Shopping for Mother’s Day can be a stressful time for children and grandchildren all over the country. If you’re wondering what to buy for your mom, grandma, aunt or other special “mother” figure in your life, consider going green! This year, try giving her a gift that’s eco-friendly to make it an extra-special Mother’s Day. She’ll love that you took the extra time to consider the environment.

Let’s take a look at some of the stand-out options for eco-friendly Mother’s Day gifts:

1. Environmentally Safe Cleaning Products

If your mom is like mine, then she absolutely loves cleaning. However, harsh chemicals not only affect the air we breathe, but also our water supply. Give mom the gift of a safe, clean house this year by filling a bucket (made from recycled materials, of course) with non-toxic cleaning products. Not sure where to purchase these items? Check out http://www.seventhgeneration.com/ for a variety of cleaning products that help protect human health and the environment. You can even take it a step further by attaching a card made from recycled newspaper material. What an easy way to put a smile on her face!

2. Organic Skin Care Products

Not everyone likes to clean (I know I don’t!), so how about putting together a beautiful bath basket for mom this year? She’ll feel pampered when she unwraps your thoughtful gift, filled with environmentally-friendly skin and hair care products. One Web site through which you can order eco-friendly skin products is http://www.skinnyskinny.com/. From bar soaps to shampoos to body scrubs—if it’s natural, you’ll find it here.

3. Plant a Tree

Who doesn’t love expanding his or her garden? If your mom has a green thumb, think about planting a flower, bush or small tree in her honor this Mother’s Day. Plants affect the environment in which we live by controlling our climate, keeping our air clean, sustaining water and sheltering wildlife. Plus, it’s exciting to watch a beautiful flower or tree grow and thrive with each year that passes.

These are just a few eco-friendly options to consider for this upcoming Mother’s Day. If none of these fit the bill for your mom, grandma, or other loved one, you can also explore organic foods (such as chocolates or fruits), recycled and reusable tote bags, and brilliantly colored bouquets featuring organic flowers. There are plenty of ways through which you can make mom happy while helping to preserve our beautiful Earth. Show her how much you care by buying eco-friendly this Mother’s Day!

As a business owner, you are well aware of how valuable it is for your company to go "green". In an ever changing marketplace, customers will no longer tolerate a brand that does not make an effort to reduce its carbon footprint and monitor its production and distribution.

If you are reading this, then you are already concerned with the health of the environment and have made the necessary arrangements to see that your company maintains eco-friendly standards. Now you want to make sure that all of your customers know it. That is where eco-friendly branding comes into play. Using eco-friendly promotional items, you can demonstrate to the public that your company operates with the vitality of the planet in mind - therefore, a conscientious consumer should purchase from you every time.

The only problem is that your competition is probably focusing on "green" branding as well. You need to do something then that separates your brand from every other company in your respective industry. So below are several suggestions for some eco promotional products that you won't normally see.

Let's start things off lightly with some fun and entertainment for everyone to enjoy. This Bamboo Brain Buster Game isn't anything like the apparel and drinkware items that your competitors are distributing. Made from one of the toughest, sustainable materials on earth, the bamboo game tests your patience and intellect. People just love these puzzles and other games which make them think - the bottom line is that no one else is doing it. In the process of trying to decipher the solution to this puzzle, recipients will have plenty of face time with your logo on one of the pieces.

The nice weather is officially here, and that means people are going to be spending a lot more time outdoors. And what are some of the things that outdoorsmen really enjoy? Camping and hiking are at the top of the list. For the adventurers out there who you want to attract as clients, the best way to do it is by giving them the eco-friendly item they can incorporate into their expeditions. For this purpose, the Dyno LED Camp Lite is one of the most useful items on the market. The lantern is powered by a hand crank which sustains the power of the LED bulbs at your tent or campsite. Convenience, function, and eco-friendliness all packaged into one unique item.

Finally, if you want to do something different with your "green" branding, you have to try something thats new age. Consider this Solar Panel iPhone Charger to set yourself apart from the other eco-friendly items out there. This nifty device contains a solar panel which allows you to power up your iPhone wherever you are. It comes with a DC input just in case it's a rainy day, but it should work fine without it. This new technology is really impressive, and demonstrates how the power of the sun can be harnessed with a simple household item like this.

One of the biggest brands on the planet, Coca Cola, is making some eco-friendly changes to its products. Starting today, the all new Dasani PlantBottle® will be available to customers in stores. Coca Cola who owns Dasani Water, decided that it was most appropriate to start making some more environmentally sound packaging to their products in order to comply with "green" standards.

The PlantBottle® is made of recyclable PET plastic with up to 30% plant-based materials included (the primary plant-based ingredient being sugar cane). It features the PlantBottle® logo, a green-colored cap, and works with much less of a carbon footprint on the earth.

