It’s that time of the year again when you’ve got to decide whether or not to order holiday cards. Personally I get sad every year receiving fewer and fewer cards in the mail. There’s nothing quite like coming home to a full mailbox of holiday greetings and warm messages from friends letting me know how their year went. E-cards just don’t hold the same weight, literally and figuratively. Living in a time where e-mails are replaced by short tweets or Facebook messages, it’s often easy to forget how nice it can be do get a real card in the mail.

If you do send cards out this year, we recommend choosing a company that gives back. Not to toot our own horn, but Paper Culture plants a tree in your honor for every order.  If you want to skip the gift-giving this year, plant a tree for someone instead with a beautifully designed card. Now’s the best time to shop with a final sitewide sale of up to 50% off. There are many other companies that give percentages of the cards to charity. Choose a card design that reflects your style and personality. Consider adding a recently holiday photo. And most importantly, add a few lines of holiday cheer to let your lucky recipient know you’ve been thinking about there. Here’s to a happy and safe holiday season for all!

Amazon.com, the king of all super convenient e-commerce sites, has launched a new online site dedicated to all things eco-friendly and green: vine.com. The site sells earth-friendly products at super friendly prices across home and beauty, kids and babies, pets, apparel, grocery and more. But the best feature is when you use a coupon code when checking out (HEALTHYCHILD10), you’ll get $10 off your order, free shipping, and vine.com will donate $10 to Healthy Child Healthy World. Everybody wins.

Healthy Child Healthy World is a nonprofit very dear to Paper Culture’s heart. We made holiday cards to benefit the organization, while educating consumers on how to have a safer, healthier home. Healthy Child Healthy World has been around for 20 years, working to teach families about the link between a child’s health and the environment. Not to mention they have a great website with daily ideas about improving our child’s health. Vine.com seems like a can’t-beat combination. Next time you do your weekly shopping check it out and make a free donation to an amazing charity.

It started as a Kickstarter campaign. Designer David Mayer set out to create the perfect water bottle. The result is a square bottle that never rolls. Although the stainless steel bottle looks simple enough, it’s made from 16 different parts, in a process of 65 steps. Best of all, the bottle has a top and bottom lid that can be removed for easy cleaning. That comes in handy especially if you’re the type to tote around juice or smoothies and know the annoyance of washing a regular bottle.

“My goal is really to get people thinking about bottles not as these clunky, utilitarian pieces, but as statements–in the same way women think about handbags and shoes and that we all think about our clothes, watches and sunglasses,” he told Co.Design. “The bottle is one of the most visible things we use–there is absolutely no reason that it shouldn’t be beautiful, iconic and send a message to people about who we are.” Retailing for $40, the Square is an ultra-premium water bottle. It’s pricey, but if it’s the last water bottle you’ll ever need, it will be well worth it over the years. The BPA-free bottle is leak-proof and guaranteed for life. Check it out here.

These days when it comes to getting around in big cities, owning a car is no longer necessary. From Zipcar to DriveNow, there are tons of easy ways to just jump in a car whenever you need to run an errand, take a day trip, or go shopping. The ease of car sharing coupled with public transportation proves a great alternative to owning a car. But now one company has taken eco-friendly transportation a step further in San Francisco, a hotbed of transportation innovation. Enter Scoot Networks, a new electric scooter sharing system that allows for ultimate mobility.

The service is simple. Use the smartphone app to locate one of the 50 electric scooters spread out around San Francisco. Each scooter has a smartphone dock. Place your smartphone in the dock to unlock the scooter and go for a ride. Your smartphone turns into a dashboard offering GPS and ride info. No reservations necessary. The only catch is training is required for all riders. Rental fees are $5 an hour, or $10 for flat rate overnight use, much less than any car rental program, and akin to renting a bike. Would you try Scoot Networks if it were available in your city?

