: for everyone from the culinary queen to just spending time in the bedroom.

Six Vegan Valentine’s Day Desserts: Nothing says love from desserts made with love. Sorbet, fondue, biscotti, and more!

Ideas for a Sustainable Valentine’s Day: our friends at Rainforest Alliance created a great green guide to gifts and activities especially designed for lovers to have an eco-friendly Valentine’s Day.

Top Four Eco-Valentine Gift Ideas for Him: after picking out the best gifts for her, here’s our follow-up for what to buy for your man this love-filled holiday.

Going Green on Valentine’s Day: Here’s another great green guide from Rainforest Alliance, perfect for promoting love, without promoting damage to the planet!

Sweetheart Vanilla Macaroons Dipped in Dark Chocolate: a yummy recipe that’s super easy to make… and it’s raw vegan, too!

Cheezy Fondue with Roasted Vegetables: round out a romantic meal with this perfect vegan dish designed for two.

Image courtesy of keetsa.com

The frankenfish in question is a type of salmon, bred from Atlantic waters to carry the same genes of the Chinook salmon from the wild Pacific, along with an ocean pout, which is an eel-like fish. By combining the genes of these two fish, it allows it to grow all year round, instead of only in the spring and summer months. Furthermore, the fish can grow to almost two feet long, instead of the average thirteen inches, and is almost two and a half times it’s weight, clocking in at nearly 7 pounds.

AquaBounty, the manufacturers of this fish, are waiting for the final assessment from the FDA, which has approved the first genetically engineered animals for human consumption. After reviewing more than 50 safety studies, from allergens to health regulations, the new “fish” might finally be ready for its time in the public eye.

(Read our old thoughts on AquaBounty and GMO salmon here)

Notable is that these genetically engineered salmon are to be kept in enclosed, inland tanks to prevent any form of risk that the females will breed with wild salmon, and AquaBounty has stated that they will not sell the fish to farmers who do not have these required enclosed, inland tanks.

Environmentalists and food-safety advocates are not pleased with the news, feeling that the FDA shouldn’t be making such decisions.  The Center for Food Safety, a nonprofit that is against genetic modification of fish (see their GE-Fish.org website) has not been keen on AquaBounty since its initial debut.

Though it is designed for human consumption, this food isn’t actually approved as a food. Instead, they are dubbing it as a new animal drug, which will neglect to assess key areas such as human health. The fish also won’t be raised in the United States directly (though sold there). Instead, they will be born and raised in Prince Edward Island, Canada, and then shipped off to Panama, where they’ll grow into salmon.

However, this new fish is still under scrutiny. Though the FDA has initially approved it, there was a ninety day lapse where the department accepts any form of public comment on the matter of its draft environmental assessment. If you want to add and let them know your thoughts, you have until February 25th, 2013, and can visit regulations.gov. Once there search for docket number FDA-2011-N-0899-0002 and let them know what you think.

Note that other than Alaska, no other states have passed any form of law that genetically modified ingredients, including salmon, have to be labeled, so you could be consuming it unknowingly when you’re at your local grocery store. Though you can be safe by exclusively eco-friendly vegetarian diet, you can also have your say by contacting the FDA with your thoughts.

Though they easily get outshined by their carrot-relatives, and play second fiddle to other seasonal winter vegetables, such as squash, parsnips have a lot to offer.

Parsnips are rich in potassium and folate–even more than carrots are–which are essential for heart and cell health. Folate, in particular, is needed for the creation of new, healthy cells, and those who lack enough of this B vitamin is at greater risk for certain cancers or birth defects in pregnant women. Parsnips are also loaded with fibre, and a good source of vitamin C and protein.

Parsnips have a fantastic, unique flavor; they are slightly sweet and peppery with nutty undertones but, overall, are subtle and mild in taste. Whether parsnips are a regular in your kitchen or you are completely new to the vegetable, here are three of our favorite ways to use them:

Curry Parsnip Fries

Makes 4 servings

2 pounds parsnips, peeled and cut into 3-inch sticks
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon garam masala
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Toss the parsnips with the olive oil until well-coated. Add the spices and toss until well mixed.

Spread the parsnips on a baking sheet and bake until tender, stirring every 10 minutes, until soft, about 30 minutes. Serve warm.

