Thinking already about ideas for meaningful & green gifts for the Christmas? Check out Eco-Libris blog's new weekly series - Holiday gift guide for book lovers. Every Sunday you will find in their blog a new recommendation for a green book that can be a great gift.  Their first recommendation is a very special book: The Man Who Planted Trees . 

To help you find out which books are best for giving this holiday season, Eco-Libris blog begins a new series: Holiday gift guide for book lovers. Every week you will find here an interesting book to be considered for your gift list.

The story: it is a touching story of Elz?ard Bouffier, a shepherd, who after being widowed, has decided to restore the ruined ecosystem of the isolated and largely abandoned valley in the south of France by single-handedly cultivating a forest, tree by tree. He planted 100 acorns each day before, through, and after two world wars, and transformed a sorrowful place into one full of life and joy.

Why it's a great gift: This is an inspirational story about what one person can do to restore the earth. Jean Giono's story offer a tribute to how much good one person can accomplish in a lifetime and advise on how to live life with deep meaning.

Eco-Libris: Plant a tree for every book you read!

This November 24th will see the biggest 24-hour stand-off from the need to shop. Buy Nothing Day is day of protest against consumerism.

Saturday 24th November is for many people the start of the frenzied run-up to Christmas and with this comes the out-of control consumerism of products and goods that the most part  are completely unnecessary.  How do you get involved in Buy Nothing Day? It?s really easy and best of all its completely FREE - For the 24 hours simply buy nothing.  Spend you?re the time and the money that you might have spent on that day on other things:  Why not spend quality time with your friends and family; make a donation to charity; offer to do some gardening for your neighbour; go for a walk; do anything, but don?t spend a penny on goods!

Critics say that anyone who gets involved with this day of activism will simply delay what they are going to buy for another day, and this will be true for many people.  But one of the main ideas behind the day is for people to stop and think about the impact that their un-bridled consumerism has on the environment, in terms of the pollution that it generates, and the negative effect that the sweatshops that are used to produce cheap consumer products have on the lives of people that work in those factories. 

When Buy Nothing Day is over and it becomes time to start buying again there are three simple rules that you can apply each time you are going to make a purchase:

1. Before you buy something, stop and think if you really need it.
2. Consider how long the product might last and if it breaks can be repaired, reused or recycled.
3. Choose products from business that are promote environmental stability or fair and ethical trade.

 The Buy Nothing Day website is packed full of ideas and tips on how to plan a successful Buy Nothing Day event , including downloadable posters, desktop images, plus details of events accross the UK.

Links:

Buy Nothing Day (UK)

Buy Nothing Day(North America)

Buy Nothing Day on Wikipedia  

Ever heard the saying ?small changes make a big difference?? Well, we have ? in fact, we believe there is a lot of truth to that maxim! Consider this: turning off the water faucet while you brush your teeth or shave can save up to 3 gallons of water each day! That?s 90 gallons of water you save a month, just imagine the cost savings to your household energy bill (not to mention the impact this could have on the rapidly declining freshwater sources like The Great Lakes!). We?ve compiled a list of 10 basic tips which we believe serve as a great starting point for anyone concerned about reducing waste and leading a more earth-friendly lifestyle. It?s worth emphasizing that these tips, although very helpful, are quite basic. There is much more to be done if we are to reduce our harmful effects on this earth.

1. Close the curtains in your home in the summer when it?s sunny and when it?s cold in the winter. This creates additional insulation and could reduce your energy consumption by up to 25 percent.

2. Stop delivery of phone books to your home and use online directories instead. If you must receive paper telephone directories, be sure to recycle them when you no longer need them.

3. Reuse paper or plastic shopping bags as trash can liners. You?ll not only save money on those expensive trash-liners, you?ll save some energy and a few trees along the way!

4. Use a clothesline to dry your laundry whenever it?s possible. You won?t be paying for the sunlight you?ll use, which is always a bonus!

5. Take a shorter shower. Spending even two minutes less in the shower could save more than 10 gallons of water.

6. Even better, install low-flow water-saving shower heads. This could save as much as 800 gallons of water per month!

7. Use solar chargers instead of the traditional electric chargers to power your electronic devices. Solar chargers on the market today can be bought for under $100 and can usually be used interchangeably with different cell phone brands as well as to power mp3 players. Solar energy is not only less harmful to the environment than electricity, it?s also much cheaper!

8. Recycle your old electronics. Electronics are well known to harbor toxic materials like lead and mercury. Dumping old computers, televisions, and/or cell phones can lead to serious health and environmental risks since the toxic materials in these electronics tend to leach into the ground and neighboring water sources.

9. Reduce your in-home energy consumption by using less electricity. You can use less electricity by investing in compact fluorescent light bulbs or LED lights. These are much more energy efficient than the traditional incandescent bulbs and are proven to reduce carbon emissions!

10. Do you use an automatic sprinkler system to water your lawn? You might want to consider installing a rain sensor which will override your sprinkler cycle during and after rain, preventing your yard from being watered unnecessarily.

For even more energy saving ideas, visit http://www.ecogeekliving.com