Looking for a gift for your favorite DIY-er? Here are 7 eco-friendly stocking stuffers that any handy person will appreciate.

Glide Lubricant & Protectant – Throw out the WD-40! Glide Lubricant is the green alternative for oiling a squeaky door, bicycle chain, or sticky zipper. In fact, take a look here at all its potential household uses.  Manufacturers claim it can remove lipstick stains and erase crayon marks from toys, flooring, furniture, walls and television screens – plus unstick Legos!! Glibe Lube is non-VOC, has never been tested on animals, and is even NSF/H1 safe for incidental contact with food (in case you need to tune up a food processor, blender, toaster, juicer…you get the idea). Order it from the Glide store here.

EO Hand Sanitizing Gel – DIY-ers may like to make a mess, but they also like to keep it clean. This gel hand sanitizer both sanitizes and moisturizes, thanks to its jojoba oil and vegetable glycerin. But it’s unscented, so is perfect for the guy or gal who doesn’t want to smell like perfume.  It contains no antibacterials (like triclosan), so won’t add to the antibiotic resistance problem the way other hand sanitizers do.

LED Headlamp – If your DIY-er finds his or her head under a car, buried in a cupboard, or otherwise peering into a dark or hard-to-see space, this Streamlight Septor LED Headlamp could be the perfect gift. The 7 ultra bright white LEDs pack a lot of power; the settings offer three levels of lighting and up to 120 hours of continuous run time. The lamp does require 3 AAA batteries, so make sure they’re rechargeable.

Snacks – Don’t let your DIY-er run out of energy. Look for snacks with a minimum amount of sugar, no transfats, no hydrogenated oils, and non-GMO. My faves are Kind bars, and they come in a variety of combos, including nuts & spices, and dark chocolate with cherries and cashews. Yum!

Water Bottle With Filter – A DIY-er never knows where he/she might end up. Having a water bottle with its own filter is a good idea. I like the Ecoflo Stainless Steel Water Filter Bottle. It’s BPA free, has no phthalates, and the filter removes up to 99.99% of pollutants.

Hemp T-Shirt – Hemp is one of the most eco-friendly fabrics out there. It requires little in the way of water and pesticides to grow, and once it’s turned into fabric it is extremely durable and long-lasting. Guys can try this t-shirt that is 55% hemp, 45% organic cotton, and available in short or long sleeves. Here’s one for women.

Non-Toxic Hand Soap – Most DIY-ers spend a LOT of time washing their hands. Using a non-toxic, moisturizing soap is the key to avoiding dried out and chapped skin. This handmade all natural Castile Olive soap from Natural Handcrafted Soap, LLC contains cocoa butter as well as organic coconut. It’s actually mild enough to use on your face, too.

Do you have any favorite eco-friendly stocking stuffers? Please share!

The post Eco-Friendly Stocking Stuffers for Your Favorite DIY-er appeared first on Big Green Purse.

The registry is the brain child of the wonderful Center for a New American Dream, the same folks who have been inspiring people to simplify the holidays by focusing on what’s meaningful, not only on what can be bought. The So Kind Registry works in two ways. One, it encourages people to create their own non- or not-too commercial wish lists for things like music lessons, homemade dinners, museum memberships, babysitting help, or their favorite charities. Two, it allows gift givers to skip the mall and a bunch of “stuff” in favor of making gifts of time or donations to people who would really enjoy and value them. Like the idea but don’t know what to put on your registry? The website offers this handy list of gift ideas to get you thinking.

There’s no charge to use the Registry, though it would be additionally kind of you to make a donation to the Center to keep programs like this running. And by the way, you can use the registry for all kinds of events, including weddings, birthdays, baptisms or bar mitzvahs, housewarmings and more.

If you make your own registry, let us know. Your actions will inspire us all. Thanks to TD Friends of the Environment for sponsoring this post.

GREEN CHRISTMAS SUPPLIES

By the way, if you do need a few green Christmas supplies, like lights, recycled wrapping paper, or beeswax candles, please check out our Amazon store. We’ve tried to whittle down what’s available on Amazon to make it easier to buy the greenest products and services available for what you do need. We receive a tiny commission on anything you purchase in our store, which helps us continue to bring you our expert content for free. Thanks.

