Following is an idea for a quick and fun organic holiday breakfast menu.

Homemade organic cinnamon rolls with orange icing – any old cinnamon roll recipe will work, below is the one I use though… Start the mix on Christmas eve day, then bake the next day.

• 4 to 4 1/2 cups all-purpose organic flour
• 1 package dry yeast
• 1 cup organic milk
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup organic butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 organic eggs

In a mixing bowl combine 2 cups flour + yeast. In a saucepan heat your milk gently with the sugar, butter, and salt til just warm. Add the milk mix plus eggs to the flour and yeast and mix well. I usually beat the mix about three minutes.

Grab a big wooden spoon and mix in as much of the rest of the flour as you can. Knead the dough til it’s smooth and elastic-like. Shape dough into a ball, place in a lightly greased bowl, then let it sit for about an hour til it doubles in size.

Punch dough down, divide in half, cover and let it rest 10 minutes.

While it rests make your cinnamon mix. Mix 1/2 cup sugar with 2 teaspoons cinnamon.

Roll the dough portions into two 12×8 rectangle, brush 3 tablespoons melted butter over the two rectangles, then sprinkle half the cinnamon mix onto each portion. Roll up your rectangles like a jelly roll. Seal the end seams of the rolls then cut each roll into 12 equal pieces. Place into 2 greased 9 inch baking pans, cover loosely with plastic wrap (I use a cloth because I don’t own plastic wrap) and pop them into the fridge.

On Christmas morning take the rolls out of the fridge and let them sit for 30 minutes then bake for 20-25 minutes in a 375 oven. Cool, remove from pans and drizzle with icing.

For icing just mix 1 cup sifted powdered sugar with 1/4 teaspoon vanilla and 1 tablespoon orange juice. If it’s not drizzly enough add more juice (one tablespoon at a time).

Quick organic fruit salad

Really I just tend to use whatever organic fruit I see that looks good at my local grocer. I usually do grab some organic frozen blueberries and raspberries plus a can of organic mandarin oranges too though because my son likes them.  Also if I use organic apples, I drizzle some lemon juice over the entire fruit salad so it doesn’t look all brown.

We have the rolls, fruit salad and some fair trade hot chocolate and we’re good to go. The rolls aren’t too sweet either, which is nice. Oh and if you don’t like, or can’t have orange juice, use organic milk for the icing instead.

[image via stock.xchng]

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A Fast & Organic Christmas Breakfast

If you’ve got some free time today or tomorrow then this is a special and fun project made with organic goods, and beautiful lines, much like Kaufmann’s real homes were.

If you don’t have quite so much free time on your hands than some good, and still gingery cooking projects include…

• Organic ginger snap cookies
• Vegan Honeypot Ginger Cookie
• Organic Gingerbread
• Vegan Chocolate Pumpkin Gingerbread
• Apple and Ginger Cake – use organic apples!

PS – if you’re interested in seeing those kooky gingerbread homes I mentioned, then no worries, because I’ve gathered them up below. You will be blown away by these tiny structures so take a look!

• The World’s Best Offbeat Gingerbread Homes
• Offbeat Gingerbread Homes 2008 – Part One
• Offbeat Gingerbread Homes 2008 – Part Two

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Bake an Organic Gingerbread Lotus House

Greenish electronic gear:

• Look for electronics that carry the Energy Star label.
• If you’re trading up electronics check online to see if the company who manufactured your equipment has a recycling program.
• If you can’t find a manufacturing recycling program check with Earth 911 to find a place to recycle your electronics.

Greener electronic gear:

• Before replacing broken gear with new gear see if you can fix it.
• If you really need to upgrade and your old gear is still good, donate it to a non-profit organization.
• Visit the Rethink Initiative to find information, tools and solutions that make it easy and sometimes even profitable – to find new users for idle computers and electronics, and to responsibly recycle unwanted products.

