Think about it: how many of the gifts you’ve been given over the years do you still have? If you’re anything like us, it’s probably a pretty small percentage. Clothing goes out of style, electronics become obsolete, or we just grow tired of things – things that ultimately end up in landfills.

With so many gift-giving occasions every year, it can be a struggle to find a present that will be meaningful, useful, and lasting. Organic Style’s Heirloom Apple Tree To Be is all of these things. Each kit contains everything needed to grow a Ralls Janet apple tree, including seeds, seeding pot, potting soil, and reference guide. The Heirloom Apple Tree To Be even comes with an aluminum tag meant to be inscribed and attached to your tree once it’s grown. Click here to read more

Ever wondered what happens to that leftover rubber after the shape of your flip flop is stamped in it? VivaTerra’s come up with an ingenious, eye-catching way to recycle the leftovers – so eye-catching, in fact, that this Flip Flop Door Mat was featured on Project Runway.

Since they’re made of rubber, they’re durable and weatherproof – you can dirty them up, hose them down, and continue to enjoy the bright, colorful patterns unique to each rug. Organic Style’s also got a similar one!

IdealBite, one of our favorite green websites, turned us on to this short film by international sustainability expert Annie Leonard. Leonard shows us how inextricably linked our global material economy is to the variety of social and environmental ills we’re facing. She takes us through the full cycle of products’ lifespan, from extraction of materials to disposal.

Did you know that only 1% of products people purchase are being used 6 months later? Or that Americans make up only 5% of the world resources, but use 30% of its resources and create 30% of its waste? The Story of Stuff is truly eye-opening.

Check out this video for a small preview - and head on over to www.TheStoryofStuff.com for the full-length film.

Yup, you read right – they’re Birkenstocks. Like many companies with a longstanding green reputation, the shoe brand has recently upped the style quotient in their line, adding designs that are not only functional, but also fashionable.

Just like the footbeds in Birkenstock’s leather shoes, the Isis Sandal features a footbed made of cork, latex, and jute – some of the planet’s truly sustainable raw materials. And no part of the cork harvest is wasted. The ground cork that’s become a Birkenstock trademark is actually made from first-quality by-products from the wine industry. Click here to read more

We all look forward to that moment when our head hits the pillow, hopefully for 8 hours of blissful slumber. But depending on the kind of pillow you’re using, that rest might not be so rejuvenating. Traditional pillows are often filled with chemical-ridden synthetic fibers and covered with conventionally-grown cotton. While cotton may be ‘the fabric of our lives,’ much of it is heavily sprayed with pesticides and insecticides – over half of which are known carcinogens. These chemicals are so toxic that fields become barren after years of this treatment.

To top it off, that cotton is often treated with dangerous dyes and finished with formaldehyde. So not only does the choice to buy non-organic bedding contribute to the depletion of our natural resources, but it also exposes us to unsafe chemicals for many hours a day, every day. The Wheat Dreamz Organic Buckwheat Pillow, however, is filled with organically grown buckwheat hulls, which means your pillow has never been exposed to questionable pesticides or herbicides. Click here to read more

We’re smack in the middle of the hottest, stickiest, sweatiest months of summer – and while it’s hard to ignore scorching temperatures, none of us wants to smell like we feel. Many of us apply generous amount of deodorant in the morning, and maybe even a few more times throughout the day to make sure those random whiffs of b.o. we’re occasionally subjected to aren’t coming from us.

You’re probably already aware of health risks posed by antiperspirants – we’ve been warned for years that antiperspirants, which block sweat glands through astringent chemicals, are unsafe. Aluminum-based compounds, which the World Health Organization linked to Alzheimer’s way back in 1993, are the active ingredient in most antiperspirants. People with the disease were found to have high concentrations of aluminum in the brain. But aluminum is not just found in antiperspirants – it’s extremely common in most mainstream deodorants as well.

More recent studies have also linked antiperspirants and deodorants to breast cancer because of these aluminum compounds. The National Cancer Institute reports that studies have shown that these compounds are absorbed by skin near the breast and cause estrogen-like effects – and estrogen can contribute to the growth of breast cancer cells. Other studies link these products to breast cancer because they contain sometimes parabens, a group of toxic chemicals we’re always trying to avoid. In fact, a 2004 study found parabens in 90 % of samples of tumors found in breast tissue.

Though these studies have not proven that either aluminum or parabens cause Alzheimer’s or breast cancer, the relationships between these chemicals and the two diseases is enough to make us want to err on the side of caution. It can actually be pretty tough to find a deodorant without aluminum in it – drugstore aisles are full of brands replete with not so nice ingredients. But Tom’s Of Maine’s Natural Original Deodorant Stick manages to keep b.o. at bay without aluminum OR parabens. Click here to read more

We recently talked about Skin Deep Cosmetics Safety Database’s Sunscreen Report, which revealed that an alarming number of leading sunscreen brands don’t live up to the sun protection they promise, and on top of that, cause us to absorb potentially harmful chemicals like oxybenzone into our skin.

As the ozone layer continues to be depleted and we’re increasingly more exposed to UV radiation, finding a safe, effective sunscreen should be a major priority for all of us – but particularly for our kids. Not only are kids more harmed by sun exposure, but they also absorb more of what’s put on their skin because of a greater skin surface area to body weight ratio.

According to the World Health Organization, children’s skin is thinner and more sensitive, and prone to burn after only a very short time in the sun. The WHO also warns that when kids are exposed to lots of sun and are sunburned early in life, they’re at a higher risk for developing melanoma when they’re older.

With such uncertainty about many sunscreen, what’s the best way to keep our kids safe in the sun? The WHO recommends wearing protective clothing and hats and seeking shade as the most effective ways to prevent harmful UV exposure – providing a high-SPF physical barrier between the skin and the sun is best.

That’s why we like Kiddopotamus’s Rayshade and Babyshade Double Stroller Covers. These shades block 99% of UV rays, and the Double Stroller Cover also protects against wind and insects. Click here to read more

InStyle came up with a list of the celeb couples it considers to be the most eco-friendly, from buying organic cotton clothing to making green home renovations like installing solar panels and water purification systems.

Here are the top 5:

Jessica Alba and Cash Warren

Milo Ventimiglia and Hayden Panettiere

The Global Environment Outlook (GEO) project is the implementation of UNEP’s (United Nations Environment Programme) mandate to keep the global environment under review. Initiated at the request of the UNEP Governing Council in 1995, GEO is both a process and a series of reports, analyzing environmental change, causes, impacts, and policy responses. It provides information for decision-making, supports early warning and builds capacity at the global and sub-global levels. GEO is also a communication process that aims at raising awareness on environmental issues and providing options for action.

The video takes a dramatic look at the environmental issues that continue to face our planet.

Decorators have long recommended following the ‘Rule of Three’ when accessorizing your home. Grouping items together in threes or odd numbers is an easy, inexpensive way to keep things interesting and polished looking.

The varying heights, rounded shapes, and dimpled texture of VivaTerra’s Recycled Glass Balloon Vases instantly spruces up tabletops, mantles, or windowsills. Plus, you’ll feel a bit better knowing that you’re consuming a product that’s had a past life – you’re supporting sustainability, not disposability.

We think they’d look smashing filled with flowers or something unexpected, like dried branches, pebbles or sand.