The times are turbulent in the present day, and our planet Earth is suffering because of it. Centuries of irresponsible plundering of natural resources and careless dumping of waste have taken its toll. Fortunately, it seems like the conscience of society is evolving. With the tremendous efforts of corporations and individuals alike to "go green", we will now be able to correct the bad habits that we have developed as a species, and rehabilitate the earth before it is too late. If you want to be a part of the "Go Green" movement, there are countless ways to get involved. Today I want to focus on one of the biggest ways in which an individual can amend his/her daily routine in order to accomodate the sancity of our planet. It is known as the "green" commute.

What is a "green" commute, you ask? A "green" commute is any alternative to a traditional method of getting to work which reduces your carbon footprint, thus decreasing the amount of damage that you do to the atmosphere and the planet. The reason why it is so important for everyone to implement a green commute is because the act of commuting is common practice for anyone who is part of the workforce. In order to create the greatest positive change for the environment, we want to target systems which are universal in our society. So, if humans make the collective decision to create greener commutes, it would have a tremendous impact towards restoring the health of the earth. Now, lets explore several "green" alternatives to the method of transportation that you may be using now:

Drive an Eco-friendly automobile. There have been some incredible developments in the auto industry lately to perfect the low carbon-emission vehicle. Some automobiles now run completely on electricity, while others are considered "hybrids", meaning they are powered by both electricity and gas. The vehicle that immediately comes to mind here is the Toyota Prius. The Prius is a full-hybrid electric vehicle which was developed by Toyota in an attempt to increase fuel economy and lower our dependence on oil. Driving this car is a fantastic way to create a greener commute for your daily travels to work. In some states, drivers of eco-friendly vehicles are handsomely rewarded with the right to drive in a special lane that is reserved for green drivers only. Drivers in California can save the planet while cutting down on their commute time! Its a win-win situation. And of course, as you cruise to work in your new hybrid or electric car, you can enjoy your morning beverage out of a promotional eco-friendly mug.

Get into a carpool. Carpooling is a wonderful way to create a "green" commute for your daily travels. There are quite a few perks for those who utilize a carpooling strategy. Not only do you save a ton of money, but you drastically cut down on the cumulative carbon footprint of you and your fellow carpoolers. Once again, you get the added benefit of cruising home in the HOV lane while people who drive to work alone get steaming mad in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Of course it is not always feasible to get into a carpool for commuter purposes, so don't feel guilty if this method is not the right fit for you. However, you should definitely consider one of the other eco-friendly alternatives listed in this post.

Ride your bicycle. This is by far the most environmentally sound way to get to and from your place of work. Unfortunately, it is also the least convenient method, and so it should be reserved for city-dwellers. However, if you live in the suburbs and you want to hop on your bike, go for it by all means. The beauty of this method of transportation is two-fold: you prevent any pollution to the earth whatsoever AND you get into shape! While you pedal that bike to your job, make sure you stay hydrated. Keep some water handy in one of our promotional eco-friendly sports bottles.

Walk. Cities like New York have already taken a number of steps towards making the city easier to navigate for commuters on foot, so walking is definitely encouraged. This also reduces the congestion of traffic in midtown which will drastically cut down on carbon emissions. If you are walking to work, you are going to need a quality backpack or messenger bag to carry all your papers and personal belongings. Try one of our promotional eco-friendly bags on for size!

The more we explore the different eco-friendly ways to get to work, the more it seems like a no-brainer. Taking the necessary steps to make your commute "green" is a wonderful way to contribute to the environmental awareness of the 21st century. You reduce your carbon footprint, increase the quality of your health, and reap the benefits of all the "green" commute incentives. And hey, you lower the profits of the big oil companies which is always an added bonus. Now you can call yourself an environmentalist. Help the planet breathe and restore its natural beauty; your karma will go through the roof!

If you are interested in any other "green" merchandise, be sure to browse through our selection of Eco-friendly promotional products.

Is my trash your treasure? If you own any TerraCycle products, there's a chance it was once my own trash. Because each month, over 200,000 pounds of trash end up in this eco-friendly company's warehouse to be reused in new products.

If you stepped foot into any Walmart during the Earth Day season, you may have seen their Capri-Sun pouch backpacks displayed next to bulk packs of Capri-Sun and perhaps you even purchased their Skittle package kite that was positioned next to the sweet rainbow tasting Skittles candies.
                       
What TerraCycle does is revolutionary to the green industry. Instead of using organic materials, they use recycled materials. The image above illustrates how an ordinary Pepsi bottle and recycled spray cap are turned into the perfect plant food sprayer. Other well known brand names like Capri-Sun and Skittles are also being collected and redesigned into usable items like TerraCycle plant food, coolers and kites, to name a few.
                    
