4 Eggs-cellent Easter Ideas

You won't need a miracle to stage an eco-friendly egg hunt. Follow these four easy steps to celebrate a greener Easter.

1.) Natural Egg Dyes: Add color to organic, free-range eggs with natural dyes. Check out our step-by-step instructions for dying eggs with turmeric (yellow), spinach (green), beets (red), and red cabbage (blue).

2.) Reusable Baskets: Opt for natural, handmade baskets, repurposed boxes, or cloth bags, which can be reused each year. Make it a tradition for your kids to set out their empty baskets night before in anticipation of the Easter Bunny's visit.

3.) Recycled Grass: Fill baskets with shredded newspaper or colorful fabric scraps. Better yet, decorate with edible clippings from your organic garden. 

4.) Green Goodies: Candy isn't the only treat worthy of the basket — fruit, toys, clothes, and art supplies make great gifts — but it's hard to imagine Easter without chocolate. Naturally, we have a few crave-worthy suggestions.

See more: Check out our photo gallery of amazing birds' nests.

Photo by Kristen Kong

Frozen Planet Premieres Sunday

Thunderous three-ton elephant seals face off for control of the beach, orcas launch from the icy water, and Adéle penguins turn to a life of crime to build their nest — these are a few of the stories that unfold at the harsh, frozen ends of our planet.

Four years in the making, Discovery Channel's breathtaking new seven-part series, Frozen Planet premieres this Sunday, March 18 at 8 p.m.

To celebrate the Arctic's big moment in the spotlight, the Sierra Club is organizing viewing parties around the country. Attend one of the hundreds of Frozen Planet House Parties to view advance copies of the film and take action by signing postcards to urge President Obama to protect America's Arctic. If you can't make it to a party, click here to sign the Sierra Club's Protect America's Arctic petition.

The Arctic region hosts a thriving wildlife habitat, the largest gathering of seabirds on the planet, and an ocean teeming with fish, but it's threatened by global warming and gas and oil drilling. Invite your friends to get involved and help the Sierra Club continue to protect one of the Earth's remaining wild places. 

--Cyndy Patrick/image courtesy of Discovery Channel

Mr. Green Week: How to Throw an Ecofriendly Kegger

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, we're featuring our appropriately attired advice guru, Mr. Green. This week, we'll treat you to a few treasured columns from the archives and some rare behind-the-scenes videos — if you're lucky.

Got a question for Mr. Green? Submit it here.

Hey Mr. Green,

I'm in my senior year of college. I live off campus, and we throw a lot of parties. What appalls me is the amount of nonrecyclable plastic cups we go through. If we use 100 cups per party and have 12 parties a year, that's 1,200 cups we're wasting. Are there any reusable plastic cups that are cheap and environmentally friendly? 

 --Dan in Titusville, New Jersey

The mere thought of heaps of disposable cups, replete with congealing backwash and reconnoitering insects, can spur even the most environmentally indifferent into action. I recommend rigid plastic tumblers, in part because they provide a nice example of how helping the environment can also save you money.

I could have taken the easy path and recommended biodegradable cups made from corn, potatoes, or other "renewable" substances, but I haven't found convincing evidence that biodegradables are significantly better for the environment than regular plastic. And glassware is neither a safe nor a cheap solution.

Green Your Valentine's Day: Caring Cards

On Valentine's Day, don't forget to extend your love to Mother Earth. This week's tips should help you do just that, even as you celebrate the biggest Hallmark holiday there is.

Tip #4: Go for greener greetings. 

When you consider all that's needed to manufacture Valentine's Day cards — trees, water, bleach, dye, transportation, and shipping — and the fact that many of them ultimately end up in the landfill, making your own cards and envelopes and buying recycled (Papyrus and Hallmark have both made strides toward this) start to sound like pretty good ideas. Consider e-cards too: PaperlessPost.com and Pingg offer some great designs. 

Tell us: Where do you shop for greeting cards?

Green Your Valentine's Day: The Sweet Stuff

On Valentine's Day, don't forget to extend your love to Mother Earth. This week's tips should help you do just that, even as you celebrate the biggest Hallmark holiday there is.

