Yelp, one of the web's largest user-generated review sites, is partnering with Greenopia!

Now not only can you find the greenest restaurants, drycleaners, banks, spas, florists, builders and more when you search Greenopia's listings but now you can see how customers of these same businesses have rated them, via Yelp's five-star rating system.

Yelp's tagline explains them well: "Yelp is the fun and easy way to find, review, and talk about what great- and not so great- in your area." Paired with Greenopia's four-leaf rating system, which looks at now environmentally impactful, healthy and sustainable a business is, you now have a powerful tool to find the best of the green (or the greenest of the best).

All our current Greenopia-rated cities: New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, are included in this new ratings partnership, and as more cities come online in the future, they too will have Yelp ratings and reviews for green businesses. 

Just another way Greenopia is helping you live greener- and smarter.

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Halloween should be fun, but every year it gets scarier--for parents and the planet. From the discovery of lead in fake teeth and candy, to chemicals in costumes, to the garbage left in the holiday's wake, it's a wonder more of us haven't given up the festivities and spent October 31 watching It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. The good news is, there are loads of child- and earth-friendly alternatives to the usual Halloween fare. The most important point when planning to green up any holiday or celebration, especially those involving children, is to get their "buy-in." And of course, your approach makes all the difference. Telling kids, "We're going green this Halloween--that means, no candy," isn't helpful. What can be is a discussion about the challenges that Halloween brings. Obviously, what you say (or don't), depends on the age of your children. But helping them to see the wider ramifications of their actions can help make transitioning to healthier choices more appealing or at least understandable. Many kids are learning about eco-issues in school. They often want to do something about them, but need guidance on where to begin. Talking to them about the excess and waste associated with Halloween (and all holidays and celebrations) and discussing how they can make a difference, may spark their altruism and inspire them to act in positive ways. A great way to start a discussion is to list each aspect of Halloween (costumes, treats, decor and activities), and brainstorm child- and earth-friendly choices to what you've done in the past. Then, encourage your kids to choose one or two of the ideas to implement this year. After Halloween, talk about what worked, what didn't and what you'll do next year.

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It's not easy to find eco-friendly products that are also fashionable and affordable. Enter Simple Shoes. This spring, they introduced Flippees, the first flip-flops on the market with biodegradable soles. Flippees come in a variety of colors for both men and women at only $30 a pop. Earlier this summer I ordered their Eco-Certified Nubuck Flippees in pink and black. My sandals arrived in a biodegradable bag with a biodegradable hanger, and the foot form inserts were made of post consumer recycled paper.

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