Relax a little more, control the climate a little less, and start making a difference by making less of an impact.

Kick junk mail to the curb using these eco-friendly tips:

-        Switch to paperless billing

-        Opt out of direct mail marketing by contacting the Direct Marketing Association (DMA)

-        Remove yourself from lists that send credit card offers, mortgage refinancing offers, and other preapproved offers by calling 1-888-5OPT-OUT or visit www.optoutprescreen.com

-        Finally, cancel all unread catalogs and mailings

Remember that these specialty mailings often use high-gloss color-printed paper or cardstock, which wastes even more resources. Start cancelling your junk mail now, and make a difference by making less of an impact.



The little Easter bunny is hopping closer and closer and as with every holiday there is excess waste. With Christmas it’s the wrapping paper, at Halloween it’s the costumes … so this upcoming, follow our 4 tips on how to have an eco-friendly Easter.

Organic Chocolate: Skip the name brand bars you’re used to and stock your Easter basket with organic chocolate. Not only will you not be ingesting pesticides, chemicals, and preservatives but you’ll also be supporting countries in which chocolate grows – most organic chocolate is also fair-trade, shade-grown, and part of the Rainforest Alliance. Our favorite brands are Green & Blacks and Newman’s Own.

Eco Easter Grass: Forgot that plastic Easter grass you still find 6 months later and instead fill your basket with old shredded paper or fabric. You can even grow some grass in a tin and use that as your “living” Easter basket.

DIY Dye: Food coloring is loaded with chemicals and can cause a myriad of illness. Although you’re not eating the eggs you dye, your hands are still coming in contact with it and the dye can leach into your skin and blood stream. Instead make your own dye from natural food items. Get the recipe for Easter egg dye.

Reusable Basket: Instead of that plastic basket that’s petroleum-based, use something that’s reusable or eco-friendly like a tote bag, bucket, or jute basket … the possibilities are endless. Get creative!

Tell us how you’ll green your Easter on Facebook or Twitter.

Written by Greenista Girl Brianne

Image by She Knows

Need a little help in the gardening area? Turn to Seedballz, little balls stuffed full of seeds. Traditionally, seed balls are a method of growing seeds by encasing them in a mixture of clay and compost. This protects the seeds from drying out in the sun, getting eaten by birds, or blowing away in the wind. Well, Seedballz have reinvented this tradition with a proven formula of all-natural ingredients. Each of the ballz is loaded with seeds that germinate inside the ball with just a little watering and create a cluster of flowers. They come in 15 varieties including black eyed susans, herb mix, butterfly and humming bird mix, and more. Get your garden started today!

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways with SusyJack Valentine’s Day Cards ($3 each). These adorable love notes come in four cute designs like “Lucky in Love,” “You’re Tweet,” and simply “Love.” Each card is made of 100% post-consumer recycled paper but SusyJack also aims to save materials, energy, time, and production and shipping resources as well as use recycled packaging for shipping and office needs. While you’re stocking up on cards, scoop up their adorable arrow clothespins … perfect for hanging your card in your love’s closet, on the bathroom mirror, or in the fridge (surprise!).

Written by Greenista Girl Brianne

Photo by SusyJack

Wood table looking a little lackluster? Spruce it up with Daddy Van’s All Natural Beeswax Furniture Polish ($12). This beeswax-base polish is 100% food safe (for your curious tots and pups) and gives your wood cabinets, tables, benches, and more new life. Sniff out the Lavender and Sweet Orange Oil scent, plain Lavender, or for the sensitive ones, unscented. All are free of petroleum byproducts, solvents, and fragrances. You can even try it on your leather furniture or that leather belt or shoes that need a pick-me-up. And we love that the decorative tin can be reused to store knickknacks like paperclips after we use up all the polish.

Written by Greenista Girl

Photo by Abe’s Market

This season we made our homes smell like a forest but now we’re making it look like one. Scatter about a few of Adam Frank’s Lumen candles ($48) to transform your home. His candles are made to cast a shadow of trees, birds, and flowers onto your walls. Each candle is made from stainless-steel and the flame comes from a 17-hour liquid wax fuel cell, which is both odorless and clean-burning. When the flame flickers, your trees, birds, and flowers will dance along your walls for a romantic vibe. Pick from Nest, Magnolia, Pine, Cedar, Flock, and Bloom. We can’t resist wanting them all.

Written by Greenista Girl Brianne

Photo by Adam Frank

Already spending a fortune on your extravagant New Year’s Eve party but forgot about the party favors? No worries, throw some Candy Poppers together … they are easy to make, sustainable, and you can fill them with whatever your little green heart desires, we recommend candy of all sorts!

Tools

• Scissors

• Tape

Materials

• Used wrapping paper or tissue paper (don’t worry if it’s wrinkled)

• Used cardboard wrapping paper tubes

• Used ribbon

• Organic Candy

1. Cut the tubes
Cut the cardboard tube into 4-inch tubes. (Alternatively you can use spent paper towel or toilet paper tubes.)

2. Fill (with goodies!) and wrap
Fill the tube with small candies and wrap with a piece of used gift paper that extends three inches beyond each end of the tube.

3. Tie off the ends
Gather and seal shut the ends of the paper and tie with ribbon and voila!

Written by Greenista Girl Brianne

Photo by Style Me Pretty

If you decided to ditch the Christmas tree this year, you can still make your home smell like the holidays. By using seasonal goodies like cranberries, cinnamon sticks, cloves, oranges, herbs, pine cones, and bits of a friend’s tree, you can get in the holiday spirit. Try out these DIY holiday-scented projects.

Have guests coming over? Simmer water with cinnamon sticks, orange peels, cloves, and cranberries in a pot on low. The sweet aromatic scent will spruce up the whole house.

Feel like getting crafty with the kids? Try dipping pine cones in scented soy wax. Turn them into ornaments or just place in a decorative bowl. Or make pomanders out of oranges and cloves. Just stick a push pin in the orange and then place a clove in the hole. It’ll smell great for weeks.

Wanna make a DIY air freshener? Steal your friend’s Christmas tree stump and a few branches (or ask your local Christmas tree seller). Place the stump in a bowl with water covering half way up the stump. Add in a few tiny stems or some rosemary and place on your heater. The heater will warm the water and heat the stump for a fresh pine scent.

Written by Greenista Girl Brianne

Photo by Harts Cove Potpourri

Deck the halls this Christmas with bells of holly … but use real holly! Christmas is the best time of the year to decorate and it’s also one of the easiest times to decorate with recycled materials or DIY décor.

Make bows out of old ribbon, old formal dresses, or even that shiny shirt from the ‘90s you still have. Don’t want to cut up that old vintage top? No worries, check the remnant tables at fabric shops, including those that make formal outfits or wedding dresses – you’d be surprised at the unique pieces of fabric left over. An old top can also have a new life as a Christmas stocking, as can old cushion covers. Add buttons, scraps of material or ribbon, etc, to make a design.

Another one of the easiest decorations is pinecones, pick them up from the closest tree and dip them in melted soy candle wax or you can even use your children’s old beeswax crayons, just melt them in the oven. Cones can also be painted by hand using gold burnish or splatter them with white paint to create a frosted appearance.

Christmas doesn’t always have to put a dent in your stash of greens. Keep an eye out around the house for easy DIY décor materials. The possibilities are endless!

Written by Greenista Girl Brianne

Photos by Christmas Geek