I have just discovered the most unique travel company that I have ever heard of that specializes in exciting travel adventures, called GAP Adventures. GAP stands for the Great Adventure People.

This is a really amazing company that has all kind of group tours from hard core active back roads trips to unusual polar expeditions, to special limited edition trips that specialize in photography or other specialties. Some of their trips are appropriate for familes, and others are meant for just adults.

One of the most interesting things about this company is their dedication to sustainable travel practices.

"As a leader in sustainable adventure travel, Gap Adventures is dedicated to offering low-impact tours that benefit traveller and host alike. We work with local communities, businesses and individuals to develop sustainable tourism opportunities that help local economies while minimizing negative environmental and cultural impacts. While our sustainable tourism policies and operator standards are constantly evolving, our commitment to socially and environmentally conscious travel has been with us since the company's inception."

GAP has several pages on their sustainable travel policies and how they operate. If you would like to read more about it, click here.

If you would like more information, you can subscribe to the GAP Adventures travel newsletter - you'll be among the first to learn about new tours, contests and special offers.

The GAP's website is really interesting and fun to look through.  It is worth taking a look just for that alone.

Are You Looking for a Travel Adventure? originally appeared on Eco-Chic Green Fashion on February 8, 2012.

If you live in an area of the country that gets cold in the winter, even if it doesn't snow, then you need to protect your skin from chapping, and drying out. This is not just a cosmetic issue, it is a health issue, because your skin protects your body from catching diseases. Healthy supple skin is important, and of course it also feels good.

I am the kind of person who forgets to put lotion or creams on during the day, and I don't like the way they feel on my hands while I am working, so it was difficult to find something that I could use on a regular basis and that I would want to use. After several years, I found The Body Shop's Body Butters. When they first came out, there weren't too many choices of scents, but it seems like every year now they come out with more. I like to use them after showering in the morning over moist sking, and sometimes in the evening before bed. They come in different skin types all the way to very dry, and they are never greasy. My personal favorite is the mango, but they have many floral, fruity, and natural scents. Best of all The Body Shop is an ethical, fair trade, and eco-friendly company and has been since its inception. Definitely a product to have on hand and a perfect gift for anyone. Totally worth every penny I have ever paid for it.

Keeping Your Skin Protected Against the Cold Weather originally appeared on Eco-Chic Green Fashion on February 6, 2012.

Eco-Chic Gifts Under $25: Hand Carved Fair Trade Assorted Gourd Bowl originally appeared on Eco-Chic Green Fashion on February 5, 2012.

One of the most clever companies I have come across lately in my research for eco-chic green products is English Retreads.

In their own words:

"At English Retreads, we turn recycling into a bold fashion statement with our unique handbags and accessories. Designed specifically for conscientious consumers and savvy fashionistas, each one-of-a-kind English Retreads product is handcrafted from reclaimed truck inner tubes—right here in Boulder, Colorado.

One hundred percent vegan, our materials are an ecologically sound alternative to animal products. And even though our bags are designed to keep on truckin' forever, it's always good to buy a spare. Following in the tire tracks of Henry Ford's original Model T, English Retreads are available in any color you want—as long as it's black!"

English Retreads gets the inner tubes from truck stops in the Boulder, Colorado area where they are located. And the bags are really cute, and can take a lot of wear and tear.

English Retreads-Recycling Rubber Tires originally appeared on Eco-Chic Green Fashion on February 4, 2012.

I figured that was just up my alley, so here is the list. Let me know if you agree with the order.

Eco-Chic #1: Sustainable Footwear
Eco-Chic #2: Green Beauty
Eco-Chic #3: Baby Goes Green
Eco-Chic #4: Sustainable Home
Eco-Chic #5: Bamboo and Organic Cotton Bed & Bath
To see the products listed under each item, click here.

I think that I would personally change the order to 5, 3, 2, 4, 1, but that is just me.  I really do like these suggested items, though.

3 Piece Super Soft 100% Bamboo Fiber Kitchen Towels - Pine Green

pb Bamboo Travel Blanket

Pinzon by Crypton Hillsboro Armchair

5 Ways to Be Eco-Chic originally appeared on Eco-Chic Green Fashion on January 30, 2012.

These are the Eco-Friendly features per Samsung:

• The Samsung Reclaim is designed with environmentally-responsible components and fully recyclable packaging, including:
• Its bio-plastic material, made from corn, makes up 40 percent of the Reclaim's outer casing. Samsung Reclaim is free of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), phthalates, and nearly free of brominated flame retardants (BFR): three materials commonly targeted on green electronics guidelines.
• The outer packaging and the phone tray inside the box are made from 70 percent recycled materials. The images and text on the box as well as the phone warranty information are printed with soy-based ink.
  The typical thick paper user manual has been replaced with a virtual manual that users can access at www.sprint.com/reclaimsupport.
• The charger is Energy Star approved for meeting the highest energy efficiency standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. It consumes 12 times less power than the Energy Star standard for standby power consumption and is equipped with a visible notification to alert you to unplug the handset once it's fully charged.

