Know anyone having a baby in the next few months??  These are definitely THE perfect baby gift.  Not only are they hand crafted, they are also eco-friendly to preserve the planet that the baby will inhabit!

These adorable little slippers are made from eco-felt.  If you don't already know what that is, where the heck have you been??  Kidding...it's felt that is made from recycled pop bottles.  How cool is that?  The soles are lined with velvet and are rubberized on the exterior.  They're finished off with some vintage ribbon that has been added across the front.  The colors are super seventies and definitely making a come back.  Who wouldn't want to receive these for their little one on the way.

Check out Etsy crafter Emily Island for these fantastic little slippers and a range of other items for sale in her shop.  She sews, crochets and paints!  Remember to buy handmade and support local artists rather than huge big box stores that are full of things that you don't need from places that you've never been to.  Buying environmentally friendly items that have been hand crafted can really make a difference.  Vote for the kind of companies that you want to see more of with your wallet!!

If you're an eco-enthusiast and in the market for a new laptop, netbooks might be a great alternative.  They're smaller, so they use less resources.  Many models are extremely energy efficient.  And one model, in particular, makes me "green" with envy.

The Sony Vaio has a case that is made up of 23% recycled CD's which really increases the sustainability of the product itself.  It is very energy efficient with a backlit 10.1 inch LCD screen, a battery that lasts up to 7 hours, 250 GB hard drive, Microsoft 7, 1.66 Ghz Intel Atom Processor N450 and  1GB RAM.

Another neat feature that is extremely environmentally friendly is it's packaging.  It comes in a PET case instead of wasting resources making cardboard.  PET is a plastic made from recycled pop bottles.  I'm loving this eco-chic netbook although I might have to get it in green!

Home Painting is one of the fastest, easiest and most cost effective ways to make a big change in the appearance of your home.  This can, however, be one of those projects that eats up a lot of your time if you decide to DIY.  It's amazing how fast a painting crew can get it done with a professional look -- none of those little oopsies that I tend to get when I'm painting!

College Pro Painters have a two year guarantee on their work, do all the clean-up and prep for the job with competitive pricing and quality products.  When you call them to come out and give you a quote, ask them about using an eco-friendly paint option.  That way, you'll support local students and the environment by choosing this company as your painter!

College Pro not only hires students locally, they're also involved in a number of charity organizations such as Kids Help Phone, Race Across America and Footsteps For Hope.  They are also heavily involved in donating time, skills and paint to improve community spaces and homes in underprivileged areas across North America.  Many of these projects run through the student's spring break which goes to show the student's (and company's) dedication to helping those in need in any way that they can.

There are a variety of eco-friendly paints that are now on the market but the key is to ask for a paint with low VOCs (volatile organic compounds).  These compounds have been found to emit chemicals into the air which can be a huge source of indoor air contamination even for years after the paint has dried!  There is conflicting research as to the toxicity of these chemicals although some have labelled some of the chemicals as carcinogens.

Ask for a paint that has a Green Seal standard which means that it has met all of the regulations to become certified "green".  It's possible to get paints that are made from all natural ingredients although some of these paints are not very washable.  This means that you'd have to repaint (and use even more resources!) every time the walls got dirty.  There are also a number of recycled paints on the market which are made from leftover paints.  These paints usually come in a limited array of colors though.  Make sure that you ask your paint expert which kind of eco-friendly paint would best suit your needs!

This is a sponsored post with 100% real opinions.

You'll notice that here on my blog, I feature many products from Etsy.  Etsy is a great resource for finding green products that are handmade.  When you buy handmade, you're supporting small companies instead of huge conglomerates that manufacture overseas.  Etsy even has a feature so that it can search for products locally for you!  This way you can shop locally and remove the need for items to travel so far before they reach you.

There's a huge range of products that are available.  Many are handcrafted, some are not.  They have a bit of everything -- clothing, art and housewares are all available there.  There are hundreds and hundreds of completely unique, one of a kind items.  It's super easy to shop there too because once you've found the item that you want to buy, you just fill out an online form and pay with paypal or a credit card.  You've got to make sure that you order items for Christmas with lots of time for the crafters to be able to complete the order fulfillment as well as allow time for shipping if necessary.

