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.

Did you know that you could purify the air in your home or office just by planting the correct plants?  The book, How to Grow Fresh Air: 50 House Plants that Purify Your Home or Office, based on 25 years of research by NASA, shows how common houseplants can combat sick building syndrome and cleanse the home or office of common pollutants.  This is exciting news for those of us who have allergies, catch colds a lot, or just spend a lot of time indoors due to weather, or work.  It is also a reminder that common household items, like carpets, blankets, and other items can contribute to our allergies and diseases.  Definitely a book to look into, for everyone who breathes.

Review

The book is laid out beautifully. The 50 plants are listed by rank based on removal of chemical vapors, ease of maintenance, resistance to insect infestation, and transpiration rate. Each plant gets a two-page spread; one page discusses the plant's ideal environment, sunlight conditions, care, and general information about the plant along with a full photo of it. The next page has a zoomed-in full-page photo of the leaves and/or flowers so the reader gets a feel for what the plant looks like and how it will fit with their decor.

The book begins by discussing the research about the air purification qualities of houseplants. The initial chapters explain how air contaminates enter our homes, the adverse effects these toxins have on humans, and how plants remove the contaminates from the air.

If you live in the UK, you can order the book here.

Clean the Air in Your Home or Office Naturally 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.

One place to start is with a True Green Laundry Washing Kit.

The True Green Laundry Washing Kit includes the green products below:

The Truegreen Laundry Washing Ball is an Extremely Earth Friendly and People Friendly Product that DOES NOT contain harmful synthetic detergents, perfumes, dyes or oils.

The Washing Ball cleans your clothes without bleach or detergents in cold water. You will be amazed at how bright your whites will be.

The Laundry Washing Ball is cheaper than detergents and bleach and much more convenient.

The Dryer Ball lifts and separates laundry so air can circulate more freely.

1. Reduces ironing, static and creases

2. Reduces drying time by 25%

3. Naturally softens fabrics

4. Non Toxic-no chemicals

5. Will last approximately 6 months

The Dryer Balls are re-usable, just leave them in your dryer and enjoy their benefits time and time again.

Wash Your Eco-Chic Green Clothing in a Green Laundry Washing Kit originally appeared on Eco-Chic Green Fashion on February 2, 2012.

Clean House Clean Planet

"I was thrilled to stumble across Karen Logan's book shortly after my son was born. I started to avoid cleaning because I detested using most household cleaners due to the harsh chemicals. I was also very concerned about my son's second-hand exposure or worse - possible direct contact. Karen's book educated me about the hazards of commericial cleaners and then taught me how to make my own simple and safe cleaners right in my kitchen. This information showed me that harsh cleaners are unnecessary and more important what natural products would produce similar results. Making my own products is also entertaining and educational for my toddler who is now able to "help" clean and I don't waste precious naptime on toilet bowls and bath tubs! Her receipes are very easy to follow and are effective!!! I gave away all my commericial products almost two years ago and have not gone back to one of them. It's so comforting to know that my family is no longer exposed to harmful cleaners and we are doing our part in protecting the environment."

This books is a great resource in combination with How to Grow Fresh Air.

Clean House, Clean Planet: Clean Your House for Pennies a Day, the Safe, Nontoxic Way originally appeared on Eco-Chic Green Fashion on February 2, 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.

Throwing things at a newly wed couple is intended to symbolize good luck, fertility and abundance. This bag contains 100% pure lavender buds which are completely biodegradable. It won't harm birds or the environment. Guests can be given small packets of the lavender buds to throw at the bride and groom, and when everyone leaves the ceremony, they will be walking over the fragrant lavender. Another terrific eco-friendly idea from Beaucoup.

For more Eco-Chic Green Wedding ideas, follow this link.

Lavender Wedding Rice Eco-Chic Wedding Favor originally appeared on Eco-Chic Green Fashion on January 28, 2012.

Living Like Ed: A Guide to the Eco-Friendly Life

What does Ed Begley have that most of us do not have? Ed Begley has over 30 years of living green under his belt, and he can tell us what works and what doesn't. This is a superb guide to living green because it is written by someone who has been doing it for a very long time.

Here is the product description:
FROM THE PIONEER OF ECO-CONSCIOUS LIVING

A committed environmentalist for more than thirty years, Ed Begley, Jr., has always tried to “live simply so others may simply live.” Now, as more and more of us are looking for ways to reduce our impact on the planet and live a better, greener life, Ed shares his experiences on what works, what doesn't–and what will save you money!

These are tips for environmentally friendly living that anyone–whether you own or rent, live in a private home or a condo–can try to make a positive change for the environment. From quick fixes to bigger commitments and long-term strategies, Ed will help you make changes in every part of your life.