Additionally, $2 of each purchase will benefit The Nature Conservancy's Adopt an Acre program, which supports land conservation across the United States and protects some of the world’s most beautiful and important natural habitats.

For more information on the technical features, click here.

I honestly can't decide what I think of this phone yet. I will have to do some research. Do you know anyone who has tried it yet?

Have You Seen the Samsung Reclaim Phone Yet? originally appeared on Eco-Chic Green Fashion on January 29, 2012.

We have all heard of the one deal per day concept. Now one deal per day has come to Eco-Chic Shopping with Guffly.

If you go to Guffly's website, you will see featured the deal of the day. Today as I am writing this the deal is a wooden and silver bracelet from Kendyua.

How does Guffly describe themselves?

"Guffly is a one product per day online store and community featuring eco friendly products and fair trade lifestyle goods like home, pet, clothing, office and personal accessories. We've made it our job (literally!) to find only the most stylish eco friendly and fair trade products out there. We happen to think that making purchasing decisions you can feel good about doesn't have to mean committing to a life without style or convenience. We search high and low so that you can bet Guffly’s green products are stylish, fun and attractive – eco stylish if you will."

One Deal Per Day Has Come to Eco-Chic Shopping originally appeared on Eco-Chic Green Fashion on January 27, 2012.

I have been spending quite a bit of time lately exploring eBay's World of Good. It is a growing shopping mall for green gifts, and specialty items, and really fun to browse.

I recommend that you browse eBay's World of Good to see what they have to offer and bookmark some items for your friends and relatives. It is always good to know that you are contributing to the health and well being of your friends and family.

Here is one of my personal favorites this week:

Alex and Ani St. Christopher Bracelet
I think that I might have to get one of these for myself.

For my friends, this is a great gift:

Natural Handmade Balm for Dry Skin

To go directly to the World of Good website, click here.

Getting Frustrated Looking for Green Gifts? originally appeared on Eco-Chic Green Fashion on January 20, 2012.

Green Nest is a very interesting company that specializes in organic green products for the home with a special emphasis on products to make your home cleaner and pollutant free. Green Nest has an entire line of air purifiers and non-toxic building products as well as home decor, bedding, and other general home products.

Air purifiers are especially helpful for people with allergies, and other immune system compromising disorders but they are also really great for any family. In the winter, when we are cooped up indoors breathing each other's air, it is much easier to catch colds and the flu. With an air purifier you can reduce that likelihood immensely.

Organic Eco-Chic Green Bathrobes originally appeared on Eco-Chic Green Fashion on January 19, 2012.

This book is so much fun, even the cover is interesting:

Eco Books: Inventive Projects from the Recycling Bin

Here are 40 innovative book-making ideas using recycled and green materials! More than just earth-friendly, they’re also beautiful, clever, and witty, stitched with traditional binding techniques. Egg cartons, wood, beer cans, and cassette tapes morph into covers, while brown bags, coffee filters, and discarded newspapers are transformed into pages. Create a boxed set of cereal box books, an exposed stitch sketchbook out of cardboard and remnants, and even a faux leather journal made from teabags.

In addition to how-to drawings, close-up detail photographs, and simple stitch diagrams, a gallery of eco-books from an international roster of artists provides inspiration.

Re-Bound: Creating Handmade Books from Recycled and Repurposed Materials
Re-Bound is a beautiful book on bookbinding with a fun green twist-all the projects use recycled and upcycled materials. This book shows you how to take everyday materials from around the house, flea markets, thrift stores, and hardware stores and turn them into clever and eye-catching hand-made books.

Rejuvenated Jewels: New Designs from Vintage Treasures
In this book, readers learn where to find fabulous vintage jewelry, beads, and artifacts, and how to create stunning one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces using these amazing finds. Rhinestone beads and clasps, mercury glass beads, oxidized metal chains, rosary beads, tiny book charms and more are retooled into fabulous statement pieces that can be worn every day.

Semiprecious Salvage: Creating Found Art Jewelry
Semiprecious Salvage shows readers how to think beyond the techniques taught in traditional beading and jewelry books in order to create found art jewelry. Mixed-media applications like sewing, plasterwork and altering found objects tie together to create jewelry pieces such as brooches, pendants, necklaces, earrings, bracelets and belts. In addition to thought-provoking stories on the origination of some of the found items, Stephanie provides the reader with practical jewelry-making techniques that they can incorporate into their own inspired pieces. A simple, organic approach gives the reader limitless ideas for crafting their own jewelry as well as ideas for locating found items whether it be on a nature walk, one's travels or in the comforts of home.

Each one of these books would be a terrific gift for someone creative on your list.  And there are more similar books.  If you click through the links for each book you will find more books listed underneath each main title on Amazon.

Eco-Chic Green Gifts for Under $25: How to Recycle Project Books originally appeared on Eco-Chic Green Fashion on January 18, 2012.