Photo by Hamed Saber.

This time of year it seems like there’s a family feast, office party or cocktail party almost every evening. I think it’s nice to take a small gift. Here are my top five choices for personal, eco-friendly gifts that won’t break the bank.

• Toys Tiny tots will find it hard to resist cute, environment-friendly toy critters. I like the ones from Dandelion, creator of earth-friendly toys. I couldn’t help taking advantage of their Imagine A Better World collection which was based on John Lennon’s old sketches for his son. This year, try out their Believe Plush Collection, which was created to “inspire families to think about their impact on the planet.” Their toys are made with organic terrycloth and stuffed with natural corn fiber.

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  By GiFrancis.

  Tea lovers gift bag Gather up aromatic, tasty tea leaves and add a personal touch to your gift bag by making inspirational cloth tea bags. They are so easy to make, and your tea drinking friend need not worry about wasting any more filter paper. Check out my article, The Perpetual Tea Bag, to learn how to make this fun, environment-friendly kitchen must-have. Add some inspiration by attaching a little note or quote at the end of the tea string.

• Green journal Surprise a writer pal with a beautiful, eco-friendly journal made with recycled paper and natural materials. My favorite find is the Blue Batik Writing Journal by the Village Artisan. It is handmade from 100% recycled cotton Its writing papers are inlaid with aster petals.

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  Via Apartment Therapy.

  Beeswax lined cloth This is a great alternative to wasteful plastic wrap. Abeego came up with a unique line of reusable food wraps and covers made with hemp and infused with a combination of beeswax and plant extracts. It works just as well as regular plastic wrap (maybe even better) and even smells good! Most importantly, it’s reusable and easily hand washable.

• Used books Books may sound like an overused gift idea, but a lot of book lovers, including myself, love receiving used books more than brand new ones. The mysterious history of the previous owner makes these kinds of books exciting to receive. The best part about buying used books is that you prevent these perfectly good copies from being thrown into the dumpster.

Happy (green) holidays!

Karla Mercado lives in New Mexico and is the author of Balancing Tenderfoot. She is passionate about human medicine, nutrition, and writing.

Photo by Hanna Horwarth.

October is almost over which means its time for one of our favorite holidays, Halloween! Prepare yourself for the long night with some of our recent reading:

Still looking for a costume idea? Making your own Halloween costume cuts costs and making your Halloween costume from recycled materials can be absolutely free. These are really fun and creative!

Your feet don’t need to dress up! Running around with bare feet is not just the latest fad, it’s actually beneficial to foot health and prevents injuries. There is even a pair of shoes called Vibram Five Fingers that protects and allows foot movement freedom while you’re running around in the dark.

Yet another benefit of sleep. A certain protein found in people with Alzheimer’s increases when we’re awake and decreases when we’re asleep. So get try and get some quality sleep even when the wind is howling and the house is haunted by ghouls.

The dreaded sugar monster. Kids can be little hellions on that night of sugar overdose so here are some good parenting tips to prevent that tiny monster from becoming unruly.

The good for you sugar? There is a certain type of sugar that can help preserve those pearly whites. Its called xylitol. So after that evening of sweets for both dinner and dessert, chew on some xylitol gum.

Have fun on Halloween and be safe. From our family to yours!

Dr. Gibran Ramos completed his six year training and internship in Naturopathic and Chinese Medicine at National College of Natural Medicine. Dr. Ramos helps patients transform their lives and optimize their well-being at a private practice in Portland, Oregon.

Photo by webwebwork.

While taking the first day tour of my new office 2 years ago, I immediately noticed the space was sans recycling bin. Hang with me for a day and you’ll notice I recycle everything I can, even the toilet paper rolls. I’ve been known to walk out of my hotel room carrying the recyclables if they don’t offer a separate bin in my room! So, you can probably guess what I did on day 2 at the new office. Here’s a guide to starting a recycling program at your own office or practice:

1. Nominate yourself head of the recycling crew and put a smile on your face. Ignore any eye-rolling as you may encounter “resisters.” Don’t worry, they’ll catch on. Helping is a contagious act and helping behavior to benefit the group will increase your sense of belonging and accomplishment.

2. Give everyone an opportunity to recycle. Obtain and strategically place boxes or bins in several locations so that each person in the office has the opportunity to recycle. Key locations are the copy and fax area along with the kitchen and break rooms. Tip: Show fellow employees the personal smaller box you keep below your desk to be taken to the larger bins at the end of the day or week.u

3. Label each bin by placing signs for all to see. How you decide to disperse the bins will help you decide what goes where. Some cities require recycling separation. This would require you to make a separate bin for paper, cans and bottles, plastic, and cardboard. Remember, recycling is supposed to be easy, so help everyone out by making labels to ensure the correct items correspond to the bins. Tip: You can quickly go online to see what your city or waste management department requires by visiting your local chamber of commerce website.

4. Reuse bin. Want to be a shining example of how your company can start saving on the supply end? Place two bins in the copy and fax area. One labeled “double sided paper only” and the other labeled “one sided paper only.” At the end of the week, grab two co-workers excited about recycling and make recycled note-pads. All you’ll need is 15 minutes and the office paper cutter. Cut the remaining one-sided sheets into 4 or 6 squares and voila, note-pads to replace sticky notes. To encourage their use the first week, kindly hand out to other employees and leave a small box with extras located in the copy and fax area.

More tips:

Have a friendly chat with the maintenance or house-keeping crew. Ask them not to empty your garbage unless there is food or it’s full to the top. You can also arrange a simple system similar to the “bra on the hotel room door trick.” If it’s ready to be taken away then tie the bag closed before leaving the office. If it still has room, simply leave it un-tied.

After you’ve put it all in place, I’ll let you borrow my soapbox so you can let everyone know what’s up with recycling in the office! Keep it simple and cheerful, show everyone how easy it is, let them know you’ve labeled everything, and then welcome any questions.

To increase the effectiveness of your plan, encourage fellow employees to only place food and perishable items in the receptacles located within the dining and kitchen areas. It’s okay to eat at your desk still, just walk it over to the other room once finished.

At the end of the first week, take a look in your regular garbage can. If it’s only half full you’re doing a great job! Just to double check, look into your garbage and fish out any plastic or other potentially recyclable items!

Most cities allow and encourage you to recycle the following:

• newspapers
• printed papers
• sticky note paper
• labels
• plastic bottles and containers (see which numbers your city accepts)
• plastic lids from coffee cups
• cardboard coffee cups
• cardboard insulator surrounding coffee cups
• coffee tray/holders
• plastic utensils
• toilet and paper towel rolls
• pizza boxes
• paper bags
• glass bottles and broken glass
• aluminum cans

Feeling crafty?

Recycle your old mailing boxes into next year’s office planner!

Does your company recycle their ink cartridges, computers, and cellular phones?

Most major manufacturers offer complimentary recycling packages that arrive with your new cartridges and mobile phones.  Just fill up the recycling bag with your old cartridges and mail the package, on them! Staples offers a cool program called Staples Soul to recycle your technological relics.

When we associate positive future value with our actions, you can see how the possibilities become limitless! So make your best effort and see how the effects will be successfully contagious!

Christine M. Dionese L.Ac. specializes in integrative medicine, medical journalism and was the VP of marketing at WellWire LLC. Visit her wellness and lifestyle blog, Reaching Beyond Now.