Green Friday

Black Friday is right around the corner. Some people prefer to call it "Buy Nothing Day". While I try not to consume too much, it is a good day to save money on holiday gifts (check out my green gift ideas post). So why not start thinking about the eco-friendly presents you want to buy, and look for deals that day?

Green Friday tips:

• Buy only what you, or the person you're giving to, needs. Black Friday can be a great day to save on necessities (though it depends what your definition of necessary is). Ask your friends and family what gifts they could really put to use, instead of buying things because they're fun or cute.
• Buy from local, small business. They need your support more than the big companies do, and they're usually more eco-friendly.
• Look for things that have minimal packaging, or no packaging at all (donation, classes, online subscriptions, etc.)
• Buy products that were made in America.
• If you go out to shop on Black Friday, map out your destinations before you leave. Try to plan so that you're going to places close to home and close together. If possible, take public transportation, or walk or bike to stores instead of taking a car. If driving, park your car once and walk to each store. Carpool with friends, or offer to bring them along with you.
• Shopping online can be more eco-friendly (versus driving), and you might find better deals (see below). "to have 10 pounds of packages shipped by overnight air uses 40 percent less fuel than driving yourself round-trip to the mall, according to the Center for Energy and Climate Solutions."
• Bring your own shopping bags.
• Limit your shopping to a few hours, and spend the rest of the day with your family and friends! If a deal requires waiting in a long line, ask yourself if it's really worth the time you're spending.
• Shopping lends itself to eating out, so be prepared and bring your own water bottle, coffee mug, utensils, napkin, and/or to-go container.
• Why not buy gifts second hand? You'll save money and recycle at the same time! Many cities have second-hand stores (L.A. has a ton), and you can also go to garage sales. If you live in a big city, look for estate sales for really nice stuff (I found some in L.A. onCraigslist).

Here are some green companies with Black Friday deals:

• Anjou Spa in Bend, OR is offering specials - click here to view them
• Art of Tea is offering 25% off (code GOBBLEGOBBLE)
• Beautorium is doing a “7 for $10” promotion - find organic beauty products there.
• Etsy's Green Friday deals.
• Faeries Dance is offering 15% off any order (code BlackFriday09 at checkout). Their recycled jewelry would be a great gift.
• Gaiam is offering 20% off (code AFBFGIFT). They have fantastic eco-friendly goods.
• GreenSmart is offering 25% off (code GSTW25). They have a whole bunch of useful products.
• Green with Glamour is offering a generous 33% off (code GRECHEN33). They sell a lot of cool green gifts.
• Let's Go Green is offering 20% off (code TWIT20). They sell products for home, business or office.
• Nest in Maryland is offering 20% off from 9am-11am, then 10% for the rest of the day.
• Nimli is offering 25% off (code BLACKFRIDAY09) They have all sorts of great green products.
• PineMark offers discounts on all sorts of eco-friendly companies.
• Real Green Goods is offering 20% off.
• Rockin' Green has a couple deals - click here to view. They make cloth diaper & laundry detergent.
• Seed Sucker is offering 30% your order (use code BF30). They sell green clothing
• Seven Planet in Portland, OR is having a big sale, 40-80% off. They sell some really neat stuff and they have a great website.
• Strawberry Hedgehog is offering free shipping on orders over $75 (if you're in AZ you get it with orders over $50). She sells wonderful bath and body products.
• ThredUP is offering 80% off 3 envelopes (use code GREENFRIDAY)

Better Life Cuisine: video review

The G2 Gallery Reduces Prices for Holiday Shoppers. Plus: Event

3-Day Only Sale December 4-6 Will Give Public Chance to Invest in the Gift of Beautiful and Inspiring Artworks With a Cause

The G2 Gallery will hold a 3-day 25% off sale of the entire gallery including photography, art prints, sculptures, books, gift items and even special orders. The sale will be held the first official weekend of the holiday shopping season from Friday, December 4 through Sunday December 6. The G2 Gallery represents internationally recognized artists specializing in nature and wildlife photography including Robert Turner, Jack Dykinga, Michele Westmorland, and Thomas D. Mangelsen. Special orders and size requests are accepted. All proceeds from the sale of artwork will be donated to an environmental charity.

Location

1503 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice, CA 90291-3742

Tel. 310.452.2842,

About

Established in March 2008, the G2 Gallery in Venice, California, is a green art space with a dedicated focus on contemporary nature and wildlife photography. In keeping with G2’s commitment to supporting arts and the environment, the gallery presents exhibitions with eco-conscious themes, donating the proceeds from all art sales to environmental charities and hosts free concerts and lectures that bring awareness of critical issues to our community.

Also:

On Thursday, December 3, 2009, at 7 pm the G2 Gallery will host acclaimed author Deanne Stillman who will read from her book Mustang: The Saga of the Wild Horse in the American West and give a talk about recent developments in the plight of the mustang. A book signing will follow.

