There's a new type of credit card in the design world called Live Checking.  It's a credit card that actually keeps a running tally of how much credit you have used which might help people manage spiraling debt problems.  This is a huge problem right now during the recession.  There are lots of people living completely off of credit right now because of the poor economy and sagging job market.  Even for those of us who are employed, it can be easy to miscalculate your spending.

The eco-friendly part of the design itself is the solar panel on the right hand side of the card.  This panel collects the power necessary to keep the card powered up when needed.  This card could also potentially really help people cut down on the amount of waste they are steadily consuming.  Perhaps people will think twice about buying disposable products or cheap junk that they don't need because they know how much they've already spent and how much they owe on this card.  Many people end up with tons of things crowding their house that they don't even need or want!

My favorite part of the design is the ability for the card to light up around the edges to let you know at a moment's glance whether you are above your credit limit or not.  If the light is blue, you are still within your credit limit.  If the light is red, you are over your limit.  I also think it's cool that the colors used for the edges are not green and red.  Green signals "go" and that is not what consumers should be doing when using their cards.

This design is by Jin-young Yoon, Wook-sun Oh, Young-ho Lee & Jun-kyo Lee.

This is the greenest chicken I've ever seen!  It's called Bock Bock chicken and it's hand made by Ecoleeko.  It's made with soft all natural materials that are hand dyed with care.  The fabric is a bamboo fleece, the stuffing is kapok fibers and ground walnut shells and it's even sewn with organic cotton thread!!  Talk about an eco-friendly kids toy.  This is probably about as green as it gets!

Ecoleeko has a whole range of stuffed animals, bean bags, rattles, balls, bath puppets and tagged blankets made with the same sorts of all natural materials as seen in Mr. Bock Bock.  The owner even details how the paperwork involved in invoicing and receipts is recycled, as well as the packaging. 

This is definitely a company owner that you know you can trust your children's safety with.  In recent years there have been so many scary recalls on children's toys and cloths that have parents wondering what exactly is safe.  Check out Ecoleeko for gifts and baby essentials instead of a big box store where items are made overseas under dubious safety regulations.  Handmade supports local businesses and shows companies that we are concerned about child and planet safety!!

Etsy is hands down one of my favorite places to shop.  By shopping at Etsy, you are supporting small businesses instead of big box stores and their wasteful ways.  There is a huge variety of goods available and it's easy to find sustainable products.  If you haven't shopped there yet, definitely check it out.

I haven't done a hump day (every Wednesday) featured crafter for a while but when I ran into seedandsprout's products, I knew what I'd be writing about.  This shop is run by a stay at home mom with a toddler who inspires all of her work.  She has a Fine Arts degree which definitely shows through in her designs.

Check out this cute and punky girls tie tee.  It's hand screened onto unbleached organic onesies or tees for kids up to size 4T.  If you're tired of dressing your princess like, well, a princess then this is the shirt for you.  You can be sure that every other girl in her preschool class is not going to be rocking out the skinny tie like her in this unique and adorable tee.  Are you blessed with a little boy??  Not to worry, she prints the shirts with black ties as well which are more suited to the tiny rock star prince in your life.

The adorable "i'm this many" tee is great for their birthdays and throughout the entire year.  It's a cute and graphic kids language answer to the question that so many people ask them in their day to day life.  "How old are you cutie?".  These shirts are also organic and come in a range of ages from 1 to 3.  As each shirt is custom made, she can make one for you in a variety of ink and tee colors.  The ink used in all of her shirts is hand mixed in custom colors that are water based and completely non toxic.  This means no harmful chemicals are used making the shirts better for both your kids and the planet!

Seedandsprout also has a range of shirts that are more inspired by nature such as this Growin' Like a Weed shirt.  Cute, eco-friendly, unique and a reminder to cherish the time that your wee ones are still wee for the days fly by.  Before you know it, they're heading off to high school on their own while in your mind, they are still those little babes that you held so tenderly in your arms.  My son would kick me if he read that but I find myself missing those days when he was smaller as he closes in on his 16th birthday and my daughter nears 4.  *sigh*

Seedandsprout's designs are definitely worth checking out if you are looking for eco-friendly clothes that are as unique as your kids are themselves.  Shopping while keeping the environment in mind not only reduces your impact on the world around you, it also encourages other companies and crafters to go green.  It is also very important to note that a percentage of the proceeds from this shop go towards the March of Dimes which is a cause very close to my heart.

