The frenzy to buy, buy, buy gets more intense each year as people struggle to fill lists that get longer and longer. The result is a huge amount of waste. In addition, to combat theft, manufacturers have ramped up their packaging to the point that its size eclipses the actual product being purchased. And much of it ends up in the landfill.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Just like we’ve learned ways to reduce the environmental imprint our tree and lighting decorations make, we can do the same with gifts.

The market for eco-friendly gifts has blossomed in recent years. Now, it is possible to get incredibly stylish gifts in just about any category. The best part about giving green gifts is, in addition to the high quality gifts themselves; the receiver gets the personal satisfaction of sustainability and civic mindedness as a bonus.

To help ease your introduction to green gifts, we’ve compiled a list of the Top 5 coolest presents that should be on your list this year.

Novothink Solar Surge: For about $70, you get a cutting edge solar panel skin for your iPhone that uses the sun’s power to keep your device charged.

TerraCycle Speakers: These portable speakers are made from recycled snack bags “upcycled” into a very cool green-minded product. These speakers, that retail for about $14, are also shipped flat to help reduce pollution.

Handpresso Wild portable espresso maker: Make high quality espresso anywhere using only boiling water and a hand-held pump device that ensures the correct pressure to brew perfect espresso. The Handpresso Wild retails for about $130.

Bamboo Bottle: This eco-friendly water bottle is comprised of a sustainably-grown bamboo cover and (dishwasher safe) tempered glass core with other elements made of recycled plastic. This product that retails for about $25 does not contain harmful substances that may leech into liquids.

Wonder Wash: This patented hand-cranked clothes washer can handle a 5-lb. load in just a few minutes. This washer is ideal for small loads, or for use with delicate items and on camping trips. The Wonder Wash retails for about $43.

The solar bottle bulb, which was designed and developed by MIT students, are now being used to brighten up the homes of thousands (with the aim of hitting the 1 million mark by 2012) of poor Filipinos that still do not have access to electricity. The cool thing about this bottle bulb is that is very easy to construct, and can in fact be replicated by anyone that has access to plastic bottles, water, bleach, cutters (for the corrugated roof) and sealant (you don’t want the roof to leak!). In short, just about anybody (including you!) can make a solar bottle bulb to light up a dark windowless room.

So just how much light can you get out of a liter of bottle filled with water? Each solar water bulb gives of as much light as a 55 watt electric bulb does! That’s pretty bright, right?

Room using solar bottle bulbs

So the next time you step into your dark garden shed because of a burnt out bulb, do consider installing your own solar water bulb. Not only will you not need to change the bulb that often (although you might indeed have to change the “bottle bulb” every few years), it will also save you money on your electric bill, however small that may be.

Here’s the link to the step-by-step instructions on how to make your own solar bottle bulb.

Oh, and in case you’re not too sold on the idea, you can of course always just consider installing glass windows on your shed or using Lexan as roofing material. Neither would be as inexpensive as a plastic bottle nor put to practice our RE-USE motto, but hey it’ll still save you on electricity.

Photo courtesy of Isang Litrong Liwanag (One Liter of Light)

Recycle

One of the most obvious things you can do to help the environment, recycling your paper and rubbish is often the first step for most people. Your local government should be able to provide you with the necessary bags and boxes for recycling, and should also pick up your rubbish for you when you’re ready.

Assess Your Transport Options

Changing the way you commute to work and get around is a great way you can be more environmentally friendly. If you currently use a car by yourself, you should think about sorting out a carpool with your neighbors or other employees in your office.

You could also think about using public transport like the subway or bus in order to cut down your own personal carbon emissions. If you are looking to get more exercise, buying a bike can be a fun and healthy method of getting around.

Furnish Your Home With Green Products

If you are decorating your home, there are plenty of ways you can make your house look nice while keeping friendly to the environment. Many companies are keen to present themselves with a responsible image and are using renewable sources and products more and more, so make sure you buy your furnishings from these companies.

Furniture that is beneficial to the environment will include features such as the use of recycled plastic and dyes that are nontoxic, meaning your house will look stylish while having as little impact of the environment as possible.