About Deanne Stillman

Deanne Stillman is the critically acclaimed author of Mustang: The Saga of the Wild Horse in the American West (Houghton Mifflin,) named a best book of 2009 by the Los Angeles Times, and winner of a California Book Award silver medal for nonfiction. She also authored the bestseller Twentynine Palms: A True Story of Murder, Marines, and the Mojave. The Atlantic Monthly, Orion, The Economist, NPR’s “On Point” and the Missoulian, amongst other publications, have lauded her work.

Entertainment will be provided by singer-songwriter R.F. Maston, who will be performing work from his recently released album, Domino.

Holiday giveaway: gift certificate and discount at Locali

This giveaway is perfect for Thanksgiving. If you're looking to buy some yummy vegan supplies that are hard to find, Locali is the place to go. Locali has been my source of eco-friendly and vegan products that I can't find elsewhere in Los Angeles. They are often the first to carry products you would otherwise have to buy online. (Locali was one of few places that carried Daiya cheese and Go Max Go bars, before they hit Whole Foods.) And most vegans know that they carry cool things like vegan condoms, which are really hard to find in stores! ; )

Check out this video to see some fun things I've seen at Locali:

To celebrate Thanksgiving, and my love of Locali, shop there this Wednesday, 11/25 and/or Thursday 11/26 and mention Eco-Vegan Gal to get 10% off your purchase!

Hours: Wednesday (11/25) 7am -11pm & Thursday (11/26) 7am -2pm.

And, one lucky winner will get a $20 gift certificate to Locali! But remember my rule: this needs to be a gift. What a great present this would be! If you win, you or the receiver can pick up the certificate at Locali, starting this Wednesday.

Here are some of the holidays specials Locali has:

• In addition to our regular menu, from 11/24 until New Years you can have any sandwich made with our special stuffing bread in honor of the holiday season.
• In terms of Thanksgiving related items, we wil have vegan, gluten-free apple and pumpkin pies, stuffed Tofurky Roast, Tofurky Vegetarian Feast, Giblet Gravy and Cranberry Slices, Field Roast Celebration Roasts and Meatloafs, Vegetarian Plus Whole Turkeys, vegan wines, Gardein products, Smart Stuffers with Cranberry, various ingredients from vegetable broth to stuffing mix to gluten-free brownie mix to cranberry sauce.
• The day after Thankgiving, we will start selling decorated dwarf Alberta live Christmas trees for the holidays. We also have our gift cards for sale in addition to our eco-friendly home, health and beauty items. Also, for those looking to detox from all the holiday festivities, we will begin offering cleansing juice packages through our partnership with Sugar Cane Juice. They will be available to order for 3, 5, 7, 10 or 20 day blocks.

How to enter to win the certificate:

• Comment below and tell me who you would give the certificate to and why.
• Also tell me if you've ever been to Locali and why you love it. If you haven't been there, tell me why you can't wait to check it out.
• For extra credit, find my Tweet (@ecovegangal) about this contest and RT it, and note that you did in your comment. Follow @locali
• For even more credit, tell me how Locali is making the world a better place.
• ** Be sure to include your email address (and Twitter name if you have one) when you make the comment (otherwise I can't contact you) **

Winner will be announced Wednesday, November 25th

The Kind Diet - mini review

I've been slowly reading The Kind Diet over the past couple weeks and I absolutely love it. I wanted to write my review when I finished reading, but at the rate I'm going that might be a while. I just want to encourage you to either buy or borrow a copy of it. Whether you're a knowledgeable vegan, just getting started, or simply curious, The Kind Diet can teach you something about food and health. Alicia explains it in a simple, fun way, while still coming across as very knowledgeable. Even though I've been vegan for 6 years I know very little about macrobiotics, so this book is a great introduction. I can't wait to try the recipes, and I'll share my experience with you when I do!

My pet turkey

Perhaps this was an early inspiration to go vegan...

I grew up on a small farm in Massachusetts and my family has always loved animals. As a child we had all sorts of animals - dogs, cats, horses, ducks, geese, chickens, fish, a bunny, and turkeys (no wonder I went vegan!). I can't remember why we got the turkeys, maybe just for fun, but they soon became the talk of the town. We had a male named Friendly and a female named Sweetie. Sweeties wasn't that sweet, but Friendly was very Friendly. He followed me around the back yard, enjoyed being pet, and really loved my grandfather (it was mutual). I even brought Friendly to school a few times for show and tell (he happily walked down the hallways with me and my mom), which landed us in the local newspaper!

Sweetie was unfortunately killed by a coyote, but Friendly lived a long life until he died of a heart attack.

Though my family didn't go vegetarian until years later, we did decide to stop eating turkey when Friendly was alive. I remember my mom saying she felt guilty eating a turkey when ours was strutting outside of our window! These days I don't eat any sort of meat and enjoy alternatives like Tofurky for Thanksgiving. Friendly would be happy to know that.

