22 Days of Green Gift Giving: Gift Idea #6

God is Green

From the author of  the award-winning children's book Easy To Be Green, God is Green uses verses from the Bible to explain how being green is part of God's plan for taking care of the earth and all of creation.  Although written for new and early readers through the third grade, the messages in this book are timely and relevant for all ages.  Expected available date is December 15 - just in time for the holidays!  

Pre-order for only $12.95 and get free shipping and handling through December 15th.

For additional information on this book, Easy To Be Green, and other helpful information for educators and kids, visit All For The One.  

Green Tip

What to do with your old books? 

1. Donate to a thrift store, Goodwill or other charity
2. Donate to your local library (check first, as some titles and subjects might not be acceptable)
3.  Sell at a yard sale
4.  Go to Earth911, enter "books" and your zip code and you'll get even more suggestions of places to take your old books. 

22 Days of Green Gift Giving: Gift Idea #5

Hydros Filtering Water Bottle

$21.35 each

$1 from each purchase helps fund sustainable water infastructure projects. By purchasing your Hydros Bottle, you are joining Operation Hydros, the fight against the global water crisis. Not only does your bottle provide you with great tasting water on the go, each purchase helps fund sustainable water projects. Through these water projects, the proceeds of a single Hydros Bottle sold will provide clean water for someone in need for one whole year.

This price is 31% off the regular price if you order it today, Green Tuesday, and is a special deal that is being offered through Green America.  Shipping is included in the price. 

Pre-order this next generation HyrosBottle v2 in Blue, Orange, Green, Pink or Charcoal.  Orders will be shipped on December 15th. 

Features:  
- water bottle has its own filtration system
- BPA free and dishwasher safe
- made in the USA
- recycle your filter at participating retail stores OR by sending it back to Hydros 

Green Tip
Did you know that 38 billion disposable plastic water bottles find their way into landfills each year?  So when entertaining this holiday season, say NO to bottled water!  Decades ago, we entertained just fine without bottled water.  How did we do it?  We used decorative pitchers or large insulated containers.  Why can't we still do that?  

When cleaning up, if you have glasses with leftover water, don't dump the water down the drain.  Use it to water a plant inside OR outside.

22 Days of Green Gift Giving: Gift Idea #4

Gift Idea #4

Solar Recycled Messenger Bag from Voltaic Systems
This bag will charge cell phones, iPads*, sat phones, PDAs, GPSs, iPods, cameras and most other hand-held electronics.  The battery pack (which is included) stores power until you need it.  Reinforced and padded to carry and protect a laptop, this bag is made with recycled PET and features large, zipped pockets for documents, and multiple small pockets for electronic devices.

$199 (normally $229)

Available through The Ultimate Green Store which is offering 20% off all orders with the code CYBERSAVINGS.  Offer good through Tuesday, November 29th only.

The Ultimate Green Store is also offering free shipping on orders over $50 (with some restrictions). 


Green Tip

Don’t give away your hard earned dollars to just any old company.  Instead, support businesses that will do something good with your money.  For example, The Ultimate Green Store has a SAVE THE PLANET – SUSTAIN YOUR SCHOOL program where schools can join The Ultimate Green Store’s affiliate program and download customized banners providing parents with a resource for shopping for green products (including eco-friendly school supplies) while earning money for their school.  10% of all sales will go back to the school as a fundraiser. 

22 Days of Green Gift Giving: Gift Idea #3

Green Tip

Today’s Green Tip is courtesy of Greenline Paper Company, the official office supply store for lori hill event productions. 

Opt for wrapping paper made with recycled content.   

The average American household increases their volume of trash by 25% during the holidays.  Much of this increase is due to the heavy use of greeting cards and gift wrapping paper.  Most store-bought gift wrapping paper contains absolutely no recycled content.  Check out these sources for recycled gift wrap paper.

Greenfield Paper Company

Fish Lips Paper Designs

Earth Love'n Paper Products

Gift Idea #3

Even though yesterday was Small Business Saturday®, I want to highlight another small business that I love to support.  earth alley, in the Hampden neighborhood of Baltimore, offers gift items that are, among other things, fair trade and/or created from artisans who take discardable material and make it better by reusing it.  Many of these artisans are local to Baltimore (buying local is green, too!).  Check out this eco gift item which is pictured above.   

Tagua necklaces, key chains, earrings and bracelets

$9.99 – $49.99 each

Gift items are not available online, so come to Baltimore to see all the great gift items earth alley has to offer.

If you are not local to earth alley support a small business by checking out Green America's National Green Pages for a local, green business near you.

22 Days of Green Gift Giving: Gift Idea #2

Green Giving Tip

According to SupportLocalBusiness.org for every $100 spent at a locally owned business, $45 goes back into the community and our tax base. For every $100 spent at a chain store, only $14 comes back.  So support local businesses and you can do it today! 

The 2nd annual Small Business Saturday® is a day dedicated to supporting small businesses on one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year.   Shop Small^sm at your favorite local stores and help fuel the economy. When we all shop small, it will be huge. 