Not only will the new bottle be used for Dasani, but also for the less known Coca Cola product Odwalla, which incorporates fruit juice, smoothies, and food bars.

Coca Cola has experimented with a plant-based PET plastic bottle in the past, circulating about two and a half billion of them in nine major markets around the world last year. This year, the beverage giant is gearing up to produce 5 billion PlantBottles according to Coca Cola distribution center manager Scott Kelly.

While Coca Cola is proud to launch its new PlantBottle, their main rival PepsiCo Inc. is hot on their heels. They announced last month that they created a way to produce PET plastic completely out of plant-based materials (100% as opposed to 30%). This extremely impressive advancement puts Pepsi ahead of the game, and might render the PlantBottle outdated soon as the bar for "green" standards continues to get higher.

If you are interested in the process of how PET plastic is made from plant-based material, this is how it works

After an analysis of the PlantBottle, it is very encouraging to see that some of the largest brands in the world are focusing on "going green". The PlantBottle seems like a very viable way to continue to produce and distribute Coca Cola products while doing it in an eco-friendly way.

The most important thing to note here is the fact that competition is being driven to get better and better at producing eco-friendly products and packaging. Who is driving this competition? The consumers, of course. Both Coca Cola and Pepsi want to make sure that they get your business - so if you as a consumer make it clear that you will only purchase "green" products, then they will only make "green" products.

And who wins as a result of this fierce competition? The planet. The more your demands for eco-friendly products increase, the faster companies will move to make those products a reality. That leads to faster rehabilitation and sustainability for the environment, which is our ultimate goal.

You heard it right - for every online order that is placed in the month of April, Motivators will plant a tree. How do they do it? By partnering with American Forests for the third year in a row.

Motivators is once again enrolled in the Plant-a-Tree Global ReLeaf campaign, which focuses on rehabilitation in areas which have suffered deforestation as a result of natural and manmade causes.

For those that were not previously aware of the noble work that American Forests takes on, here is a brief history:

American Forests is the oldest nonprofit conservation organization in the United States; they have been around since 1875. Their main goal is executing the full protection and refurbishment of forests around the world.

They work with both companies and individuals to help spread awareness about this important cause with the ultimate goal of teaching future generations about the importance of environmentalism.

Motivators is in full recognition of the progress and accomplishments that American Forests has made over the past 135 years, and that is precisely why we are so delighted to become involved in the organization once again.

So as previously stated, Motivators will plant one tree for every online order of promotional products placed. If you place an order for eco-friendly promotional products, we will plant TWO trees.

The program will run through the entire month of April, the perfect month to do it with Earth Day and Arbor Day on the horizon. For full details, you can read the press release here: Motivators Plants a Tree Every Time You Place an Order in April.

Make sure to keep the vitality of the planet in mind by supporting American Forests. Remember to also get involved in any way that you can with Earth Day on April 22.

If enough people can band together to support the planting of trees and the reduction of our carbon footprint, we can keep the planet cool and healthy enough to sustain life for thousands of years to follow!

If you are not aware already, "green" branding is big. In fact, consumers value eco-friendliness so much now that if your company is not making the jump, you're falling behind. As a result, you should consider incorporating eco-friendly promotional products into your next branding campaign. The sooner this is accomplished, the sooner the public will start to think about your company in an eco-responsible fashion.

Now of course, if you are planning on distributing these environmental promo items, you want to make sure that your product is not being misrepresented. There is nothing worse than a company who "greenwashes" their products. But for all intents and purposes here, we will assume that your company has already developed an environmental production strategy - now you just want everyone to know about it.

So, let's check out a few of these great products that you can use to help you get the word out.

First up is one of the more seasonal eco-friendly items that you can use to promote your brand: the Caddie Golf Kit. With the warm weather starting to come around, there is no better place to get the word out about your "green" brand than on the golf course. Every company owner knows that huge amounts of business take place during the course of a golf game - make sure that your name gets thrown into the mix. With this pack of golf accessories, you can be sure to make yourself known.

The set includes some tees, ball markers, and a divot tool; all of the items are biodegradable. This biodegradable nature of the product is the catch for which to market your brand as "green". Without it, it is harder to set yourself apart from the competition. So make sure that people know that when they receive this golf kit.

Next up is the Dri-Duck Solid Organic Hat. So what does the hat have to offer? First off, fashion is a big component of the appeal here. The hat looks very attractive on the head of anyone who wears it, making recipients all the more interested in incorporating it into their wardrobe. It is appropriate to wear in pretty much any casual setting, so the exposure that your brand is going to receive will be exponential.

