[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="269" caption="Elephant spied on a South African Garden Adventure"][/caption] Operating for almost fifteen years, Earthbound Expeditions have taken adventurers to swim with the seals in the Galapagos, sip fine Malbecs in Argentine vineyards, enjoy cooking classes in a 12th century Tuscan castle and attend world-class performances in stunning concert halls. This company is dedicated to the art of travel and will stop at nothing to ensure your journey with them is a memorable experience. If you are in search of an authentic travel experience, take a peek at Earthbound's one-of-a-kind, hand crafted journeys. Designed for the traveler with an independent streak, their small group adventures are certain to please and delight those not wishing to take a "tour" but a journey. Some key features of the Earthbound Expeditions include:

• Carbon neutral travel - Through their partnership with the Carbonfund.org, all Earthbound globetrotters will travel carbon neutral.  This is accomplished by supporting climate mitigation projects through Carbonfund.org.
• Location - Whether in a city or a village, accommodations are centrally located so that travelers can simply walk out the door and start exploring!
• Timing - Carefully crafted itineraries offer the best of a destination without long travel times or being rushed. This means more time for adventure!
• “Insider” Experiences - Earthbounders enjoy one-of-a-kind intimate experiences with local experts. This means a true local experience.
• Small Groups - Expeditions are with just 12-29 fellow travelers ( hosted journeys may be larger). You’ll discover treasures that are simply not available to large tour groups.
• Intimate Dining – Travelers enjoy regional specialties the way they were meant to be enjoyed.
• No Hidden Costs - All admissions and special events listed in your itinerary are included - even tips for your guide and driver.
• Superb Expedition Leaders - Guides offer a unique perspective on the destinations. These group leaders are great historians, naturalists and linguists, as well as great travel companions!

Click here to book your Earthbound Expedition today!

Each year more than 5 million people, mainly children, die in impoverished areas of the world due to respiratory infections and diarrheal diseases. These diseases kill more people in a year than HIV and malaria combined. The majority of these illnesses are caused by the lack of proper hygiene and clean water. Studies have shown that hand washing with soap can reduce nearly half of these infections that ultimately lead to death. Prevention is the key. Simply put, a bar of soap can save a life. And now Hand in Hand Soap helps save lives with its "buy a bar, give a bar" donation program.  For millions of people all over the world, a single bar of soap is unobtainable. This drastically increases their risk of fatal illness that could have easily been prevented. Hand in Hand Soap was conceived in 2011 by two social entrepreneurs who believe that business can do so much more than just make money. Understanding the difficulty that most non-profits face trying to obtain funding, Courtney and Bill set out to start a business based on sustainable giving. By directly tying charitable donations to the sale of an everyday product, Hand in Hand is able to give soap to those in need and save lives without depending on a single donation. For every bar purchased, Hand in Hand will donate the same bar to save a life. "The goal was to come up with a household product people use every day; that had the power to save lives. After 3 years of brainstorming, we came across an article reporting that each year over 5 million people die of diseases caused by poor water quality and lack of proper hygiene. After further research, we discovered that half of those deaths could be prevented with just a single bar of soap. It was at that moment that Hand in Hand was conceived" explained Courtney. All Hand in Hand soap is shipped using eco-friendly packaging, and a portion of all proceeds is used to save 50 square feet of rainforest for every bar sold.  And, after each order is placed, Hand in Hand Soap will purchase the corresponding carbon offsets so that each shipment becomes carbon neutral. Carbon offsetting is a way to counterbalance or compensate for the greenhouse gases produced during shipment. Hand in Hand Soap helps reduce the carbon footprint by supporting projects which remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere through Carbonfund.org. While the primary mission of Hand in Hand is saving lives, they immediately realized the environmental responsibility that goes along with creating and selling soap. "Understanding our environmental impact, we set out from day one to create a soap that was as eco-friendly as possible. We wanted to be proud of our soap and develop a product that was made with sustainable resources, and harvested ethically," Bill said. As such, Hand in Hand Soap is 100% vegetable based, vegan, gluten-free, paraben-free, petrochemical-free, biodegradable, palm-free & cruelty-free, and it is certified by both the Natural Products Association and Fair Trade USA. "To have a product that is truly eco-friendly means more than just having natural ingredients. We have found that many natural soaps use ingredients that ultimately come from intentionally cleared rainforests, which was something that we wanted no part in. Every ingredient in our soap is not only natural, but it is harvested and grown in an environmentally friendly way," explained Bill. So help save lives and start soaping up with sustainable suds™ from Hand in Hand.