It’s hard to know how to prepare for a new baby, especially if it’s your first. A dozen different books and articles will tell you to buy a dozen different things. But how many are actually necessary? Our friends at Inhabitots have compiled a handy list for what  you don’t need to buy. Check out this list of things that are just too excessive or can be easily swapped for something you already have. What? No changing table? Just convert any dresser by putting a changing pad on its surface with a safety strap. And of course your voice and tender love will prove to be more crucial in that first year than any toy could be. Next, think about swapping out a crib for a co-sleeper. Click to see more items you can do without,  a handy guide on how to cut down on overbuying in that first crucial year. Your home space, and landfills will thank you. What else would you add to the list?

1. Baby Wipe Warmer

2. Diaper Pail

3. Changing Table

4. Baby Laundry Detergent

5. Crib

6. Toys/Videos/Stuffed Animals

7. Stacks of Fluffy Blankets

8. Shoes

9. Fancy Designer Clothes

1o. A Bigger House

Do you ever struggle to get your kid to bring a reusable lunchbox and bottle to school, and bring them home for the next day? If you’re arguing with your child over a Fruit Punch juicebox vs an eco-friendly alternative, argue no more. Just send them off with the coolest gear in town. We stumbled upon these adorable bottles from Swell that are sure to make any kid protect their lunch goodies.

The stainless steel bottle, BPA-free of course, comes in a compact size that is the perfect size for kid’s lunchboxes. It will keep milk cold for 24 hours, and hot chocolate hot for a whopping 12 hours, even if it’s thrown in a locker all day. And there’s even a place where you can write their name on the bottle for extra security. Pair this up with the perfect vintage lunch box and your child is all set for back to school lunching in style. Available for $25 from Swell.

Have you started your back-to-school shopping yet? What’s top on your list? I always loved picking out a new backpack, selecting dozens of colored pencils and markers, anything to ease the pain of going back to school. Nowadays everyone from Staples to Target to the corner boutique is stocked with eco-friendly goods, that will lighten the amount of waste that goes into our landfills. Here’s a look at a few of our favorite, stylish back-to-school goodies.

TreeSmart pencils are hand-rolled from recycled newspapers, made from completely non-toxic binding. They look awesome and come in regular graphite as well as colored pencils. A set of mini colored pencils in a tube is $3.95. You can even get them customized with your child’s name.

Backpacks from Mimi the Sardine are made from organic cotton and feature bright, adorable graphics. Bag interiors are non-PVC water and stain-resistant, making them perfect for lunches and school supplies alike. This propeller bag is $38.95.

Speaking of school supplies, we can’t think of a better way to tote around pencils and pens than this FEED 10 Pouch. Each zippered $25 bag provides food or job training to ten women through the United Nations World Food Programme.

Artist Olafur Eliasson, known for bringing among other things, waterfalls to New York City, has just released a new project that is aiming to bring light to the world, literally. With his studio team in Berlin, he created Little Sun, a solar-powered light that can be placed anywhere, bringing a sustainable light source to the developed world where electricity is not always reliable.

Little Sun is available for people living in areas with normal access to electricity for $25 and for those living off the grid for approximately half price. The goal is to spread electricity to people who need it most. Five hours of natural light produces five hours of solar-powered light, and the battery has a lifespan of three years before it needs to be replaced. That’s a 90% savings over three years over kerosene lamps. It’s easy to see how this innovative business model and product can help out in a big way around the world. The light is small and practical, able to help light up a room, use as a campfire lantern, or as a bicycle light. Eliasson has big goals for the product, aiming to distribute 50 million lights by 2020. You can be one of the first to spread the light by ordering one here.