Now for the eco-friendly part: this particular hat is made from 100% organic cotton. Just say "organic cotton" to people and watch how big their smiles get. People just love the fact that something this comfortable and friendly for the environment actually exists.

Finally, consider the Solar Panel iPhone Charger to let the world know about your "green" brand. Everyone knows in today's day and age that technology is king. People are completely in sync with their mobile devices, and the iPhone is one of the most popular. If you want people to pay attention to your company, all you have to do is give them something that makes their cell phone experience more convenient.

The charger works with a solar-powered charge so that recipients can enjoy their iPhones by relying only on the help of the sun. What better and cleverer way to demonstrate eco-friendliness than by combining technology and solar power in one item? There is none, and that is why the Solar Panel iPhone Charger is featured as one of our eco promotional products today.

What will you be doing tomorrow, March 26th, 2011, at 8:30PM? No matter where you are, one thing is for sure - you better be ready to turn your lights off for an hour! That's because tomorrow is Earth Hour, an annual observation in which people around the globe turn their lights off for one hour to symbolize their commitment to global sustainability.

So from 8:30PM - 9:30PM (your local time) tomorrow, join in the Earth Hour celebration by shutting off all of the lights that you don't absolutely need.

For those who are interested in the history of Earth Hour, here goes. The first Earth Hour began in Sydney, Australia in 2007 with over two million people getting involved.

The original focus for Earth Hour was to raise awareness about climate change. However, by 2009, people in the hundreds of millions were participating in thousands of cities across the globe, and Earth Hour became an international symbol for "going green".

By 2010, upwards of 128 countries across the world were doing their part to encourage environmental practices. Famous landmarks and iconic buildings across the world (including the Golden Gate Bridge, CN Tower, and the Colosseum) turned their lights off for an hour to support the movement.

Tomorrow will be the fifth annual Earth Hour, and it is expected to be the biggest one yet. So what can you do to help? Well, you can start by observing Earth Hour as an individual. When the clock strikes 8:30PM tomorrow, turn off all the lights in your home or office for a total of sixty minutes.

Once you are prepared to do that, the next step is educating family, friends, and co-workers about the concept behind Earth Hour. You can encourage them to participate in the observation as well - the more people that are involved, the bigger the statement that is made.

Earth Hour is a particularly special occasion because of the sheer number of people that participate. Just take a look at the photograph above. You can see very clearly what a difference there is in the number of lights being used once Earth Hour begins. So just know, you are not the only one who will be standing in the dark. Mostly everyone in your city will be shutting their lights as well.

Good luck tomorrow and don't forget to partake in Earth Hour 2011!

The earthquake in Japan is one of the largest on record, and has caused enormous amounts of damage. Thousands of people died as a result of the disaster; thousands more have not yet been accounted for.

With homes, buildings, and infrastructure in parts of the country completely destroyed, it is our duty as fellow citizens of the planet to provide whatever aid we possibly can.

Posted here is a list of the organizations which are currently working on recovery and provisions for the Japanese people.

We encourage you to lend a helping hand by donating whatever you can to one of these organizations so that the country of Japan can rebuild itself as soon as possible. To donate, click the link of the organization you prefer and it will re-direct you to their donation page:

American Red Cross: One of the most reputable relief organizations in the world. The American Red Cross has opened Emergency Operation Centers in the areas of Japan which were affected by the earthquake and tsunami. Donations to the American Red Cross will be assigned to the International Disaster Relief Fund, which will then be used directly in the areas of need.

GlobalGiving Foundation: This organization created a fund which collects, organizes, and distributes donations to the organizations which are providing direct relief to the people who are suffering as a result of the disaster.

Save the Children: Focused directly on the needs of the Japanese children, this foundation will give swift relief in the form of health care, supplies, and shelter.

The Salvation Army: Since 1895, The Salvation Army has been lending their service and support to those in need in Japan. Help this renowned organization continue to provide assistance by donating.

Americares: With a passion to help and the ability to deliver, Americares has done a great job of focusing on the emergency at hand. They have dispatched a team to the region, and are focusing their efforts to provide as much help as possible.

Convoy of Hope: This organization has their own disaster response team which has made contact with their Japanese partners in the region. With a solid source of inside information, the Convoy of Hope can diagnose exactly where their help is needed most.

International Medical Corps: From being in constant contact with sources in Japan, the International Medical Corps is able to gather and focus their resources in the places they are needed most. This organization has generated relief teams which have been deployed to the affected regions ready with supplies and aid.

Shelter Box: A response team is getting ready to launch in Japan to help with response and recovery.

The trends of eco-friendliness have been seen in almost all aspects of popular culture. Buildings are incorporating solar panels and "green" roofs, household products are using recycled materials, governments are recommending eco-friendly products to their constituencies. Now on to one of the most viral forms of entertainment available in the free world: video games.

