Giving Green: 6 Holiday Gift Guides for the Eco-friendly Shopper

By Vicki Zambito

Don’t let the hustle and bustle of the holiday season derail your efforts to be green. There are plenty of websites out there selling great green gifts. Not only will your conscience love you, but so will your family and friends! Below is a sample of six sites to check out.

Treehugger.com: http://www.treehugger.com/giftguide/?campaign=TH_more_slideshows

From organic bathrobes and reclaimed walnut stools to recycled plastic cell phones, this gift guide keeps you earth-friendly but makes sure you’re still giving the goodies they'll love.

Thedailygreen.com: http://www.thedailygreen.com/living-green/green-gifts

This green gift guide features gifts made by artisans - you won't find them in your people-packed mall! On a side note, make sure you check out their slide show of ugly Christmas sweaters.

Naturemoms.com: http://www.naturemoms.com/green-christmas/best-green-gifts.html

It ain't easy being green... and it ain't easy being a mom either. This useful list includes green gourmet cookware and organic cotton bed sheets.

Thefuntimesguide.com: http://green.thefuntimesguide.com/2010/11/christmas_gifts_for_guys.php

The Fun Times Guide focuses on the top green gifts for guys. For the sports lover in your house, it even lists where you can find fair-trade, vegan, eco-friendly sporting goods. Touchdown!

Greenfeet.com: http://www.greenfeet.com/nav.asp?Gifts=Gift+Guide&gclid=CPuImfbJ8aUCFS9e7AodTGAMpQ

This site bills itself as The Planet's Homestore, and it doesn't disappoint. Check out the wine cork trivet kit, which allows even the hardiest of wine drinkers to be green.

Theultimategreenstore.com: http://www.theultimategreenstore.com/s-62-kids-toys.aspx

Don't forget to start the kids thinking green too! Here's a list of eco-friendly toys for your tots.

Over 1 Billion (sq ft) Served

By: Jeff Nippes

LEED has reached an important milestone. LEED-certified commercial buildings now exceed 1 billion square feet.

"This traction demonstrates the transformation of the way we design, build and operate buildings," said Rick Fedrizzi, USGBC president, CEO & Founding Chair, in a statement. "Not only does green building contribute to saving energy, water and money, it also creates green jobs that will grow and energize our economy."

This doesn’t mean LEED is fool-proof and that every strategy is the best that it can be, but with another 6 billion square feet in commercial projects registered to become LEED certified, LEED is clearly gaining traction and being utilized and pursued at an extraordinary rate. The byproduct of which cannot help but reduce consumption of natural resources and put us on the path toward a sustainable future.

LEED Projects Certified and Registered By Year:

Year. ..# Certified..# Registered
2000....... 3..............8
2001........5.............71
2002.......21...........142
2003.......46...........181
2004......117..........321
2005......201..........692
2006......320..........931
2007......542........3,961
2008......967........7,187
2009....2,290.....10,375
2010....2,682......12,357
Total....7,194...... 36,226