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.

If you've ever really paid attention to what a bottle of laundry detergent or window cleaner costs, you know that overall consumers are spending big money for cleaning products these days.

Greening your cleaning habits is an awesome step, but what if you could make your own cleaning products for pennies, rather than purchasing over-the-top priced cleaning items? As if saving money isn't enough to make you stand up and take notice, how about this:

Making your own cleaning products from natural products you may already have around your home is uber environmentally friendly!

That's right, making your own cleaning products can save you money and be part of your plan to live a greener lifestyle. What's more, they actually work!

Like anyone who is trying to live green, I have a problem with the speed with which the rain forests and every other forest on the planet for that matter are being cut down. One of the reasons of course that so many trees are being cut down in addition to the fact that humanity is expanding at an exponential rate, is our need for paper products, and one of those paper products are books.

I freely admit that I am a book junkie, and I have more paperbacks in my house than any one woman should own in a lifetime. The fact is I adore reading, and am a voracious reader, but this sometimes clashes with my concerns about the numbers of trees being cut down to provide me with my favorite vice.

Who knew so much damage could come from drinking water?

Sure, you thought your reusable bottle was cool, trendy, and environmentally friendly, but in reality, it was doing more harm than good...to the environment AND your health.

Never fear, the CamelBak supers are here to rescue you!

What's the newest item on the chopping block of bannings?

Disposable chopsticks.

The Wall Street Journal reported this morning that people all over China, from pop stars to environmental groups, are jumping on the bandwagon to ban disposable chopsticks.

When this story was first passed on to me, I thought, "Seriously, how big of an impact could they really have?".

So what kind of impact do they have, how many people's jobs depend on them, and just how big of an industry is it?

The answers will blow your mind--they sure did mine!

Ever had a little trouble getting up those steps with both hands full of grocery bags?

One reader, Indie, left a comment on a previous post about my 4 favorite, stylish, reusable canvas bags, asking for the solution to such a scenario.

Well Indie (and everyone else who shares her dilemma), here's your solution.

As we've often talked about here at the Fun Times Guide to Living Green, it doesn't always cost a lot to take steps towards going green.

Earlier this month I wrote about a .99 cent reusable canvas bag from Publix, helping us free ourselves from a dependency on plastic bags.

Thanks to the response and comments on that post, I thought I'd pass on 4 more .99 cent canvas bag options. Some of these even resolve some of the common complaints of carrying reusable canvas totes!