Video games have long been a cornerstone of leisure activity in the United States, with children being drawn to the controller of a virtual reality at an early age. With all different types of shooting games, fighting games, sports games, and multi-players, it has become readily apparent that video games (in their traditional genre) waste time and energy.

People sit in front of the television spending hours at these games, but they don't produce anything or receive something in return. Therefore, video games have no intrinsic value.

That is, until game designer Talkie came on the scene. Talkie, a Los Angeles-based company, has been developing a new social game entitled, "Ecotopia". Similar to "FarmVille", the game encourages participation by a large group of people in a social environment. The only difference is that "Ecotopia" is promoting a positive change in the environment.

"Ecotopia" inspires people to take action by allowing them to navigate an environmentally decrepit landscape, and offering them the ability to clean it up. Through the execution of eco-friendly actions like switching out wasteful light bulbs, installing solar panels, and other actions, players can eventually transform the troubled planet into a haven for nature and growth.

In addition to the basic functions of the game, the developers will be hosting weekly contests where players can submit videos for going above and beyond in the "going green" movement. While not all players will participate in these extra-curricular activities, Talkie hopes to reach out to the younger demographic in order to teach them eco-friendly practices at an early age.

As an added bonus, Hollywood legend Harrison Ford has gotten on board with "Ecotopia", backing it as "a refreshing new way to engage millions of people in addressing critical environmental issues". As Ford is a board member for Conservation International, his endorsement comes with exceptional regard.

Look out for "Ecotopia" as it is released this spring on Facebook. Your participation will help making a last change towards the rehabilitation of the planet.

It's the beginning of March, and that means Earth Day is right around the corner. On April 22, people from around the country will band together in their undying support and love for the planet Earth. Earth Day is observed in a variety of different ways, depending on where you live and how big your community is.

If you live in a city, chances are that there is going to be some kind of rally or benefit concert to raise awareness about Earth Day and the health of the planet. Other groups might be even more proactive by organizing a tree planting, environmental cleanup, or another type of eco-friendly event that will benefit the environment.

This year is a milestone for Earth Day as the holiday is celebrating its 40th anniversary. In 1970, the first Earth Day drew a crowd of 20 million Americans (quite an impressive feat considering it was the first year). Since then, Earth Day has been credited for helping to catalyze the "going green" movement, and getting legislation passed including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and the Endangered Species Act.

Today, Earth Day is a worldwide event, and one of the planet's most valuable resources of aid and inspiration. If we can continue the Earth Day trend, we can move closer and closer to lowering our carbon footprint and eventually establishing a sustainable lifestyle.

If you are either planning an Earth Day event or considering participating in one, make sure you start planning ahead of time. You can check out the Earth Day 2011 website to browse and sign up for all the local events in your area. There are also a ton of great Earth Day giveaways that you can order and distribute in order to help raise awareness on April 22.

The larger your presence is this year, the more people you will get to come out for Earth Day. That means more participation, and a better chance of the planet staying healthy for another few billion years.

If you're interested in the well-known companies that do "green" branding the right way, Planters is a great example. The peanut company has developed an eco-friendly biodiesel vehicle that is getting ready to make a tour of the country. The vehicle is powered by solar panels, LED interior lighting, recycled parts, and reclaimed wood floors and turbines.

The time and money spent on production was clearly well worth it, and no other company has created an eco-friendly car quite like it.

As you can see from the picture below, the Nutmobile is a very accurate replica of a peanut, and it takes up the entire body of the vehicle. In order to build it properly, Planters had to use a steel frame with a fiber glass cover (so they did the best they possibly could in the eco-friendly department). The vehicle was modified from a 2011 Isuzu NPR box truck, so its dependability is in good standing.

Mr. Peanut debuted his new ride last night in Hollywood at the Global Green Pre Oscar Party. The next stop is in New Orleans where Planters will be creating some peanut-shaped recreational areas in place of urban lots. The trek across the country is part of the "Naturally Remarkable" tour that emphasizes Planters' sustainable growing methods.

The Planters Nutmobile is a fantastic way to demonstrate eco-friendliness for several reasons. First, the fact that the vehicle can drive across the country gives it national exposure in a variety of settings. People across the entire United States will come into contact with the vehicle, and of course, they've probably never seen anything like it in their lives.

Also, Planters is actually demonstrating eco-friendliness in action by developing and operating this "green" vehicle. While most other companies focus on environmentalism as it applies to their products, it doesn't go past the production of their products and packaging.

Planters has gone the extra mile this time by proving that they are much more invested in the health of the planet, and they will prove it by focusing on one of factors that contributes most to global warming: cars.