I get it. The holidays are hard and gift baskets help make them so easy. You go online, you order something appropriate and voila! you're done with your gifting for the year. But most of the products in the basket, including the basket itself, are wrapped in plastic and the boxes aren't usually recyclable (check inside the box - if the paper is white it's not recyclable, if it's brown it is recyclable), and some even stash a little block of Styrofoam beneath the grass filling to lift all the items up so that it looks better.

That's why I was particularly excited when Meghan Fahey from Greenstream Gourmet contacted me about a better option. Greenstream Gourmet has been created to show you that doing your part may be as simple as purchasing the right cookie. Tough, I know. They bake their cookies with organic and natural ingredients. Simple, time adored recipes - chocolate chip, oatmeal cranberry and brownie mint - with no artificial sweeteners or shelf life enhancers. Their packaging is made from corn plastic or PLA, polylactic acid, which decomposes into H20 and carbon dioxide in controlled composts in as little as 45 days. (Regular petroleum based plastics stick around forever and are made from non-renewable resources.) Their labels and ribbons are even made from bamboo, sugar cane and cotton and are printed with soy-based inks.

President-elect Barack Obama's team sent out an e-mail earlier this week to people on his campaign's giant e-mail list, inviting them to send in their own ideas about energy and the environment. They want to harness the change Americans seem to crave on this front, the spirit that may have helped them win a couple of weeks ago. They want to harness us.

For more of Trevor's blog, go to DVICE.com.

By Albert Bozzo

When it comes to sustainability, Dell is thinking big--and small. And it's the big things that are paying off the most.

In August, Dell met its much publicized goal to be carbon neutral ahead of schedule, lending some credibility to its less tangible quest of being the "greenest technology company on the planet."

Of course, it helps to have an eco-minded chairman, CEO and company founder in the person of Michael Dell.

To read more, go to green.cnbc.com.

Our friends at Carbonrally.com are hosting a face to face carbon challenge between the Fighting Irish and the Orange.  NBC Universal is throwing down $10,000 to the rival who can build the largest Carbonrally team. It all comes together on November 22 when the Fighting Irish and the Orange take the field. The team that grows the largest by November 30 will take home $10K to support campus eco initiatives.

Are you a student, alum, or fan? Click on a helmet below to meet the members, post and read comments, or join the team.

           

Volunteers from NBC Universal planted dozens of trees on Wednesday as part of a concerted effort to "green their routines."

They planted trees and perennials, removing leaves, and beautifying the Carver Houses in East Harlem with the New York Restoration Project (NYRP.)

NBC Universal President and CEO Jeff Zucker and Lauren Zalaznick, president of "Green is Universal," presented the NYRP with a grant from the NBC Universal Foundation to kick off the volunteer project.

For more go to NBCNewYork.com.

"Breathtaking," says BMW. "I shall call him... Mini-E." With that, BMW jumps into the electric car derby, unveiling its electric version of the Mini Cooper. The high-profile test program/publicity stunt will involve a limited run of 500 of the electric cars, to hit the streets of southern California and New York in January.

This one's tech is a lot like the Tesla, with 5,088 lithium ion batteries stuffed inside, powering a 150kW electric motor. That results in acceleration that's enthusiastic but not jaw-dropping, going from 0 to 60 mph in 8.5 seconds. The rest of the car looks a lot like the stock Mini Cooper, except for those blaring electric car graphics that let all onlookers know how this go-kart gets its kick.

The 500 cars will be leased to glamorous customers in hopes of attracting attention to the fact that BMW is, you know, doing something about electric cars. After this year-long Mini E test is done, BMW says it'll build an electric car from the ground up, but didn't say what would happen to these cute little electro-buggies.

Read the rest of Charlie's blog on DVICE.com

Green Week is creating quite the digital buzz.  So much so that sites that aren't a part of the NBCU family are going green and promoting it!  Thanks to the editorial team at Zap2It.com for saluting Green Week so beautifully!

In the spirit of Green Week, Conan and some of his staff created their own PSAs with their "green routines".

