How to Shop, Save Money and Support Green Charities

Around the holidays, I think most of us would like to be able to donate to our green cause or charity of choice. But this year, finances are tighter for almost everyone and charitable donations are way down. Well, GoodSearch and GoodShop have come up with a way for everyone to do their holiday shopping, donate money to a cause and not spend a dime extra…

Yahoo is powering a search engine and online shopping mall that will allow users to search for and make their purchases at their favorite online retailers. Every time the websites are used, a contribution will be made to one of more than 70,000 charitable organizations that has partnered with the sites.

How exactly does it work? By purchasing items through GoodShop, each store donates a portion of the purchase price to the cause of your choice. Donations can go all the way up to 37% of the price. There are more than 800 stores to choose from, including large retailers like Target, Barnes and Noble, Best Buy and Home Depot. You can still shop around online to find the best prices and GoodShop offers many deals and sales, so everyone wins.

The partner site, GoodSearch, works a little differently. For each search you do on the Yahoo-powered search engine, you will earn a penny for your favorite charity. Each week the money will be donated to the charity of your choice. While it doesn't sound like a lot of money, think about how many searches you do every day or every week. It adds up fast.

What exactly does this have to do with sustainable design or green living? Some of your favorite environmental causes stand to benefit from your purchases and searches. Organizations like the Nature Conservancy, Heal the Bay or Healthy Child, Healthy World.

While neither site is brand new, it helps to be reminded of how easily we can make a difference. So before you order gifts this holiday season, be sure to check out GoodShop and GoodSearch first.