This concept of re-using items to create new items, was displayed most artistically by some of my favroite artists, Sue Webster and Tim Noble. Their art is compiled of trash fresh off the streets of London. By projecting light through the meticulously placed trash, this duo has most certainly lived up to Terracycle's motto, "Outsmart Waste."

To collect the recyclable goods for new TerraCycle products, major companies like Kraft Foods Inc., Kellogg Co., and  and Nabisco have organized trash drives in schools. You can start your own TerraCycle brigade in your school or community too.
           
Other companies are sending TerraCycle their trash in hopes to offset their carbon footprints. Cumbersome cardboard boxes and wasteful plastic wrap used to package goods are usually tossed into dumps, but by donating these materials to TerraCycle, businesses are able to contribute to sustainable living.
Unfortunately, as this garbage is sent to TerraCycle warehouses there is not enough demand to produce more materials. Their eco-friendly initiatives are making a dent, but after a major Earth Day promotion, they're still seeing losses.

Retailers are being urged to carry TerraCycle items and with hope that they're able to survive in our economy, larger scale eco-friendly products can be created and even greater environmentally friendly initiatives can be taken.

At Motivators, we like to think that everyday is Earth Day. One April 22nd the world will join together to celebrate the beautiful world around us and combat the rising environmental issues we face. Our Earth Day promotional items will help to spread the word about living an eco-friendly lifestyle, but our eco-mission doesn't stop there.

We've partnered with the American Forests Global ReLeaf program to help give back to the environment. For every eco-friendly promotional product order we receive, we plant a tree. But as a part of our Earth Day efforts, we're practically planting a forest.

Our Earth Day Tree Campaign extends the ReLeaf program to our standard promotional products orders as well. However, to encourage customers to choose environmental items, we'll plant two trees for any eco-friendly promotional products on-line order. Even after our Earth Day promotion is over, we'll keep on planting those trees to show our dedication to the environment.

Want to join in on the eco-action? Learn how to plant your own tree! Not only is it something great to do for the environment, but it is a fun process that can bring people together while brightening up any home or office yard.

Ants in my pants and hornets in my hair. I wished for the snow to melt away, but I wasn't excepting my back yard to turn into a insect sanctuary. What's worse? I know in just a month or so, the sun's going to shine and that sanctuary is going to spread inside of my home as well. So, in lieu of spring cleaning, snap on a pair of gloves and check out my tips on eco-friendly giveaways and products for pest control in your home and garden.
       
Like any great plan of attack, you must prepare to be on the offense and the defense in this battle against the bugs. The best defense? EcoSmart Pesticides.

Your green smile may have turned into a frown once you read the daunting word, "pesticides." But this all natural bug spray posses no threat to your health...unless you've got six legs. Confident that we have no slimy, buzzing creepy crawlers as readers, rest assured you're all in good green hands with EcoSmart.

The eco-friendly company has over 15 years of scientific research, accounting for it's golden ranking as the only 100% safe insecticide in the Unites States. In fact, of their 40 patented formulas in the U.S., half are exempt from the Environmental Protection Agency. The quality of these pesticides is so high, that the EPA recognizes EcoSmart as a leader in its field; placing it above other conventional and synthetic products.
                   
These pesticides can be sprayed around the home and outdoors without harming plant life or any of your home decor. Created from natural non-toxic plant oils, this is one pesticide that you can actually trust. That's why it makes sense it's being carried in stores all over the world including major businesses like Home Depot, Bed Bath & Beyond, Lowes and Pathmark to name a few.

Now that you know the best product to arm yourself with this springtime, we've got to gear you up for any surprise attacks. While EcoSmart natural ant killer will keep the ants out of your home and trouble spots, some insects just fly right in. You may take care of the problem in your own home but that won't stop a mean mosquito from sneaking into your bedroom from an opened window. While a mist of eco-friendly pesticide would do the trick, we'd like you to conserve. With a promotional eco-friendly flyswatter offence, you can dominate, leaving only the remains of the blood-sucker. They're made from recycled materials and check out this custom imprinted foot flyswatter. What better way to ask, "What's your carbon footprint?"
                                 
You've got the know-how, so now you've got to execute before it's too late. Now is the prime time to prepare for an insect problem so go to your nearest EcoSmart retail store and make an order of our fun promotional flyswatters. Better yet, tell us why you need the EcoSmart Value Bundle for a change to win your own. Are there ants crawling around fresh fruit in the kitchen? Is the occasional hornet or two progressing to a real, stinging problem? Tell us why this eco-friendly pesticide is just what you need and come springtime, you'll be living bug-free.