If you strive to achieve the finest landscaping product and develop the best value for your property, look no further than Smart Choice Landscape Company, a complete landscape service company serving the South Florida community for more than 12 years. The company has been built on the foundation of quality service and environmental awareness. As residents of South Florida, they take pride in bettering the communities where their customer and they live. Smart Choice Landscape Company has established a reputation as the leader in landscape maintenance, quality, service, experience and value. The company offers a proven track record of creative, quality landscape design and maintenance. Being a family-owned and operated company, Smart Choice Landscape Company wants each and every client to feel important. As a landscaping company, Smart Choice Landscape Company feels a strong sense of responsibility to protect the landscape. Sustainable practices are employed in the work that they do, the offices where they work, the strategic direction they follow, the relationships they develop and the way they live their lives. Smart Choice Landscape Company promotes sustainability by: • Running mowers on propane-natural gas, which reduces emissions by 80%; • Following South Florida’s ‘Best Management Practices’ (BMPs) for landscape maintenance; • Offsetting their carbon footprint; • Recycling all yard waste and other materials where possible; • Limiting the use of pesticides and looking for bio/natural alternatives; • Encouraging clients to incorporate sustainability in their landscape; • Promoting and encouraging natural processes and systems in our designs; • Taking all practical steps at on-site operations to minimize and mitigate any adverse effects of our activities that may cause environmental damage; • Using recycled and totally chlorine free paper in the work place; • Minimizing the use of paper by reusing printed paper or using paperless communication; • Actively seeking partnerships and preferred suppliers that have similar environmental values, thus maintaining a “green” supply chain. Water conservation is one of the most crucial issues facing Florida’s future. Many areas of the state are running low on freshwater supplies. Smart Choice Landscape Company is committed to applying South Florida’s Best Management Practices and guidelines in effort to conserve precious fresh water through irrigation and storm water management. Smart Choice Landscape Company prefers to use eco-friendly and organic products that provide the same results while still being sustainable. They are introducing Avenger Weed Killer, an organic herbicide EPA registered and approved by the USDA National Organics Program. Its patented formula is made with natural citrus-oil (or d-limonene), which is a natural degreasing agent that strips the weed of its waxy skin, causing it to dehydrate and die. Tested against the leading synthetic herbicide, glysophate, Avenger has proven to be just as effective, but faster acting. Smart Choice Landscape Company has partnered with the Carbonfund.org Foundation in the CarbonFree® Small Business Program to offset their carbon footprint. Smart Choice actively works towards offsetting carbon emissions from fleet activity and other general business operations. Their commitment establishes Smart Choice Landscape Co. as an environmental leader in the landscaping business community and demonstrates the proactive steps they are taking in the fight against global climate change.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="400" caption="Joshua Tree National Park"][/caption] Ken Burns calls them America's Best Idea and this Saturday, September 24st, you can indulge in the beauty and splendor of our country's national parks for free. While there are 395 parks that are free on a daily basis, parks like Joshua Tree in California, the Everglades in Florida or the Badlands in South Dakota (plus a TON more) usually charge an entrance fee that will be waived on Saturday. The occasion is National Public Lands Day, the country's largest single-day effort to spruce up parks and other spaces. You can enjoy this opportunity to spend a leisurely day at a park, or join in with volunteers to plant trees, repair trails and make other enhancements on public lands. Saturday is also the Worldwide Day of Play, an event encouraging children to get up and get active. The flagship event will take place in Washington, DC, at President's Park and is hosted by Nickelodeon, the National Park Service and the Nation Park Foundation. Young or old, in the mood to volunteer or take a hike - whatever your outdoorsy agenda may be - click here to find a park near you and take advantage of this free great idea on  Saturday.

