Eco-friendly and organic vodkas

Further proof that moving into a greener lifestyle is filled with limitless perks and possibilities! Save the earth one cocktail at a time with these eco-friendly and organic vodkas. Tips on how to enjoy them best included, of course.

Prairie Organic Vodka - not only is this vodka certified kosher by the Orthodox Union and organic by the USDA, but it's also gluten-free. Prairie is distilled in limited quantities in the same community in which the corn is raised, by a co-op of 900 Minnesota farmers who are stakeholders in the brand.

- Prairie Lemon Basiltini
2 ounces Prairie Organic Vodka
1 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 ounce simple syrup (see recipe below)
4 basil leaves
Bruise basil leaves, add remaining ingredients, shake and strain into a martini glass.

Mix tip: If you don't like your martinis served at room temperature, add some crushed ice before shaking the drink.

Simple syrup recipe: Bring 1 part water and 2 parts organic cane sugar to a boil in saucepan, and then cool. Source: http://news.prairievodka.com

360 Vodka - the bottles (made from 85% recycled glass) use a swing-top cap that can be removed and sent back to 360 Vodka in a postage-paid envelope that is made from 100 percent recycled paper and attached to the bottle. The program, called "Close the Loop," donates $1 to Global Green USA for every top consumers send back. Mimimal effort and hassle free for a maximum impact, don’t you think?

- A Kiss From Mother Earth
2 ounces 360 Double Chocolate Vodka
1 ounce agave nectar
3 ounces heavy, or whipping, cream
Chocolate syrup, for decorating glass
Drizzle chocolate syrup in glass. Add all ingredients, shake and strain into martini glass.

Mix tip: Add some crushed ice to the shaker to cool this creamy concoction.

- 360 Ecolade (E-Ko-Laid)
2 ounces 360 Cola Vodka
3 slices of cucumber (muddled)
Lemonade (I used 4 ounces)
Lemon-lime soda (I used 8 ounces)
Add all ingredients to a tall glass. Fill with lemonade and top with lemon-lime soda.
Source: www.vodka360.com

Crop Organic Vodka - available in Artisanal, Cucumber and Tomato, Crop Vodka is certified USDA organic and distilled so that no carbon treatment or charcoal filtering is required.

- Organic Vodka Shortcake
2 ounces Crop Organic Cucumber Vodka
1 ounce lemon juice
3 ounces muddled strawberries
Fresh mint leaf
Add all ingredients to a glass. Stir.
Mix tip: This is a fruit-heavy drink with very little liquid. Add 4 ounces of lemon-lime soda to make this a perfect mix of fruit and fizz. Source: www.cropvodka.com

There’s 3 more reasons to go green – and 3 excuses to throw a party and spread the word to your neighbors! So have a go and have a blast. Clink your glasses to Mother Earth and to those who find more creaative and enticing ways to nudge us into the greener side of things. Cheers!

A Gentle Green Reminder....

Hello hello....I hope you all had a good weekend and enjoying your Monday:) No more 'Monday Blues' - but instead let's have 'Monday Greens'!

It's not about being "in" or a phase in life but it has to be instilled in our every day life. Not only will it benefit your health and everyone around you, but it will benefit Mother Earth and all living, breathing species which we share our planet with. A little bit of effort from each of us will go a long way. Even if our actions have been obvious (all the extreme weather conditions due to global warming), we are still taking things for granted and moving at a sloth's pace (or a snail, whichever is slower, or maybe a turtle)to change. We should all take a pause from our busy schedule and think about ways which you and I can help heal Mother Earth before its too late and the damage done is irreversible. So having said that, I will leave tips of the day that will help you achieve a greener life.

Today's Green TIP Of The Day: Walk or cycle and take the public transport instead of driving :) Its easy and its free (except for the public transport which does not cost much)!

8 Ways to Give Up Buying Wrapping Paper Forever

Avoid store-bought supplies and still end up with a present, perfect....

We know you can't judge a book by its cover, or a present by its wrapping, but a pretty presentation can go a long way toward making your holidays merry and bright. But when you think about all the money you spend buying paper that gets cut, ripped, and then (hopefully) recycled, it's hard not to feel some green guilt. Here, we've tracked down eight ways to use what you have on hand—from empty cereal boxes to old magazines—to present your gifts in beautiful wrappings (without blowing the budget).

1. Prepare for Odd Sizes

Some gifts just don't wrap easily—like footballs, action figures, and body lotion. To keep the contents a secret until opening time, you need boxes—so why not try making your own? This tutorial from Eco-Artware shows you how to repurpose a Corn Pops box into a square cardboard container custom-sized for whatever you're giving. Keep the patterned side out for a fun and funky finished look, or show off the plain side and decorate with stamps, paint, or a simple bow.

