By now you should know—the greenest clothes possible are the ones you already own. Re-wearing your clothes as long as you possibly can is simply the best way to make up for the resources their production (and shipping) depleted. But if you must buy new clothes (let’s face it, most people *me included* like doing this from time to time), there are a few things you should keep your eyes open for.

1. Try to choose clothes made from materials that can be cold washed and line dried—anything more advanced (i.e. dry-clean only) continues to tax the environment significantly as it ages.

2. Buy clothes you know will last! The longer you can wear them, the better.

3. Check out thrift shops. They are the equivalent of clothing recyclers and as an added bonus, a great way to cheaply restock your wardrobe.

4. Shop around for clothing made from reused materials. This can be anything from recycled plastic bottles to grocery bags! If you are cold, look for fleece fabric made from spun bottles.

5. Try to buy organically grown materials. In the United States, ten percent of all agricultural chemicals are used to grow cotton that only covers one percent of farmland! Organic materials won’t poison the earth with fertilizers and pesticides. You can find organic cotton, wool, linen, flax and hemp.

6. If you can’t buy organic, the next best thing are materials derived from wood pulp, bamboo, soy and corn. When they can no longer be worn, simply throw the garment into your compost heap!

With everything you do, paying attention to the effects your choices have on the environment is of the utmost importance. Nothing matters more than protecting our planet. So before you run out to replace your jeans, shop around—the earth will thank you!

No, the environmental concerns you have at home do not go away when you travel. Depending on where you go and what you plan to do there, you could be dramatically increasing your carbon footprint and undoing much of the good works you are doing in your green home. Here are some vacation spots that minimize negative environmental effects, giving you a real reason to relax.

Belize

If you are looking for a beach vacation, consider this beautiful spot. The combination of thick forests and incredible coastline will remind you how precious our earth is. See the Belize barrier reef to appreciate the value of the ocean, dive with whale sharks or looking out for manatees.

Yucatan, Mexico

Home to the impressive Hacienda Chichen Resort, a green hotel, you can see Mexico without the partiers and booze. This regions incredible cultural history and archaeology comes from the ancient Mayans. The resort features a holistic spa inspired by the health practices of the Mayans, and they serve largely organic food. Flat-bottomed, non-invasive boats can take you on a bird watching trip to see egrets, herons, cormorants, flamingoes and ospreys.

Costa Rica

Visit this island’s incredible national parks on an eco-tourist trip. You can see some of the world’s most endangered sea turtles and volunteer on a conservation project to help ensure that they stay around.

Alaska

This site of unparalleled natural beauty is a great place to remind yourself of why it is important to conserve energy and get away from the use of fossil fuels. Visit the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, where domestic oil companies hope to drill in the near future.

Switzerland

This amazing refuge in the Alps is one of the world’s most environmentally-conscious countries. Hike, bike or ski to see the landscape, and travel by the various high-speed trains to see as much of the protected natural land that makes up a third of the country.

Ecuador

Stay at one of the region’s many eco-friendly lodges to see the rapidly disappearing rainforests and their one-of-a-kind inhabitants. Check out the Napo Wildlife Center in Quito in particular!

New Zealand

Take a lengthy hike or camping trip in the New Zealand wilderness—it will be one of the most stirring experiences in your life. Hike the Great Ocean Road or the Kepler Track if you are more ambitious. If you want to see sea life on the emerald islands, do some whale watching and bird watching at the Willowbank Wildlife Reserve in Christchurch.

All of these are great ways to reconnect with the earth by visiting some of its most beautiful locations and seeing some of its most amazing creatures. You will return home inspired to do even more to ensure that your children—and your children’s children– can experience the world in its fullest splendor.

Looking for a great place to move (or at least take a trip to) to see what the future will look like? Check out these five great, green cities— they are just the first to take the steps necessary to help our planet support us into the future. They’ve all done it, and done it well— so there is really no excuse for the rest of the world. If you can’t make it out to any of these places, just take some ideas from what they have done and bring them to your town hall, governor, or neighbor. If we clamor for change, we will bring it around!

1. Reykjavik, Iceland

This is one place that will certainly suffer if global warming has its way! They’ve done their part to ensure that energy alternatives to fossil fuels are put into practice through a fleet of hydrogen buses. The entire country’s heat and electricity comes exclusively from renewable geothermal and hydropower sources, as well—a feat unmatched anywhere else in the world. They plan to become fossil-fuel-free by 2050, and it seems that they are well on their way to reaching their goal.