I've found it very easy (and fun!) to communicate with the crafters.  Many are very open to creating custom products specifically to suit your needs.  What I'm really saying is that it's seriously time for me start my online Christmas shopping!  I'd better get to it...there's only 71 more shopping days until Christmas!!!  Yikes.

Check out this gorgeous wood high chair from Fab Baby Gear.  It's the Argington Babylon high chair and is much more eco-friendly than your standard all plastic high chair like the one I used for my kids.  It's made from FSC certified, sustainably harvest wood and put together with low VOC glues.  The finishing is all completely non-toxic and pollutant free which is important because if your kids are anything like mine, they'll be mouthing this all over the place!

The chair is made in energy efficient facilities and can be adjusted without any tools.  My favorite part is just how long you could use this chair for.  It holds up to 250 pounds and can be adjusted from bistro table height to coffee table height!  You can't get much more use than that.  From ages 6 months to adult is the recommended ages for use.  You want to wait until they're about 6 months so that they can sit up independently and not just slouch over to the side.

Organic Girl has another awesome giveaway -- she and Fab Baby Gear are giving away one of these chairs in either Birch or Cherry.  I follow this lady's blog like a maniac and enter nearly every contest.  I haven't won anything yet but you'll be sure to hear about it if I do!  She reviews a ton of great kids products, some are green-er than others but they're all kinda cool.  There's lots of great giveaways too that you can enter.  Maybe I shouldn't encourage that.  I don't really need the competition!! lol

Okay, so it might take more than a sign in a restaurant captured by Flickr user Loren Javier at a Disneyland restaurant to say that Mickey Mouse has finally gone green but at least it's a start!  They are urging you to save the plastic baskets from your lunch for re-use and that's definitely a step in the green direction.

What else is helping one of the world's biggest companies to go green-ish?  How about some eco-friendly souvenirs available for sale in downtown disney?  They are getting in some of my favorite family friendly eco-chic products at a Disney store called Tren-D at Disneyworld such as purses made from candywrappers or seat belts that have been reclaimed from wrecks.  I think a seat belt bag may just have to make it onto my wish list...

The Disney company as a whole has been working hard to become more eco-friendly and that's a huge deal when you're talking about such a massive company.  They are working on reducing plastic bag usage at all of their stores and events.  They recommend not using plastic wrap or plastic bags.  If you go to your local Disney store, chances are that you'll see that most products are wrapped in plastic and that they do not charge for plastic bags.  They're talking the talk but I'd like to see them walk the walk if you know what I mean.

They have a classroom based program that helps kids to discover a love of science, teamwork and competition by joining an environmental competition.  It's a free program that actually does look pretty cool.  You can check it out here.  The bad parts are that it's only available for grades 4 through grade 6 and that it is only available to American students.  Very strange to have something called a Disney planet challenge to be only open to classrooms in the United States.

They are (and have been for quite some time) heavily involved in conservation efforts throughout the world (not just in the U.S.A.!).  Their projects are many and far ranging.  They are, of course, also heavily publicized efforts but if they are doing some good then they deserve all of the good press I guess.  Their conservation efforts support non-profit charities that are working with eco-systems, wildlife and communities.

They are also involved in promoting environmental awareness to kids.  To me, this is one of the most important things to promote to kids.  In reality, today's kids are going to have to deal appropriately with whatever mess the planet is in when they inherit it from their parents generation.  These kids are going to need to know the issues, understand them backwards and forwards and be brainstorming ways of trying to negate all of the damage that has already been done.

Could Disney be more eco-friendly?  YES!!!  However, I think it's important to recognize the efforts that the company is making.  They may only be tiny steps but at least they are in the right direction which is more than I can say for other companies that make money from our kids!