There are also hair pins made from recycled fabrics and eco-friendly felt made from pop bottles that would make a great addition to the shirts to finish off the eco-chic look.  If your kids are into dress-up, there are some very cute felt crowns also available at her store made from eco-felt that are worth checking out.

As I've mentioned in previous posts, here and here, I'm going to try to ask for only eco-friendly gifts this Christmas.  These colorful bowls have definitely made the list.  They're made by Zak designs out of 100% recycled melamine to create a funky, retro style pattern appropriately called "Confetti".  The pattern is available in bright colors or black and reds so you can get whatever suits your mood and kitchen.  I've already got a set of plastic mixing and serving bowls but I always worry about how safe the plastic is.  These bowls are BPA, PVC, phalate and lead free so that completely removes any of the concerns that using plastic might give you.

Safe for dishwasher but not microwave use (of course!), so they're easy to care for as well as easy on the earth.  These are not the only items in the collection -- it contains a whole line of plates, bowls, salt and pepper shakers, etc.  I'm going to keep my fingers crossed that I get a set of these this year for Christmas.  They're available on Amazon if anyone's interested -- hint, hint! lol

This 100% natural baby wipe kit is really cool and you can win one by going to Organic Girl's blog.  It consists of a reusable/recyclable jar to keep the bum wipes in, 10 wipes and a blend of essential oils.  The oil blend contains chamomile, calendula and lavender to help calm and freshen baby's wee little bum.  The set is kind of DIY because you add water to moisten the wipes and vinegar to reduce bacteria and odours.  Imagine how many baby wipes you use for one child from birth to potty training...the amount of money wasted and trash ending up in the landfill is ridiculous!  Re-usable wipes such as these are better for both the planet and for baby's delicate skin.  When you make it yourself, you know that there are no harsh chemicals or perfumes in the wipes to dry or irritate your baby's skin.  Now the saying "Soft as a baby's bum" will finally make sense!!

Eco-Me has a whole range of neat products that allow you access to the materials to DIY a variety of environmentally friendly products for babies such as baby pail deodorizers and room sprays.  They also have other kits for home cleaning, dog or cat products.  Check out Organically Hatched to purchase these items or go directly to the Eco-Me website to see their entire range of products!  Thanks to Organic Girl for the chance to win this baby wipe set and check it out!

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I'm going to only ask for environmentally friendly things this year for Christmas.  That should make shopping a learning experience for my family.  My mom bragged to me the other day that she was going "green" because she recycles her empty cigarette packages....doh!

Onto something funner...check out these gorgeous purses made by Etsy crafter interrobang.  Based out of Australia, interrobang literally means question mark, exclamation point (?!).  I just thought that was an interesting/weird little tidbit!  She lists recycled seatbelts as one of her favorite materials to work with and recommends that you order with plenty of time left for shipping if you're in the U.S./Canada.

Both the purse and matching wallet are, obviously, made from recycled seatbelts.  Tons of cars are sent to the wreckers every year with the metal being recycled.  The seat belts were previously just garbage but have been ingeniously repurposed into these amazing purses and wallets.  The nature of the seatbelt itself is meant to be extremely strong and durable.  This leads to extremely strong and durable products made out of the junked belts!

I absolutely love the look of the belts sewn together and then having melted seams to make it even stronger.  The shiny stripes make a beautiful and completely unexpected striped appearance to the bag.  I'm certain that many people wouldn't even recognize the material as being a seatbelt but I'd love to fill them in on the huge range of benefits of upcycling!

There are a few different styles of purses and wallets available as well as laptop sleeves and messenger bags.  She even has an interesting bag made from upcycled billboards!  Definitely worth checking out this seller as you try to get your Christmas shopping done!!

