Environmentally friendly shopping online

Recycled and green products You want to do the right thing all the time -- we know. You're conscious of your global footprint and you make buying decisions based on environmental issues as much as on price whenever you can. That means two things: you have a social conscience and it can be hard for you to shop. Reduce, reuse, recycle may be stuck in our psyches, but when it comes to manufacturing, most products are still tough on the earth. Here are a few websites that can make things easier when you're in the market for home decor items.Ten Thousand Villages Canada tenthousandvillages.caA member of the International Fair Trade Association, this New Hamburg, Ont.-based store offers only items that have been made from sustainable resources. Canadian buyers can shop online but then need to call with their order number to close the deal. The prices make it well worth the extra work. Check out the ceramic pitcher in traditional Vietnamese Lotus pattern ($24). You'll also find handcrafted jewelry in silver, wood, even recycled pop cans. There's also a selection of beautiful bright stationery -- handmade with Daphne wood, embossed with rubber tree leaves or covered in batik. The choices are extensive. Grassroots Environmental Productsgrassrootsstore.comBesides personal care products (think organic toothpaste and deodorant) and household items (biodegradable garbage bags) you'll find delightful options for your bedroom. None of them are cheap -- they're luxurious with prices to match. Check out the rubber mattresses. They're naturally anti-microbial; no toxic substances or ozone-depleting agents were used to make them; no synthetic fillers are housed in them; and rubber plantations help combat the greenhouse effect. Win, win, win.Valhalla Essences valhallaessences.comThe staple here is pretty, fragrant things for your home: you'll find lots of candles handcrafted by owner Ivy Mills, who's concerned about chemical overuse in our homes. Her solution? Handmade non-paraffin candles, bath oils, salts and bombs, plus gift baskets (including customized options). Nothing has preservatives or dyes. We don't know how she does it from her home in tiny Salmon Arm, B.C., but Mills ships anywhere in Canada within three days. More eco-friendly stores The Environmental Store plovers.netYou'll find a wide selection of books (on water conservation, growing organic foods and other socially conscious topics) and some of the items are, well, a bit kitschy (briefcases made from recycled coke and beer cans, for example), but keep scrolling through these offerings -- you'll be rewarded with a few gems from this Halifax-based website. Need a stylish bag for shopping (those unbleached cotton ones are so ho-hum)? How about something in fuchsia or electric blue? Made from recycled packing tape -- so much prettier than it sounds -- these bags are perfect for the beach or shopping, $25 each. For patio containers, gardens or walkways, pick up a few solar stakes. Each one comes with two decorative toppings -- one for the summer, one for the winter (there's a Lotus flower and Santa combo that's especially cute), $45. Greenfeet.com Eco-Friendly Products for Everyday Living greenfeet.comShop by category (baby basics, pets and wellness, to name a few) or for gifts by price (there are categories from "under $10" to "over $150"). It's not the prettiest site but it more than makes up for that in practical offerings. For the kids' rooms, there are beanbag chairs with hemp or unbleached cotton, around recycled filler; naturally dyed, hand-woven hemp area rugs (from $15) are a steal. If you're looking to outfit your backyard or deck, outdoor furniture made of eucalyptus, a sustainable, plantation-grown hardwood, is worth considering -- a dusty rose colour, it ages to a subtle grey. At US$210, the two-seater Adirondack chair is steeply-priced, but so romantic!