Coconut Parsnip Puree

Serves 4

1 pound parsnips, peeled and sliced
1 cup full-fat canned coconut milk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1/3 cup virgin coconut oil, melted
Parsley for garnish
Large flake coconut, toasted, for garnish

Put the parsnips, coconut milk, salt, and pepper in a medium pot. Mix, then add the garlic and thyme. Bring to medium heat and let cook, simmering, until tender, about 15 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to the parsnips to a food processor. Add the coconut oil. Process until smooth, adding some of the milk mixture from the pot so the texture is creamy. Transfer to a serving bowl. Top with parsley and coconut flakes. Serve warm.

Maple Oat Parsnip Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

1 1/2 cups whole grain flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 cup  raisins
2 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger
1 cup grated peeled parsnips
3/4 cup nondairy milk
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup melted coconut oil

Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Put the flour, oats, flaxseeds, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk until well combined. Add the raisins and ginger. Mix well.

Put the parsnips, nondairy milk, maple syrup, applesauce, and coconut oil in a large bowl. Mix well. Add the parsnip mixture to the flour mixture. Stir until just moistened. Spoon the mixture among the prepared muffin cups.

Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms in Kenya, Peru and Colombia earned top scores at the Rainforest Alliance’s December Cupping for Quality, held at the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) Lab in Long Beach, California. This marks the tenth year that the Rainforest Alliance has hosted coffee cuppings to recognize farmers for their hard work producing high quality, sustainable coffees.

A total of 51 coffees from nine origins were submitted to the December event, including the first-ever sample from Malawi. The highest score — 87.1 points — went to the Ndumberi Factory, a cooperative of smallholder farmers located in the Kiambu region of Kenya. Through Rainforest Alliance certification, the cooperative has adopted a systemized approach to training, which has improved the sustainability and quality of its production. Ndumberi is also unique in having its own wet mill with a cupping lab, allowing cooperative members to analyze quality and focus on quality control in tandem with sustainable production.

More than 90 percent of the samples received scores above 80, the threshold for specialty coffee categorization according to the SCAA cupping protocol. This indicates that sustainable farming practices can contribute to the production of high-quality beans that brew a better tasting cup of coffee. Rainforest Alliance certification requires the adoption of a holistic set of standards that address social, environmental, and economic issues on farms.

“It’s very gratifying to see that sustainability and ever-improving quality can go hand-in-hand,” said Stephen Leach, cupper and Global Coffee Procurement Manager at Maranatha Import Export, which owns both the Gloria Jeans and It’s A Grind brands . “On farms that follow the principals of Rainforest Alliance certification, I have seen greater attention paid at every step along the way to produce green coffee. Quality, by default, improves.”

“The cupping is a great conduit for feedback to the farmers. I am happy to see that the trend upward in cup quality has continued year over year,” added Jeff Chean, cupper and Founder of Groundwork Coffee, a specialty and organic roaster based in Los Angeles.

The top ten scoring coffees:

Full results from the December 2012 Cupping for Quality can be found here.

A panel of 15 expert cuppers, representing North American coffee importers, roasters, and retailers, evaluated the profile of each coffee according to aroma, acidity, uniformity and balance. Samples were roasted and prepared by Ted Vautrinot and Shawn Anderson of Kean Coffee and Andrew Phillips of Rose Park Roasters.

The cupper team:
• Shawn Hamilton, Java City, Lead Cupper
• Jorge Quintanilla, Allegro of Whole Foods Markets
• Adam Kline, Atlantic Specialty
• Michael Boyd, Boyd’s
• David Pohl, Farmer Brothers
• Jeff Chean, Groundwork
• Yesenia Villota, InterAmerican
• Jay Isais, International Coffee & Tea/Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf
• Ted Vautrinot, Kean Coffee
• Steve Leach, Maranatha Import Export/Gloria Jeans
• Catie Leach, Maranatha Import Export/Gloria Jeans
• Nathalie Gabbay, RGC
• Andrew Phillips, Rose Park Roasters
• Katie Gilmer, Sustainable Harvest
• Heydy Manotas, Zephyr Green Coffee

“This was the most successful Rainforest Alliance Cupping yet,” said Maya Albanese, event hostess and associate of sustainable agriculture at the Rainforest Alliance. “In our tenth year of hosting these events, we’ve seen the quality of the cups and the enthusiasm of top national coffee cuppers increase dramatically. The Rainforest Alliance Cupping has become one of the best vehicles in this market for showcasing coffee farms that have worked hard to adhere to strict sustainability criteria and improve the quality of their crops.”

