National Geographic and kids social networking site Imbee have teamed up to facilitate communication between tweens aged 8-14 by creating a world-conscious online community. The website, National Geographic Kids Group, will feature blogs, videos, music, images, chatting, eco-tips and e-mail targeted at kids who are concerned with the environment.

Betsy Scolnik, president of National Geographic Digital Media, said "There’s something powerful about giving kids the tools to express themselves and to share common interests such as a love of animals and the environment that National Geographic represents. We hope that by using the social-networking tools that imbee.com provides, kids who visit our National Geographic Kids site can connect with other kids online who are inspired to care about the planet and the people, places and animals on it, in a safe, kid-friendly way."

The site also features content on animal, plant, and insect life, geography, science, and culture, and is highly controlled and secure so that the site remains safe for children. There’s also updates from the National Geographic Kids Hands-On Explorer Challenge, which led a group of 15 kids to South Africa in August 2007, and features their blogs and photos.

Overall, this site still has room to grow, but it’s a safe alternative to the MySpace/Facebook phenomenon. I appreciated the overlapping content with National Geographic Kids–the latter’s got phenomenal green stuff for the tween set. It’s worth checking out if you’ve got a kid who loves the environment and the computer.

I hate cleaning. Hate it. I also hate the nasty chemical smell that can come with it. In fact, cleaning products are some of the most toxic materials in your home. Not only do they pose a health hazard, but many of them contain petrochemicals that are harmful to the environment. So what to do to keep your house clean AND earth-friendly? As much as I hate cleaning, I like it a lot more when I find awesome green cleaning products.

Like Rebecca's Tip O' The Day noted earlier, baking soda is a wonderful, earth-friendly cleaning product you can get almost anywhere on the cheap. Borax, white vinegar, and cream of tartar are just a few items you can use to make safe, non-toxic cleaning products. This site has plenty of recipes if you want to eschew commercial products completely. However, if you are not into the DIY scene, there are a plethora of cleaning products out there that are non-toxic and biodegradable. I've used several, and these are some of the lines that have produced favorable results.

Probably the most widely available, and certainly popular, are Method products. Method produces non-toxic, biodegradable cleaners that are minimally (and tastefully) packaged, and they don't test on animals. They also just introduced floor cleaner kits (which I am SO resisting buying, since I already have a perfectly good mop and bucket), called the oMop that include those popular disposable microfiber mop pads–however, theirs are compostable. Method's appeal is their cost-friendliness and availablity–you can get it at your big-box discount store, and it does stand out in a sea of traditional toxic cleaners in those stores.

Seventh Generation makes paper products and cleaning products–in fact, their Free and Clear line has no fragrances or dyes for those with allergies. Their company has rigorous standards for their products, namely that they are all vegetable-based and biodegradable, are not environmentally hazardous or acutely or chronically toxic, contain no phosphates, chlorine, or animal products. They also have awesome coupons on their website.

If you are looking for straight-up awesomely-scented cleaning products that make your kitchen smell like flowers, not chemicals, Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day products fit the bill. Their biodegradable cleaners come in three scents, geranium, lemon verbena, and lavender, with a limited run of honeysuckle products out right now for spring cleaning. I love their laundry soap–there's nothing like lavender-scented t-shirts right out of the dryer.

However, my new favorite eco-cleaning line is Bi-O-Kleen, which I pick up at our local green general store. Bi-O-Kleen products are biodegradable, non-toxic, highly concentrated to reduce packaging, and they have an entire soy-based product line. The best part about Bi-O-Kleen products is that their containers are refillable at many retailers–I just take back my empty bottle, and my store refills it (for a discount, too!) I must insert a personal rave on their automatic dish soap: I've never found a biodegradable dishwasher soap that actually worked with our dishwasher, but this soap leaves my dishes completely streak-free. A note on their website–they haven't updated in quite a while, because their products have completely different (and I think better) label design, but it is the same product line.

Check out Green Couples, Green Weddings, Part 1 for the first part of our green weddings special.

Bridal registries were once a way for a couple to furnish and supply their new home together. Today, more and more couples are either already living together when they get married, or have already furnished a house on their own. Although there are greener choices in registries, a gift registry can be superfluous for green couples who already have what they need. What to do when family members and friends will still want to give the couple a gift to celebrate their commitment?

Instead of registering for things you may not need, why not create a way for your loved ones to donate money, in honor of your vows, to the green charity of your choice? The IDo Foundation and JustGive.org allow couples to give instead of get on their special day. JustGive also provides info for donating your wedding flowers, leftover food, or wedding dress after the festivities are over, so those things that made your day wonderful can be reused and brighten someone else's day

Wedding favors can be green, too. Instead of spending money on trinkets that will inevitably end up in the bottom of someone's purse or gathering dust in a drawer, why not buy something that can actually be put to use, specifically use greening our planet? Plant-A-Memory can create bookmarks, placecards, and other paper items that can be planted. Embedded seeds in the paper grow into beautiful flowers. Seed packets, flower bulbs, or saplings can also be a thoughtful favor that can green a guest's home.