Just look at this beautiful bouquet from a company called Gifts-To-Impress.  This would be a great centerpiece at any baby shower or as a welcome home present for a new mom and baby.  The "roses" are actually baby clothes rolled up to look like flowers!  You can get the arrangements in pink, blue or gender neutral yellow.  The clothes are 100% organic, unbleached and undyed t-shirt, beanie, socks, bib and onesie.  The color comes from the the greenery and fake flowers surrounding the rolled up layette pieces.  Another really cool and eco-friendly part of this gift is that the greenery and fake flowers are made from wood shavings and recycled paper!

I've seen DIY versions of baby bouquets using facecloths or just socks as well.  They didn't look too hard to do and ended up looking very, very cute!  E-how has a pretty good article explaining how it's done but it seriously needs a picture to show how cute the project really can be!  The only downside to receiving this bouquet is that you'd have to take it apart to use the pieces!  I'm not sure that I'd have the heart...just so pretty!

There are a ton of products for teens that can help them become as eco-friendly as the rest of the family.  A good place to start is by getting them using an organic acne treatment.  Organic ingredients are much better than chemicals for problem skin and help to maintain a sustainable base for the skin care industry.  When you buy organic, you are saying that you want them to keep producing organic products, that the earth is important to you and that you'll continue to ensure that organic farming exists.

There are many DIY acne skin care treatments that you can look up online.  Fresh and all natural ingredients are the way to begin.  Ensure that you research any information you receive thoroughly to make sure that you don't end up with skin that's in worse shape than it already is!  Be aware that some treatments may work better for others than it does for you.  Pay close attention to how your skin reacts and be willing to try something new if it doesn't work.  There are also tons of organic and eco-friendly acne treatments that are ready to buy from the shelf.  Again, just make sure that you understand what you're buying ahead of time.

I'm going to try to do more posts on eco-friendly living for teens as well as the rest of the family.  I realized that this is an area I've been forgetting.  I've got a teenage son and I want him to start picking up some green habits too!  The picture is from Flickr user Fotoos Van Robin who has an amazing array of great photos with clean, clear lines.

Looking to check out an up and coming organic skin care line?  Try the ISUN Organic Skin Care that is made with all natural, all organic ingredients.  Check out their website at www.isunorganicskincare.com for more details on their products including the catalogue that lists all of the products that they currently have available.

Their company is inspired by the world around it and therefore, wants to protect it.  They are an eco-conscious company that is mindful of their packaging and manufacturing technologies.  The company tries to ensure that they only have a positive effect on the planet by donating a portion of the proceeds to organizations such as Feed the Children and Youth Action International.  Through their donations, they try to ensure that children receive the loving care, education and personal growth that all children deserve, regardless of where or how they are born.

Wondering how you can try their products out?  Well their products are now being at spas from Maui to Colorado.  You can also enjoy how alive the fair trade ingredient skin care line makes you feel by purchasing online at www.purenaturaltouch.com.  These products would make great Christmas gifts!

This is a sponsored post with 100% real opinions.

When you make eco-friendly renovations to your home, your home insurance company needs to be notified.  Your insurance rate may change, depending on the nature of the renos you've completed.  Many people claim that you can lower your home insurance rates by having an environmentally friendly home.  The industry is modifying their risk calculations for their environmentally conscious customers because they are seen as less of a risk.  The homes are more efficient and durable while being less prone to break downs.

However, some renovations like adding solar roof panels can cause higher insurance rates because they are prone to damage during storms.  So if your home is situated in a storm prone area, the insurance costs will be higher because they know they'll likely have to help replace them.  Of course, the lowering of your electricity bill would likely more than make up for any rise in insurance premiums caused by adding solar panels.  There have also been many new discoveries in solar technology that are making the panels more and more durable by the day.

Remember to keep your home insurance policy up to date so that in the event of a tragedy, all of your eco-conscious renovations will be able to be replaced.  If you have replaced your appliances with energy star rated ones, inform your insurance company.  You could see discounts coming your way.  If your home or business has achieved LEED certification, the discounts that can be given may be quite substantial.  It can really pay off in many ways to lead a green-er lifestyle.