Are you already overwhelmed by the school supplies list that little Johnny just brought or will soon bring home?

If you've got to fork over the dough for the school supplies anyway, why not buy eco-friendly supplies?

That's right, you can get everything from paper and notebooks made from bananas or mangos to solar backpacks and even FSC certified graphite and colored pencils.

All of these supplies are easy to come by, eco-friendly, and help you take one more step towards a greener life.

Oh, did I mention that they're safe? Yeah, who wants PVC, chemicals, and dyes all over their kids?

Don't worry, you don't have to go store hopping and internet scouring, we're laying them all out right here for ya.

Living green can be easy, but greenwashing does NOT make it easier.

So what is greenwashing?

Wikipedia defines it like this:

"a term that is used to describe the act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service."

These days, products and service that help in living green are big business. Unfortunately that means that the greenwashing problem will only get worse.

How can you know whether the green wool is being pulled over your eyes?

I'm here to help you make sure it doesn't.

"Coffee is the world's second most traded commodity after petroleum. That's 2.5 billion pounds every year", according to YourEcoSource.com.

As a result, our beloved coffee takes a huge toll on the environment--from deforestation of the world's rain forests to shipping costs.

So what can we do to reduce our coffee stained foot-print while simultaneously sip a WONDERFUL cup o joe?

Ever considered the environmental impact of one of your favorite team's games?

The Philadelphia Eagles have. They say,

"The major source of game-related CO2 came from travel activities and accommodations. Fans, media, and teams traveling by air, bus, and car will generate more than 10,900 tons of CO2--about 99% of the event's total carbon footprint."

So what are they doing to change it?

Have you ever realized how ironic it is that most gear used for adventures in the great outdoors is mostly, well, not-so-friendly to the great outdoors itself?

Via a post at TreeHugger.com this morning, I just learned that:

"REI co-op, America's largest consumer cooperative and outdoor gear emporium, announced an initiative to help their customers, and 2.8 million co-op members, find garments made of Eco-Sensitive materials".

Doesn't it only make sense to make outdoors gear from sustainable and "ecoSensitive" materials? But how eco-friendly is the REI ecoSensitive label?

Ever wonder what other blogs, sites, and information about living green is available on the web? EnergyPlanet.info is THE web directory for such things.

I'm pleased to say that The Fun Times Guide to Living Green has just been listed by this new environmental resource.

This just in: the 10 most green companies in the world, from CNN Money.

It's not surprising who is number one, but it is surprising who else is on the list!! Personally, I actually find some of them hard to believe.