Just about everyone is talking about something "green" these days. Whether it's green cars, green buildings, or just the green focused lifestyle itself, you can hardly turn around without someone pushing some green concept in your face. It's enough to turn a person, well, green.

I have always tried to maintain an earth friendly outlook myself. For me, that vision has been absorbed in the lifetime pursuit of trying to plant at least enough trees to offset the trees that have been utilized to serve my needs. Of course, I'll never know for sure if I've accomplished my goal. That's one reason why I haven't stopped planting them yet. That's also the reason why a particular blog post, from WeHeartWorld, piqued my interest.

The lively folks at WeHeartWorld, put together a list of ten companies which claim they shall plant at least one tree for each purchase of a specific item, or which facilitate the collection of donations for tree planting purposes. It's an absolutely fantastic effort, and I wish a host of companies would jump on that bandwagon. For instance, the "Plant a Tree for Me" campaign, sponsored by Dell, encourages consumers to make donations for tree planting. The claim is that a $99 donation to the Dell effort could provide a person with a one year carbon offset.

The Daily Deal for Sunday June 1, 2008

In consideration of the fact that I have transplanted about two dozen trees already this season, I thought it would be nice if I could find people a deal on trees. As luck would have it, I didn't have to look too far before I found, FreeTreesandPlants.com. This free tree operation says that for just the cost of shipping, they shall send you nursery quality trees, shrubs and perennial plants which have gone unsold during the current planting season. The work is handled by "shelter workshops" which provide work for individuals who might otherwise have difficulty finding meaningful employment.

I checked out the offer for myself, because I'd like to plant a couple red maple trees this season and I'm having a hard time finding them locally at a decent price. FreeTreesandPlants.com will send me two, bare root, red maple trees, 15 to 18 inches tall, for just $7.95. I think I'll give it a shot, and reserve a couple!

For anyone who might be interested in this organization, you'll find the project description here. For the organization's FAQ page, click here. This organization states that it does not solicit or accept donations.

While we're busy planting and primping in the garden, we shouldn't forget that houseplants need love too. If your ivy is in need of a new home, check out the selection of pots at the dollar store. Whether you're looking for plain or fancy, large or small, clay or plastic, a buck is all you pay for each. The latest addition to the mix is the small ceramic pot with an attached saucer pictured here. I liked this one with the raised pattern around the rim, but there are lots of other styles and colors, too. I thought them very attractive but knew I'd never plant anything in something that small. I would, however use it for a votice candle holder or anchor some floating flowers in a bed of stones for display on an end table.

And don't forget to check out the different sizes of plastic planters for use outdoors.

Marlene Alexander is a freelance writer and dollar store diva. She writes about decorating with items from the dollar store on her website www.dollarstorestyle.com.

My first thought was that if this catches on, food prices are going to go up.

Last month, the Agence-France-Presse, the oldest news agency in the world, reported that the Federal Ethics Committee on Non-Human Gene Technology in Geneva, Switzerland, "condemned the decapitation of flowers without reason." And this week the American press--starting with The Weekly Standard and then Fox News--has been picking up the story.

What really got people talking was that this Swiss governmental ethics committee came up with guidelines to protect "the dignity of plants."