Are you looking for a new green retailer?

At seeking greener, we’re always on the lookout for new green places to shop worldwide. Recently, we discovered green online retailer BigGreenSmile.com.

Based in the United Kingdom, the company sells natural and organic products ranging from big names to the small suppliers of hand made products.  The product shown above is part of their selection of natural sun creams and insect repellents.

BigGreenSmile.com also ships to the US and across the EU.

For more info, check out BigGreenSmile.com.

What are the greenest brands in the United States? You might be surprised by the answer.

Recently, the international ImagePower Green Brands Survey identified emerging trends related to consumer perception and purchasing behavior of “green” products.

Says Annie Longsworth, global sustainability practice leader at Cohn & Wolfe:

“One of the interesting trends we’re seeing this year is the consumer recognition of what we’re calling ‘helper brands,’ which provide useful information to consumers. While preference for brands that are ‘in me, on me, around me’ is still prevalent, consumers also value brands that make going green easier for them through online tools, tips and other forms of engagement through communication.”

According to survey results, the Top 10 U.S. brands perceived to be the greenest are:

1. Burt’s Bees
2. Whole Foods
3. Tom’s of Maine
4. Trader Joe’s
5. Google
6. Aveeno
7. SC Johnson
8. Publix
9. Microsoft
10. Ikea

Hip Moms Go Green, an online magazine dedicated to mothers striving to live and eat green, has launched The Go Green Pages.

The U.S. online directory lists verifiably green businesses, products and services from across the country.

Says Nickie Knight, the founder and editor in chief of The Go Green Pages and Hip Moms Go Green:

“Thegogreenpages.com will prove we no longer have to sacrifice style and substance to go green. By offering consumers an array of practical sustainable products and services, thegogreenpages.com will enable Americans to effortlessly and affordably integrate sustainability into every aspect of their daily lives.”

Green businesses can post videos, links, photos, articles, and reviews to promote a green lifestyle and educate consumers.

Already, The Go Green Pages feature nearly 900 green U.S. businesses including organic boutiques and restaurants, offering products and services from art supplies to fashion accessories and eco-travel to air purification.

For more info, visit The Go Green Pages.

IKEA will switch off incandescent bulbs in their US stores by January 1, 2011.  The company recently announced it will begin phasing them out on August 1, 2010.

Says Mike Ward, US IKEA President:

“Eliminating incandescents is a simple way to lead the charge for IKEA customers to use energy saving light bulbs, thus reducing energy consumption and reducing the amount of greenhouses gases. It’s a little step with a big impact on our planet.”

IKEA offers energy saving bulbs such as the compact fluorescent bulb (CFL), its most popular bulb, and a range of LED lamps which are 70% more efficient.  IKEA Halogen lamps, which consume 30% less energy, are another ‘white light’ alternative.

Starting in fall 2010, IKEA will sell a retro-fit halogen bulb that can be used in a standard light socket.  The company also sells solar powered lamps including their SUNNAN desk lamp and SOLIG outdoor lights.

Image courtesy of IKEA

The Nutro Company Dog Park Appreciation Project. Photo credit: PRNewsFoto/The Nutro Company

Natural pet food company The Nutro Company wants to enhance dog parks across the United States and Canada.  So the company has launched the Room to Run Dog Park Appreciation Project.

Recently, the project kicked off in Nashville with volunteers who painted benches, replaced a retaining wall and did more to improve the space at Centennial Park.

“Taking the time to help communities revitalize their off-leash areas is an endeavor that we are eager to undertake, as it is so important to foster the human-animal bond and bring a bit of nature to our pets,” says Carolyn Hanigan, spokesperson, The Nutro Company.

Between June 12- June 19, company volunteers are working together with community to revitalize dog parks in some 30 cities across North America.  Project activities include painting fences, providing benches, picking up trash and landscaping.

For more info on the project, visit The Nutro Company site.