Tip #3: Choose Conscientious Cocoa

What's Valentine's Day without chocolate? When choosing sweets for your sweetheart, look for brands that are organic, local, and shade-grown. Why organic? Of all crops, cocoa takes second plase for using the most pesticides (number one is cotton); when producers stop using planet-harming chemicals, chocolate tastes better. As for shade-grown, that label means the cocoa under it was grown under indigenous trees, which therefore got preserved. Also, try to resist the convenience of that frilly heart-shaped box with all those paper wrappings tucked into plastic. Instead, go for a less packaged option. In general, names to avoid include M&M/Mars, Hershey, and Russell Stover in favor of Green & Black's, Newman's Own Organics, and Endangered Species.

Tell us: What's your favorite chocolate brand?

Green Your Valentine's Day: Date Ideas

On Valentine's Day, don't forget to extend your love to Mother Earth. This week's tips should help you do just that, even as you celebrate the biggest Hallmark holiday there is.

Tip #2: Plan a great date. 

Research shows that giving an experience, not a thing, makes people happier in the long run. Good thing that's the greener way to go too: A hike, a treatment at an organic spa, or a local camping trip won't create nearly as much waste as some objects (producing one gold ring can generate 20 tons of mining waste).

When making restaurant reservations, look for an eatery that uses local, seasonal, and organic ingredients and lists lots of vegetarian menu options. For bonus eco-points, take public transit or ride your bikes there. Or just stay in! There's something supremely romantic about a homemade dinner paired with a nice organic wine and candlelight — remember: soy candles last longer than paraffin and emit 90% less soot.

Tell us: What are you planning for your sweetheart this Valentine's Day?

Green Your Valentine's Day: Consider the Flowers

On Valentine's Day, don't forget to extend your love to Mother Earth. This week's tips should help you do just that, even as you celebrate the biggest Hallmark holiday there is.

Tip #1: Choose responsible blooms.

Conventional flowers can have 50 times more pesticides on them than is legal to have on food. That's just one reason to go with organic flowers, which are grown without pesticides. Look for the VeriFlora seal or go to OrganicBouquet.com, a carbon-neutral company that not only sells pesticide-free flowers but also gives their workers in underdeveloped countries zero-interest loans, healthcare, and education. 

Other ideas for floral gift-giving include buying local and seasonal, as 80% of flowers sold in the U.S. are imported on refrigerated airplanes from Colombia and Ecuador. Give home-grown blooms if you can, or buy what’s in season (like tulips and Dutch irises) from a farmers’ market. Consider, too, that a potted plant will last much longer than that plastic-wrapped bouquet. 

Tip #2: Plan a great date.

Tip #3: Choose conscientious cocoa.

Tip #4: Go for greener greetings.

Tell us: What floral gifts do you plan to give this Valentine's Day?

Green Holiday Gatherings: Get Online

'Tis the season for calendars filled with parties. This week, we're showing you how to green your holiday gatherings. 

Tip #4: Share green greetings online.

Video chat, email, and social networks make it easier than ever to reach out to far-flung relatives and online pals. If your holiday "gathering" is online, we've got seasonal offerings for you to share: You could send pals a Sierra Club e-card, give a virtual wild-place sponsorship, or post our festive green-tip infographic on Facebook.

Tell us: How will you be celebrating the holidays online?

Green Holiday Gatherings: Bright Ideas

'Tis the season for calendars filled with parties. This week, we're showing you how to green your holiday gatherings. 

Tip #3: Choose greener candles.

If you're gathering with family to celebrate Hanukkah tonight, light the menorah with soy or beeswax candles, which aren't made from petroleum. You might also share the story of the solar-powered menorah in Woodstock, New York, to illustrate how one community's modern twist on a traditional ceremony shows their commitment to a greener future. Local rabbi Yitzchok Hecht told reporters, "the concept of taking the energy of the sun and using it to bring light into the darkness of night is a beautiful complement to the miracle and story of Chanukah."

Tell us: What do you use to light up the holidays?

Green Holiday Gatherings: Drink Wisely

'Tis the season for calendars filled with parties. This week, we're showing you how to green your holiday gatherings. 

Tip #2: Party green with friends.

Whether you're dressed for a Santa Pub Crawl or an ugly-Christmas-sweater party, toast the season with a green brew in hand. Sierra magazine has recommendations for the best beer to order at the bar, the eco-friendliest wine to bring to your hosts, and the most sustainable spirits to mix into your favorite cocktail.

Tell us: What are your favorite holiday drink recipes?