Gift Idea #2

One of my favorite small businesses is nest – natural elements selected thoughtfully – which chooses products that are:

• Organic
• Recycled
• Environmentally friendly
• Fair trade
• Hand made
• Supportive of a healthy lifestyle

Here is one of great gift items that nest has to offer:  

Sari Scarves

$50 each

Made from recycled vintage sari material and fair-trade. Many assorted colors.  The company also supports Trees For the Future.

This item is not available online, so come to Clarksville, Maryland to see all the great gift items nest has to offer.

If you are not local to nest, support a small business by checking out Green America’s National Green Pages for a local, green business near you.

22 Days of Green Gift Giving: Gift Idea #1

Green Giving Tip

This may seem obvious, but select your gift thoughtfully.  Are you purchasing something the recipient truly needs and can use or are you just buying something to buy something? I always feel better when I put a little thought into a gift and the return to me is the happiness on the face of the friend or family member because they received a useful gift!

  

Gift Idea #1

For the tea lover on your list, consider this gift idea from eco-artware. 

Carved Wood Tea Strainer

Cost $14

Handmade and carved from sustainably harvested wild cherry wood in a no-waste Pennsylvania studio, the ovular strainer fits any tea cup and is very easy to use--its oval shape extends beyond the cup for easy lifting. The piece also covers the tea during steeping which keeps in all the heat.

United Nations Environmental Programme Finance Initiative Global Roundtable Gala Dinner

Photo by Kieta Mall Skoglund

I was honored when the United Nations Environmental Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) asked me to produce their Gala Dinner on Night 1 of their international Global Roundtable.  Held at the spectacular National Building Museum, I knew I'd have to bring my A-team to ensure an A-game! 

In order for an event to look spectacular at the NBM, you need to have top notch lighting, so I enlisted the help of John Farr Lighting Design.  Years ago, it was John who informed me about LED lighting and not only how it can transform a room because you can easily change the colors of the lights, but how it is truly green because it uses less energy than traditional lighting.  It is also safer because the lights are cool to the touch. 

Next up was Main Event Caterers -- the greenest caterer in town (in my mind at least)!  Awarded Catering Magazine's Caterer of the Year in 2010,they recycle 95% of all glass, plastic, metal cardboard and office paper.  Disposables are 100% compostable and food matter is composted vs. being thrown in the landfill.  Furthermore, they are 100% wind powered and they use bio diesel fuel in their vehicles.  But that is just the tip of the iceberg.  When I ask them that I want food that is local and organic and seafood that is sustainably sourced, they don't flinch.  When I ask for locally sourced wine and beer and organic beverages instead of sodas, they don't blink an eye because they get it.  They truly get it.  Read more about their green initiatives. 

Instead of spending money -- and using lots of fabric -- to separate our cocktail reception in the East Court from the dinner in the Center Court, we asked Dale Harmon at Plants Alive! to select plants that could be placed between the large arches to serve as natural barriers. 

And finally, Perfect Settings provided the rentals, including linens and bamboo chairs, and votives powered by battery operated LED lights.  A very sustainable party rental company, they rent recycle bins and take back all the recycling from your event, reuse linen hangers and actually bale the plastic that the linens come in.  Because of this, I will ALWAYS be a devoted client! 

Life Pieces To Masterpieces' Strong Men...STRONGER Gala

The night after the Bethesda Green Gala, the lori hill event productions team was back to work for the first Life Pieces To Masterpieces Strong Men...STRONGER Gala.  Life Pieces To Masterpieces (LPTM) created the Strong Men...STRONGER Awards to honor three men who embody LPTM's core values and are representative of exemplary "gentlemen, scholars, artists, and athletes." 

 

Wendell Pierce, of HBO’s The Wire as well as Treme, served as the Master of Ceremonies for the Gala and was a true pro and delight.     

lori hill event productions partnered with Amy Harbison of Open Window Creative Strategies LLC to help LPTM with the creation of key messages for the event as well as garnering media coverage which included a half hour segment on NBC 4's Viewpoint, coverage on NBC4 10 pm news, and placements in The Washington Post The Root, Capital Business, WTOP Radio, and Scene Bisnow.  Fabulous work, Amy!  

The Strong Men…STRONGER Gala was held at the Willard InterContinental Hotel, in the heart of Washington, DC, right on Pennsylvania Avenue near the White House.  For those of you familiar with this very elegant, upscale venue, you may not realize that The Willard is a very green hotel!  I learned years ago about their landmark green initiatives and was excited that I was able to produce an event on their property.  Recently awarded the International Hotel & Restaurant Association's Environmental Award for Sustainability, the Willard has embarked on a Responsible Business program.  This holistic plan is comprised of numerous interwoven sustainable projects designed for a luxurious urban hospitality experience in harmony with social and ecological consciousness.  Read more here.

LPTM is an after school program designed to serve young, underserved, African American males living in the nation’s capital. Each day after school, over 90 apprentices engage in a rigorous, unique and effective arts-based character building curriculum which guides all of their programming.