Looking to settle down on the west coast and seeking the best in sustainable living there? For over 20 years, Pacific Living Properties has been providing quality apartment homes to meet the needs of their residents. The owner-managed, family-run business is committed to offering an exceptional living environment to residents in their properties throughout California and Washington. Pacific Living Properties also strive to promote sustainable living practices in the communities in which their residents live and work. They are committed to reducing the ecological footprint of their communities and creating sustainable living environments. Through a commitment to eco-friendly practices, residents enjoy better health and a healthier planet when living at a Pacific Living Properties community. The communities are committed to the Be Green program which actively pursues creating healthier environments while reducing overall environmental impact. They work with local government, universities, non-profits and the private sector to help create sustainable lifestyles and business practices to protect our environment. The Pacific Living Community solar-powered headquarters is equipped with a rooftop 10,200 watt photo-voltaic solar energy generating system, which is 100% noise and emissions-free, producing 15,161 kWh of electricity per year. Pacific Living Properties is continually looking for opportunities to incorporate solar and other renewable energy solutions into their offices and apartment communities. And Pacific Living Communities promotes its Green Actions for Green Benefits from various energy efficiency and conservation initiatives, providing its residents with a listing of the benefits they receive from the Green Actions that Pacific Living Communities pursues on their behalf. One of these benefits includes a carbon offsetting program with Carbonfund.org, which helps Pacific Living Properties to offset operational emissions that cannot be eliminated by supporting Carbonfund.org’s energy efficiency, renewable energy and reforestation projects that help to reduce greenhouse gases. Pacific Living Communities also provides suggestions and recommendations to its residents about ways they can conserve and contribute to environmentally sustainable living. Their site advises that “small changes in your everyday actions can save you money, improve your health and meaningfully reduce your environmental impact”, and provides ways to conserve water, energy, reduce waste and “buy and clean green”. Learn more about the green living initiatives and welcoming communities at Pacific Living Properties, and take advantage of their “fall into savings” $100 off any new rental special offer through November 30th.

CarbonFree Certified Eco Alkaline Batteries wants to give away a year of batteries for free!!!!!!! Here is the re-post of their contest details: Yeah! The name to remember is Eco Alkalines. These puppies (no, they're not actually Puppies, but they could power robotic puppies if you have them, so that's a bonus) are Lead, Cadmium and Mercury free, which means they're much friendly to the earth than the traditional alkaline, and way friendlier to the earth than rechargeables, which typically leak terrible things into the soils and are also dangerous for the workers who manufacture them. Eco Alkalines also believe in using as much recycled material as possible during manufacturing, and what little (comparitively speaking) carbon footprint they have is offset, and they are the world's first carbon neutral battery, certified by Carbonfund. Here's how to qualify: Casting Your Ballots: (You must do at least one of these. The more you do, the higher your chances of winning)  

• "Like" EcoAlkalines on Facebook here: www.facebook.com/pages/Eco-Alkalines/169474363107312
• "Follow" @EcoAlkalines on Twitter here: twitter.com/ecoalkalines
• Re-Tweet [this tweet] on Twitter to increase your chances of winning!

Suggestions:

1. Visit EcoAlkalines.com to learn all you need to know about why eco-friendly Eco Alkalines are something us eco-conscious people can really get excited about.
2. Optionally register a free account on the Category5.TV web site. By registering your account as part of this contest, the winner will also receive 250 bonus Viewer Points.

