Photo by SusanBerkley

Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the speedy month of December are right around the corner.

It's true. In less than a week, you're going to be lounging on the couch after Thanksgiving dinner, and some grandma or uncle or cousin is going to say, "Soooo, what's on the kids' wish list this year?"

Ugh, is it really time to think about the holidays, let alone start shopping?

Why, yes, yes it is...

The Khmu ethnic group of Laos have been handmaking these gorgeous, eco-friendly and natural-fiber bags (now named Nature Bags) for centuries.

And now, as part of a poverty reduction project for the region, you can help support the work of this impoverished group of handcrafters, whose region has one of the lowest per capita income levels in the world.

Photo from cozycabinmom

Going greener on Thanksgiving doesn't mean you have to give up the indulgence of the day! Indulge in good food and time with family and friends.

Don't indulge in waste wherever can!

Here are some simple tips for making your holiday a little more eco-friendly.

Photo from Little Green Notebook

Check out Jenny's gorgeous office makeover on Little Green Notebook – accomplished for virtually $0. What???

Photo from D*S

If you're growing some hearty autumn/winter vegetables, you probably can't eat them all (do they multiply underground or what?).

Here's a cute idea for making a carrot vase (albeit that's one GIANT carrot) from the folks over on Design Sponge. Wonderful. 

Vegetarian meals and cloth napkins

Ideal Bite's Alison Neumer Lara is here with us today, sharing some simple ways to bundle small changes into big savings in your wallet and for our planet.

What did you do with the crib after your little one outgrew it? Chez Larsson has seven creative ideas for how to repurpose a crib (using the slatted sides or bottom) in other rooms in your home.

Photo by Stacy77

I think I do a pretty good job of living the green life, but I do have my limits. Take toilet paper. Some people use a family cloth, washable rags that they disposed of a bucket after using and then wash daily. Um, yeah, not doing that. But I am a nut about recycling toilet paper tubes. My family ends up with a couple hundred tubes a year. That's a lot of cardboard, which is easy to recycle. I've even got my kids in the habit of putting them into a second trash can in the loo.

My husband is another story...