And once the vows are said and done, happy eco-couples will want to get away, and there's no reason why the honeymoon can't be green, too. The International Ecotourism Society and ResponsibleTravel.com can help couples find vacations that are environmentally and socially sustainable. And if you can't swing an ecotrip, you can always offset your travel (and maybe that of your guests, as well) through CarbonFund.org or DriveNeutral.org.

Photo credit: Chicago Joinery, producer of beautiful eco-friendly wooden jewelry.

Many engaged couples spend countless hours planning a ceremony that reflects who they are. Until recently, however, green couples had limited options when it came to lessening their big day's big footprint, but since more couples are considering the environmental impact of their vows, multiple new resources and vendors are catering to a more sustainable clientele.

There's a growing group of brides and grooms who are choosing to simplify their ceremonies. For those of us (myself included) who want to eschew a fancy ceremony in favor of something simpler and/or non-traditional, IndieBride is a lifesaver. There are plenty of sustainable brides (and grooms!) who share their ideas, experiences, and advice on working outside of the traditional wedding industry DIY (doing it yourself).

The new Portovert Magazine is "the first and only magazine for eco-savvy brides and grooms", and has resources and tips for all types of weddings, from intimate ceremonies to lavish receptions. For those couples who still want the big traditional ceremony, but not the big impact on the earth, their Responsible Resources offer organic florists and caterers, tree-free invitations, and vintage gowns. Organic Weddings is another great site that provides vendors and resources.

Diamonds are the traditional stone for wedding settings, but industrial production methods can be extremely draining both environmentally and socially. Jewelers like greenKarat and Brilliant Earth combine conflict-free and created stones with recycled metals for settings to produce beautiful and sustainable rings.

Those green couples who choose to create a gift registry can forget about the traditional big-box stores in favor of more eco-friendly home stores. We registered at Gaiam, although GreenFeet has a variety of products, including organic bedding and towels and recycled glassware.

Environmental sustainability is a truly interdisciplinary subject, incorporating science, mathematics, sociology, ethics, economics, philosophy, history, government, health, reading, writing, and critical thinking. Few schools are fortunate enough to have entire courses devoted to sustainability, but most schools have teachers who are, and for those teachers, there are a plethora of resources to infuse sustainability education into their everyday lesson plans.

One of my personal favorites in terms of resources is Yes! Magazine. It's focus on positive solutions to sustainability problems, along with their commitment to supporting education (great lesson plans tied to articles AND free one-year subscriptions for teachers) make it a must read for all greens, but particularly teachers.

Classroom Earth is a comprehensive website with a user-friendly design that compiles environmental education resources. It's a great starting place when looking for lesson plans and ideas.

Facing the Future offers textbooks and workbooks all about sustainability and global issues. I've seen them, and they are great for both middle and high school. For teachers working a budget (which ones aren't?), they've also put a plethora of lesson plans online. I've used them. They work. Get thee to their website.

Finally, Michigan's Urban Options has developed a sustainability education handbook, complete with activities, that's aligned with Michigan's state standards.

This is a brief list of my favorites, but related links exist on all of these sites.

Editor's note: Kelli Best-Oliver is another new writer at Green Options. A St. Louis-area high school teacher, Kelli will be covering education issues for us. We're glad to have her on board!

One of my students, for a class project about sustainable food, called a local anarchist bakery to ask them about sustainable practices they use. “Nothing in this corrupt, capitalist world is sustainable,” the baker snapped into the phone—and then hung up. My student was frustrated and disillusioned, and rightfully so. She was honestly seeking answers, and he made her feel naïve and stupid for not already knowing what was, for him, the ultimate answer.

Green living can be intimidating. There’s a lot of information out there, a lot of opinions, and a lot of people who are arrogantly seeking a higher level of sustainability as though it’s a competition. Whoever eats the most organic tofu wins. While it is noble, and undoubtedly rewarding, to go completely off the grid, eat vegan, and swear off fossil fuels, it’s also not reality for the majority of Americans. There are small, accessible starting points–it's just a matter of finding them.

I teach an elective called “Exploring Environmental Sustainability” at our small, public high school just outside of St Louis. My students were proposing big changes to add renewable energy to our school. One student, when researching the possibility of using biodiesel in the busses at school, incredulously sputtered out, “Ms. Best-O, why wouldn’t we be doing this? It makes the most sense!” and, indeed, it seemed like a no-brainer: the school would save a large amount of money for very little investment and relatively little effort.

It was a transformative moment for my students. Why don’t we live more sustainably? Is it really that substantial of a difference than how we live now? More often than not, the first changes towards living green are those that seem to be no-brainers: turning off the faucet when brushing teeth, turning off the lights when you leave a room, or keeping car tires properly inflated. These are things that aren’t intimidating changes, they’re tiny reminders of the ease of our lives. Unlike so many people, we have the luxury of waste, a luxury we take for granted.

According to the EPA, Americans threw away 246 million tons of solid waste last year. That’s 4.5 pounds of waste per person per day. If we could reduce, reuse, or recycle one quarter of that, 123 billion pounds of waste could be saved every year. The same principle can be applied to greenhouse gas production, pollution levels, or utilities consumption. Small changes, done collectively, can have a startling and immediate impact on the problems that threaten our sustainable future.

EPA's Municipal Solid Waste 2005 Facts and Figures