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The post Use the ‘So Kind’ Gift Registry to Simplify the Holidays appeared first on Big Green Purse.

1) Wrapping paper and ribbon (keep a paper bag or box handy when you’re unwrapping presents to make the job easy and efficient) – Shred paper to use as packing material, put aside for your kids’ art projects, or recycle with the weekly newspapers and junk mail.

2) Cardboard and paper boxes – Line smaller boxes with soft towels to create a new bed for a cat or small dog; flatten any boxes you don’t need for easier recycling.

3) Cell phones – Take to Best Buy, Staples, or Office Depot, or send to Collective Good, which will refurbish them, re-sell them, and share the profits with the charity of your choice.

4) Computers, laptops, notebooks, monitors, keyboards – Any of the office supply stores should accept them at no cost to you.

5) Cameras – (same)

6) Fax machines (same)

7) Clothing – Most shelters will take t-shirts, pants, long-sleeved shirts, jackets, underwear and socks. Donate fancier clothes to the local theater company or school drama department to use as costumes.

8) Christmas lights – These links will show you where you can recycle old lights and find new, energy-efficient LEDs.

9) Beverage cans, bottles and jugs – Glass, aluminum, and plastic beer, soda, juice and bottled water containers can all be recycled.

10) Plastic food containers – Many community recycling programs now accept plastic food trays and cartons, along with containers from yogurt, sour cream, dips, and spreads.

11) Toys – Clean, working toys your kids have outgrown can be passed along to the children of neighbors, family, friends, day care centers, and shelters that help house children.

12) Christmas tree – if your community doesn’t pick up used trees, recycle this yourself: cut the boughs off to create mulch, and use the needles to make potpourri.

13) Televisions and Major appliances – If you got a new appliance, ask your installer to recycle the one he removes. Or check these links to get specific guidance on recycling your tv.

14) Christmas cards – Cut off the part containing the signature (usually the back page), and use the front, decorated page as a Christmas gift tag for next year.

15) Food – Combine leftovers into stews and soups, or freeze in lunch-size portions to take to work or send to school with the kids; simmer meat and turkey bones until they make a rich broth that can be used for gravies and stock; freeze cookies, breads, and dessert bars to use over the next three months.

Click here for suggestions on recycling tinsel, ornaments, and other Christmas decorations.

Holiday Traditions That Mean the Most to Me: Family, Friends, Food!

Free, Mostly Green, Holiday Gifts to Keep Your Christmas Green

NEED LAST MINUTE GIFTS? VISIT OUR AMAZON STORE!

The post 15 Things You Can Recycle to Ease Christmas Clutter Clean-up appeared first on Big Green Purse.

1) Don’t buy anything that requires a throwaway battery. Batteries leak cadmium, lead and other heavy metals when they’re thrown away. They usually come wrapped in plastic and cardboard, creating more trash as soon as you buy them. Plus, you have to keep replacing them; in some cases, the cost of batteries over the life of a product ends up amounting to more than the product itself.  Avoid toys, gadgets and appliances that require short-lived, throwaway batteries. If you must give a battery-powered gift, include rechargeable batteries and the recharger to go with it. One of my favorites is a reuseable AAA battery you can recharge in the USB port of your computer.

2) Green Shopping Solution: Buy solar- or hand-powered. Among your options: hand-cranked flashlights, coffee grinders, blenders and juicers. Vintage-style razors with replaceable razor blades. A French-press coffee pot. More interested in solar? Try solar-powered chargers for cell phones, flash drives, and radios.

3) Don’t buy synthetic fragrances and air fresheners. Ironically, even though these products are supposed to make things smell better, they actually make it more difficult for many people to breathe, especially those who suffer from asthma or other respiratory problems. Want your home to waft Christmas? Simmer a small pot of water, cloves and cinnamon sticks over the stove. Need to smell better yourself? Dab a drop of essential oil from your favorite flower (mine is lavender) behind each ear and on the inside of each wrist.

