Clicking through shopbcue.org allows you to:
- Limit the environmental impact of your purchases
- Demonstrate your support for green businesses and manufacturers,
- Inform companies of the issues that are important to you as a consumer,
- Donate up to 25% of your purchase to Brooklyn Center for the Urban Environment.
Want to list your business on this site? Know of a merchant that should be on our list? All suggestions and inquiries can be emailed to info@shopbcue.org.
ABOUT BROOKLYN CENTER FOR THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT
Brooklyn Center for the Urban Environment (the Center) is committed to educating New Yorkers about the environment that they live in. The Center's educational programming reaches over 100,000 individuals at 260 schools and community sites throughout the five boroughs each year and has been one of New York City's leading environmental educators for nearly 30 years.
Through school-based programs, professional development seminars, parental involvement sessions, community literacy sites, urban tours and public awareness events and conferences, our programs are continually designed to focus on recycling, waste reduction, endangered urban habitats, waterfront assessment, and urban food systems.
Learn more a www.bcue.org.
Each year billions of used batteries are thrown away in the United States. This constitutes 88% of the mercury and 54% of the cadmium deposited into our landfills.
The formaldehyde and other chemicals used in treating conventional furniture continue to off-gas throughout the furniture's lifetime.
Purchasing low-VOC paint and furniture free from toxic chemicals can help reduce your indoor air pollution.
The EPA estimates that building-related illnesses account for $60 billion of annual productivity lost nationwide.
Chemical-based fertilizers can runoff, contaminating groundwater.
32% of US lumber consumption goes to making cabinets and furniture , so choose sustainably-harvested wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).
New rechargeable batteries can be charged up to 1000 times. Not only does this cut down on landfill contribution, but it definitely cuts back on consumer spending.
The EPA estimates that as many as 15% of Americans are allergic to their own homes.
2,4-D, a major component of Agent Orange, is used today in over 1,500 lawn care products.
Many conventional beauty and bodycare products use chemicals like formaldehyde, which is classified as a possible carcinogen by the EPA.
Formaldehyde washed off your skin and down the drain might not be broken down in the water treatment process.
Check the label: the following preservatives may break down into or release formaldehyde: Diasolidinyl urea, DMDM hydantoin, Imidazolidinyl, Quaternium-15.
The organic growing method uses up to 25% less water than conventionally grown cotton due to the water retention of organic soil.
Natural fiber clothing gets softer with each wash, feels good on the skin, and often breathes better than synthetic varieties.
FYI - eco fashion also considers whether people making such clothes are working in healthy conditions or getting fair wages.
Potentially cancer-causing agents such as BHA, BHT, and ethoxyquin are permitted at low levels in conventional pet food. The use of these chemicals in pet foods has not been thoroughly studied.
Many CD jewel cases are made from PVC, the production of which releases toxins into the air.
Every month approximately 100,000 pounds of CDs become outdated, useless or unwanted.
For every 2000 pounds of paper (1 ton) recycled, we save 7,000 gallons of water free from chemicals an 17 trees.
Recycled paper requires 64% less energy than making paper from virgin wood pulp.
The average office worker uses 10,000 sheets of copy paper per year.
An average ink cartridge takes about 450 years to decompose. Recycled cartridges cost up to 75% less than new ones.
Toys made from organic and sustainably-harvested materials rather than fossil fuel-based PVC or other plastics are better for the Earth.
Polyester, a common fiber used in cloth manufacturing, uses petroleum, and the demand for it has doubled, in the past 15 years. Such synthetic clothes require crude oil and emit dangerous toxins during the manufacturing process.
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Browse the list of vendors and read about why we chose them for shopbcue.org. |
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Click on their logo or the "shop this site" link. |
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Make any purchase on their website. Getting to their website from shopbcue.org will designate up to 25% of your purchase to be donated to Brooklyn Center for the Urban Environment. |
SHOP
Jump to Category: Home & Garden | Books & Periodicals | Beauty & Body | Apparel & Fashion | Pets | Electronic & Audio | Office | Green Gifts | All Green All the Time
Home & Garden
Green Batteries
Did you know that each year over 15 billion batteries are produced and sold worldwide? Many alkaline batteries are discarded after only a single use. That’s a lot of energy, waste and money! Whether you are looking for rechargeable batteries out of concern for the environment, the superior power of rechargeable batteries or for the money you will save over the long run, Greenbatteries.com is the site to help you make an informed and environmentally friendly purchase.
Donates: 10%
Vivavi
Donating 1% of its profits to the planet, Vivavi specializes in eco-friendly modern furniture you'll be happy to show off to your friends. If that isn't enough to get them on our list, they also help home-buyers find newly built green residences in North America and produce the satellite radio show “The Lazy Environmentalist.”
Donates: 8%
Gardens Alive!