2. Portland, Oregon, U.S.

This is the first U.S. city to enact a comprehensive plan to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, something that will be completely mandatory everywhere eventually. They have mastered green building, as the city boasts 92,000 acres of green space and more than 74 miles of hiking, running and biking trails. Additionally, their transportation system is ruled by light rail, buses and bike lines to limit the number of cars on the road.

3. Curitiba, Brazil

The lucky citizens of Curitiba have a bus system that is recognized as one of the best in the world, a flock of 30 sheep employed with trimming the grass in municipal parks, and over 580 square feet of green space per inhabitant. No wonder 99 percent of the locals are happy with their hometown.

4. Malmö, Sweden

This town is known already for its huge parks and large amount of green space, but the urban planners behind Sweden’s third-largest city are not resting on their laurels. Many neighborhoods have undergone massive, green transformations on the city’s way to becoming an “eco-city”.

5. Vancouver, Canada

The largest city is British Columbia draws 90 percent of its power from renewable resources, as it is a worldwide leader in hydroelectric power. They plan to replace the remaining ten percent with wind, solar, wave and tidal energy. What they can’t accomplish immediately is surely included in their 100-year plan for sustainability.

Plastic bags are one of the worst things for the environment that we can think of. Research suggest that 500 billion to one trillion plastic bags are consumed each year. And only one city in the United States has banned their use in markets and pharmacies—San Francisco.

So, they aren’t going away. But what can we do with them to make them more useful and keep them out of landfills?

You can make plastic bag yarn!

(pic courtesy of hellejorgensen.typepad.com)

You can then use it to knit, and even make clothes and bags from it! They’ll be waterproof! Consider using plastic bags from your old shopping trips to knit a tote for a new way of shopping! We promise, you will be forgiven for all the bags you used before. You can also make rugs and placemats as well.

You can also make better, stronger totes by fusing bags together to incorporate their designs into a new, better one. The same technique can be used to make an awesome dress like this!

Fusing can be done with a simple iron and parchment paper, but be sure to do a little research before getting melting or you may have some difficulty. Then, the plastic “fabric” can be sewn together into anything you want to make.

Fusing can also make beautiful, funky jewelry and hair accessories.

By making anything from plastic bags—or even carrying them for another use—you help keep these volatile landfill-mongers out of our earth a little bit longer.

Pic courtesy of craftster.org.

Two New Zealand researchers recently suggested that at over 2 acres, dogs carry a larger carbon footprint than a SUV. Cats are comparable to a small Volkswagen, a pair of hamsters compare to a plasma television, and goldfish have a carbon footprint that is comparable to two cell phones.

Cats and dogs are carnivorous, so they actually live higher on the food chains than humans, because humans are omnivorous. Meat requires much more land and energy to cultivate than anything else in our diets.

Now even your dog or cat can be green! How, you ask? I’ll tell you—and it doesn’t involve dye. Many products, from food to toys, are being made from sustainable materials that keep your pet’s carbon footprint to a minimum.

1. Catupon Pet Mat by Aster and Sage is a great use for recycled plastic soda bottles. This small, brushed mattress in two colors is perfect for cats and dogs alike. $16 per mat

2. Zanies Eco-Friendly Mice Cat Toys are an official “green” pet toy as a result of their low-impact dyes and reusability. $44 for a large package of mice

3. Simply Fido Organic Plush Hemp Dog Toy is made from low-impact hemp with chemical-free fillers and dyes, so if your dog gets hungry you can be sure that this little owl won’t hurt their tummies. $7.64 per toy

4. A Cheerful Pet Tugzees Dog Toys are made from 100% boiled wool and are handcrafted by Nepali artisans. They are natural, durable and washable, and are sold under fair trade guidelines. $19.99 per toy

5. Doggles Sillypulls Dog Toy is a kind of wacky tug-of-war toy made for larger dogs. It is constructed from ballistic, recycled nylon, so even if your dog doesn’t know that he is doing good by chewing on it, at least you will!

And of course, only buy your pet more toys if they need them or if you are already looking to buy some. Reduce what you buy, reuse what you have, recycle what you don’t need.

These days, being fashion-aware doesn’t simply mean wearing a cool dress. It also means knowing of what that dress is made of and how it affects the environment. It is a challenge for many, but luckily, there are tons of hip and happening fashion lines that incorporate eco manufacturing trends into their trendy designs. Wearing the following 5 fashion lines will ensure that you are in style both as a fashionista and as a responsible human being.