The Rainforest Alliance developed its Cupping for Quality program in 2003 to demonstrate the link between sustainable farming and cup quality. Cuppings take place twice per year to accommodate the various coffee harvest cycles around the world. Coffees from Central and South America will be evaluated in March during the Spring Cupping event. The top ten scorers for both cuppings will be awarded at the Rainforest Alliance Sustainable Coffee breakfast event at 7:30am on Friday April 12th, 2013 at the annual SCAA Exposition in Boston, Massachusetts.

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The Rainforest Alliance works with people whose livelihoods depend on the land, helping them transform the way they grow food, harvest wood and host travelers. From large multinational corporations to small, community-based cooperatives, businesses and consumers worldwide are involved in the Rainforest Alliance’s efforts to bring responsibly produced goods and services to a global marketplace where the demand for sustainability is growing steadily. For more information, visit www.rainforest-alliance.org.

Penn State professor of Geosciences Katherine Freeman, believes that the leading hypothesis is that there were evolutionary changes among humans that relate to a steady environmental decline in climate. According to Clayton Magill, who is a graduate-level student in the faculty, ”The landscape early humans were inhabiting transitioned rapidly back and forth between a closed woodland and an open grassland about five to six times during a period of 200,000 year. These changes happened very abruptly, with each transition occurring over hundreds to just a few thousand years.”

Freeman agrees: ”There is a view this time in Africa was the ‘Great Drying,’ when the environment slowly dried out over 3 million years. But our data show that it was not a grand progression towards dry; the environment was highly variable.”

Many anthropologists seem to be under the assurance that it is the variability of experience can trigger cognitive development. Because early humans went from huge changes from vast amounts of trees to just grasses, their diets had to change in response to that. This resulted in changes in food type and availability, along with the way they could actually access and/or harvest their food. This means there had to be a corresponding increase in the size of the brain and the level of cognition, along with changes in movement and social connections, such as interacting with others. Magill explains, “We show that the environment changed dramatically over a short time, and this variability coincides with an important period in our human evolution when the genus Homo was first established and when there was first evidence of tool use.”

The researchers removed organic matter than had been blown into the lake from Olduvai Gorge in northern Tanzania two million years ago. The team looked at biomarkers such as fossil molecules from ancient organisms from the coating on plant leaves. The waxy coating survives the rough nature of the sediment. To analyze them, they used a method calls gas chromatography, along with another labeled mass spectrometry, in order to determine any relative abundance of different leaf waxes and if there were changes or additions of carbon isotopes among these waxes. This helped them discover and rebuild any type of the vegetation that might be present in the lake’s area during specific times and eras.

Through their research, the team found the there was a quick back and forth transition in the environment, moving from a closed woodland to an open grassland. To further investigate this, the researchers used various mathematical models, including statistics, to find the changes and connect the changes that they saw in the environment to correspond with other things that might have happened simultaneously in the Earth or sea.

Freeman explains they found a connection between the movement of Earth and the changes in the environment. She describes this as saying, ”The orbit of the Earth around the sun slowly changes with time. These changes were tied to the local climate at Olduvai Gorge through changes in the monsoon system in Africa. Slight changes in the amount of sunshine changed the intensity of atmospheric circulation and the supply of water. The rain patterns that drive the plant patterns follow this monsoon circulation.”

In addition to the connection they found with the Earth, the researchers also discovered changes in the sea-surface and temperature levels. Both discoveries are important, showing that food security–or lack thereof–is tied to water found in arid landscape. ”We find complementary forcing mechanisms: one is the way Earth orbits, and the other is variation in ocean temperatures surrounding Africa,” Freeman explained.

The researchers  published these recent findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, along with a second paper in the same issue that expands on their discoveries, which shows that rainfall was greater when there were an abundance of trees (and less if trees were lacking and, instead, the area was filled with a grassland).

The combination of these papers effectively connects human evolution to the environment, and how changes in food and water were linked to  major evolutionary changes. The research was funded by The National Science Foundation.