A twice-weekly sharing of eco-shwag.

Club soda chuggers — Here’s a giveaway for you. One lucky green LA girl reader will win a Fountain Jet Seltzer Starter Kit by SodaStream, a maker of home soda-making machines!

This starter kit comes with everything you need to begin making your own club soda or seltzer water — so you can save money while also avoiding all those aluminum cans or plastic bottles store-bought soda comes in. The pack has a Fountain Jet Home Soda Maker, a 60 liter carbonator, and 2 carbonating bottles.

To see how the soda maker works, watch Grist’s Umbra make her own SodaStream club soda!

Each carbonator will give you up to 120 liters of soda, after which you can take advantage of SodaStream’s CO2 exchange program to swap out your empties for refilled carbonators. SodaMix flavors are also available if plain club soda’s too bland for you. The mixes are free of high fructose corn syrup, but the full ingredient list isn’t on the website — so I recommend asking for more details before purchasing them. You can, of course, also flavor your soda yourself by concocting your own syrups.

Comment by Thursday to get into the drawing, which’ll happen Friday (more info on freebies here). US addresses only; no PO Boxes.

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A twice-weekly sharing of eco-shwag.

Today’s freebie is a bring your own kit, complete with a reusable bag, water bottle, and mug press! All are items that I collected from gift bags given out at various green events:

>> The bag’s a Whole Foods tote, designed by Sheryl Crow and made of 80% recycled plastic bottles.

>> The bottle’s an Office Depot reusable aluminum bottle. Yes, the inner lining’s BPA-free according to Yalmaz-Siddiqui, Office Depot’s Environmental Strategy Advisor.

>> The mug press from the now defunct Ideal Bite  is great for fair trade organic coffee drinkers on the go. Made mostly of stainless steel, the mug press comes with a travel lid and a storage compartment at the bottom that holds enough coffee grounds for two more cups of brew.

Comment by Tuesday to get into the drawing, which’ll happen Wednesday (more info on freebies here). US addresses only.

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A twice-weekly sharing of eco-shwag.

Today’s giveaway is a covet-worthy eco-item for anyone who’s longed for a chic, greener home: A cream and celery Fern pillow from Amenity Home!

This 18×18 pillow — which retails for $89 — is an eco home decorator’s dream. Made of 55% hemp and 45% certified organic cotton and stuffed with a polyester fiber made from recycled bottles, this Fern pillow’s sewn and printed using nontoxic, water-based dyes — right here in Los Angeles.

The pillow’s part of Amenity Home’s new spring 2010 collection, with the new Fern print and its fresh, bright colors for bedding, wall flats, table textiles, and pillows. Shop the line and use the code “FERN20″ for 20% off during the earlybird sale — which ends today!

Still in a winter kind of mood? Then shop the older collections because the Green Sale — which gets you 30% off all regularly-priced items at Amenity’s online store (except for the new Fern collection and the Muir furniture collection) — is happening now until the end of the month.

Comment by Thursday to get into the drawing for the Fern pillow, which’ll happen Friday. (more info on freebies here). US addresses only.

Photos via Amenity Home

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A twice-weekly sharing of eco-shwag.

Today’s freebie is a pair of Eddie Bauer waterproof sport binoculars, which offer6x magnification and individual eye focus.

This outdoorsy prize comes courtesy of Summit on the Summit, the celeb-studded call to action to address the global clean water crisis. Earlier this month, Jessica Biel, Emile Hirsch, and many more well-known faces and names climbed Mount Kilimanjaro to raise awareness about — and money for — this cause. Eddie Bauer was one of the initiative’s sponsors — which means the celebs used binoculars just like this one as the tweeted their way up the as of now still snow-capped mountain.

While Summit on the Summit’s cause is very green, these binoculars really doesn’t have any eco-friendly features as far as I can tell — so if you win, you’ll have to make sure you put the backpack to a green cause — like birdwatching to track changes created by global climate change for scientists.

To win, comment by Tues., Feb. 2 answering this question: “How do you get your drinking water?” Do you drink straight from the tap? Use a filter? Or still buy disposable bottled water? The winner will be picked a week from today; US addresses only.

And if you’re a tweeter inspired to get involved with Summit on the Summit, check out the Twitter Toolkit. You can also sponsor a foot of the climb on the Summit on the Summit website by donating directly to the cause. All the funds raised will go towards The Children’s Safe Drinking Water Program, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and Water For People’s Playpump Technology.

Photo via Summit on the Summit

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A twice-weekly sharing of eco-shwag.

Made a resolution to yoga more in 2010? Today’s giveaway — a Manduka eKO Lite yoga mat and Mat Sling — will give you a greener cushion to downward dog on this year.

I actually own one of these eKO Lite mats — and have been happy with mine. The 24×68 mat looks pretty, has got good cushioning, and is made mostly of natural tree rubber via a nontoxic production process. Most importantly, the mat’s free of PVC, oil-based products, or other toxic plasticizers. Post-use, the mat’s 100% biodegradable — though it’s unclear under what conditions and after how long.

The winner will also get a Mat Sling — made with recycled fabric — to carry the yoga mat with. The adjustable sling has a padded shoulder and comes with an attachable pouch for your keys and other personal items. Just make sure to turn off your cell phone before starting your practice!

Already have a yoga mat — but want to enter to win this Manduka mat because the one you have is made with PVC? Enter away — and make sure to recycle your old yoga mat with Recycle Your Mat. You can either mail it in to Recycle Your Mat
1855 W 2nd Ave., Eugene, OR 97402 — or drop it off at a participating location. In L.A., City Yoga at 1067 N. Fairfax Ave. in West Hollywood is listed as a drop off spot. Recycling your mat will get you a coupon for 20% off your next order from Manduka.com.

