If you’re stuck on a Valentine’s Day gift for the earth-lover on your list (or someone who you want to be an earth-lover), consider Ecoholic by Adria Vasil, seasoned eco-writer in Toronto.

Ecoholic was printed in a very eco-friendly manner:

• 100% postconsumer, FSC-certified and PCF-certified stock (saved 213 trees with the first printing)
• Made with 100% certified renewable energy
• Printed using an ultra-low VOC  process called THINKTech

What’s inside Ecoholic: Your Guide to the Most Environmentally Friendly Information, Products & Services?

Vasil’s writing style is conversational and friendly, never condescending. Compared to other green guides like Big Green Purse (which I reviewed too!), Ecoholic is more bold and cheeky in tone. While Big Green Purse is geared toward women, Ecoholic seems to be more gender neutral. Of course, though, it does still include information on feminine hygiene and birth control pills. (Disclosure: I received a free copy of Ecoholic for review.)

In Ecoholic, Vasil covers many topics, from clothing, cleaning, cooking, food labels, cameras, baby, beauty, bedding, plastics and lighting to home improvement and more. The author also includes website addresses so you can find out more about items mentioned. And she warns you about which items not to buy.

Will you like it?

Though you may find some information in Ecoholic you already knew, you’re likely also to learn new stuff. For instance, I never realized that my dental floss (Glide) has Teflon in it! Eek. It’s also nice to have eco-cleaning recipes and info about food labels and plastic types together in one book, along with product suggestions.

What I didn’t like about the book is that the black type on the dark green feature boxes is somewhat difficult to read. There are probably around 30 or so of these boxes throughout the book. I don’t know that the color choice of these boxes would stop me from buying the book, but I did find it a bit annoying.

If you have a few extra minutes the next time you’re out shopping, flip through a copy of Ecoholic at the bookstore. That’s my favorite method of deciding whether or not to buy guide books like these. You may find that Ecoholic is the green guide you’ve been looking for. Or perhaps it’s a green guide that your sister or brother or boyfriend would enjoy.

Have you read Ecoholic? Please share your thoughts!

(Image via Norton)

Searching for a cloth diaper in soothing, dreamy colors with organic cotton inside?
Bum Genius may be what you’re looking for. Clementine and Ribbit colors are shown in this post, but they also offer Blossom (pale pink), Twilight (pale blue), Grasshopper (soft green) and several more options.

In addition to all the features shown below, Bum Genius features a certified organic cotton liner. That means it’s not only extra friendly to the environment, but it’s also friendlier to baby’s bottom.

The one-size-fits-all organic diapers are for babes that weight between 7 and 35 pounds. And no cover or stuffing is required. Just wash …read more

Well, as a lover of desserts I couldn’t pass up the chance to share this recipe for Chocolate Bread Parfait with you. It comes from Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali, authors of Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy: A Feast of 175 Regional Recipes.
The authors remind us: “Nothing needs to be wasted.” They want you to use that extra bread in soups, casseroles, lasagnas or desserts.
While this may not be a dessert for the kids, it would impress your sweetheart on Valentine’s Day! Hope you enjoy…
CHOCOLATE BREAD PARFAIT
Pane di Cioccolato al Cucchiaio
Serves 6
This recalls for me the …read more

A lot of people still make horrid faces when the subject of cloth diapering is brought up. Diapers may not be so pleasant things in general, but parents who never consider cloth may really be missing out. After all, cloth diapers are so much more stylish than plastic and paper!
Plus, put yourself in the baby’s diaper. Your little one may not be able to speak, but he can feel whatever is on that fanny. I can’t imagine having to wear a disposable diaper. Besides just the style and comfort issues, there’s also a matter of health.
Disposable diapers aren’t innocent. They …read more

Fair Trade leaders Equal Exchange — makers of my favorite hot cocoa — have now gone bananas.
Equal Exchange is asking you to “join the banana revolution.” At Beyond the Peel, you can learn more about why Fair Trade bananas are important.
Why a banana revolution?

Equal Exchange has been hard at work for 20 years in the chocolate, coffee and tea worlds, but the workers (and communities) behind bananas deserve better too. That’s why the company is now offering Fair Trade and organic bananas. It’s part of a fight to help reform the banana industry, bringing control back into the hands of …read more

Back in March of 2008, Tree Hugging Family shared results from a very unscientific poll on global warming. Back then, 62% of Tree Hugging Family readers answering the survey thought that global warming is real.
But what about everyone else? Results of a new scientific survey from researchers at Yale and George Mason Universities show that public belief in climate change is declining, even while scientific support is rising. Pretty weird, huh?
Only 50% of Americans surveyed said they were “somewhat” or “very worried” about climate change, and only 57% thought that global warming is happening. These values are almost 15 points …read more

Have you ever wondered whether your eggs come from chickens that were treated humanely? And how about your milk? What was the cow feeling that day?
Eat Humane from the World Society for the Protection of Animals can help provide some answers.

Before you grocery shop or go out to eat, visit Eat Humane to see if your choices are humane to animals. As you might guess, organic foods are frequently the most humane.
Eat Humane gives foods one of three labels: “A GOOD Start,” “Even BETTER,” and “The BEST Options.”
The best options are those that are Certified Humane, American Humane Certified or …read more

If you’re not sure about the whole cloth diaper deal, here’s your chance to try it out for no charge. One mommy (or dad) will receive a free infant diaper trial pack from Kushies!

The diaper trial pack, courtesy of Kushies, includes two Ultra-Lite diapers, two washable diaper liners (optional for extra protection), two washcloths and 10 biodegradable diaper liners (of course, the disposable liners are totally optional should you choose to continue using Kushies). Shown above is the neutral diaper, but Kushies also makes them in pink or blue. The trial pack retails for $32.99.
Ultra-Lite is the newest washable diaper …read more

Make an earth-friendly gesture this Valentine’s Day with some gifts that reflect your love of reuse.
When your Valentine needs to cool things down a bit, he can use a Cup Cooley instead of a cardboard sleeve. The reusable silicone cup cozy is strong enough to stand up to your dishwasher (if you get it dirty) and come out clean for the next use. They’re available in three colors: coffee, green and pink. And they cost just $4 from Fusion Brands. These sleeves can be useful even if you take your own cup like the “I’m not a paper cup.”

And, for …read more

It’s great that there are so many cloth diaper options out there, but it can be overwhelming to choose which diaper you want. It’s certainly not the like the olden days of plain cloth diapers with pins anymore. Over the next few weeks, I’ll highlight different cloth diaper options for you. Even if you’re not expecting, it’s still fun to see what’s out there for green baby shower gift ideas.

Kushies are available in many styles, including the new Ultra-Lite. They come in colors for boys, girls or neutral (like the green one shown). At the Kushies website, the Ultra-Lite diaper …read more