From Milk Jugs to Tea Sets

Ever wonder what happens to your gallon milk jugs you put in your curbside recycling bin? It's possible they were made into tea sets, dishes or other toys for small tikes by a company called Green Toys Inc. located here in California.

According to their website: "All Green Toys products are 100% made in the USA. To be more specific, they are produced in California, a state known for strict toy safety and environmental laws. It's cool to buy USA, but also think about this: transportation is one of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gasses. We all know driving less is good for mother nature, but did you ever think about how many miles a toy logs before it ends up in your local store?


Green Toys environmental mission even extends to our packaging. We strive to minimize packaging, and all of our boxes use as little material as possible. All Green Toys products are packaged in recycled corrugated boxes with no plastics, cellophane or twist-ties, and are 100% recyclable. So, not only are they earth-friendly and ready for your recycling bin, they are really easy to open for those little fingers just itching to get at the toys!!"


They're pretty cute too!  I'm thinkin' Santa is extra jolly when he sees these on a Christmas list...

Green and Frugal Holiday Ideas

Whether you've decided to scale back on Thanksgiving and Christmas expenses out of budget necessity, or just because you believe that "less is more", here's a few recent articles full of green and frugal Holiday ideas for everything from decorating your table to finding gifts for the eco-conscious:

How to Make an Inexpensive Holiday Centerpiece -  With a little creativity and items from your garden or pantry, you can make simply beautiful table centerpieces for the Season, with little or no money spent.


How to Recycle Last Year's Holiday Cards  - From scrapbook pages and wall decor to placemats and gift tags, there's a great way to recycle cards from previous Winter holidays.

5 Great Holiday Gift Ideas for the Eco-Conscious  - If you are looking for great gift ideas this Holiday Season for friends and family that embrace a greener lifestyle, or perhaps you yourself are committed to reducing your own carbon footprint, here are five ideas to consider.

"No longer forward nor behind 

I look in hope or fear; 

But, grateful, take the good I find,

The best of now and here."

[John Greenleaf Whittier]  

Green Networking - Connections with the Eco-Conscious

Looking for other eco-conscious folks to connect with? Perhaps you are consider a career move and want to find green jobs in your area...or you'd like to connect with an eco-activist group and get involved in a local (or global) project. Whatever the reason, know that there are tons of people in all shades of "green" that are looking to connect to!  Ecopreneurist.com has lots of helpful tips in their article Green Networking Made Easy, as does SustainLane.com's The Art of Green Networking: 15 Tips From a Reluctant Schmoozer. 

Twitter, Facebook and other social networking sites can be good places to connect online (which can also lead to some offline connections as well).  I've recently started compiling my own Twitter Green list - feel free to snag a few followers -- we're all in this together.