An Eco-Friendly Holiday Season

'Tis the season for giving, but some of us are too concerned with environmental issues. If you think it's a waste to give someone who has it all a gift that'll wind up in the closet, why not just give them something more environmentally friendly? Sure you're laughing now, but the reality is the environment is paying a high price for our way of life. I'll spare you the rant, but in the meantime, I'll encourage you to be nice to Mother Earth this Christmas and try these eco-friendly ideas:

Pictures of You: The gals over at Photojojo have a nice video tutorial that'll teach you how to turn CD jewel cases into photo frames. This is a great way to save money when decorating your pad for that Christmas party. You can also create some cubicle decorations for your coworkers for the gift exchange this year.

Luggable Bike: I used to be able to walk to work, but a bike would have been a lot nicer. It might've encouraged me to leave the car at home more often. Treehugger highlighted the Mobiky today, which is a bike that "folds into hand luggage." It's so cool how it fits in the trunk of your car and comes in handy if you live in big city such as New York or San Francisco. It would also be a great way to get the blood pumping during your lunch hour.

Go Solar: Battery power always drains, even when you're not using your gadgets. I'm so frustrated by gadgets that run out of juice quickly, and I'm sure you are too. It's time gadgets went solar, don't you agree? Until then, we'll have to settle for solar chargers such as the Nova Solar Camera bag or the Scotty Personal Solar Charger. Here are more awesome solar battery charger alternatives.

Low-Energy Lights: Switching to LED (light-emitting diodes) Christmas lights will help you save money and energy. One study by the U.S. Department of Energy concluded that if everyone replaced their light strings with LED lights, we would save enough energy to power 200,000 homes a year. That's a lot of energy! You can find LED lights online at Holiday Creations.

Do you have any eco-friendly ideas to share? Tell me what works for you.

Related:

Beam Me Up Scotty
Charging Cameras the Solar Way
Juice 2 Go: Portable Power