Leave your response to why you want or need these EcoSmart pesticides in our comments below. A winner will be selected Friday, March 5th at noon. Good luck!

Being eco-friendly can get you pretty far. For one, it's empowering to the individual. Living a sustainable life is something to be proud of. Besides making you feel good about your decisions, living eco-friendly can just make you, "feel good." Eating organic is healthy and walking to work instead of driving will keep you in shape. Lastly, we think you should live an eco-friendly life, not just to stay healthy and be empowered, but to get prime parking on the Florida Gulf Coast University campus.

The program first began as an outlet to the faculty and staff as seen above but quickly the students wanted in on the eco-friendly fun. Parking services manager, David Gregory, said that the Student Government was a major player in making this sustainable incentive come to light. He is proud of the program and said, "Students save gas money, there's less congestion on campus and less wear and tear on vehicles. Every day that one or two [student commuters] don't drive, it saves everybody money. All these things come together to help the University."

Both of these are awesome ways to reduce the carbon foot print of your college of university. NCSU even has an arboretum, adding to their sustainability. Now we've just got to incorporate some

Take a deep breath of that old country goodness and saddle up for the 2010 Minnesota Organic Conference. Mary Hanks, one of the conference organizers said, "It will be an outstanding educational opportunity for organic farmers and others interested in learning more about organic food and agriculture."
            
This trade show is to offer a look into the wonderful world of living organic. The two day conference will include guest speakers and open up for discussion with round table get-togethers. It takes place in the heartland of family run farms offering products like meat, cheese, eggs, milk and more. They use organic practices to raise crops and animals, making for healthier products and a reduced carbon footprint. What a perfect occasion to browse agricultural giveaways.

This will be an important trade show for businesses moving towards organic initiatives. With farms across the United States offering their services of organic agriculture, they may also want to offer some organic giveaways. By using fun green items to grab the attention of trade show attendees, they'll be likely to remember you.
                                   
While all giveaways will help brand your name, it's important to stick with eco-friendly trade show giveaways. Your business instills itself in sustainable practices and should therefore give the gift of sustainability. For the organic trade show, any of our organic promotions will come in handy. Now, after displaying your dedication to going organic, business opportunities can bloom and we can work towards a green future.

This week, leaders from around the world met at the international summit building for carbon emission discussions in Copenhagen, Denmark. Government leaders are hoping to make agreements that will help us all move towards more sustainable societies.

The United States, who when joined with China account for 50% of the entire earth's emissions, is feeling the pressure. President Barack Obama plans on joining the committee towards the end of the week when more leaders are present and more brainstorming has been done.

It's likely that Australia will have a strong presence in Denmark as well. An environmentally focused group from Australia recently created the first ever world-wide community dedicated to fighting carbon emissions with fun. They provide packages to help you spread eco-friendly practices in your workplace.

Their latest promotion uses the ever popular promotional stickers. Each sticker displays a carbon fighter slaying the "C" shaped carbon. The stickers urge people to recycle and conserve energy. One sticker reads, "Go for the Stairs," and depicts the carbon "C" as an elevator being violently shaken. Another urges you to turn off the lights and one more to promote car pooling. 

                             
Each has a twisted illustration, a clever hook and an awesome message. We're got to make every aspect of our lives more sustainable.To my surprise they even have a promotional sticker about promotional mugs. It reads, "Use a mug, not a plastic cup." It shows swords all piercing through the carbon "C" but only sticking out of the custom mugs. Like our promotional eco-friendly mugs, they're durable and long lasting.

When the lights go out, let an emergency solar crank radio lead the way. The Department of Homeland Security provides an emergency list each year to help families to prepare for any emergencies. Included on the handy list are all of the essentials to survival in case of an emergency. After browsing the list, I was delighted to find that absolutely everything on the emergency supply kit list comes in the form of promotional products.

If an earth quake leaves you buised and cute, whip out the custom first aid kit. When you're confined to the basement during a major threat, munch on 3 days worth of promo food. When the lights go out, start cranking and use the most valuble survival item around.

The custom printed Dynamo radio light is the perfect tool for staying calm and in charge as massive panic spreads due to national emergencies. Use the crank power radio to stay in tuned with important news agencies and you'll be alerted with any updates.
                
Like a custom multi-tool, these Dynamo crank radios offer more then just one feature. They also include an awesome crank flashlight. That means that even during a major power outtage, you can still have the comfort of light. There's even a built in siren on the dynamo radio light that will help you with any rescue missions and a long strap for easy manuvering.

While I normally don't do product recommendations, this environmentally friendly product really stood out. If you're looking for a giveaway that will make recipients feel safe and secure, this is the one. You'll get to showcase your name or logo on an item that could very well be a saving grace in times of trouble.