Ideal Bite

Wanna play your true love's Santa by giving fun, not spendy presents? Five golden rings might be out of the question, but check out a few of these planet-friendly picks for the lucky lords and ladies in your crew.

1. Bomb Diggity
Give your bath-loving peeps an excuse for good QT in the tub. Lush's festive Christmas Cracker combo includes its new, paraben-free fizzy Cinders Bath Bomb (scented with almonds, cherries, and cinnamon) and a sparkly red Holiday Bubble Bar, made with rose oil and rejuvenating tangerine. They come wrapped in gold paper and red ribbon, and include fresh, organic ingredients that aren't tested on animals ($14). Give it.
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Calling all entrepreneurial DIYers in New York! Greenfinds and Samples for (Eco)mpassion are looking for vendors for their Holiday Eco Marketplace. This all-green market will run from Nov. 19 to Dec. 24 and be open Thursday to Sunday at 2 Great Jones St. Tables are $350 per week minus any commitment for the following weeks – they can even staff your table, you know if you’re stuck at your day job. If you wanna sign up or need more info, contact Ike at ike@greenfinds.com or 917-226-9765.

Shoppers – be sure to gather up all that loose change lying in your couch/bottom of your purse and scope out the Holiday Eco Marketplace. They’ve already got a great lineup on board like: Read the full post... 

After a trip to the drugstore the other day - overflowing with Halloween everything - I got to thinking. First: Halloween is fun. Really fun. Second: $40 for a string of plastic, pumpkin-shaped LED lights. That I'll use for one night. Hm…

Instead, I'm going to use a string of white LED Christmas lights that I already have - I hope to fix them to a broomstick-hangar frame (still working that part out…) and drape a sheet over it to create a glowing ghost. Other options: a string of orange, round lights to hang along the mantle like little pumpkins, or green lights (sans overheads) for an overall eerie glow. And when December comes, they'll go to use in a cheerier setting.

In other dual-use lighting news, check out this Read the full post... 

…we truly think that our guests coming to the wedding itself is gift enough. But if we did, here’re my top three picks…

For the heart: I Do Foundation - we set up a charity registry at the I Do Foundation, and we really are hoping that our guests give to our charity picks: NRDC, American Cancer Society, the CARD Clinic, and IRF.

For the house: American Clay - OK, so not a traditional wedding gift, but we just put American Clay (gorgeous, incredibly eco “plaster” without the Read the full post... 

No Time Like the Present

Dillydallying over what to buy for the happy couple? Check out these experience gift ideas - like, now - and avoid rushing out to buy the same old pots and pans.

(And if you're the one headed for the altar, check out our Biter's Guide to Getting Hitched.)

1. Cookin' the Books.

Know a twosome who live on takeout? Set 'em up with a cooking class that focuses on using seasonal, local, and organic ingredients like Hipcooks ($55 and up) or The Chopping Block ($75 and up). Better food, cheaper food, and less Read the full post... 

We’re coming up on Father’s Day and for once I’ve squared away my gifts well beforehand. This holiday isn’t optional, IMHO, and especially this year when my husband, Roland, celebrates it for the first time. (Our daughter Roxie, 10 months, may get away with a toothless grin as her present, but I’ve got to be a bit more creative.)

I’ve always been a fan of experience gifts for dads and everyone else - and well before I thought of them as eco. They’re a) thoughtful; b) a real treat for the recipient, i.e. something he may be hesitant to try or spend for; and c) a chance to do something together, if you participate, too. So for the December holidays, for example, we take my parents to the ballet Read the full post... 

Hip Pop Hooray

Looking for a gift for Dad this Father's Day that's got some flava but won't be Naughty to Nature? Check out these unique eco-gifts to give props to your pops. Or you can just kick it old-school with a homemade card (recycled paper, natch) and a big hug. Word.


1. Play on, playa.

Hook up your music-loving dad (or in-need-of-musical-taste dad) with an iTunes online gift certificate ($10-$50). Dad can pick his own tracks (or take playlist suggestions, ahem), and you can take all the waste from wrapping, packaging, and plastic CD cases outta the mix. Give it. Read the full post... 

Ugallery.com Gift Card Giveaway
Ugallery.com is a site where you can buy relatively inexpensive art from new artists (including art school students). Printmaking student Charlesey Charlton explores the idea of consumption through her art; Sarah Beth Goncarova donates proceeds from her "Wake Project," depicting eco-disasters, to nonprofits; and NY's Michael Wedge looks at people's relationship to nature in his prints. Ugallery's offering up two $100 gift cards, one to each of the first and tenth Biters to email contest@idealbite.com with the answer to Read the full post... 

It's Monday (yawn), so I thought I'd start the week off with a bang by letting you in on some deals, 'cuz who doesn't like a bargain?

Pangea Gift Set Giveaway
Pangea Organics' Ecocentric Skincare line just launched a new Radiance Gift Set. For $100 you get: a facial cleanser, scrub, and mask; lip balm; and its new eye cream ($167 value). Plus, if you plant the package, you get a spruce tree outta the deal too. It's available for preorder with free shipping now through June 15, but Pangea is giving away a gift set to one of you…for FREE. The first lucky Biter to email contest@idealbite.com the answer to this trivia question wins: What's the name of Ideal Bite co-founder Jen Read the full post... 

Or get you one, at least. In celebration of Earth Day, the first ten readers to send one green thing they plan to do today (as well as their mailing addresses, which we promise not to share) to contests@idealbite.com will get an organic cotton Loomstate for Target Knit Dress.

In case you don't win, we've compiled a list of Biter-approved bargains for your shopping pleasure (while supplies last, see store for details, void where prohibited, blah blah blah). It's by no means comprehensive, so if you've found others, share them below in the comments. Happy Earth Day!

Amazon: Shop a bunch of deals on eco stuff like reusable water Read the full post...