FOOD & DRINK

You can green up your holiday food and beverage choices by buying local and organic.

Organic beer, wine, spirits, and non-alcoholic drinks can now be found in an array of flavors (how about Loft's organic liqueurs made with lavender grown in the Northwest, or Santa Cruz Organic juices for the kiddos and champagne-style beverages for the grown ups?)

For your holiday meal, check out the "dirty dozen" a list of the top foods to buy organically, such as meat, dairy, apples, cherries, and lettuce – all which may have a place on your holiday table. Check out LocalHarvest.org for where to buy meat, dairy, fruits and veggies grown or raised near you.

Last but not least, choose organic sweets for your guests or as stocking stuffers. We love Sjaak's organic, Fair Trade chocolate bites and Pure Fun's organic candy canes. If you're up for making your own organic confections, buying bulk items such as organic sugar at your local co-op or from online companies such as Azure Standard can save resources and money.


FASHION

Northwest designers like Prairie Underground (available locally at Horseshoe) are taking green holiday fashion from frumpy to fabulous with their flair for mixing sustainable fabrics in bold colors with to-die-for design. If you've got your own fashion sense, why not check out local thrift and consignment stores and piece together a Stylista-worthy get up that also happens to be eco-friendly? And don't forget accessories and makeup.

Go holiday glam with Etsy's handmade jewelry made from recycled, reclaimed and natural materials, handbags from Ecoist (we won't tell you what they're made of, click here a see for yourself) and makeup from Seattle's ZuZu Luxe. (Want to check your existing makeup for its health rating? Click here for Skin Deep's cosmetic database.) Learn more about all things green and fashionable from (Northwest resident) Elena Lipson's Eco Diva blog.


Lynn Colwell and Corey Colwell-Lipson are mother and daughter and the authors of Celebrate Green! Creating Eco-Savvy Celebrations, Holidays and Traditions for the Whole Family, available at www.CelebrateGreen.NET.