How Bad is Leather and What Are the Alternatives?
Demand for leather has a toxic effect on the environment. But with a wealth of fashionable faux alternatives, there’s no need to ever wear animal skins. Find out which brands carry greener options.
Can I Upgrade To A Green Machine?
Are you in the market for a new computer? Find out which brands are the most eco friendly, plus ways to recycle or repurpose your old one.
How to Have An Eco-Friendly Wedding
Getting married and want a green celebration? Don't fret! Here are tips for keeping your wedding low-impact and earth-friendly.
30 Ways You Are Saving The Earth
Gaiam Life members share what they're doing to reduce their impact on the environment and making a difference by fighting climate change, reducing their waste and helping others join the cause.
5 Best Ways to “Green Out” Your Town
Weekly recycling, home composting, grocery shopping at the farmer’s market – you’ve made some good changes to live greener. So what’s next? It’s time to take your eco-friendly inspirations out into your local community.
Regulating Plastic Bottle Waste
As more Americans turn to bottled water, plastic waste is increasingly swelling landfills and threatening wildlife. Find out what the federal government and states are doing to encourage recycling.
7 Ways to Go a Little Greener this Earth Day
Going green can be as easy as recycling, composting, unplugging your appliances and buying green power from your utilities company.
How Eco-Chic are Eco Handbags?
Handbags and purses made from recycled materials are easy on the Earth, but are they also easy on the eyes? Find out if carrying one is green chic, or none other than a fashion faux-pas.
It’s Easy to Get Greener: Q&A with Ed Begley, Jr.
Actor-activist Ed Begley, Jr., talks about his favorite ways for anyone to live greener, based on his real life that’s just oddball enough to be the topic of HGTV's “Living with Ed."
Is Birth Control the Solution to Climate Change?
With so much focus on global warming, attention has shifted away from another major threat to our planet: overpopulation. If not addressed, our rapidly rising human population will continue exacerbating climate change and ozone depletion, and ultimately exhaust the Earth's resources.
QUIZ: How eco-jolly are you?
Are you an eco-angel? A green grinch? Take our quiz and rate your eco-holiday savvy.
Green Gift Guide
30 ways to give green this year with earth-friendly gifts for your favorite eco-chick, earth mamma, gadget guy, natural beauty, yoga lover or fitness buff.
Top 10 Green Gift Wrap Ideas
The most brilliant ways to wrap your gifts, in merry and bright eco-friendly alternatives to single-use wrapping paper.
6 Easy Ways to Work Healthier
From improving your ergonomics to reducing eye strain and releasing stress fast, these six tips and solutions can make your corner of the office a healthier place to be.
Q&A: Alanis Morissette on Living Green & Happy
Seven-time Grammy winner Alanis Morissette talks about her eco-friendly choices at home, her moments of spiritual awakening, how she taps her creativity and more.
Boring Bedroom Goes Eco-Wow
See how a designer transformed Nikki Sharp's space into an eco-friendly retreat with organic cotton bedding, recycled materials, fair trade decor and other green decorating finds from gaiam.com.
Van Jones: Green Jobs Are His Mission
Yale Law grad Van Jones and his nonprofit catalyzed the Green Jobs Act, providing $120 million a year to train workers for jobs in solar and renewable energy.
Quiz: How Virtuous Is Your Shopping?
Leslie Garrett wants to change the world, but shoe stores make her weak in the knees. Take her quiz and find out how virtuous you are in this excerpt from her book, "The Virtuous Consumer."
On the Clean Road Again: Willie Nelson on Biodiesel
Music artist, actor and biodiesel maverick Willie Nelson shares his recipe, instructions and justifications for making biodiesel in this excerpt from his book ‘On the Clean Road Again.’
5 Fair Trade FAQs + Buying Guide
A 101 on what makes something fair trade, and how to shop smart to ensure that the person who created that fabulous product is receiving a fair wage in return.
4 Ways to Green a Halloween Costume
Quick: How do you make an eco-friendly Halloween costume? If you have to tap your lifeline to Grandma to answer, get these tips and ideas in your clutches and give new meaning to green goblins.