You've got to check out these cute, soft and (most importantly!) reusable bum wipes. Imagine over the course of a year just how many disposable wipes are used for just one baby. Now, multiply that by how many babies are in your neighbourhood, city or country. That's hundreds of thousands of wipes entering the landfills! Plus all of the packaging and chemicals that go into making these things....It's all so pointless and frivolous.

Go to Organic Girl's blog to enter a giveaway to receive a package of 10 re-usable wipes called Bummas. They come in four different colour combinations to match your nursery or your style -- like that's really important in a wipe....super cute though! These wipes are not only good for the environment, they're good for little ones as well! They help to prevent diaper rash by completely avoiding the use of chemicals that may dry out a little one's sensitive bum.

They're made of 100% cotton (not organic unfortunately) that is woven into terry cloth. They're gentle enough for babe's bum and tough enough for a toddler's runny nose. They're also durable enough to last throughout both stages and beyond! They also recommend using them as a burp cloth, wash cloth, bum dryer and shield from boy's projectile pees! Definitely worth a shot (haha, get it! groan). You'll save a ton of money too over using the disposable ones. Saving money, bums and the planet....what could be better?

Imagine how many trees end up simply as saw dust every single year. Yoav Avinoam has taken this waste saw dust from the wood industry and worked it into some amazing and beautiful furniture. He mixes it with a resin and creates pieces that are quite functional out of the saw dust and resin combo that is molded between the legs of a piece. He uses a variety of wood saw dust in this process and makes a range of furniture items including chairs, stools and tables.

I'm not sure how eco-friendly the resin mix is that is used to help create these pieces but I can say for sure that these are far more attractive than MDF furniture pieces! The way that the material crumbles towards the outer edges gives the work a completely new look that is unlike the straight lines of the wood itself or the mess of a pile of sawdust. The material instead creates it's own outline almost resemble that of bare earth.

This combination of industrial design and a new realization of nature in the resemblance to the earth and tree or root pattern used in the coffee table is an unusual and eye-catching design. These furniture pieces would fit in any eco-enthusiast's home or office setting. The simplicity of the rounded molded tops gives the pieces the clean lines that many people are looking for while the re-purposing of the saw dust creates an aura of environmental friendliness to the finished product that is much desired. Beautiful, simple and using materials that are at hand...something that all designers should aspire to!

When you're planning your next vacation to a spa (I wish), try using one of the online spa filters so that you can search for an eco-friendly one such as this one called Vil Uyana Sigiriy Hotel in Sri Lanka photographed by ByFlickr. It's important, especially when travelling to visit environmentally responsible companies. When you support an sustainable enterprise, you are supporting green living. Believe it or not, this is one of the easiest ways to make your life a little more greener. Eco-spas can also be counted on to use a variety of natural products when performing services such as massages and facials. Natural products are often better than preservative laden products because they contain natural aromas which can help to relax and heal body and mind. Consider looking into visiting an eco-spa today!

Sounds too good to be true right? This seems to be one of those rare circumstances where it's even cooler than you think it is! New Jammies is a company that is making 100% organic sleepwear for kids that actually gets kids to eat their fruits and vegetables! They come in a variety of adorable food inspired picks although if you're looking for the grease laden french fries from McDonald's, you'll have to shop somewhere else! These jammies are the all natural kind and each pair comes with a book that helps parents to encourage kids to eat what they should be eatting -- fruits and veggies!!

In our world of what we want it when we want it, kids meals have become little more than pre-prepared overpacked trash. These tendencies are leading to huge overconsumptions of sugar and salt and contributing to an incredible rate of childhood obesity. Check out articles on the slow food movement for more information on how healthy eating can affect people of all ages. Anything that makes healthy eating a regular part of a child's day and exposes them to the normalcy of eating fresh and organic is definitely a step in the right direction!

Check out Organic Girl's blog for your chance to win a pair for the apple of your eye -- that's actually the name of the apple design! They contribute a portion of their proceeds to Fetal Hope -- which is a cause close to my heart as a mother of a lost baby. They also contribute clothes and blankets to preemies in NICU units and are a member of the Organic Trade Association. This is another company that I can definitely stand behind and support. Now just how to decide on which design to buy....