Image courtesy of The Nutro Company

ScoreMobile FC App. Photo credit: PRNewsFoto/Score Media Inc.

Are you watching the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa?   If you have a BlackBerry or iPhone or Android, then you might want to download the free, new app ScoreMobile FC, by Score Media Inc.

This new app builds on the success of ScoreMobile, which was named a “Top 10 Sports App” in Beckett Media’s Guide to Phone Apps and a “Top 20 free BlackBerry App” by PC Magazine.

ScoreMobile FC features:

• Live scores, stats and standings for 50+ international soccer leagues from over 15 countries worldwide;
• Original video content such as The Score’s popular The Footy Show;
• Interactive live blogs for every key game and
• Breaking news, top stories and game odds.

Says Dale Fallon, director, mobile, Score Media Inc.

“One of our key strategies is to invest in and promote mobile media and we know that the portability of content is extremely important to consumers worldwide. Sports fans have proven the worth of ScoreMobile by downloading it, using it and spreading the word. Now we’re taking that to the next level by releasing an app for dedicated soccer fans – just in time for the most incredible sporting event of the year, the 2010 FIFA World Cup.”

You can download ScoreMobile FC from BlackBerry App World now and soon at Apple’s App Store and Android Market.

Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL) has released two new coral reef conservation videos (above and below) for World Oceans Day.

The two short videos feature oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle and focus on CORAL’s community approach, field program initiatives and the urgency behind coral reef conservation.

Says Brian Huse, executive director at CORAL:

“We have a model that works. When well-managed marine protected areas are supported by active local communities and defended against local threats, the reefs not only recover, but also become more resistant to large-scale stressors like climate change.”

Costa Rica’s EARTH University, supported by Costa Rica Tourist Board (ICT), CNN and Cummins, is holding a  global tree planting on June 5, World Environment Day.

Called EARTH Plants the Future, the tree plantings have been organized by EARTH alumni in 26+ countries and so far planting commitments exceed 650,000 trees.

“Initiatives such as these have propelled Costa Rica’s goal to obtain environmental sustainability,” says Carlos Ricardo Benavides, Minister of Tourism of Costa Rica.

“We are excited to be supporting this important global initiative and we urge the international community to become advocates and unite in this endeavor on World Environment Day.”

EARTH’s office in the United States has also launched a fundraising campaign with donors to find friends and family to sponsor trees for the planting.

For more info, visit EARTH University online.

Image courtesy of ICT

Students learning at Rosa Parks Elementary School in San Francisco. Photo credit: CBS EcoMedia

CBS EcoMedia & EcoZone Green My School Contest has completed green makeovers at three U.S. winning schools in the San Francisco, Miami and Chicago regions.

The three schools are Rosa Parks Elementary School in San Francisco; Everett M. Dirksen Middle School in Chicagoland and Miami Northwestern High School in Miami.  Winning the contest in San Francisco, the school received $250,000+ in donated goods and services for their green makeover.

Some 45 American schools participated in the Green My School contest.  Each school submitted a contest entry sharing “what being green means to them” and “why their school should receive a green makeover.”

The green schools program also provides a sustainable environmental program for all participating schools within each region.

For more info, visit CBS EcoMedia.

QS World University Rankings iPhone App. (PRNewsFoto/QS)

Are you education planning? Then check out QS World University Rankings which now has an iPhone app.  This new app will make it possible to see the rankings of the world’s Top 500 Universities in the world.

Free to download on iTunes, the iPhone app is the first of a series of initiatives by QS leading up to the release of the 2010 QS World University Rankings.

The QS World University Rankings App, designed for students and parents, enables users to research global, regional and subject-based rankings and profiles and contact details of the top universities.

“Every year, QS surveys over 40,000 undergraduate and Masters applicants who register on topuniversities.com to meet universities face-to-face. Results revealed that they want to discuss university choices with their friends whilst on the move,” says Marcos Angelides, co-creator of the app.