When tasked with buying a hostess gift, it's easy to fall into the trap of leaving it to the last minute or buying the same gifts over and over again. You know what I'm talking about. Soaps, flowers, a box of chocolates...all very nice thoughts, but all on the predictable and boring side.

As with all gifts, the best ones are unique and show the recipient you put lots of thought into buying it.

As November comes to a close, many of us are about to kick it into high gear with holiday preparations. I recently read that over 300,000 tonnes of garbage is generated in Canada between mid November and New Year’s Day. The article was written in 2011 and I was not able to find a more recent stat, but I can only imagine how much that number has grown over the past few years. But the holidays need not be a wasteful time; with some smart planning and thinking, this holiday - and every holiday going forward - can be eco-friendly.

For most of their history, eco-features on cars were not really a "thing." But in the last few years there has been a huge rise in what car manufacturers are doing to make their vehicles more fuel-efficient and safer for the environment. And yes, of course, cars are cars. No matter what, walking, biking, or taking transit is always going to be the most eco-friendly choice but for most, cars are a necessity. So if you need to have one, why not buy one that contributes to making thing greener?

When you think of being environmentally-friendly, what do you think of?

I recently got rid of a large amount of baby clothes and items—it's something I should have done a long time ago since my kids have not been babies for a very long time! I held on to their things for so long because they were cute and tiny and maybe someday (I thought) I may want to dig them up and go through them to reminisce. But then one day while walking by those bags of "stuff" that were sitting there taking up space, something changed. I was ready to get rid of them. It was time. The sentimentality was gone, I was ready to let it all go.

What kid doesn't like a glow stick? They are a year-round object of fascination and with Halloween coming up, they can be found everywhere. Other than the fun they bring to kids, they are also used as a way to ensure your trick-or-treaters are seen in the dark on Halloween. Before reading up on glow sticks, I had no idea what made them work. I've never bought them before, so I had the same questions you most likely do: What is inside of a glow stick? How does a glow stick glow? Are glow sticks safe?

I never flush and I never will. Flushing is a terrible habit that does more harm than good and you need to know why.

Now, before you get unpleasant visions in your head or close your browser window due to squeamishness, let me make it clear what I'm talking about (because it's probably not what you are thinking).

I NEVER flush pharmaceuticals, hygiene products, hazardous waste or oils down the toilet and I never wash them down the drain.

I've written before about my love for TED Talks. They are thought-provoking, educational, and give us free access to some of the smartest minds in the world. It's a virtual library of some of the most fascinating and intelligent people speaking about a variety of subjects (here are 12 environmental TED talks that will make you think).

I’m always on the lookout for great recipes. Whether it’s online though my favourite food blogs, Pinterest, or in recipe books, the hunt is never-ending. While I do have my familiar go-to’s to fall back on when I have no idea what to make for supper at 4pm, I think it’s always a good idea to try new things so I can add more go-to’s to the list.

I'm sure you've heard the saying: "One man's trash is another man's treasure."

For students in Cateura, Paraguay, this statement could not be more true.

For most of us, music classes for our kids are easy to access and are not too difficult to turn into a reality. For kids in the Paraguay village called Cateura, a music instrument can cost more than a home! So it is not an easy dream to realize if a child has an interest in music. Which is where The Recycled Orchestra of Cateura comes in.

Take a look at this:

Over 110 nations across the world recognize their citizen's right to live in a healthy environment. But not Canada.

The right to a healthy environment is the simple idea that all Canadians deserve to breathe fresh air, drink clean water, and eat healthy food.

I am in the market for a new car and the sooner, the better. My current car has seen better days...it’s time. So for the past while I’ve been preparing myself by looking into all the factors I usually look at before committing to years of new car payments (*sob*). There are the standard things such as:

You know me as YMC’s 50 Shades of Green blogger, but what you may not know is that I also work behind the scenes as YMC’s Sponsored Content Manager. A part of my job is working with the team to make sure all of our sponsored blog posts are optimized for the search engines.

So what are some easy SEO tips that you, as a blogger, can implement to make sure your posts will be found by Google and other search engines?

When school ends each year, my kids put together their wish list of all the things they want to do and see during their summer holidays. The list has a few different things on it each year, but there are the regulars such as riding their bikes, visiting the library, visiting museums, going to the splash pad, watching movies and having popcorn on a rainy day to getting a pet (that last one is not happening this year, dear children).

It's called "morning" sickness, but for some of us it may last well beyond the morning. We're told it should ease up around the 3-month mark, but for some of us it may last the entire pregnancy—in my case it lasted well into the 7th month—for both of my pregnancies. Trust me when I say, I know how draining and miserable it can be.

When it comes to planning your child's next birthday party and you feel like you want it to be "greener" than past celebrations, you may think it will be difficult and/or expensive, but that is definitely not the case. With a little creative thinking and some extra time, you can put together an eco-friendly bash that will have you throwing out less trash at the end of the day and even save yourself some money in the process. Having your child involved in the planning will also help to open them up to some of the ideas involved.

I was surfing the net one evening when I came across the Bunner's Simple & Delicious Gluten-Free & Vegan Treats cookbook. Cue the singing angels.

So you’ve switched most of your 'not-so-green' body care products over to natural and organic products, but there is one lingering item that you just can't seem to get rid of because you can’t find an alternative that actually works. Your deodorant. Sound familiar? You are not alone.

After entertaining a crowd—whether it’s a BBQ, birthday party, holiday gathering, or a baby shower>—the cleanup can be daunting...especially when it comes to the dishes. Cleaning dishes are not my favourite thing to spend time cleaning—and I know it isn’t a favourite of yours either. So for convenience, some of us lean towards disposable utensils, cups, plates, and napkins.

For the tenth year, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) has put together their Dirty Dozen^™ and Clean 15^™ lists to empower consumers so we have an idea of which fruits and vegetables contain the most pesticide residue. Pesticides are not only harmful to us, they are also harmful to the environment.