Comment by Thurs., Jan. 28 to get into the drawing, which’ll happen Friday (more info on freebies here). US addresses only.

And don’t forget to enter the drawing for the First Ascent Little Tahoma Backpack by Tues.!

Photo via Manduka.com

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A twice-weekly sharing of eco-shwag.

If your new year’s resolution was to spend more time outdoors, you’ll like today’s freebie: A First Ascent Little Tahoma Backpack from Eddie Bauer.

This handy backpack comes courtesy of Summit on the Summit, the celeb-studded call to action to address the global clean water crisis. Earlier this month, Jessica Biel, Emile Hirsch, and many more well-known faces and names climbed Mount Kilimanjaro to raise awareness about — and money for — this cause.

Eddie Bauer was one of the initiative’s sponsors — which means the celebs carried backpacks just like this Tahoma backpack as the tweeted their way up the as of now still snow-capped mountain. The bag’s described as a versatile 1.5-pound carryall with a large main compartment that can hold a laptop if you want to blog while hiking around Griffith Park (do they have wifi there?) — or a hydration system if you’re trekking up Mount Baldie. Plus, the pack has dual front pockets, adjustable side pockets, and tool loops.

While Summit on the Summit’s cause is very green, this backpack really doesn’t have any eco-friendly features as far as I can tell — so if you win, you’ll have to make sure you put the backpack to a green cause — whether it’s by sharing it with your neighbors via NeighborGoods to limit unnecessary consumerism, filling it with eco-friendly snacks to take a class on a nature hike — or climbing a mountain yourself to stop mountaintop removal mining!

To win, comment by Tues., Jan. 26 answering this question: “What does clean water mean to you?” The winner will be picked a week from today; US addresses only.

And if you’re a tweeter inspired to get involved with Summit on the Summit, check out the Twitter Toolkit. You can also sponsor a foot of the climb on the Summit on the Summit website by donating directly to the cause. All the funds raised will go towards The Children’s Safe Drinking Water Program, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and Water For People’s Playpump Technology.

Photos via Summit on the Summit

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A twice-weekly sharing of eco-shwag.

The news today’s filled with calamities — Haiti is in chaos after a 7.0 quake, and some scientists are saying avoiding dangerous warming by 2100 is “barely feasible.”

So what better day to give away a copy of The Post-Petroleum Survival Guide and Cookbook: Recipes for Changing Times? Written by Albert Bates, this book offers some hardcore survival skills — like how to make seasoned roasted potatoes and chestnuts over an open fire in case your kitchen gets destroyed in an earthquake, flood, fire, or some other natural or human-caused disaster.

That’s just the start of it. Post Petroleum’s got instructions for emergency childbirth, building a fallout shelter, disinfecting water, and even rebuilding society. And in addition to the post-apocalyptic advice, there’s the more practical tips you can take to achieve more self- and community-sufficiency now.

Read my review of Post-Petroleum to find out more, then comment by Tuesday to get into the drawing, which’ll happen Wednesday (more info on freebies here). US addresses only.

Last but not least: The Haiti quake should be a reminder to all SoCalians that the big one’s overdue here — and we need to be prepared for it. Watch this video to get scared into action.

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A twice-weekly sharing of eco-shwag.

Today’s freebie is a once-watched DVD of Beer Wars, a documentary that covers the fight between independent brewers and the big corporate players.

As I wrote in my review, “Beer Wars reveals just how big the big players are for those who didn’t give their favorite brew a second thought: 1 of 2 beers sold in the U.S. are from Anheuser-Busch, and of the remaining 50% of the market, Miller takes 18%, Coors, 11%. Since Miller and Coors have now joined forces and Anhauser-Busch sold out to InBev, the corporations have gotten even bigger.”

Read my review of Beer Wars to find out more about the film, then comment by Thursday to get into the drawing, which’ll happen Friday (more info on freebies here). US addresses only.

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A twice-weekly sharing of eco-shwag.

Paper magazine readers: Here’s a fitting purse to tote your latest reads in. UrthBags’ Angelena Recycled Magazine Bag is itself made of upcycled magazines — protected with a salvaged plastic exterior.

And one lucky green LA girl reader will win his or her own Angelena! The zippered bag’s 12.5″ x 6.5″ x 8.5″, with pockets on the inside for your phone and iPod. Each bag’s one-of-a-kind, so the actual bag you win will feature different magazine pages than the one shown above.

UrthBags, a Huntington Beach company founded by Monica Ralli, makes eco-friendly bags from recycled and biodegradable materials like newspapers and juice pouches. According to Monica, the bags are crafted by fair trade women’s organizations and artisans in Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines, but UrthBags is not a Fair Trade Federation member and no further information about these fair trade crafters is available on the website.

Fan UrthBags on Facebook to get 15% off any UrthBags purchase. For a chance to win the Angelina bag, comment by Tuesday to get into the drawing, which’ll happen Wednesday (more info on freebies here). US addresses only.

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A twice-weekly sharing of eco-shwag.

Today’s freebie’s a pretty pair of Hovey Lee Campbell IV Earrings, available at online eco-boutique Nimli!

First, the earrings: The Campbell IV Earrings, as you can see above, look like delicate leaves and are made with reclaimed brass metal by Hovey Lee, an L.A.-based eco-ethically-minded jewelry company that creates its accessories with recycled materials and fair trade gemstones.

Second, the eco-boutique: Nimli carries many unique and eco-friendly fashions and accessories — and happens to be having a huge end of year sale right now! Find green bargains on brands like Doie and Eco-ganik at 30% to 60% off — then use the code SALE10 to get another 20% off on top of that discount!

To win the Hovey Lee Campbell IV Earrings, comment by Tuesday to get into the drawing, which’ll happen Wednesday (more info on freebies here). US addresses only.

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