Project Green Search is an interesting theory I suppose. The campaign was created by Greenloop, and the goal is to find the next green “it girl” which according to Project Green Search means…
The woman who wants to take a stand, get noticed, and align her career endeavors with her personal beliefs, to be an advocate for the environment, animal welfare, fair trade, and human rights. She’s a model, spokesperson, host, brand ambassador and all around green model citizen, for progressive, sustainable, ethical companies, from fashion & beauty to cars & computers.
Voting on contestants started today, and the winner is …read more

In a previous post this week, why don’t people live green?, I asked if anyone had a clue about why so many people don’t live green, or greener. What’s stopping people from going green? After putting that question out as a general ponder and as a question to readers I also asked my best friend, my sister, my guy Dave, Cedar my son, and put it out as a question on Facebook as well.

Tomorrow we’ll look at what everyone else had to say (I got some excellent answers) but first we’re going to take a look back at what I’ve …read more

Last night I watched an advanced screening of No Impact Man, which I really liked for the most part (review soon) however, my boyfriend felt it lacked any sort of compelling content. He felt it was a movie mainly for people who are already living green not the general public. He noted that while No Impact Man was dull and not worth seeing (note: I didn’t agree) some documentaries like Super Size Me DO offer shocking facts and compelling content and therefore make people sit up and take notice and are very much worth viewing.

Obviously this conversation spun out of …read more

Is there anything more boring than talking about trash bags? Not much I’d wager, but consider how many you use. Dozens, maybe even hundreds per year? Plastic trash bags pose some major threats to the environment – most are made of new plastic which of course takes non-renewable resources to make plus they’re just going to sit, full of trash, in the landfill forever.

You can try:
Making less trash to start with. This is not an easy task, but any family, with a little work can do it. Take a green home trash audit then make some decisions to grind up …read more

I almost never talk about one high traffic area of your home – the living room. Not sure why, I guess I tend to focus on higher energy and water areas like the bathroom and kitchen, but you can have a greener living room, here’s how…

Always close the damper on your fireplace or woodstove (when not in use) or that air will rush right in.
Take your shoes off before hanging in the living room. Really you should take your shoes off in all rooms. Various studies have shown that shoes drag in tons o’ pesticides – especially during the …read more

I recently read a good article by green papa Chris Riemenschneider called “Green parenting is not always easy“. In actuality the article covers more of why green parenting was easier then Chris thought it might be. I.e. cloth diapers – kind of tough, but not so bad. The piece did get me thinking though, is green parenting harder than not?

It’s a tough call because the things that make you a green parent are debatable. For instance are you greener if you use cloth diapers but fail to recycle, or are you greener if you recycle, grow and hand make your …read more

Green doesn’t have to be costly. In fact, green done right is usually less expensive both up front (i.e. buying less junk) and in the long run (i.e energy saving appliances). However, green often gets a bad rap budget wise. People assume that green changes can cost a bundle. With that in mind, here are 10 easy green changes you can make for $15 or less.

Switch to a reusable water bottle. right now Gaiam is offering FREE standard shipping on new and pretty water bottles. COST: $10.38 (plus all that money you’ll save on bottled water).
Compost on the cheap: if …read more

Hey there Tree Hugging Families – hope that your first day of spring is looking bright. Mine is gray and cloudy (ah, Oregon) – but I like the rainy weather, so it’s all good for me.

Being that it’s the first day of spring, I’ve gathered up some eco-friendly ideas and links for you to help you celebrate in style.
First a few Tree Hugging Family classics…

Spring Nature Photos
60 Eco-Friendly Ways to Celebrate Spring
Candied Flowers

And some news from other fine places…

Green your spring cleaning from Co-op America.
Pop-up flower card – use recycled materials.
Eggshell plant pots.
Organic spring gardening.

Other ideas…

Get outside with a camera …read more

Why bother researching green communities? Especially for something as seemingly small as decent walkability?

There are plenty of reasons. First of all a walkable town or community means that most likely the area is greener than others. This is a major perk for the planet and your family’s health. Recent news about this includes…

Green Spaces Beneficial for Kids Health
Less asthma among kids – just one more reason to hug trees
One small step: spend one mile on nature today – yup green spaces help you stay fit.
Of course the more green there is, the more likely you are to ditch that car …read more

Here at Tree Hugging Family, I’ve shown a fair share of green videos. I thought I’d collect some of my faves, and re-post them, in case you missed some.
First – a round-up for the kiddos…
This first video is hands down my most favorite recycling video for kids, by kids (ok older teens) of all time. These kids are so flipping funny and so on target with the music and how the video was cut. I laugh every single time I watch it.

What tofu does when you walk away… I love this video – it’s pretty silly. My son liked it, …read more