Thanks to the modern convenience of ice makers built right into our deluxe Energy Star refrigerators, once entirely indispensable ice cube trays have now gone the way of cassette tapes and pagers. Not that any of us are in danger of losing an appreciation for ice anytime soon, but with H20 cubes easily accessible at the mere push of a button, it’s pretty much made the flexible trays that we once lovingly filled with water almost obsolete. Oh well, another one bites the dust. But wait! Don't chuck them just yet...

I’m a cookbook junkie. I’ve got about a hundred cookbooks stacked (un)evenly on the bookshelf, and another five or ten rotating cookbooks on my coffee table—a visible signal I leave for myself that “these are the books I need to read.” Some people read novels or poetry before bed. I tuck in with a dog-eared cookbook and a copy of the latest Saveur under the pillow. This month, I’ve got these sustainable food books on my must-read roster. I know, that just leads to another three waiting patiently on my coffee table, but hey—a girl’s gotta have goals, right?

Plastic: Once the go-to-material for butterfingers and the accident-prone, quickly soared into superstar status, filling every nook and cranny of our lives with virtually shatter-proof, undeniably durable, candy-colored lifestyle staples. From cool invention to cultural ubiquity, plastic has enjoyed a long, glorious heyday… that is, until we started realizing that it’s been responsible for tainting our oceans, killing wildlife and contaminating our bodies. Here’s what you need to know to demystify the plastic monster, make better consumer decisions and ideally keep as much petroleum-based packaging out of the landfill as you possibly can!

Do you remember your school days in Home Economics class? My favorite part of class was the cooking component and not so much the sewing sessions, but I’d be willing to give it another go in order to make some great kitchen accessories. You?

Clean - ahh! It's such a lovely feeling. And somehow we equate it with the smells of Clorox and Pine-Sol... which are anything but clean and pollute our indoor air with chemicals that are known to be harmful. In your plight for healthier cleaning agents in a highly unregulated and oh-so-not-transparent industry, first avoid any and all products with these words listed on them: "Danger," "Corrosive," "Poison," "Warning" and/or "Caution." Next, get your products from a trusted eco, all-natural company such as Method or Seventh Generation. Or, better yet, open up your fridge and cabinets and use the foods you've got to get that clean feeling. Here are some common foods that'll get you there.

It's past noon and all of a sudden you realize that you're hungry and must have sustenance, and sustenance now. All too often this realization is followed by a quick, calorie-filled bite on the run, an ongoing snack-a-thon that continues until dinnertime or an uninspired peanut butter and jelly sandwich... yet again.

In a world filled with GPS systems and smart phones, the traditional paper map (even as it turns obsolete) still possesses a certain beauty. Antique versions provide us with a link to the past; through them we can see snapshots of a moment in time. People have created maps since before the Greeks, but map-making really exploded during the Renaissance. The invention of printing coincided with the age of exploration, which lead to a map-making boom as new places were discovered more quickly. Today, maps still give off that air of sea-faring adventure. Add a little thrill to your home by repurposing maps as eco-friendly decoration. Explore these four ideas.

Well, okay. This awesome non-profit isn’t just concerned with the education and empowerment of 600 million adolescent girls who live in developing countries. It’s really focused on the education and empowerment of the communities where these girls live.

Hands immersed in sudsy water, you’re busy scouring your pots and pans to a squeaky clean using your, of course, natural dish soap. While scrubbing, you’re feeling pretty good about your eco-self for ridding your home of toxic household cleaners like conventional dish soaps (and you should!), but wait a sec. Are you using a sponge? Because if so, that sponge could be undoing your good green cleaning efforts.

Could a certain room in your home use a little somethin' somethin'? Maybe it’s looking, well, lifeless, and you just don’t know how to pump up the energy? Or perhaps you’re just itching to change your same ol’ décor? If either of these decorating problems plagues your home, adding a stylish lamp can transform a room instantly. Seriously, an awesome lamp will bring back the oomph to any room. Even the basement. Heck, even the garage. (Although, you probably shouldn’t waste these sweet ideas on the garage.)