Next Flight: Less than Carbon Zero?
Airlines are offering carbon-emissions offsets so passengers can zero out the climate impact of their air miles. But what is the industry doing to reduce the harmful emissions planes create in the first place?
Thumbs Down on Anti-bacterial Soaps?
Some research on antibacterial soaps shows that the triclosan many contain doesn’t do the job, and may even pose a health risk. Plus: Are hand sanitizers any better?
Healthy Halloween! 5 Tips + 3 Recipes
Make this spooky holiday healthier for kids of all ages — and still have a monster of a good time. Try these alternatives to candy for trick-or-treat time, plus three recipes for healthier Halloween treats.
Plastic Bags Get the Boot; But Is Paper Any Better?
Let’s face it, sometimes you’ll forget to bring your own bag. A must-read reality check on paper vs. plastic and which is ultimately the more eco-friendly choice.
Are biofuel hybrids a silver bullet?
A biofuel-electric hybrid is a technological no-brainer — but what is the feasibility of mass-producing hybrid cars that run on E85 or biodiesel?
Hot Green Style! Fall Eco-Fashion Trend Report
Eco-friendly fashion model and consultant Summer Rayne Oakes says organic cotton denim, swingy and feminine shapes, vintage, and local fashion finds top this season's eco-style trends.
Can Local Energy Save Us? Ideas from 'Deep Economy'
Bill McKibben makes the case for community-based power including solar and wind energy, noting why it's more efficient, better for the economy, and less vulnerable to attacks and blackouts. From 'Deep Economy.'
Eco-Friendly Detergents: What You Need to Know
Laundry and dishwasher soaps contain synthetic chemicals that can damage the environment and pose health hazards. Here’s how to get dishes and clothes clean without taking it out on the planet.
5 Places to Go Before They're Gone
Five awe-inspiring global destinations that may disappear in our lifetime because of deforestation, climate change and ecosystem degradation — plus, how to help through eco-travel and preservation programs.
Schools Offering Healthier Lunches
A run-down of progressive school lunch programs that are offering healthier and greener food choices — and resources to help your school start one.
CFLs: What About Mercury?
CFLs contain mercury, a hazardous waste. Then how can using CFLs be a good thing? The lowdown on compact fluorescent light bulbs and mercury, including how to clean up broken bulbs and recycle spent ones.
Energy-Saving Light Bulbs Q&A
Burning questions about switching to energy-efficient light bulbs? Experts shed light on avoiding that awful CFL “blue” light, wattage equivalents, mercury in CFLs, LEDs vs. CFLs, and more.
Going Green Pays: Tax Incentives for Eco Choices
How to collect on eight different federal tax credits, rebates and incentives for buying green — from better windows and insulation a hybrid car, solar electric system or solar powered water heater.
Hybrid vs. Hummer: Which is greener?
The lowdown on a controversial study that found that over the lifetime of the vehicle, the Hummer ends up being less of an energy drain in general than does the Prius.
7 Earth-Friendly Ways to Cool Down
Air conditioning can account for 60 to 70 percent of your summer electric bill — and use energy unnecessarily. Try these seven tips for reducing your energy footprint AND costs.
Eco-Honeymoon: 7 Romantic Earth-Friendly Resorts
Check out our top picks for romantic eco-friendly resorts, hotels and spas that are perfect for an eco-honeymoon.
5 Energy Saving Myths — Busted!
These common energy-conscious intentions can actually lead you to waste energy.
Organic Container Gardening Tips
The ABCs of growing flowers, veggies and other plants in containers. A great solution if you have limited space, want to fill an odd-shaped space with garden plants. Tips on choosing a container, growing medium, types of plants to try, and fertilizing and controlling garden pests organically.
Climate Change: 25 Things You Can Do
An action-inspiring list from “An Inconvenient Truth” producer Laurie David. These 25 steps will help you reduce your carbon footprint and help mitigate climate change.
