Just because you can buy it doesn’t mean that you can’t make it!  If you find that you’re out of dishwasher detergent, don’t fret, we have an easy and eco-friendly solution just for you!

All you need to do is mix together 1 cup washing soda, 1 cup Borax, 1/2 cup salt and 1/2 cup citric acid, which you’ll need to store in a tightly screwed jar.

When you’re ready to use, place one tablespoon of the mixture into the soap container and voila!  If you would like a shiner finish, try adding a splash of vinegar to the rinse dispenser for the very best results!

29-year-old actress Jessica Alba has been seeking the advice of her Twitter followers in helping her create an eco-friendly Easter basket for her 2-year-old daughter Honor.

With Jessica preggers again, we’re sure she’s under a lot of pressure to get things organized and not enough time to do it in, so we thought we’d lend a hand.

First off, Jess, consider this a homemade task and look at what you have around the house.  If you already have a basket, voila!  Now to just decorate it!  Instead of green artificial grass, how about heading to your local organic florist and grabbing up some flowers and greenery.

Using craft wire, assemble the basket the night ahead of time with flowers pinned around the handle of the basket and the greenery at the bottom.  Once complete, store the basket in the fridge for safe keeping and now all you have to do is fill it up with homemade cookies and treats!

If you have any eco-friendly ideas for Jess, tweet them to @JessicaAlba!

If ever there was a trend we welcomed with open arms, it’s eco-friendliness and boy, is it taking the world and companies by storm.

And not even 3M is left out in the cold with the announcement of a new product, Scotch Magic Eco-Friendly Tape.  Made from more than 75% renewable or recycled materials, this new tape is just what you’ve been wanting to switch to.

The boxed refill roll, including packaging, is made from more than 65 percent renewable or recycled materials. Because of its great adhesive strength, photo-safe formulation and performance, Scotch Magic Tape has been a fixture in homes, schools and offices for 50 years. Scotch Magic Eco-Friendly Tape offers these same great properties, now in an even more environmentally-friendly version.

Sprint has just unveiled their newest Android handset and this one is a real keeper!

Say hello to your new BFF, the eco-friendly Samsung Replenish.  Powered by none other than Android 2.2, this eco-friendly handset features a portrait-QWERTY design with 2.8-inch touch screen, 2-megapixel camera, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, and support for microSD cards.

The Replenish is the fourth Sprint handset to bear the eco-friendly title. Other details that make this one environmentally sound: it uses fewer sensitive materials, it has an energy-efficient charger, and its packaging is fully recyclable. What’s more, for $29 you can attach a unique back cover with solar panels that will charge the battery.

Sprint is not only going green with this handset, but the company is saving its customers a little green in the process. The carrier is lowering the monthly data plan by $10, meaning it should pay for itself after only five months. The Replenish goes on sale May 8 in Onyx Black and Arctic Blue options and will carry a very attractive price tag of $49.99. A third color, Raspberry Pink, will be available in June.

This coming Sunday, April 17, Target has a special gift for you in mind, a reusable bag.

To mark the kick off of Earth Week 2011, Target stores are giving away 1 million reusable bags from 100% recyclable Tyvek material at their stores nationwide.  Be sure to get to your local Target early, or you might get left in the tote cold.

Salutes to Target for this great initiative!

Good news from the Coca Cola company, they’ve added sugar to their Dasani water and Odwalla juice brands, but not where you think!

The company has done a great thing by making their Dasani water and Odwalla juice bottles more eco-friendly by making them from plant-based materials, which is mostly sugar cane.

Now all Dasani bottles and Odwalla single-serving bottles will be available exclusively in PlantBottle packaging which is great news for all us juice and water lovers out there.  Now if we can only convince ourselves to cut this silly bottled water business!

While it seems like a most  unlikely source, Jersey Shore’s Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino has apparently launched an eco-friendly reusable garment bag.

Teaming up with The Green Garmento, The Situation has created a reusable garment bag, dubbed the GTL, named for Sorrentino’s infamous “gym, tan, laundry” mantra.

The reusable bag can be purchased for a mere $12 and even features carbon-balanced shipping if you purchase the bag online.

Here’s the good news, American apparel company Ralph Lauren is going green with solar paneled backpacks.  The bad news?  They’re $800, but if you can afford them, they’re a great buy.

Made in Italy, of course, and using water-resistant materials, these Ralph Lauren Solar Panel RLX Backpacks are perfect for gadget charging on the go.

The Solar Panel RLX Backpack features a built-in solar panel sturdily attached to the back of the pack and capable of producing a 3.45 watt current, enough power to charge your cell phone or iPod in two to three hours tops.

Other features of this $800 backpack include adjustable shoulder straps, top flap with adjustable buckle closure, zip pockets and o course the RLX Ralph Lauren name.  Talk about showing off your luxury feathers.

There’s a new way to keep you and the planet in harmony with an eco-friendly watch from Sprout.

The Women’s Sprout ST5008MPWT Eco-Friendly Diamond Dial White Corn Resin Bracelet Watch (whew!) has been crafted with white corn resin and mineral crystal for the lens.

Genuine mother-of-pearl dial features silvertone numerals at twelve, three, six and nine o’clock, eight diamond accent markers, printed minute track, silvertone hour and minute hands, sweeping second hand and logo. Quartz movement.

Now you and the planet can keep up the time, and for a mere $50.

Late last year San Francisco banned toys in McDonald’s Happy Meals that contain excessively large levels of fat, sodium, sugar and all kinds of other bad stuff and now it looks like New York City might go the same route.  There’s gonna be more unhappy kids in NYC….

This week NYC Councilman Leroy G. Comrie, Jr. introduced a bill that calls for banning Happy Meal toys unless the meal becomes much much healthier.

The councilman believes that if McDonald’s would make Happy Meals a healthier choice for parents on the go, we’d all benefit.  And we couldn’t agree more, Comrie, well, maybe if you made the toys themselves eco-friendly too….