With more and more people turning to environmentally-friendly products these days, finding vendors who sell all you need is key to successful green shopping. While it may seem romantic to visit 15 different merchants when shopping, most of us don’t have the time, the energy or the inclination to do so. Plus, driving around the suburbs to buy all you need from a variety of stores isn’t really eco-friendly!

To help you out I’ve compiled a list of eco-friendly online marketplaces where you can find all kinds of home-goods in one location. These marketplaces act as the “middle-men” for eco-friendly vendors, and ship the goods right to your doorstep – thereby saving you the trouble of driving around and wasting fuel. So sit back, click some links and get your eco-shopping done from the comfort of your home – it’ll save you time and resources, and may just help save the planet!

Gaiam – If you’ve been reading this site for any length of time, you’re probably already familiar with Gaiam – I write about it all the time! And while I’m not always thrilled with some of Gaiam’s methods (most of what they sell is not made in the USA), they do offer a tremendous selection of furniture, home furnishings, clothing, accessories and gift items that are sourced and manufactured with green processes. Headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, the company strives to offer “Conscious Commerce,” and is “a provider of information, goods and services to customers who value the environment, a sustainable economy, healthy lifestyles, alternative healthcare and personal development.” Look to Gaiam if you want eco-friendly yoga clothes and tools, outdoor furniture, or light fixtures.

3R Living – Billed as “Future Friendly Products,” the goods sold on the 3RLiving website have been “carefully selected with the principles of reducing waste, reusing unwanted or discarded materials, and recycling in mind.” Founded by Samantha Delman-Caserta and Mark Caserta in 2004, this Brooklyn-based business offers a selection of home goods, accessories and gifts to enhance the most eco-friendly of homes. The budget-conscious can find inexpensive goods to meet their needs on the 3RLiving site too – there’s a section for goods under $10, $20 and $50.

Organic Bug – Organic Bug is a funky online gift store that offers a decent selection of Organic, Hand-Made, Sustainable, Fair Trade, Made in the USA, and All Natural clothing, accessories, cosmetics, personal care products and outdoor goods. The company’s mission is to help people use their purchasing power as a vote for social and environmental change – i.e. – put their money where their mouth is! The company has all kinds of green initiatives that they have incorporated into their operating principles, and is obviously putting their green philosophies into action in how they run their business. Check out Organic Bug if you’re looking for bamboo clothing, unique home decor, or eco-friendly garden products.

Adili – When Adam Smith founded Adili, he did so with the thought of opening a department store filled with eco-goods. Stocked with goods from over 80 eco-designers from around the world, Adili sells clothing, accessories, shoes, home goods, and beauty products to suit your every eco-need. You can also purchase goods from Adili’s line – Own-Label – which have been sourced and manufactured with Fair Trade, organic, and ethical practices. Committed to the principles of ethical eco-chic fashion, Adili’s website includes a section dedicated to their philosophies and practices. Shop here if you’re looking for fun, fashionable and somewhat funky clothes, shoes and jewerly for the whole family.

EcoMall – While the EcoMall website isn’t as flashy or stylish as some of the other online eco-marketplaces, it’s jam-packed with practical information about all kinds of eco-products and companies. More a directory of green goods and websites than an online marketplace, EcoMall has pages upon pages of green, organic, Fair Trade and eco-friendly vendors and merchants who sell everything from magazines to furniture, aromotherapy products to alternative energy, appliances to clothing. So while EcoMall may not exactly fall into the “One-Stop Shopping” category, it can point you in the direction of almost anything you need that’s green.

Feel free to write in and let me know if you have a favorite online marketplace where you buy your everyday green goods. Finding great sites like this is an ongoing challenge, and I would love to offer your suggestions to my readers!

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When you make purchases, are you careful to buy goods that are ethically sourced, Fair Trade, certified organic or made in the USA? Are you conscious of the path your dollars take once you’ve handed them over to a sales clerk or entered your credit card number in an online site? Do you care about where all of the materials used to manufacture the things you buy come from? If you answered yes to these questions, than you’re already on the road to becoming an ethical consumer, and following the principles of ethical consumerism when spending your hard earned money.

According to Knowmore.org (a site dedicated to raising awareness of corporate abuses and directing grassroots action against unsustainable corporate practices), Ethical Consumerism is “…a movement toward corporate reform, through which individuals recognize their own role in systems of oppression, and take personal steps toward resistance and positive change.” Ethical Consumerism encourages people to recognize the significance of collectively organized individual actions, and use that power to alter the landscape of traditional economic systems.

