Two green thumbs up for these Earth Day ideas that don't cost you a dime

If you’ve been reading Cool Mom Picks for a while, you know that we are always looking for sustainably-made, eco-friendly products from conscientious companies, big and small.

So for this Friday’s Earth Day, instead of giving you more green products you can buy (although hey, we might do that too), we want to point out some cool Earth Day-related initiatives that don’t require you to open up your pocketbook for that other kind of green. –Christina

Paper Culture has long been one of our favorite sites for gorgeous photo and greeting cards, and for their unwavering commitment to protecting the environment. Using only 100% post-consumer paper, purchasing carbon offset credits and pledging to plant up to a million trees for every order placed is more than admirable. But here’s yet another reason to “like” them: For every person who “Likes” their Facebook page before the end of April, they will plant a tree in a US National Forest and allow you to dedicate it to someone you love. It’s wonderfully simple and made me feel all warm inside to dedicate a tree to my beloved grandmother.

The Nature Conservancy has come up with a neat way to get people outside on Earth Day and enjoy some lovely spring weather. Their Picnic for the Planet doesn’t require hours of planning on your part. Just check out their site to see if there is a picnic already planned in their area; if not, it’s easy to plot your own and invite others to come and join you. Along with stuffing your picnic basket with fresh, local foods, check out their amazing recipes from chefs like Mario Batali and The Six O’Clock Scramble’s, Aviva Goldfarb. And then pass me some Purple Lavender Lemonade, please.

Like many of you, I’ve been weeding through outgrown clothes to get ready for the new season and have a pile of perfectly good items that no longer fit my kids. One great way to make sure they find a new home is to sign up for free at thredUP Kids, the kids’ clothing swap site. Do it on Earth Day and they’ll give you a $13.95 swap credit. This is a great way to upcycle your own clothes but also get some new ones in sizes that will actually fit.

Check out the Earth Day 2011’s website for more ways to take action this year. And our Causes and General Do-Gooding posts are always a good place for ideas on how you can get involved in some programs that are near and dear to our hearts.

Tags: cool websites