Working in your garden, or let’s face it - your windowsill, shouldn’t be harmful to your health. Browse the extensive list of environmentally friendly and healthy garden control products on Gardens Alive and start enjoying the immediate benefits of green.
Donates: 15%
ParkSeed
Houseplants may be the best house guest you’ll ever have. Not only do they remove harmful chemicals from the air, absorb noise and lessen dust in the home, reduce stress, help the sick recover faster, promote concentration and feelings of relaxation and well-being, and make rooms look cared for and welcoming, but they’ll never use up all the toilet paper without buying you a new roll.
Donates: 8%
Window Box
If not having a backyard is making you blue, now you can get green with Windowbox.com. Here you will find everything you need to start a garden outside your window. Green your apartment and your block with windowbox.com.
Donates: 12%
Design Public
Creating a modern green home is now easier with Design Public. Shop their Sustainable Design department and guiltlessly decorate your kitchen, living room, office or bedroom. If you're in the market for some innovative, fresh, high-end sustainable furniture, Design Public is your one-stop-shop.
Donates: 8%
Our Green House
We want your home to be a safe place to raise a child. Shop at Our Green House and outfit your baby's nursery with an organic mattress, feed them organic baby food and rub all-natural lotion on their skin. With their line of natural toys, you won't have to worry about what goes into your teething baby's mouth anymore.
Donates: 8%
Alternative Energy Store
This store has it all, from books and videos to wind turbines, solar panels, hydropower equipment, low-power appliances, batteries and even composting toilets. On the company’s website is a special “how-to” section that educates consumers about the various aspects of renewable energy and explains how the products work in greater detail.
Donates: 1%
Books & Periodicals
E Magazine
We highly recommend E as your print source for everything environmental—from recycling to rainforests, and from the global village to our own backyards. E reports on all the key and emerging issues, always providing contact information so readers can research topics further or get involved in activist efforts.
Donates: $10
Beauty & Body
Aubrey Organics
When Aubrey Hampton first mixed ground ginger, eucalyptus leaf and peppermint in coconut oil, he had no idea that he would end up as CEO of a global organic body care company. Aubrey Organics can now boast that they were the first body care company to list its ingredients on its packaging in 1967 and the first to be certified organic in 1994. To add to that, their products are made in small batches in Florida, which produces less waste and ensures freshness of natural ingredients.
Donates: 5%
Apparel & Fashion
Bag, Borrow or Steal
Now you can be just as fabulous as Nicole Richie without footing the bill. Sign up for the designer hand-bag borrowing program at Bag, Borrow or Steal and you can get a rotating taste of the latest trends in handbag fashion while supporting the idea of high-end product recycling programs for consumers.
Donates: $20-$30 flat fee on all goods
Evogear
There's nothing like getting off the ski lift only to realize that your pants are, in fact, not waterproof. Be prepared for your next outdoor activity while limiting the use of virgin materials by browsing through Evogear's extensive list of used ski gear and winter wear.
Donates: 7%
Greenloop
As Green Loop says on their website, “If you want to be a walking billboard, be a billboard for a cause.” Shop from a variety of brands, including Edun, Loomstate and Habitude, and you can be certain that your new digs were made using eco-friendly, sustainable materials by manufacturers that employ energy efficient and low-impact production practices. Guiltless threads have never been so fashionable.
Donates: 8%
We Add Up
WE ADD UP is a global campaign using organic cotton t-shirts that literally “counts you in” in the fight against global warming. The site offers 24 unique graphics that represent messages such as: Fly Less, Eat Less Meat, Lights Off, Drink Tap, Unplug and Buy Local and allows you to choose which one you would like printed on your shirt. Each shirt is printed by hand with a unique number that represents your place in the sequential global count of all people taking steps to help stop climate change. The company donates 10% of their sales to selected nonprofits and allows all nonprofits and schools to use their shirts for fundraising purposes.
Donates: 20%
Pets
Only Natural Pet Store
Would you feed your best friend that!? Most pet foods are actually made from factory-farm byproducts and even carrion (aka: road kill). Shop at Only Natural Pet Store and be able to look your pooch in the eye.
Donates: 10%
Electronic & Audio
Apple iTunes
Unless you plan on having JayZ autograph it, buying a CD is a waste when the download is right at your fingertips. No walk, no wait, no line, just new music within seconds without the resources used in the production and shipment of discs.
Donates: 5%
Audible.com
Let's face it, you're not going to read The DaVinci Code. But you can download it and thousands of other titles at audible.com and breeze through your summer reading while maintaining the planet's natural resources.
Donates: 15%
Office
The Green Office
We’re proud to list The Green Office on shopBCUE. This user-friendly site functions as a trusted source of recycled, environmentally friendly, and sustainable business products, school supplies, and paper. Other exciting features of the site include Green Product Keys, an Office Footprint calculator, Green Office articles and tips, and a Green Office Blog. You should still monitor your printing activity, but now with The Green Office you won’t have to cringe every time you hit the “print” button.
