By the year 1900, foreign insects were already being brought over to America from Europe.  Balsam woolly adelgids, which feast on trees like the Balsam Fir and the Fraser Fir, have since destroyed approximately 95 percent of Fraser Firs located in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  And that's just one example of how bug imports are affecting the U.S. environment, according to a recent study by researchers at University of California.

Futurity.org reports that "almost 70 percent of the most damaging non-native forest insects and diseases currently afflicting U.S. forests arrived via imported live plants."  The study reveals that throughout the past 43 years, over 500 percent more plant imports have made their way into the U.S., usually destined for Florida or California.

But the problem is that insects come along for the ride, and a fraction of these bugs become serious economic pests.

However, imports of live plants from outside America are not likely to slow.  According to Andrew Liebhold, a researcher for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, "As global trade expands, our knowledge of pest pathways must be improved to ensure trade is accomplished with minimal environmental degradation."

Should there be an increase in bio security (greater efforts at plant inspection sites, for example) to help protect America's environment?

Take a look outside. Chances are you live in a region where it is very cold during the winter months and there is almost no foliage except for the evergreen trees and bushes. It's a dreary site. 

Luckily, there is one solution to treating the winter blues: the custom imprinted Seeded Paper Bookmark. This item is a bookmark made of seeded paper and can be personalized how you please. The item is made of a stock mix of marigolds, baby's breath, sweet Alyssum and Cosmos. Simply soak the item and follow the directions on the bookmark. By handing out this item, you'll ensure that your clients' and employees' winters are less white and more green. In exchange, you'll see more green by networking and advertising. 

The weather might be getting progressively colder as we fastly approach January but that shouldn't prevent you from applying use of your green thumb.

The custom imprinted Mini Rice Hull Planter is a beautiful item that, unlike many other promotional products, is composed of ingredients and materials only found in nature. The planter is made of renewable grain husks which may vary the color of the item but is guaranteed to look professional and natural. This item will last 5 years if used regularly, is resistant to freezing and thawing and will nurture the tender roots of any plant. Insert your favorite seeds and you have an item that is sure to please those with a talent of growing plants and flowers. 

If you're still holding off on Christmas cards, consider this: what do you do with the cards you receive after December 25? 

Every year, 2.65 billion cards are sold in the United States alone - enough to fill a football field 10 stories high. According to the RecycleWorks program of San Mateo County in California, if each person chose to send out one less card, we would save 50,000 cubic yards of paper. Most of these cards find their way into dumps. 

But what if you could send all the cards that you make (no limit but your own) and put them underground? You can do just that and help the environment too.

Write out your cards using the custom imprinted 5 Seed Cards in Window Box. The box you'll receive is a beautiful item with five cards and envelopes for sending out. Send them to your loved ones and encourage them to bury it later. With the right care, the card will bloom beautifully and become a plant!

Happy December!

Our "Spotlight" articles will focus on the eco-friendly side of the Holidays, items that not only benefit you during this stressful time but can be fun to use and have too.

Today's "Spotlight" item is perfect for those decorating Christmas trees this season.

Many people feel terrible about cutting down a tree and just throwing it out after the Holidays, all in the name of tradition. While plastic trees alleviate this a bit, thousands of acres are cleared every year just for the Holidays. Luckily, there are custom imprinted eco-friendly seeds and plants, especially ornaments, on the Motivators site.

The perfect one for the Holidays is the promotional Scarlet Sage Reindeer Ornament. These items come in clear poly bags and are available in multiple colors. After the Holidays, remove the ornament and bury outside in an ideal spot. Care for it as you would any seed and it will bloom into a beautiful living thing. Hand these out at tradeshows or at the Holiday party to show that you not only care about the environment but also the Holidays. 

If you think about it, your bathroom is a great place for a plant like moss to grow.  It's constantly damp and humid, and is generally low-light.  That's what makes Swiss designer La Chanh Nguyen's living bath mat, dubbed the 'Larosee Bath Mat,' such a great idea. 