And if you think living green has to mean compromising on aesthetics or comfort, fear not; Ed's wife, Rachelle, insists on style–with a conscience. In Living Like Ed, his environmentalism and her design savvy combine to create a guide to going green that keeps the chic in eco-chic.

From recycling more materials than you ever thought possible to composting without raising a stink to buying an electric car, Living Like Ed is packed with ideas–from obvious to ingenious–that will help you live green, live responsibly, live well. Like Ed.

"Maybe you leave the heat running at your preferred temperature all night long—even though you’re sleeping under a blanket or a comforter—because you want the house to be nice and warm when you get up in the morning. But why spend all that money, and waste all that energy, keeping your house comfortable when you’re not there, or when you can simply add another blanket to your bed at night? If you have central heating or central air-conditioning or both, you can install and use a programmable thermostat instead of an old “set the temperature and it’s either on or off” thermostat. This way, you can save energy and money and have your house at the right temperature when you get home, when you wake up in the morning, and when you’re asleep." (from Living Like Ed)

Living Like Ed: Practical Advice from an American Hero originally appeared on Eco-Chic Green Fashion on January 26, 2012.

In our push to live greener, healthier lives, one of the things we need to do is remind ourselves to buy local and handmade items. Most of us are aware that buying local produce and baked goods means that by doing so our food is fresher because it didn't have to travel as far to get to us, picked when it is ripe, and the baked goods do not have the preservatives that grocery store items often do, because of extending the shelf life. So local foods are healthier and more wholesome that foods that travel. When we buy local, we also help our local economy, because the local vendors will spend the money we pay them locally also. This creates a healthy economic cycle.

What you may not realize that this is true of handmade or artist made items as well. When you buy an item directly from an artist who made it, or from the agent who sells it for them, you are paying the artist directly who will then use the money to pay their vendors to buy more supplies and create more work. The economic cycle is a much shorter one than if you buy a manufactured item. And often the manufactured items are from countries far away from yours, so that your purchase does not even infuse money into your own economy. Think about this when you purchase items this year for the holidays, for birthdays, or for Christmas, because you can support your local economy in several ways while keeping a healthier and greener lifestyle.

Here is an example:
The beautiful pottery above is made by a Cleveland, Ohio area woman, Tracy Shea, who hand makes every piece of pottery she makes. She makes a living from her ceramics work which is how she feeds her family. By buying her work you can own a piece of handmade work or give it as a gift, and she will take the money earned to feed her family locally, as well as use it to buy more supplies to make more pottery. A very economic cycle. The money goes directly from the buyer to the seller and right back to the economy with no middle men. If you would like to learn more about Tracy, you can click on the picture above which will take you to an article about her.

Moving Away from Manufactured and Towards Handmade originally appeared on Eco-Chic Green Fashion on January 22, 2012.

Right now in anticipation of the winter holidays, The Body Shop is offering the following specials (click on any of the following links):

• All Body Butters are 2 for $30 at The Body Shop.> - Oct. 19 - Nov. 8
• Free shipping on all orders over $60 at The Body Shop.> - Oct. 19 - Nov. 8
• Free Shipping on all Love Etc... purchases at The Body Shop.> - Oct. 19 - Nov. 8

For those of you who love The Body Shop products, this is a great time to pick some up. This way you can check one thing off your list, and save money on shipping.

Here are a few of my favorites:

The Body Shop Nutmeg and Vanilla Bath & Shower Gel
Best if you want to: Pamper your skin and indulge your senses with fragrant skin cleansing shower gel that gently lathers on application to leave skin feeling cleansed, soft and cared for. Best for: normal skin How it works: Nutmeg extract adds a warm, nostalgic fragrance. Community Trade organic honey moisturizes and conditions skin

The Body Shop Nutmeg and Vanilla Soap
Best if you want to: Cleanse and moisturize your skin with a beautifully embossed soap that contains particles of ground nutmeg to gently exfoliate the skin as you cleanse. Best for: normal skin How it works: Nutmeg extract adds a warm, nostalgic fragrance. Community Trade organically grown soya oil, rich in essential fatty acids, helps to restore the skin's natural moisture barrier. Derivatives of sustainable palm oil and glycerin cleanse and condition skin.

The Body Shop Mango Foaming Bath
Best if you want to: Soak in a moisture-rich bath filled with a creamy lather and fresh mango fragrance that leaves your skin soft and lightly scented. Best for: very dry skin How it works: Mango extract moisturizes the skin. An ingredient derived from Community Trade cocoa beans creates foaming, cleansing bubbles.

Get Free Shipping on The Body Shop Through November 8 originally appeared on Eco-Chic Green Fashion on January 17, 2012.