Greenest electronic gear:

• If you’re shopping for a large business or company check out the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) system to find the best and greenest electronics.
• Beyond simply buying greener electronics make your usage green too. I.e. green your computer use, unplug equipment when not in use, and so on. How you use your electronics is just as important as choosing greener electronics.
• Before upgrading REALLY consider if you actually need new gear. Most of the time people upgrade with no reasoning other than they just want a new toy. That’s not very earth friendly. One of the greenest steps you can take in almost any consumer situation is to buy less stuff.

[image via stock.xchng]

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Greenest Shades of Eco-Friendly Electronics

Ditch common paper trails – two common paper trails include bills and notes. You can easily leave these trails behind in 2009. Get some whiteboards, leave them by phones, hang one on the fridge, and place little ones out where you normally take and leave notes for people. You can thus skip pads of paper and memos. As for bills, sign up for paperless billing whenever possible. There’s no point to paper bills nowadays and paying bills online saves you a check as well.

Green your take out – the best way to green take out meals is to eat less of them. However, if you still grab food on the go once in a while make sure you skip the extra napkins, silverware, and other extras you already have at home. This is a simple step to remember for the year.

Hang a water saving note - if you haven’t been shutting off the tap while you brush or shave you’re wasting a ton of water; up to 3 gallons a minute. Hang a simple note in the bathroom reminding people to simply turn the tap off while not actually using the water. Think about it, if you brush your teeth for two minutes, three times a day, you’re saving almost 18 gallons of water per day while brushing your teeth alone.

Donate a cell phone or two – each year about 65,000 tons of waste are created when people toss their cell phones away. Cell phones can contain icky stuff like lead and mercury and although small add up to a lot of toxic trash in our landfills. It’s also totally unnecessary to toss a cell phone. There are plenty of cell phone donation sites and recycling centers all over and even available via mail.

[image via stock.xchng]

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Simple green steps for the new year

360 works by cooking like an oven using Vapor Technology - i.e. it creates a low but intense heat and then distributes said heat from all sides instead of bottom-up only. The result creates a surround cooking effect that works on a low heat setting, prepares foods more efficiently and reduces the cooking times and preserves nutrients in the process.

Green aspects:

• 360 cookware has “Five layers of the highest quality American metals, ensuring no harmful chemicals or materials ever touch your food.” Pots and pans are specifically made with T-304 stainless steel and alloy construction.
• Cookware is heat and energy-efficient plus uses less water – not so much that it’d make a huge difference, but still.
• The 360 plant has some green aspects such as energy-efficient windows, passive lighting, use of renewable wind power for machines, closed-loop dust collection system to filter the air internally to prevent volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from entering the environment. Additionally the company notes that no harmful chemicals are used in the manufacturing process and that wastewater is tested routinely to ensure complete compliance with strict local and state standards.

Possible problems:

The cookware is long lasting, which is good and can possibly be recycled, although there may be issues due to the alloy. All stainless steel products are 100% recyclable but recycling companies usually need to separate the various grade types. Alloy on the other hand is a mixed metal and is harder to recycle. I also didn’t see a recycling program at the company website.

All in all the cookware looks good, is greener than many, and actually has a very inexpensive price point (you’ll be surprised because these pots look like they’d cost more).You can also buy what you need only or purchase a set. 360 makes saucepans, skillets, stock pots, and a nice sauté collection.

Visit 360 Cookware to learn more.

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360 Greener Cookware

However, this November some freakshow of a human busted through my car windows and stole my phone and I couldn’t find a Sony Ericsson through my carrier so I went with another brand, which I’m not happy with at all. Long story short, I really liked and miss my good old long-lasting Sony Ericsson.

Sony Ericsson Hazel in Passionate Red

So it may be time for me to make the move back to Sony Ericsson and not just because I can’t stand my new phone. Yesterday Sony Ericsson announced the release of two new slick GreenHeart phones along with the first Bluetooth Noise Shield Handsfree VH700 headeset. This move accents the sustainability practices the company is already working on (yay).

