Green Choice award at GreatNonprofits

Nonprofit organizations play an important role in advancing Green causes around a whole host of issues - habitat preservation, alternative energy, wildlife conservation, etc.

If you're looking to find some of the best eco-friendly nonprofits, the website GreatNonprofits.org is a good place to start.

GreatNonprofits.org recently held its 2009 Green Choice Awards and picked three winners that definitely deserve a lot of praise. And the winners are...

1. Hayes Valley Neighborhood Park Group, San Francisco

2. Slide Ranch, Muir Beach, California

3. Chewonki Foundation, Wiscasset, Maine

Commenting about the Green Choice Awards and the winners, GreatNonprofits.org's Founder and CEO Perla Ni said - “There are so many great nonprofits who don’t have an advertising budget and are not household names. Similar to what Yelp has done for small restaurants, we enable grassroots nonprofits to gain recognition. Now there’s an even playing-field through the genuine testimonials and reviews of people who have seen the work of a nonprofit first-hand. Donors and volunteers now have a source of information for which nonprofits are accountable and effective.”

So check out GreatNonprofits.org. Maybe you'll find a great eco-friendly nonprofit in your own backyard that needs your help or deserves your support

News Flash - Rodale.com Launches

Last week, I had the pleasure of attending a launch event for Rodale.com.

Created by the same company that has been promoting Organic Gardening since 1942, Rodale.com promises to offer a cornucopia of information on how to live healthy, eco-friendly lives. (Which explains the site's slogan - "Where Health Meets Green".)

Rodale.com provides easy access to searchable databases on home remedies and healthy recipes from Prevention.

Plus Rodale.com has plenty of original eco/health news stories and videos that manage to entertain while they instruct.

(There are also fun money-saving eco-living tips from a contributor named Jean Nick, a.k.a. The Nickel Pincher.)

Still not convinced to take a look? The site is running a contest right now where newsletter subscribers have a chance to win a $16,000 Canyon Ranch getaway!

If that's not incentive, I highly recommend taking a look at Maria Rodale's own thought-provoking blog - "Maria's Farm Country Kitchen".

In short, there's lots of valuable information and advice on Rodale.com that could make the site worthwhile for anyone interested in living a healthy, eco-friendly life.

Bicycles - The Ultimate Green Mode of Travel

It's easy to get caught up in the Green potential of new technologies - like a rechargeable battery that can hold its charge for a year.

But the truth is that sometimes the Greenest products are the ones that have been around for decades.

The humble bicycle has been getting people where they need to go with sufficient speed and style since the 19th Century.

Nowadays, bicycles are getting jazzed up and electrified, but if you're most concerned with a mode of conveyance that's durable and relatively easily repairable the world over, it's probably better to stick to an old-fashioned human-powered bike.

That's what our friend Alana Conner did on her recent trip through Tanzania. You can read the story of Alana's journey on her beautifully-written blog, Actual Miles.

Have you ever taken a bicycling vacation? If so, what was the experience like and would you do it again?