Holiday giveaway: Kombucha class or kit

If you've been following me on my blog you probably know that I love kombucha. I've even made it myself, after being inspired by my friend/kombucha expert Hannah Crum. Hannah has a wonderful class on how to make kombucha and I thought this would be a great giveaway! Her class is in Los Angeles, but if you don't live here you can enter to win a kombucha kit instead - both are worth $30.

Why would you want to drink and make your own kombucha? Because it is incredibly good for you. Benefits include:

• Energy booster
• Great for metabolism
• Aids digestion
• Helps fight off diseases
• (check out this list of 56 reasons to drink kombucha)

And why would you want to learn how to make it? Because it's so much cheaper than buying it from the store (usually about $3 a pop), and it's fun to make!

Here's Hannah's description of what you will win:

Return to harmony with nature. Learn how to make Kombucha, the Tea of Immortality, for a fraction of the cost of buying at the store. This hands on workshop will give you the tools and information to brew it in the comfort of your own home. The gift certificate can be redeemed for either the in-person workshop in Los Angeles or for a SCOBY Kit to be shipped to you anywhere in the world! Lifetime support, instructional videos, and up-to-date information will make this process smooth and easy!

For this giveaway I am giving you the option of whether you want to use this for yourself, or give it to someone else for the holidays. If someone gave me a certificate to a free kombucha class or kit, I'd be thrilled!

How to enter:

• You must live in Los Angeles to take the class, but if you're not in L.A. Hannah will send you a kombucha kit (must live in US though)
• Comment below and tell me how you would benefit from kombucha and why Hannah would be a great teacher.
• For extra credit, find my Tweet (@ecovegangal) about this contest and RT it, and note that you did in your comment. Follow @kombuchakamp
• For even more credit, tell me how Hannah is making the world a better place.
• ** Be sure to include your email address (and Twitter name if you have one) when you make the comment (otherwise I can't contact you) **

Winner will be announced Wednesday, November 25th

Holiday giveaway: cooking classes with Melissa Costello

It's almost Thanksgiving, and the rest of the holidays are right around the corner, which means lots of food. But what are you going to make? Let Melissa Costello give you some ideas!

I'm giving away a free cooking class with Melissa, who is a chef and certified wellness coach. Her flavorful & nutritious vegetarian meals will leave you energetic, happy, satisfied and satiated. You will save time & money, lose weight naturally, be healthier than ever before and have a refrigerator full of tasty & nourishing food!

This giveaway is just in time for a class she's teaching tomorrow, November 19th.

Learn how to make healthy & delicious gluten free, refined sugar free & dairy free desserts for the holidays! You can eat these desserts guilt free and not worry about packing on the holiday paunch. Time: 7-9pm Location: Santa Monica

(If you can't make the class tomorrow, you can choose to take another class in the future.)

How to enter:

• You must live in Los Angeles to take the class
• Comment below and tell me how you would benefit from cooking classes and why Melissa's appeal to you.
• For extra credit, find my Tweet (@ecovegangal) about this contest and RT it, and note that you did in your comment. Follow @karmachow
• For even more credit, tell me how Melissa & Karma Chow are making the world a better place.
• ** Be sure to include your email address (and Twitter name if you have one) when you make the comment (otherwise I can't contact you) **

Holiday giveaway: pint of Coconut Bliss

Winners: Vegan Dog's Life, Kelly G, and Ela Sita

If you have been reading this blog you may have noticed that I love Coconut Bliss. For me, Coconut Bliss is to ice cream what Daiya is to cheese - Luna & Larry's are making veganism fun, easy, and delicious!

Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and what better way to end your (vegetarian) feast than with a pint of Coconut Bliss! So for this giveaway I am offering 3 people one pint of Coconut Bliss. I also have 2 cute black t-shirts with their logo - perfect for snuggling up in bed with a bowl of bliss, or showing the world how much you love Luna & Larry's!

You will receive a certificate to redeem for one pint of Coconut Bliss. Of course, you must give someone the pint. However, this could be a great thing to bring to a holiday potluck - everyone will love you for it. How good would Coconut Bliss be on top of a vegan pie?! Or give the certificate as a present. Introduce your friends to Coconut Bliss and they will be hooked!

Holiday giveaway: set of Go Max Go candy bars

Winner: Abigal!

I will be giving away 3 more sets in the future - stay tuned!

A set of Go Max Go vegan candy bars!

One lucky winner will get 4 Go Max Go bars, one of each flavor. If you've never had these before they will blow your mind, even if you're not vegan. They are what vegans have been missing out on for years, because they taste just like popular non-vegan candy bars.

As with most of my giveways, you must give the bars as a gift. These would make a great stocking stuffer, or treats at a Thanksgiving party, or even as a random surprise gift. And maybe they'll share one with you... ; )