Sworn Virgins: Instead of making their soft, knit party dresses out of cotton, which is treated with killer pesticides and chemicals during harvesting, Alex Amini and Roshanne Aghevil decided to make their line out of bamboo, a sustainable resource. By blending spandex and bamboo, they get a great cotton replacement fabric that keeps the Earth in mind.

Beau Soleil: Few fashion designers keep fair trade and labor, organic, raw materials and sustainability in mind when they design haute couture. New York-native Anne Salvatore Epstein does, though don’t assume that that translates to boring, plain clothing. Elegant draping and studs combine to create truly imaginative and special clothing that would make any eco-activist smile.

Ecoskin: Another clothing line that utilizes bamboo as a fiber used in the fabric, Ecoskin also uses toxin-free tencel, a fiber extracted from wood pulp. Ecoskin’s dresses are perfect for day or night.

Linda Loudermilk: This former costume design student at Oxford knows her stuff, both ecologically and stylistically. One of the originators of earth-friendly clothing, Loudermilk makes luxury items that won’t harm the earth. Check out her upscale, tailored suits and long dresses made with incredible attention to detail.

Of course, the mantra of the green movement is reduce, reuse and recycle, but I am sure that Mother Earth won’t mind if you buy a few new things from these designers.

Perhaps the best way to lower your carbon footprint is to bike to work. Of course public transportation and carpooling do help, but nothing is as good for you and the earth as relying on a bicycle to get around. Biking is a great, low-impact exercise for those of us with damaged or stiff knees, and an awesome way to incorporate exercise into your day naturally. You probably already have a bike—here are a few great accessories for it to make the switch to cycling an easy one!

• TransIt Grocery Bag Pannier, $39.99 Maybe you are still driving to the store (with reusable bags of course) to buy your groceries. Not anymore! A great grocery bag pannier allows you to load up on food and then set the bag solidly on the back of your bike. Not only does this one fit on most standard panniers, it has a reflector stripe for added safety and a strap so you can take it into the store with you. Not grocery shopping today? That’s fine, just fold it up!

• CycleAware Reflex Mirror, $17.99 Nervous about biking in the street? Don’t fear, with a rear-view mirror you will be more aware of your surroundings than ever before. After attaching the mirror to your helmet, bend the flexible wire it is on to hit right in your peripheral vision. The base adheres permanently to your helmet, but the wire and mirror can be removed by ball and socket joints.

• Garmin Edge GPS with Heart Rate and Cadence, $599.99 In addition to guiding your bike route through the built in satellite map, this nifty tool will allow you to upload workouts, courses and saved rides. You can share your data with other GPS users, and automatically measure your speed, heart rate, cadence, distance, time, calories burned, altitude, climb and descent.

• NiteRider Sol LED Headlight, $129.99 If you work late or like to ride at night, don’t go anywhere without a headlight. This bright light can run for four hours per charge. Just plug it in to your wall and walk away! The charger self-monitors battery levels, so no worries about over charging. It is lightweight, compact, and fits most handlebars.

Depending on how serious you are of a biker and your intentions for your bike’s use, there are endless accessories to make your ride as convenient as a car trip. Bike around, see what you need, and get shopping!

It’s pretty easy being green. At least, that’s what Portland, Ore. would say if you asked. The city at the top of our list definitely makes it look easy. If you don’t have the good fortune to live in one of these earth-friendly cities, try visiting one. Maybe you can take some of their green practices home with you. These are Popular Science’s picks for the greenest cities in America.

1. Portland, Oregon: Talk about progressive. Half of Portland’s power comes from renewable sources and a quarter of the city’s workers bike to work, carpool or use public transportation. They are probably going to work in a green building too; 35 of the city’s buildings are certified by the U.S. Green Building Council.

2. San Francisco, California: This green city generates some of its power from roof space that would have otherwise been wasted. On the roof of the massive convention center lies an intricate collection of photovoltaic cells that power the center during events and 180 homes when the center is empty. Next, San Francisco will be covering many, many more surfaces with solar cells.

3. Boston, Massachusetts: Yard waste is gold in this green city. A plant is in the works to convert yard clippings and leaves into power and fertilizer. Anaerobic bacteria will feed on the grass and create methane while the leaves will be subjected to heat and agitation to speed up the composting process.

4. Oakland, California: The second California city on the list is a master at green transportation. Their public transportation system relies on a new fleet of hydrogen-powered buses that give off nothing more than water vapor.

5. Eugene, Oregon: The second Oregon city on the list has everyone beat on electricity efficiency. While much of the Pacific Northwest gets its power from hydroelectric dams, Eugene goes a few steps further by getting an additional nine percent of its energy from wind dams and buying back excess power from residents who install solar panels.