As the website for all of your Green Week news from around the company, we'd like to share a few of our new digital endeavors.  First, to see what's going down across the company, download our Green Week programming widget.  Check out our other widgets on the Grab It page, too.



And before you log off to tune into one of our awesome green themed shows, remember to download our new CO2 Saver from Snap.com. It will manage your computer's power usage when it's idle, saving energy and decreasing the demand on your power utility.



The less electricity produced, the fewer harmful emissions and greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2) are released into the atmosphere. It'll track how much energy you've saved and convert it to CO2 emission poundage - giving you your total savings as well as all of Green is Universal users!

Aching to go green but don't know where to start? Making your home more power-efficient and Earth-friendly has moved beyond obvious upgrades like swapping out incandescent bulbs for compact fluorescents or installing a couple of solar panels. A lot of environmentally friendly home renovations have emerged in the last couple of years, and they're easier to implement than ever before. Even better, lots of them look sexier, too. Follow the Continue jump below to read about the 10 newest green renovations you could be seeing in your home or your neighbor's soon, and be sure to check out what other sites in the NBC Universal family are doing for Green Week.

Read the rest of Trevor's blog on DVICE.com

Dear Mr. Green,

I need the 411 on recycling. What goes in what can and when. For example, aluminum... I know I can put aluminum cans, foil from take out, but what about those little lids that peel off of your yogurt? They look like foil. And plastic - can I throw bread bags in with my other plastics? I would love to know a full list of everyday things that are recyclable but that we more often throw in the garbage can.

Thanks!
Teresa

A fun video blog by the sustainability advocacy company The SOAP Group and GoodFocus exploring green tips for living smarter in a consumption crazy culture.

Green washing is a dirty word to environmentalists, but for a car wash in Wayne, New Jersey, it's a business model.

The Wayne Auto Spa's green features include 58 solar panels, water recycling system that cuts consumption by about 80% and biodegradable soaps.  While these investments may cost more at the onset, owner, Rob Burke discusses the business benefits of offering an environmentally friendly service.

CNBC.com's Brooke Sopelsa reports.

Click here to watch!

The second and final collection day of green screens was an even bigger hit than Saturday.  At almost every location, collection numbers were larger.  Check out the widget below.  Previous means Saturday, November 15th and Current means today, Sunday, November 16th.  Yes, that's 206,000 lbs. collected just today!  For a total New York City collection of 359,000 pounds of electronic waste this weekend.  What a wonderful way to kick off Green Week!

Again, I want to thank all of the New Yorkers who turned out in the thousands this weekend to recycle your electronic waste responsibly.  I worked at the Queens location and we saw some folks come back up to three times.  Every time with a smile and appreciation that we were offering this event.  A lot of people also asked when we would do this again.  So check back at greenisuniversal.com/greenscreens often for updates on our next event.

By Shelly K. Schwartz, CNBC.com

What began as a campaign to cut costs through energy conservation has become something of an obsession for Jose Duarte.

Courtesy of Taranta Taranta's Jose Duarte

The owner and head chef of Taranta restaurant in Boston's historic North End, who received the City of Boston's 2008 Green Business Award, has implemented more than 30 eco-friendly upgrades to his restaurant over the last two years.

Among them: an in-house carbonation system that eliminates bottled waste, a recycling and composting program that reduced the restaurant's garbage production to a fraction of what it once was and a diesel delivery truck that's been retrofit to run on filtered grease from the kitchen.

The first day of Green is Universal and the City of New York's green screens event was a HUGE hit! Thanks to the thousands of New Yorkers who braved the rainy, cold weather we have collected a total of 153,000 pounds of electronic waste today! You helped make National Recycling Day special for Green is Universal and New York City.

We are still on for tomorrows event, so please, if you weren't one of the thousands who came out today, make the trip tomorrow to your borough's location. For more info on times and locations check out our nifty widget below or visit greenisuniversal.com/greenscreens.

Dear Mr. Green,

I am familiar with using diatomaceous earth for ridding your home of fleas and have even used it before with great success. Now I have a toddler crawling all over my carpets (and petting my dog!) and am concerned with her breathing in the dust. Is there a better alternative that is non-toxic to little ones?

Thanks!
Jennifer Sauer