2. Have a Boxing Day

If you're the type who prefers online ordering to braving the stores during the holidays, then chances are good you have a ton of cardboard boxes in your house—or on their way. Skip the paper entirely with this kid-friendly idea from Morton Skogly: just mix up some childsafe paint, collect some old or spare sponges, and let the little ones put their own stamp on your decorating. Plain cardboard works fine, but you can also use smaller boxes from your pantry, old shoe boxes, or even tissue boxes since the paint will cover the design.

3. Cut and Paste

When it comes to wrapping gifts, don't underestimate the power of your magazine rack. You know you're not going to read those weeklies from July, so why not put them to good use? This mosaic decoupage project from Bellenza lets you create bright, colorful patchworks by gluing one-inch squares cut from magazines to crumpled newspaper for a look that's both eco-friendly and inexpensive.

4. Let It Shine

Covering your gifts with recycled aluminum foil gives them a holiday sparkle worthy of even the fussiest decorator—just picture a pile of these underneath the tree, reflecting your new collection of LED lights. On smaller gifts, you won't even need to use tape, and you can finish off your wrapping job with ribbon, bows, or even a simple piece of twine or colored string. Then once the unwrapping chaos has settled, collect your foil and reuse it in the kitchen—or on next year's gifts.

5. Get on a Roll

Prefer a more traditional look? Try making your own wrapping paper from a roll of plain butcher paper. At A Little Hut, designer Patricia Zapata sketched a leafy design and let her kids color in the pattern; try drawing a winter- or holiday-themed picture instead, or just freehand it. In the end, you'll recycle this paper just as you would any other wrapping paper, but you'll spend a lot less making it than you would buying.

6. Try Stripping

We like this project from MAKE because it feels like a take-off on the classic wrapping-a-gift-in-the-Sunday-comics route—though the finished product is more magazine-spread chic than preschool birthday party. The woven design comes from cutting wavy lines on one sheet of paper that's big enough to wrap your gift; then cut strips from magazines, newspapers, construction paper, or any other paper you have on hand and thread them in an alternating over/under. You're right: this is a lot of work. But the reuse possiblities—and the looks you'll get when people hear you made the paper—will make it worth it.

7. Know When to Fold

Want to give your gifts a more luxurious look? Try upcycling old fabric—shirts, sheets, pillowcases, towels, napkins—by dyeing, marbling, or painting it, and then folding it around your present for a unique wrap job. If you don't have any spare cloth on hand, look for old (good condition) pieces at your local thrift store or at yard sales; give yourself a bonus if you can find something (like an apron, kitchen towels, or placemats) that your recipient will use again.

8. Take a Bow

Then there's that perfect finishing touch: the bow. Anyone who's found a bag of unusable crumpled bows in last year's holiday carton will understand the relief of having just as many as you need, in just the right colors, without having extras to store; this year, try making your own from strips of magazine pages or paper cut to length and folded onto each other. You can also use pages from old books, scrapbook paper, or even spare photos to add an even more personal design to each present.

Simple steps can lead to giant leaps....

1. Choose Organics
Studies show that organic produce actually tastes better, but there are other reasons for it as well. Start by buying even just 2 percent organic and work your way up from there.

2. Eat Locally
Look for foods grown locally at your grocery store or farmers' market.

3. No More Paper or Plastic
Any time you hit the grocery store, meat market, even mall, take your own reusable shopping bag. Paper bags require a lot of energy to create and plastic bags are made from petroleum, a non-renewable resource, and they aren't going anywhere.

4. Avoid the Phantom Draw
You can reduce your consumption of electrical energy by simply unplugging electronics when they're not in use. Phone chargers draw energy all day long when they're left plugged into the wall, and electronics can use 40 percent of their regular running energy when plugged in on standby.

5. Embrace the Green Triangle
Get in the habit of recycling your glass, plastics, aluminum and paper.

6. Conserve Water, So It's Not H2O-No
Here's permission to skip the pre-rinse when loading your dishwasher. It can waste 20 gallons per load and according to Consumer Reports, it doesn't help.

Take quick showers, fix leaky faucets and shut off the water while you brush your teeth. That alone can save almost 2,000 gallons a year.

7. Reach for the Stars
Energy Star appliances use less energy, save you money and help protect the environment.

8. Turn the Cool Up
Turning up your air conditioner one degree could save you 3 percent in home energy costs.

9. Green Your Ride
Even if you're not ready to buy a hybrid, there are ways you can conserve fuel. Keep your tire pressure at the recommended level for greater fuel efficiency. Keep the AC on low, running it on high decreases your car's fuel efficiency up to 25%. Check your air filter, because a clean one can make your car 10% more fuel efficient. And drive a little less. Cars release about a pound of CO2 for every mile driven, so avoid driving 20 miles a week and you'll spare the environment 1000 pounds of CO2 emissions in a year.

10. Switch Out Your Lightbulbs
Choose energy saving bulbs, they last 10 times as long and are 25 percent more energy efficient, they'll save you some green.