According to online magazine Environmental Graffiti, this fresh take on a bathroom accessory is made up of three different types of living mosses:  ball moss, forest moss, and island moss.  "Aside from its ability to liven up any old shower space, the Moss Carpet also gets major bonus points for being a wonderfully low-maintenance addition to your loo that features a non-slip grip and resistance to mold," reports Environmental Graffiti. 

The unique bath mat is what style and design Web site DorNob.com calls "a perfect (if unusual) domestic form of symbiosis."  The act of drying off your feet actually helps to keep the live bath carpet, well, alive.  The Larosee Bath Mat is available for purchase at HooDesign.com.  An eco-friendly bathroom rug that doubles as a foot massage? This item is a total win!

Many of us who suffer from allergies, headaches, and fatigue attribute our chronic symptoms to the outdoor environment.  But according to an article on EarthEasy.com, a Web site dedicated to bringing people practical eco-friendly giveaways and solutions, many of these illnesses can be caused by indoor pollutants.  Thankfully, as reported in the article, there are natural ways to help defeat these impurities.

EarthEasy.com lists 10 plants that can help remove toxins such as formaldehyde, benzene, and carbon monoxide from the air inside of our houses.  From palms, such as the Areca palm and the Bamboo palm, to the Boston fern, these plants can remove chemicals from the rooms in our houses.

However, not all of these plants are easy to care for.  The custom imprinted plant guide wheel, which features instructions on how to grow and care for the 56 most popular house plants, will help to keep these air-purifying plants healthy. 

So if you're suffering from a number of ailments but cannot seem to determine the cause, you might want to consider bringing in some of these chemical-removing houseplants.  They can clean pollutants in offices, homes, factories, and more! 

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!

What is the one thing that every family has in their home during the Christmas season? That's right, a Christmas tree. People who celebrate Christmas have grown accustomed to the tradition of buying a tree that has been chopped down, and placing it in their home to decorate and place gifts under.

The act of putting a tree in your home has both its positive and negative implications. On the one hand, it acts as a symbol of unity for the holiday where an entire family can sit around it and have a warm and loving experience. On the other hand, every Christmas tree that is put up in a home is another tree that has been cut down to stand as an ornament for several weeks, only to be discarded afterwards. There is a solution for this problem that will allow families to keep their tradition of having a Christmas tree, while not having to kill the tree in the process. That solution is to rent a live tree.

The concept of renting a live tree is not brand new (companies like the Original Living Christmas Tree Company in Portland, Oregon started it back in 1992), but it has really generated more and more attention as the "going green" movement continues to gain momentum. The premise is simple - a tree rental company will deliver a living Christmas tree to your door which has been planted in a large pot.

You can decorate the tree and treat it the same as you would any other Christmas tree. However, once Christmas is over, instead of getting rid of the tree it will be returned to the company where it will be placed in a nursery or planted in another region of the country. In doing this, you not only save the life of the tree but you also increase the amount of available oxygen in the atmosphere (because trees make oxygen).

Christmas trees are available for renting in any major city across the United States including New York and Los Angeles. The best part is that the cost of renting a tree is very comparable to the cost of buying a tree the traditional way, so no one can be deterred for financial reasons.

Tree rental companies offer several suggestions to making sure that the tree is cared for and returned in the same condition which it was loaned out in. First, the tree needs to be watered regularly. Remember that the tree is a living thing, so treat it just like you would any other plant in your home.

Second, the tree can be decorated with anything but tinsel. Whether it is damaging to the tree or dries it out, the consensus is to stay away. Finally, make sure that the tree is kept away from any heat or fireplace. Since the tree is alive, the needles will be less likely to fall on the floor in your home as an added bonus.

Consider renting a tree for Christmas this year, as you can see the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks. If enough people decide to start renting eco-friendly Christmas trees instead of cutting them down, we can completely change the Christmas tradition and bring it up to speed with the "green" standards of the 21st century.

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.