Knowmore.org encourages this kind of thinking by offering an online space for like-minded individuals to exchange ideas and find resources focused on combating corporate abuses. One useful tool on the organization’s site is called “Behind the Logos.” Knowmore.org assigns an “ethical rating” to global corporations like Volkswagen, American Express and De Beers that’s meant to help people understand where the products they purchase are sourced and manufactured, and whether the companies making those products are doing so according to ethical principles. With one quick click, you can find out that AT&T received positive ratings for Worker’s Rights, Human Rights and Environmental Issues, but has areas of concern around their Political Influence and Business Ethics.

Another resource for those interested in Ethical Consumerism is the Responsible Purchasing Network (RPN), an international network of buyers dedicated to socially responsible and environmentally sustainable purchasing. The RPN is a member-based organization that provides consulting services and resources for paid members, but also publishes helpful guides for the everyday consumer. You can download Responsible Purchasing Guides that provide information about purchasing sustainable products, finding environmentally-conscious vendors, and working with governments to introduce eco-friendly goods into your state’s procurement policies.

If you’re interested in learning about European businesses, UK-based Ethical Consumer is an organization that researches the social and environmental records of companies, publishes free buyers guides, and scores companies based on how well they’ve incorporated ethics into their business models. You can become a member of Ethical Consumer to gain full access to their resources and services, otherwise you might have to pay a fee to access some of the research and information that’s on the organization’s website.

By educating yourself about the consumer choices you encounter on a daily basis, you take control over how you use your spending power to transform business practices and the greater economy. Once enough people realize that they can impact the process by only giving their money to ethical businesses, than real change can take place. If people continue letting big companies off the hook, and spend money with those businesses who practice socially irresponsible manufacturing, who invest their money (which is really your money) in corrupt organizations and governments, and who ignore the working conditions of their laborers, than those companies will keep on acting unethically.

Spend your money wisely and make sure you educate yourself before you open your wallet!

Work can be a tough place to stay warm – thermostats are often off limits, windows and doors can be drafty, and temperature zones don’t always make sense to the people actually working within them. So while my office is always toasty, my co-workers next door are always cold, regardless how high we set the thermometer.

Since most people aren’t able to control the temperature of their work environments, I’ve put together a list of clothes and cold-weather goods that you can use to keep toasty while dreaming of sandy beaches and flip flops as you work.

Keep Warm at Work With…

Hot Drinks for Cold Days – What better way to warm up your day than with a hot cup of coffee, tea or cocoa – especially Fair Trade, Organic, or locally produced brands. Make an effort this year to stick to your eco-habits at home and at work by keeping environmentally friendly drinks in your desk to warm you up on those chilly winter afternoons. Personally, I like the Organic and Fair Trade teas from Portsmouth-based White Heron Tea. White Heron Tea offers 16 kinds of tea that meet both Organic and Fair Trade Certified standards. In addition to their Fair Trade tea selection, White Heron Tea sells a variety of Organic teas that include Chai, Jasmine, Pu-erh, and White Teas (among others). You can purchase White Heron Tea in shops around Portsmouth, NH, or via the company’s website.

Cool Mugs for Hot Drinks – Once you’ve procured your Organically-grown, Fair Trade brews, you’ll need a mug to match. These $20 travel mugs from I’m Organic are made from corn and oatmeal (not plastic), and printed with vegetable-based inks. The mugs are 100% biodegradable, and will actually break down in 2 months if tossed into a functional compost pile. I’m Organic sells mugs with 3 different pictures on front, including one that says, Kiss Me – I’m Organic. If you’re looking for a more traditional vessel from which to drink your tea, you might like this Eco Tea Mug (shown at left) from Art of Tea. Made from 100% renewable corn plastic, this stylish mug is microwave-safe, manufactured in the US, and can be purchased for the bargain price of $4.95.

Warm Your Space with Portable Heaters – If hot drinks don’t keep you toasty enough over the course of your workday, you might consider bringing in a portable space heater to achieve a comfortable temperature while on the job. If you don’t need to heat a large space, the Honeywell QuickHeat Low Profile Convection Heater (HZ-617) may be an ideal heater for you. This $90 convection heater comes with an adjustable thermostat so you can maintain a consistent temperature. The HZ-617 has 2 heating options from which to choose – turn on the Quick Heat source for a blast of hot air, or use the natural convection heater to maintain a consistent temperature over time.

When All Else Fails Put on a Sweater – If you’ve tried hot drinks and space heaters to stay warm at work, but you’re still chilly, you can always layer up and apply Jimmy Carter’s words of wisdom by putting on a sweater. Made from 100% certified organic hemp, the Rainbow Hooded Sweater (shown at right) from Rawganique retails for $78-$84 and designed to suite both men and women. If you don’t have the cash for a new sweater, you can always just wear the ones you already own – regardless of how the fabrics they’re made of were sourced. You don’t always need to buy new eco-friendly items if you already own perfectly good products. Buying used sweaters is another affordable way to reduce the demand for new products and reuse those that already exist.

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