Save Energy

Similarly, when purchasing new appliances and devices for your home, make sure you get ones that save as much energy as possible. This will usually be highlighted on the device itself, or if you are unsure the shop attendant should be able to tell you which models are eco-friendly. These devices also save on water usage, so hopefully you will save some money over time.

Dress For The Earth!

Fashion is another key area where you can make substantial eco-friendly changes. For starters, you can take the time to mend old clothes rather than simply buying new ones (which will also mean you get some new life out of old outfits). You can also make clothes from certain types of fabric, such as hemp or burlap, which are friendlier to the environment than the use of polystyrene for example. Fashion accessories are also made out of earth-friendly textiles these days, so update your sunglasses and wallets with environmental designs if you like.

• Save on electricity bill
With the continuous crises in fuel resources, fuel inflation is also continuous, giving people with no choice but to pay their high electricity bills. You can save a lot of energy by simply switching off your lights when not necessary, by unplugging all unused electric appliances or you may use surge protector. You can also replace your light bulbs with energy efficient bulbs like fluorescent, they last longer and they are energy savers. You may also stop using hot water in the laundry. Cold water can also clean your clothes as effectively.

• Save on gas
By avoiding using your vehicle to get to short destinations, you are saving yourself from a lot of gas expense, not to mention gas emission. You may also practice carpooling. Just ask your neighbors if they need a ride located near your destination. This will be cheaper for you and for your neighbors. You may also want to try public transportation. This may not be as comfortable as having your own car but they can save you a lot of money. You may also convert your car into bio fuel or any other alternative fuel to minimize the cost. By simple looking at these examples you would be able to not just help the environment but save money too.

Rebecca Lacko from The Examiner featured hair washing in her environmentally-friendly column. She mentioned how “in our pursuit of conquering the unruly, straightening the tightly curled, curling the poker straight and tinting the color, our hair is repeatedly abused with countless chemicals, and stripped of its natural oils—and both are washed down the drain by gallon after gallon of water.”

As such, she suggests that hair washing should be washed less frequently. Here are some reasons.

Waste and expense
a. most use way too much shampoo and conditioner, too often
b. gallons of water to rinse it out
c. more bottles of product mean more packaging waste
d. less power used for blow dryers, curling irons and/or flat irons

Now that I think about it, it does make sense. It’s not just the water and the hair products that are involved here – the blow drying and other things associated with washing your hair also puts stress on the environment.

Allowing the scalp’s sebaceous glands to do what nature intended
The function of sebaceous gland is to secrete an oily substance to protect the skin from getting dried and scaly. Otherwise the skin after getting dry would shed off.

Maybe that is why some people have problems with dry itchy scalp?

In any case, if you wash your hair every day, you might want to reconsider that habit.

Coffee Grounds

My husband is a BIG coffee drinker, so we always have a lot of used coffee grounds at the end of the day, which would normally be chucked in the bin. That was before I found out that used coffee grounds are an excellent recycling product!

I actually first discovered this at my local Starbucks, where I saw they were giving away used grounds in cute bags labeled “Grounds For Your Garden” (okay, I’m a sucker for packaging).

“..Coffee grounds can provide a valuable source of nutrition for your garden. The proper amount to be used depends on the condition of your soil and what you are growing…”

Thank you, Starbucks! So since then, I’ve been using the black stuff in my garden, yielding excellent results, although I admit that I haven’t gone as far as to use them for vermi-posting (worm composting), but I really should, once I get over my squeamishness with the little crawlers.

There are a whole host of other things you can do with used coffee grounds, some of which I wouldn’t really recommend, like putting it on your face as a mask/exfoliant (wouldn’t it stain?) or on your pets as a deodorizer, grooming aid or even for fleas (I read somewhere that it the caffeine could be toxic to animals).