You see, Baby B (now almost 4 years old and pictured above) is eminently qualified to assess the vehicle. It is because of her and her brother, Special K (now 7 months old), that the “need” for a minivan has emerged in our family. We often have have to shuttle 6 people around which results in driving two cars – a big no-no in a family that does its best to minimize our carbon footprint. So we’ve been in search of the 7 seater – how hard could that be, right? Well, if that were the only criteria, probably not so difficult, but here’s how the discussion goes:
- Baby B: I want to be able to get in the car myself (SUVs are much more difficult for most kids to get in than the low to the ground minivan)
- Mom: But the minivans looks so … (well, we’ve all been there)
- Dad: Only electric, hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles please
- Special K: wants to know if his stroller will fit in with the third row of seats up
- Grandpa: Does it go fast (yes, with the kids out of the house, he’s going through midlife crisis with fast cars)
And of course there was the original criteria of 7 seats. It’s not that long a list. Yes, we looked at the Honda Odyssey, the Toyota Sienna, the Nissan Quest, amongst others on the minivan side. So functional, but so … blah! On the SUV side, we looked at the Tahoe and Yukon Denali hybrids (so big, but not very roomy), the Escalade (basically, we’re not cool enough for the Escalade), and a few European clean diesel options. There really wasn’t a car that met all of our criteria … until the Model X.

The falcon wings definitely change the cool factor. It’s all electric, so has zero emissions. They say it’s likely to get about 200-270 miles per charge depending on what battery option you choose (60 or 85 kWh). That’s certainly enough for an every day commute, but probably not very convenient for a road trip. For grandpa, I’m happy to report that it goes zero to 60 faster than a Porsche 911 (though Baby B did not get to experience that first hand). All of those things we knew before our in person visit.

But a few things stood out as Baby B and I saw the Model X in person this weekend.

1. The trunk is quite roomy. It reminds me of both the SUV and Minivan with their third row seats up in that the trunk is pretty small, only a few feet wide. However, what’s different is that the trunk goes VERY deep. We took a picture, but you can see that the indentation will allow for one of those super big suitcases or Special K will be happy to know that even his colossal stroller will fit comfortably.

2. The trim and interior look very sleek. This is not your grandmother’s mahogany look. It has sleek, modern lines that could seem harsh for some, but as you know, we here at Paper Culture are a sucker for this type of design. It certainly leans a bit toward the sporty side. The ipad like electronics pad seems to be the command center for the vehicle, but we weren’t allowed to sit inside, so it’s hard to say what it actually does. One downside though, it didn’t seem as roomy as we were led to believe in the announcement. It looked pretty cramped in the third row, but the flexibility of the seating was definitely better than most SUVs. The seats look like they can move independently which really helps out the spacing. And yes, you can stand up in the car with the doors open – for those of us who are parents who try this all the time, that’s certainly a winning feature.

3. The Falcon Wings are pretty darn cool. Somehow when I think of doors that open upwards, I always think of Michael J Fox and the DeLorean in Back to the Future. Well, the future is apparently right around the corner. In fact, Baby B openly wondered: “Daddy, does the car fly?” On the downside, I do wonder how many garages will actually accommodate those doors. The Tesla reps claim that it should fit in most standard garages. But most people I know pack their garages pretty tight and it’s not exactly a compact wingspan.

So how much does this thing cost? They haven’t finalized the prices, but it appears it will range from $60k-$90k depending on the options chosen, with the biggest variance being the battery. It’s certainly not an affordable option, but surprisingly it’s in the same price range as the Yukon Denali hybrid, it’s cheaper than the Escalade Hybrid and it’s in the same range as the European cars. It will certainly set you back more than a typical minivan though. I can’t say I’d recommend this car on value and who knows what the reliability will be (I do know some folks that sprung for the Tesla Roadster and have not been super happy with the maintenance).

But it is the first car that I think we’d fight over in our family both with and without the kids. My wife won’t kill me for making her drive a Minivan. It certainly meets my eco commitment as an all electric vehicle (and really pushes me to want to finally getting around to installing solar because the cost of electricity makes running this puppy pretty expensive). At the end of the day, I believe the Tesla Model X should be commended for taking a surprisingly staid category (the Minivan) and merging it with one of the top selling categories in the US (the SUV) and creating a concept that truly is new. The market needs thinking like this and both Baby B and I walked away suitably impressed.

And … without the kids in the car, yes, I admit, I’d want to test out that 0-60 faster than a Porsche claim (please don’t report me!) and with those DeLorean like falcon wings – I just might be able to tell Baby B that yes, the Tesla Model X can fly!

Available at online stores everywhere including Amazon: http://goo.gl/0bcvY.