Eco-friendly Homes for Greensburg - Check out the Winners

As you may have heard, in May of 2007 a tornado leveled the town of Greensburg, KY. In the aftermath, the town, along with several architects and other green-minded businesses embarked on a quest to rebuild Greensburg as a model green town. Check out the winners of the eco-home challenge held by FreeGreen.com. There are some truly inspiring home designs in this group! Who knows, you may be inspired to build your own green home (or neighborhood). FreeGreen.com has plenty of free and affordable house plans to get you started.

Think Green for Sports

Now that the Holiday Season is almost here, it's time to perhaps consider some eco-friendly options for the sports enthusiasts on your gift lists. There are a growing number of companies that are providing green sports products, from sports balls made from recycled materials to recycled wood golf tees, making it easier to "think green" when it comes to buying sports equipment. Here are a few green ideas to get you thinkin' :

• Check out Fair Trade Sports website which carries a line of sports balls for soccer, football, basketball, etc. that are certified green and fair trade.
• Beyond the "new" products, there's also companies like PlayItAgainSports which has over 350 locations in the US and Canada, where you can buy and sell used sports equipment (for parents, that can be a pretty budget-friendly way to get a few items from your Christmas list), or 
• LostGolfBalls.com where you can purchase quality used golf balls by the bucket. 
• Even big box stores like Target and Walmart carry eco-friendly gift ideas for the sports enthusiasts. Organic t-shirts, eco-friendly water bottles... just to name a few.
• Looking for an eco-friendly skateboard? Check out BambooSk8.com

For more reading, check out a great article on the eco-impact of professional sports around the world: "Blowing the Green Whistle on Sports" at Grist.org