But here are the things worth trying:

1. Touching up scratches on wooden furniture – use a q-tip to scrub it on.

2. Use as an insect repellent - sprinkle on areas to keep ants and other garden pests away.

3. Use as a natural dye (not on your face!) on fabric or paper (I actually used this when making treasure maps and “olde” invitations for my kids’ pirate party)

4. Use as a fridge or closet deodorizer (some suggest filling an old nylon stocking – but I find that a bit strange)

5. Use it in your fireplace as a dust guard when cleaning.

Photo via INeedCoffee

Use an electric razor. There are a lot of electric razors in the market today, and while they cost considerably more than the disposable ones, they do last much longer and save you money in the long run. More importantly, you do not have to throw away electric razors as often as you do disposable ones. Can you just imagine how many disposable razors are thrown away each year?

If you just have to use a disposable razor, then you might as well look for the ones which impact the earth in the least harmful way. There are disposable razors made of recycled plastic – go for them. Also, instead of merely throwing away those disposables with the rest of the trash, gather them and bring them to a recycling center.

Don’t you just love the sound, feel, and convenience that running water brings? Well it is a waste, and you know it. Instead of leaving the faucet running the whole time you shave, get a small basin and dip your razor. It may not be as fun, but it does the job and saves water as well.

Photo courtesy of Nivea For Men

Enter “Eco Balls”, amazing little balls which, when thrown into your wash, do all the work your regular soap does (and claim to kill bacteria too) without any chemicals, detergents and the like. When you work out what you save on soap, the savings are enormous, with something like 6 cents a load with the balls, to approx. 80 cents with detergent, more depending on what brand you buy. You can buy kits which come with refills, stain remover (it doesn’t do that great with heavy stains) as well as dryer balls for “fabric softer” role.

So does it really work? While I wait for my order to arrive, I found a good review worth checking out. The verdict? Some liked it, others were disappointed with its cleaning power. There was also one complaint about how the ball came apart and broke her washing machine. Either way, its a product I think worth trying out for yourself -because I think eliminating detergents would be a great thing.

Buy green cleaning products. Much like many other offices, we have supplies to keep the premises clean: carpet cleaners, glass cleaners, detergents for the rest rooms, hand soaps, etc. We normally have the commercial stuff that you can easily get at the supermarket. Perhaps we can make a change and buy products that are easier on the environment.

Go digital. We actually have been trying to do this in our department. We love print outs, I have to admit. However, there are many things that we do not really have to print. Perhaps an official memo on avoiding print outs if possible will help cut down on paper (and ink!) consumption.

Supply re-usable kitchen utensils. We always have plastic and paper cups in the pantries (we have two). We also have paper plates and plastic forks, knives, and spoons. Naturally, people would use them indiscriminately. If only re-usable utensils were supplied, we could cut back on the use of plastic materials.

What do you think? Will these ideas fly?

Using organic skincare products is more than just saving your skin from possible chemical irritation—it’s also saving the earth from home. However, that is only if you are using the real organic skincare.

Why Use Organic Skincare?

Organic skincare products are made up and processed without using any chemicals like synthetic fertilizers, pest killers, and preservatives. Thus, supporting organic skincare brands means encouraging chemical-free farming and processing.

That’s less pain for the earth and less damaging effects for the environment. As for your skin, that means less irritation, less potential damage, more natural glow, and more youthful appearance.

Beware of Some “Organic” Skincare Products

The dramatic increase of environmental concerns is taken advantaged by manufacturers. Adding the words “natural,” “organic,” “eco-friendly,” etc. on the label can instantly transform a poorly sold product into a market hit.

As a consumer, you need to be vigilant. Otherwise, you might only be contributing harm to the environment despite your desire to help. And the most painful part is, you are not aware of it.

Organic Skincare Labels

All products can say that they are “organic skincare.” But only few can have the real seal of being organic.

There are groups that are responsible for certifying that organic skincare products are really organic like the Australia’s Organic Food Chain, ECOCERT, USDA, UK’s Soil Association, and Germany’s BDIH.

They give certification depending on how organic an organic skincare product is. For instance, those with “Certified Organic” seal have at least 95% organic ingredients while those with “Made Organic” have at least 70%.

In the end, making your own organic skincare recipe is still the best way to make sure that you are using organic. But with the hectic lifestyle, using trusted organic skincare brands is a better and more comfortable way to save your skin and the environment.