Fortuné Alexander, Global Marketing Director at Sony Ericsson, notes that just because these are “greener” phones though, consumers shouldn’t expect fewer features. Alexander says, “These mobile phones also give consumers a better voice quality experience, with Noise Shield, Clear Voice and Intelligent Volume Adaptation. Both phones offer an easy-to-use social networking experience featuring the Widget Manager application, which allows users access to their social networking page via the stand-by screen and quickly switch between different social networks.”

Both of the fresh new phones, the Sony Ericsson Elm and Sony Ericsson Hazel, have many excellent eco-friendly features that benefit the environment and help reduce CO2 emissions such as…

• Recycled plastics
• E-manual in phone
• Free from hazardous chemicals
• Low power consumption charger (EP300 GreenHeart)
• Walk Mate eco application
• Green calculator
• Minimized packaging

Both phones will be shipped with a GreenHeart personal handsfree; the Stereo Portable Handsfree HPM-60J, which is a step towards reaching the 100 per cent GreenHeart accessories goal. PLUS OMG the new phones are so good looking. My favorite is the Sony Ericsson Elm (shown above) which comes in Metal Black or a dreamy Pearly Rose (the pink is way tooooo cute)! The Sony Ericsson Hazel (shown below) is cool too but I’m not sure I’m into slider phones, so I’d go with the Elm – also I like the pink. Hazel comes in Superior Black and Passionate Red.

Learn more about these new green phones and all their features at Sony Ericsson.

[image via Sony Ericsson]

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Sony Ericsson Releasing Two Green Phones

Sami Baby organic baby clothing separates and collections feature quality eco fabrics made from organic bamboo and organic cotton crops with sweatshop-free practices. Plus they have the cutest designs. Shown above are some sweet pieces all made with soft viscose of organic bamboo blended with organic cotton. …

• Sami Lap Tee Panda Tan
• Sami Hat Buttercup Yellow
• Sami Sleeper Counting Sheep Petal Pink

Dignity U Wear was founded in April of 2000 by philanthropist and Holocaust survivor, Henri Landwirth. Henri, knowing what it was like to be without the basics, including clothing, founded the program in hopes to create real change in the lives of children and adults in need. Change that restores broken spirits and restores hope, dignity and self-esteem which is why Dignity U Wear distributes only brand new clothes to families in need.

There are many more adorable Sami Baby pieces available including socks, pants, and onesies. Visit Jonäno to see all their goods, plus pick up one of their well-priced items before December 23rd to gift one to a baby in need.

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Get One, Gift One Eco-Baby Clothing

YOU (the parent) has to love nature. Actually love is pushing it, but you should at least like nature, talk about nature, get out into nature yourself, and be invested in keeping the earth healthy. This is the hard part for may parents. Especially busy parents who find it difficult to find the time to get outside. Still, difficult or not, your child will mimic you as he grows, both the good and bad so keep this in mind.

Jump in puddles. Playing outside is not just a sunny day activity. Get your child the gear he needs to tackle the outdoors no matter the weather. Let him jump in puddles, slide in the snow, stomp through hot beach sand and more. Experience nature in all seasons.

Observe and discuss. When outside observe the surroundings. Is there nature? If so what’s good about it? Is there mostly concrete and buildings near you? If so what sucks about that. Your observations help form your child’s opinion about nature so speak up.

Add to the fun. Nature alone is pretty darn fun – just ask an eight-year old skipping rocks in the lake or a toddler with a stick and a daisy. Still you can add to the fun with items like an outdoor tent, a skateboard, some garden seeds, and more. Make being outside just as much fun or more so as sitting inside.

