You might best know Maggie's Functional Organics for its organic socks and tights, available at Whole Foods and many eco clothing stores. But this green company makes more than just footwear. In fact, you could dress yourself up entirely in Maggie's, thanks to Maggie's organic cami-and-shorts set (left).

This past week, armed only with a garden fork, I worked for an hour at making my own soil, mixing together kitchen scraps, shredded papers, and the remains collected in our vacuum. 

So in order to give organic certified hair care products a chance, I tried Dr Bronner's Organic Shikakai Conditioning Rinse, despite my reservations about its potential crunchiness.

Mirror, mirror, on the wall -- Who's the greenest of them all?

Should organic personal care products be held to the same organic standards we use for food? Or should personal care products have different standards, since they're not meant for eating?

Most beauty regimens prescribe washing your face twice a day, but not the newly-launched Sophyto skin care line. The products in this UK company's petrochemical and paraben-free line all have instructions for use that don't involve any water.

The FDA still hasn't stepped up to make sure chemicals used in our personal care products are safe -- but yet another new independent "certification system" seems to pop up every day. How's an enviro girl to navigate through them all?

Chai drinking chocoholics: The Valentine's Day treat you've been waiting for's officially arrived. Yes, I already told you where the fair trade chocolate and flower deals are this Valentine's Day -- but here's one more sweet deal to enjoy: Organic, fair trade SLO Chai Chocolate!

Did you know that according to the American Farm Bureau, in 2002, the average age of a farmer was 55? Sounds like we need to start fostering a next generation of farmers. Annie's Homegrown, the company that produces Annie's Mac N' Cheese (yum), sent an email last month asking me to help spread the word that they are accepting applications for their new Sustainable Agriculture Scholarship Program. They will award two $10,000 Undergraduate Scholarships, one $10,000 Graduate Scholarship, four $2,500 Undergraduate Scholarships, and four $2,500 Graduate Scholarships to students pursuing studies in sustainable and organic agriculture. What the heck does "sustainable" mean anyway?