(pictures from Notcot)

Target has teamed up with Newsweek and Terracycle to make Retotes, an interesting reusable bag program.  Basically, the Retote is made of used, recycled Target bags that have been returned to the store then Terracycle turns them into reusable shopping bags.  If you pick up Newsweeks April 15, 2008 issue, “Environment & Leadership: Who’s the Greenest of Them All?”, you will find that the cover doubles as an envelope that you can use to send in and get a coupon for a free Retote (which retail for $6).  Kind of a production to get one reusable bag, but the target label adorned bags are popular and we have to give them credit for the creative promotion.  Also, head on over to Terracycle and read about their story, they have some interesting ideas about eco-capitalism.

We know not everything you buy is going to be Green but here’s a great site that allows you to give back with every purchase, without spending anymore than you normally would have. The site is NonProfitShoppingMall.com (NPSM). NPSM has partnered with large online retailers like Dell, Staples, Amazon, GAIAM, Macy’s… who have agreed to pay a sales commission to any sales that are made through NPSM. NPSM then give that commission to a charity that you choose from their list of approved non-profits like the Sierra Club or the Rainforest Alliance. Each retailer determines their contribution level which is published on the site. Just flipping through I saw contributions as low as 0.5% for The Apple Store, and as high as 7.5% for the Ecoist. With Mother’s Day coming up if you didn’t find anything in our Green Gift Guide and you are going to resort to buying mom a gas powered chain saw at Home Depot to level the tree’s in the back yard amidst the noise and gas fumes :o( at least you can make the purchase through NPSM and have a portion of your purchase go to the Sierra Club.

Part product comparison site, part social network Huddler’s Green Home is a place for eco-minded consumer to gather, learn about & share information about Green products & services, and interact.  If you’ve been putting off really jumping into “Going Green” this would be a great place to start.  With Earth Day coming up they are running a contest where you can win a prize pack filled with products to start you down the Green path.  Keep reading for details on the contest…

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Upgrade: $12

I love these new Flip & Tumble bags! They are super stylish, and add a cool twist (or I guess I should say flip) on the boring old reusable bag. The Flip & Tumble bags have a stretchy pouch sewn on the inside of the bag that lets you quickly ball it up like a pair of socks. I find this particularly useful. My old reusable bags (they are old school canvas totes I’ve been using for years) hang in my coat closet until its time to go to the store but I only have them when my shopping trip is planned. Now I keep two in my bag and two in my glove box so I’ll never get caught empty bagged.

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Lurking in your walls, in your attic and basement, all around you are power leaks that are costing you money and impacting the environment.  Don’t know what to do?  No worries, call the Green Ghost Busters, Sustainable Spaces, Inc. of San Francisco, CA.  Armed with an arsenal of hi-tech gadgets, Sustainable Spaces, with CEO Matt Golden,  will hunt down those costly inefficiencies and take them out.

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MyGreenElectronics.org is a great site from the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) that has a wealth of information to help consumers Reduce, Reuse & Recycle their electronics.  The site includes a database of recycling centers and services that you can use to recycle your old electronics.  You can search the database by zip code to find recycling centers near you.  We’ve added their search tool to our sidebar on the right side of this page so you can search their database right from greenupgrader.  Along with educating people about the three R’s, they also have some great information to help consumers make smart & Green purchasing decisions. 

Two new customer buy back programs aim to reduce the amount of e-waste pouring into landfills every day.  Both ecoNEW and TechForward pay consumers for their old electronics equipment hoping to encourage new purchases and to keep these products, many of which contain harmful chemicals, out of our landfills.  The reclaimed electronics will then be refurbished and sold online, or broken up into salvage parts. 

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We have a few more details on yesterdays post about the e-waste recycling mail back program…  The USPS will run the pilot program for 90 days in which time they will determine if the consumers response to this program warrants a nation wide roll out. 

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*** UPDATE POSTED HERE ***

Recycling our bottles, cans and paper is as easy as walking down to the curb once a week, but what about those other things our town doesn’t give us a bin for?  The United States Postal Service has answered this question with this weeks launch of a pilot "Mail Back" program.  The program make it easier for all of us to recycle our discarded small electronics (inkjet cartridges, PDAs, Blackberries, digital cameras, iPods & MP3 players), as easy as walking down to your mailbox. 

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Envirosax graphic series pouches contain 5 uniquely designed reusable bags.  The pouch is small enough to fit in your glove box or medium sized tote, so you’ll always have a chic eco-friendly alternative to disposable shopping bags right at your finger tips.  Pictured above is the Mikado series featuring fun yet simple Japanese design.