Your house your rules! I rarely pull rank as a parent when it comes to activity. I believe I should respect my son’s decisions about what he wants to play and learn about. That said, nature time is not up for discussion. Kids who get outside regularly are healthier, more fit, and green-minded. I know parents who allow their kids to whine about, “Having to go outside” and then worse let the kids win so no one gets outside and it’s annoying. Most of these kids are overweight and addicted to sitting activities like TV and video games which yeah have their place but not at the expense of your child’s health. If you want a healthy kid, this is one issue you should pull rank on. Kids DO need to get outside and the more you push the issue from an early age the more they’ll learn to enjoy it.

[image via stock.xchng]

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Five simple ways to raise a nature kid

Five Great Green Gifts for Kids

1. $9.35 – The New 50 Simple Things Kids Can Do to Save the Earth: This is an excellent book for kids with few cons. Part of the book was written with help from actual kids and the book is printed on recycled paper with soy inks too! Read my full review.
2. $20.00 – Eco Playdough: All natural art medium for crafty kids made with plant, fruit and veggie extracts. No chemicals, artificial dyes or metals and the containers are made from cornstarch and are 100% compostable. I saw this dough recently at the PDX green fair and it comes in totally brilliant and lovely colors of orange, yellow, green, and pink plus the containers are adorable. Note – the Bamboo Rolling Pin is sold separately.
3. $24.99 – idbids:  These soft toys come in three different styles – Scout the Cloud, Lola the Flower or Waverly the bright blue water drop. Each is handcrafted with 100% organic Egyptian cotton and colored with natural organic dyes. With the purchase of each kit, a child can enter an online code that will help protect the habitats of animal friends through The Nature Conservancy’s Plant A Billion Trees campaign, Adopt an Acre, or Rescue the Reef programs. Each kit comes with an organic cinch sack for the child to wear, a storybook printed on recycled paper with eco-friendly inks and a field guide.
4. $25.00 Wooden Giraffe Block Set: Adorable 16 piece block set in a giraffe drawn wagon. This toy is eco-cute, made with sustainably harvested wood, and finished with non-toxic linseed oil.
5. About $25 or less - Green Toys are made of eco-friendly recycled milk cartons, packaged in recycled cardboard, and provide hours of fun for both boys and girls. Most come in at under $25 a pop too, such as the Eco-Friendly Tea Set (shown above), Tool Kit, Dish Set, Chef Set and Recycling Truck.

Five Lovely Green Gifts for the Ladies

1. $16.00 – Lavender Caramel (6-piece)! Chocolate and lavender; way too girly and neat. Pretty little gift box of organic lavender infused caramels with Fleur du Sel salt.
2. $16.95 - My most favorite lovely reusable water bottles – Earthlust Water Bottles – oh so pretty 20 oz stainless steel bottles that won’t leach chemicals into water and cut down on plastic waste.
3. $24.00 - I’m totally obsessed with the Recycled Glass Pendants by Fanisong. In fact I blog about these often because they’re not only pretty but so unique and eco-friendly. Each handcrafted piece is made from 100% RECYCLED glass and a nature photo. The original photo is fused into the glass, then finished with sterling silver plated bail & ribbon cord. Amazing. The piece shown above is Look up to the Sky but there are many other cool designs available; another good one is Infinite Sphere.
4. $24.99 – Mini-Blossom Hummingbird Feeders: Pretty little feeder made with recycled blown-glass vessels with Flower Feeding Tubes in red glass. These look great in the garden and attract adorable hummingbirds with 4 oz of space for hummingbird nectar. Stakes included for mounting. Plus this purchase helps to support the National Wildlife Federation.
5. $12.21 -Big Green Purse: Use Your Spending Power to Create a Cleaner, Greener World: Great book covering lots of juicy green topics that matter to women. Teaches women how their actions, and how they spend their cash can make an eco-difference. Printed on recycled paper. I like this book a lot, but haven’t written a full review. My friend Peggy however has – read her review.

