Last month we shared ideas for making your Halloween festivities a little greener. Now that Halloween has passed, the holiday season is in full swing. For some of us this creates excitement, for others anxiety. Here is the first of a few of our favorite ways to feel good about the holiday season while lowering stress and guilt. More...

-Sara Johnson, Sustainable Business Accounts Manager

Halloween can generate a lot of unnecessary waste and unsustainable behavior between the temporary decorations, cheap costumes, candy wrappers and parties.  Here are a few actions I've taken this week to make my Halloween festivities a little greener. More...

By Sara Johnson, Blue Sky Guide Sustainable Business Accounts Manager & Fundraiser Contact

I strongly encourage you to take the two-hour drive to Stockholm, WI some Tuesday night to eat one of the tastiest, freshest, and truly homegrown pizzas you’ve ever tried.  I made the trek with some buddies and by the time we rolled up at 6pm the lawn was packed with people jonesin’ for a slice of pizza from the farm.

Every Tuesday the owners of A to Z turn on their two wood-burning ovens (which they built) and make pizzas to order ($23+). Get this: everything, from the wheat in the dough to the animals that produce the cheese to the veggies topping it off, comes from their farm—talk about local! Bring your own plates, utensils, picnic blanket and wine to accompany some of the best pizza you’ll ever have.  (A tip: show up early around 5pm to avoid the long line of cars and big crowds—anything this good is no secret!).

Address and map after the jump. Image: Flickr/Creative Commons More...

Several years ago, when I first got a call about working here at Celilo Group Media, I had just torn the carsharing coupon out of the book that very day (it's called Chinook Book in Portland). Had I heard of the book? Of course I had! Did I ever redeem the coupon...er, no.

It wasn't just calculating the cost of gas, insurance, and upkeep that finally made me take the leap and sell my car--it was realizing that I drive so infrequently that spiderwebs connected the window to the steering wheel like something out of a cartoon. My bike was carrying me a dozen miles a day for free while I paid for spiders to practice tightrope walking between leather and glass. I sold the car and patted myself on the back (plus bought a pair of new shoes). And then, immediately, I missed an opportunity because I didn't have wheels. More...

Do you have a favorite green gift for a sweetie? Are you a green merchant with the perfect product for a honey? Or are you a local crafter?

We're compiling our Valentine's Day Gift Guide and need your help! Email us at editor@ecometro.com with "Gift Guide" in the subject line or leave your tip or product here in the comments section.

You may have also noticed that this is posted in our new Twin Cities Staff Blog. This is the place for information for and by green merchants associated with us. We'll also post insider information from our staff and the events they attend, businesses they visit, and articles they read.

Image: Flickr/CreativeCommons More...