By supporting the cities that have entered the green future, we can help the country move forward as a whole. If you see anything here that you think would be possible for your city, ask your political representatives about it. Let’s get every American city on this list!

Americans love shoes. In fact, there are around seven pairs for every person living in the United States. That’s a lot, especially when you take into consideration the materials used to make up our favorites. Most contain a number of different synthetic and petroleum-derived materials, manufactured in China, that release toxins like the carcinogenic dioxin into the air. Factory workers are exposed to dangerous glues and tanning agents for leather. By buying shoes made from sustainable materials, you will reduce the surprising carbon cost of footwear.

• While Simple Shoes manufactures their shoes outside of the United States, they are committed to using fair labor practices and sustainable materials for their products. Their sandals, casual shoes, sneakers and dress shoes are made from a combination of different recycled and sustainable materials, including organic cotton, recycled car tires and innertubes, hemp, silk, and cork. Their packaging is as minimal as it can get, and all biodegradable.

• Earth Shoes makes casual and athletic shoes from bamboo, hemp, recycled plastic and water-soluble solvents. Their special design, called a “negative heel”, promotes leg strength and weight loss by making the heel of the shoe lower than the thick sole of the arch and toes—in effect, you are constantly walking uphill. This lowered heel is supposed to align your hips and spine, straighten your head and activate your core—so not only are you doing the earth good by wearing these shoes, you are doing you body good as well.

• Patagonia puts a lot of thought into the materials they use to make their shoes, in addition to their functionality. While they still choose to use leather in some of their products because of its extreme durability and protective properties, they reuse hides from the meat industry that would be discarded otherwise. Their tanning process strives to be as earth friendly and safe for the tanners as possible. They offer a line of vegan shoes made with all water-soluble solvents and uppers made from recycled and synthetic materials. They recycle their own rubber scraps into soles, and use Heavea latex, which has an extraction process that is actually beneficial to the tree.

But before you decide to buy new shoes, consider the greenest options of all: shoe recycling. If your shoe breaks, repair it, rather than buying a new pair—it’s undoubtably cheaper. If you really want a new pair, try buying from a thrift store. Plenty of lightly worn and interesting shoes are available at your local Good Will or Salvation Army stores.

Do your best to purchase shoes made in the United States, preferably by union workers. Don’t be fooled by shoes manufactured in the Mariana Islands, however—while they are U.S. Commonwealth, the factories there are not required to pay the minimum wage o their workers.

While it might seem silly to worry about what shoes you wear, we must consider all the ways we can limit our carbon footprint and promote fair labor practices. If each of us recognized our significant contribution to climate change and globalization, then maybe these problems could be resolved.

According to the International Energy Agency, to satisfy the rising electricity demands of consumer electronics in the next two decades, 560 coal-fired power plants (or 230 nuclear power plants) will need to be constructed. And did you know that a number of household electronics increase your electricity costs even when they are turned off? This is called ‘standby power’, and on average, an American home has over 40 electronics drawing it. Many electronics aren’t really ‘off’ when their switch is in the off position—they may wait, using power all the while, for the signal of a remote, or for the television screen to be turned on again. These products, listed with their standby energy usage as estimated by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, should be unplugged when you aren’t using them. Unplug, and watch your monthly electricity bill decline.

• Video Game Consoles: In an effort to save games, many video game players will leave their console turned on when they aren’t in use. In total, the nation’s gaming consoles use the same amount of electricity yearly as San Diego, the country’s ninth largest city. These can use up to 63.74 watts in standby.
• Televisions: Even when off, televisions with DVR capabilities use energy as they record or power their signal receptor for the remote control. These can use up to 48 watts in standby.
• Cell Phone Chargers: Have you noticed your charger is warm when it is plugged in to the wall but not into your phone? Only about 5% of the total power drawn monthly by a cell phone charger goes into charging your phone—the rest is wasted power when the charger is plugged in but not in use. These can use up to 1 watt in standby.
• Night Light: Even though it is daytime, your night light is still plugged in, using energy to provide light you don’t need. Unplug it, and then plug it in when it starts to get dark. These can use up to 1.2 watts in standby.
• Printer: No one is printing all the time, yet printers are typically left plugged in to wait until they are needed. These can use up to 22 watts in standby.

If your home has all of these things, and you keep them plugged in all the time, you are paying for an additional 135.94 watts to be drawn constantly when these electronics are on but not in use. Keeping things plugged in when you aren’t using them is a secret drain on your bank account, as well as a drain on our limited resources for power —so unplug away!