Looking for the perfect card? For a variety of creative card giving ideas look no further than Linden Hills Co-op and Natural Home! You’ll find many beautiful, thoughtful, and humorous choices whether looking for a specific holiday card, a birthday card or just a “thinking of you” card. And as an added bonus all of are cards are made with recyled or tree-free paper, reclaimed wood and soy inks.

Sunleaf Naturals, scented with 100% essential oils, are made in Waconia, Minnesota. They use all-natural ingredients, no petroleum, lead-free wicks, and lots of creativity. Sunleaf also makes all-natural dish and hand soaps, fire starters and reed diffusers—deliciously scented!

Linden Hills Co-op loves companies that creatively recycle and reuse materials. Minneapolis’s Wood from the Hood was started by self-described “avid recycler” Cindy Siewert and husband Rick. They collect locally harvested trees that would otherwise become mulch and make beautiful cutting boards and picture frames.

Because the cutting boards can only be made from hard woods and most of the city trees tend to be softer, it can be hard to find reclaimed Minneapolis trees in the mix—but we invite you to stop by and take a look! Cindy and Rick do a lovely job with local wood.

Burnsville, Minnesota-based Prairie Rugs is a company on an “eco-mission.” Their hand-made cotton area rugs are made from recycled rags that have been washed only with biodegradable soap and no bleach, dyed with organic low-impact dyes. We offer a variety of sizes and colors and are happy to order additional sizes and colors for our customers, on request.

We’re proud to offer another great locally-made product from a company committed to using high quality 100% organic materials. Their neck and back warmers and eye pillows are filled with Minnesota-grown certified organic golden flaxseed, and covered in soft, beautiful US-grown certified organic cotton. Freeze or microwave them for a heating or cooling treatment.

Use EcoSisters Recycled Wool Dryer Balls instead of disposable dryer sheets to naturally soften, reduce static and shorten drying time by as much as 40%, so they save energy, too. This locally made product keeps reclaimed wool fabrics out of the landfill and can be used again and again. There have been reports of them lasting two years or more! Made in Northern Minnesota; check out their website.

Living the Sassy Life
By Kathy Gerhardt

The tag on the children’s clothes at Linden Hills Natural Home reads in part: “Superb comfort. Inspired design from organic and recycled fabrics…this is what fashion should be. This is Sassy Knitwear.”

Designed and hand-sewn by Molly O’Brien, these clothes are not only sassy, but smart, too: smart in design, smart in comfort and smart in that they are created and delivered with as little impact to the environment as possible.

Linden Hills Natural Home carries goblets, tumblers and vases from Wausau-based Green Glass, a company that creates glassware from recycled wine bottles. Prices range from $6.99 for a 4-ounce juice glass to $9.99 for a footed goblet.

by Elizabeth Archerd

The co-op’s 30th anniversary party last October was rainy, cold and extremely windy. Since I had to spend much of the day outside, I indulged in one of the gorgeous Chinese silk scarves that we’d recently started carrying. It was so warm and lovely that I wore it regularly all winter. Signs by the scarves indicated that the supplier is a member of Co-op America and the Fair Trade Alliance. Chinese Fair Trade? Intriguing. Curiosity led me to Chen Chen, owner of Cocoon-House, distributor of these luscious products.