4) Green Shopping Solution: Buy phthalate-free. Phthalates are often the building blocks for synthetic fragrances. They’re also found in nail polish and many other personal care products. The downside? They’re nasty chemicals considered a reproductive hazard in Europe and the state of California. Luckily, you can find a wonderful variety of phthalate-free nail polishes, perfumes, make-up and other personal care products in stores like Whole Foods and the Body Shop or online here.

5) Don’t buy BPA specifically and plastic generally. Bisphenol A, or BPA, is like phthalates – an “endocrine disruptor” that could be toxic to your reproductive system. It’s usually found in plastic, especially plastic water bottles, some baby bottles and nipples, and rubber and plastic toys. If what you want to buy is plastic or rubber, check the label for the words “BPA Free.” Better yet…

6) Green Shopping Solution: Buy stainless steel, aluminum, glass, or wood. Instead of plastic water bottles, choose stainless steel, aluminum, or glass bottles that come with a protective sleeve to reduce the chances of breaking. Choose glass or stainless steel food serving and storage containers, too. You can find wonderful toys made from wood and decorated with lead-free paint from many American companies.

7) Don’t buy wrapping paper, even if it’s recycled. Why does it matter? Because Americans throw away 25% more trash during the Thanksgiving to New Year’s holiday period than at any other time of year, reports the Stanford Recycling Center. The extra waste amounts to 25 million tons of garbage, or about 1 million extra tons per week! If every family reused just two feet of holiday ribbon, the 38,000 miles of ribbon saved could tie a bow around the entire planet. Plus, if every American family wrapped just 3 presents in re-used materials, it would save enough paper to cover 45,000 football fields.

8) Green Shopping Solution: Buy reusables. Can you wrap it in cloth? Try decorative towels, large napkins, festive scarves and bandanas, tied up with shoelaces or ribbons. Use reusable shopping bags, lunch boxes, and cookie tins, too.

9) Don’t buy “natural.” Everybody likes the idea of “natural” – which is why marketers slap the words on products that couldn’t be farther from their natural state. Don’t get sucked into buying something just because the packaging claims it’s “natural.”

10) Green Shopping Solution: Buy certified. While “natural” doesn’t mean much, products whose environmental attributes have been certified to meet rigorous standards by organizations independent of the manufacturer can more readily be trusted. Look for companies whose claims that their goods are organic, Fair Trade, humane, non-toxic, or designed to help protect forests and wildlife have been independently certified. You can find a list of labels you can trust here.

Buy:                                                                       Don’t  Buy:

Solar- or Hand Powered                                           Battery Powered

Phthalate-Free                                                       Synthetic Fragrances & Air Fresheners

Stainless Steel, Aluminum, Glass                             BPA specifically, Plastic generally

Reusable towels, scarves, bags                              Throwaway wrapping

Certified                                                                Natural

Want more holiday tips? Look here for info on …

Eco-Frirendly Christmas Trees

Energy-Saving Holiday Lights/LED Holiday Lights

Holiday Candles Made From Soy and Beeswax

Safe Toys

The post Ten “Buy/Don’t Buy” Rules for Green Shopping appeared first on Big Green Purse.

Your time!

* Give friends or family with small children at home a gift certificate for three hours of free babysitting they can redeem any time.

* For friends who like to garden, offer to help them weed in the spring.

* If you have particular electronics expertise, donate a few hours of training or support.

* Offer to make supper on a school night when parents can get frazzled and kids cranky if dinner’s not ready on time.

Pictures and memories

* Create a scrapbook of favorite memories or heirloom photos.

* Beautifully frame meaningful photographs.

* Make your own calendar illustrated with photos of family and friends.

* Take everyone to your favorite museum on its “free” night; organize a hike to a beautiful spot; get back to Nature — even in the winter — with an afternoon at your local botanic garden (if you get cold, dash into the greenhouse!)

Play games

* Invite friends and family to game night. Play your favorite game, pick up something new at the local thrift shop, or play charades for free. Set up game tables so you can have several games involving lots of people going on at once.

* Food and Games: Ask everyone to bring their favorite game along with their favorite dish. Play a game during appetizers, after the main course, and again after dessert.

The post Free (Mostly Eco) Holiday Gifts To Keep Your Christmas Green appeared first on Big Green Purse.