Five Handy Green Gifts for Guys

1. $20.00 – Vintage Record Coasters for the hipster guy in your life. Made with real recycled vinyl records but sealed so moisture won’t seep through to the surface. Comes in a set of six.
2. $19.79 – Whole Green Catalog: 1000 Best Things for You and the Earth: One of the best green living guides I’ve read in a LONG time. Packed with facts for everyone, but especially cool is the focus on green living for both genders. Many of the green books I read are geared toward women. Women will like this book too, but this one has facts for the guys as well. Read my full review.
3. $20.00 – Stonees All Natural Building Blocks: These rocks are meant to be a child’s building toy, but they’re also fun stress relief for adults when placed in a workspace. Build peaceful structures with these rock blocks made from crushed North American rocks and all-natural non-toxic pigments. Stonees are organic and smooth, and come in fun stacking shapes – square, triangular and cylindrical. Great for a workday break and good conversation starter too.
4. $14.99 – Wilson Rebound Fade-Green Basketball: This ball is Wilson’s first “green” product made from 40% Recycled Rubber and comes in a box made with 80% pre and post consumer board. Not bad on the eco scale and gets your guy outside and keeps him in shape.
5. $12.50 each – Green Family Kitchen Tools: A fun set of kitchen tools for a guy who loves to cook. All of these green family tools are made with a recycled plastic and wood blend for an attractive, functional, and eco-friendly design. At the end of a tool’s life-cycle, it can be recycled too. Way more fun than typical kitchen tools.

Five Cool Green Gifts for Co-Workers, Pals, or Family

1. $5.72 – NRDC: Simple Steps Deck: A Healthy Home. A Healthy Planet. 50 Easy Actions:  This handy little deck of green living cards fits perfectly into a stocking and is printed on recycled paper. Great for folks new to green living. Read my full review.
2. $8.75 – Down To Earth Cookie Cutter Set – Celestial: Great hostess gift or last minute gift for a baker. BPA-free set of ten cute planetary-inspired foodgrade stainless steel cookie cutters that can be used for kid’s playdough or for real cookie dough. Sturdy and log-lasting plus comes in a compact storage tin.
3. $18.95 – “I Am Not A Paper Cup” – Thermal Porcelain Mug: Funny  and the perfect green gift for a co-worker or pal who loves organic coffee.
4. $24.00 - Beeswax Holiday Glass Gift Set: Pretty little candles made with natural beeswax and essential oils. three 3 oz votive glass candles included in the set (each burns for 24 hours) in holiday scents of Spice (Sweet Orange, Cinnamon & Clove Bud), Pine (Rosewood, Spruce & Fir) and Mint (Peppermint & Birch).
5. $25.00 - Plantable Seed Calendar 2010: This is the perfect green co-worker gift; handmade pages embedded with wildflower seeds so after each month the recipient can plant away with no paper waste. Comes in a reusable tin as well.

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20 Last Minute Green Gifts Under $25!

Since we’re halfway in, now is a great time to catch up on the event and make sure you don’t miss what’s coming next. Check out the following Climate Change Conference resources for week 2.

Visit the official 15th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15) website and view a calender of events, conference FAQ, climate facts, blogs and more. You can also view their webcast, follow what others are saying and blogging about via COP15 Twitter or catch the action on Facebook.

The New York Times, as you might have expected, has excellent conference web coverage dedicated to news from the Climate Talks. There’s a round-up of events, a multimedia section, and a whole lot more. Best of all you can submit your questions about the conference to Times’s reporters Andy Revkin and Tom Zeller Jr., both of whom are on the ground covering the talks, the protests, so fourth. If you submit your questions now there’s a chance the reporters will answer your question in a video feature early next week.

Read the first six days round-up.

Visit One Climate to see live-streaming news of the event.

Learn about the 5 issues you should be watching for at the conference plus see how the first week went.

Shea Gunther over at MNN discusses one of the most pertinent questions of the conference – “Do nations who have enjoyed the economic benefits of centuries of polluting owe a debt to now-developing countries they’re asking to grow greener?” A short but nice piece.

Which media have you been frequenting while following COP15 news?

[image via stock.xchng]

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Stay up to date on Copenhagen week two