Donates: 4%
Staples
One way to support the environment is to support the companies that care about the environment. Let's applaud Staples for their long list of environmental initiatives, including: renewable energy and energy efficient business practices, reduced carbon emissions, rooftop solar energy systems at office locations, and a line of Staples products that take recycled content into account.
Donates: Up to 7%
Office Depot
Paper weighing you down one sheet at a time? Green your office with Office Depot's Buy Green online guide. Not only do they have a comprehensive list of green office supplies, but they also describe how the product is green and why it makes a difference. Support Office Depot in this noble effort!
Donates: Up to 6%
Green Gifts
I’m Organic
There’s no denying the power of a good message. Choose from a variety of great organic-themed messages and graphics, such as “Organic Shift Happens” and “Powered By Organic Food” (or submit your own!) and order it to be printed on a recycled or organic t-shirt, bag, card, dog suit, mug, magnet and a variety of other environmentally-friendly products carried on the site.
Donates: 15%
NOVICA
NOVICA works with more than 2,000 artists to offer over 17,000 handcrafted works from around the world. With NOVICA, your next house-warming gift could be hand-made out of natural resources and also support creative cultural exchange and fair wages in developing countries.
Donates: 6%
Global Exchange
Global Exchange is a membership-based international human rights organization dedicated to promoting social, economic and environmental justice. Shop their fair-trade store and support both the Global Exchange organization and artistic communities around the world.
Donates: 5%
Organic Bouquet
Nothing says “I love you” like a bouquet of organic flowers. Buy your next dozen at Organic Bouquet and lose the toxic chemicals used by conventional growers. Flowers are shipped directly from the grower, giving your arrangements that “fresh-picked” feel.
Donates: 10%
Treegivers.com
Sometimes you have to spend a little green to get a little green. Give someone the gift of a tree and your present will help purify the air, provide a wildlife habitat, minimize flooding, and cool a backyard.
Donates: $10 on every sale
Taraluna
Want you next gift to say more than “Happy Birthday” or “I love you”? Shop at Taraluna, your source for fair trade, green and organic gifts, and not only does your purchase support the development of a socially and environmentally conscious consumer market, but it is also a great way to introduce the gift’s recipient to the vast array of stylish, modern, useful products in this emerging market.
Donates: 5%
All Green All The Time
3R Living
If recycling your take-out containers doesn't feel like it's having enough of an impact on your environmental footprint, shopping at Brooklyn’s 3R Living will help trim the fat. Shop from a variety of gifts, homeware and personal care items made from recycled, reused, or biodegradable materials.
Donates: Up to 5%
Buy Green
What resources actually went into the life of last summer’s pair of flip-flops? Don’t know? We know it can be hard to fully understand that environmental impact of your consumer choices. Every product sold on Buy Green is accompanied by a manufacturer’s questionnaire that details the product’s source material overview, manufacturing overview, usage overview and disposal overview. From the manufacturer’s warehouse recycling program to the water usage in the production of the item, the sustainability of each item on Buy Green is put on full display. Next summer when someone compliments your flip-flops you can say, “Thanks, they’re made with water-based, environmentally-friendly adhesives and are 95% biodegradable.”
Donates: 10%
eBay
Buying your next Marc Jacobs jacket on eBay avoids as much as 1/3lb of the fertilizers and peticides that go into making a new garment. Instead of taking your next coffee break, browse through eBay and find everything from organic bedding to jewelry made from recycled materials.
Donates: Up to 50%
GAIAM
Organic yoga wear, eco-friendly bedding, cooling fans and solar energy kits are among the few items carried at gaiam.com. Learn all about "LOHAS" (see website for definition) and how it will make you and the planet a whole lot happier.
Donates: 8%
Green Nest
Creating a healthy environment may mean starting with a healthy home. Green Nest educates its consumers about the steps they can take to create a healthy home and directs them to the products that will get them there.
Donates: 10%
Nigel’s EcoStore
Outfitting your home or office with eco-friendly products often means showcasing the latest and most innovative design strategies. Check out Nigel’s EcoStore for some seriously fresh finds like bamboo computer monitors and children’s rocking chairs made out of reclaimed theatre seats.
Donates: 10%
Organic Style
Shopping at Organic Style is a full experience. Each product on the site is classified as Fair Trade, Organic, or Eco-Friendly, with educational descriptions about what each classification means. And who doesn’t like making money while spending money? For every dollar you spend on Organic Style, you receive 1 eco-point, which can be redeemed for a discount or accrued until you are eligible for a free purchase.
Donates: 10%
VivaTerra
Clothing, tableware, linens and decorating accents. VivaTerra carries it all through their guiding principles of fusing quality and design with eco-sensitivities. Check out their beautiful furniture products made from reclaimed wood or US Forest Stewardship Council-certified sources.
Donates: 8%