CONTEST CLOSES AT MIDNIGHT SEPTEMBER 26, 2011 (Local time to Category5 TV Studios) The contest winner will be announced on Category5 Technology TV's broadcast on Tuesday September 27, 2011. For the legal details and more information visit: http://www.category5.tv/blog/win-a-year-supply-of-ecoalkalines-batteries.php

A sweetriot is a joyful celebration of culture, diversity, and understanding — and the team of rioters at sweetriot seek to create a more just and celebrated multicultural world for our next generation. They’re achieving their mission, one “peace” at a time, by bringing fabulous dark chocolate covered cacao nibs and other delicious chocolate treats to chocoholics everywhere. Sarah Endline, founder and Chief Rioter, grew up in a small farming community and dreamed of building her own mission-based business. After years of contemplation, she founded sweetriot, a small mission-based company in New York City, which strives to build tasty little morsels in a different way for a different generation. Through Sarah's travels, she stumbled upon cacao and knew she had to share it with others. The rioter team began testing it with their friends and learning that many did not know the true story of cacao. Discovered in the 1500's, cacao is a magical, spiritual, and celebrated food from South America, Central America, West Africa and Asia. sweetriot is best known for their original, all-natural treat is made from the actual cacao fruit. The nibs (little beans inside the cacao fruit) are extracted and dried in the sun. The nibs get dipped into three different intensities dark chocolate (50%, 65% or 70%) before being packaged into reusable, recyclable, collectable tins featuring the artwork of emerging artists. And sweetriot encourages its rioting customers to reuse, recycle, or return their tins.  The chocolate-covered nibs are packed with antioxidants and is only 1-2 calories per ‘peace’. At just 140 calories per tin, you won’t ever feel guilty about eating it!  And sweetriot has expanded its line of products immensely in the past two years. Now sweetriot is thrilled to be introducing three yummy dark chocolate additions to the sweetriot line-up, which hit shelves last month. What makes the sweetriot riotBar so special? It is sweetriot’s very first Fair Trade Certified and Organic line. The sweetriot riotBar supports fair trade and sourcing exclusively in Latin America, which directly supports a better life for farming families through fair prices and direct trade. sweetriot continues to support emerging artists by putting original artwork on every package, and celebrates culture & diversity along the way. Sweet for the world and sweet for you, too! And celebrity Rioters abound! A-listers including Sarah Jessica Parker, Drew Barrymore, Eva Longoria, Kevin Bacon, Jerry Seinfeld and Dr. Oz, plus foodie chefs Rachael Ray and Gordon Ramsay have fallen for these yummy ‘peaces.' Sweetriot bars can be purchased at Whole Foods, Safeway, Wegmans, the Vitamin Shoppe, and Zabars, as well as online at http://shop.sweetriot.com.  And for the month of October, sweetriot is enticing Carbonfund.org partners and readers with a 20% discount on the riotBar.  Just shop online and enter the coupon code "carbonfundriot" when making your purchase. So join teamriot. Life is a riot. Sweet.

It is a sad reality of the times we live in, but the iPad 2 makes last year's iPad look like a chunky coffee coaster. And Lord help us when the FlicFlex prototype (shown in the above video) comes to market. Technology moves so fast that it's created new consumerist problems for those who want to keep up - what do you do with old gadgets? One way to ensure your tech habits have a lower impact on the planet is to make sure old electronics get properly recycled. PCMag.com's  Electronics Recycling Superguide offers a ton of great ways to recycle, trade in, and even make money off your old technology. The guide is pretty super, with more than 20 listed manufacturers, from Apple to Xerox, that will gladly take back their old products to keep them out of the landfill -- many with free shipping. Also check out the list of retailers to whom you can hand-deliver your goods and get the scoop on who waives the recycling fee (Radio Shack), who pays for your ink cartridges (Staples), and who won't accept products containing freon (Best Buy). Looking for a little something beyond the joy of recycling? A bunch of sites pay cash for your pre-owned gadgets, with some boasting an average payout of $115.