We now live in an era where words like Organic, Sustainable, Conscious and Eco are a common part of everyday conversation. There is a global desire to standardize these terms to create a common understanding. For the time being however, there is a great amount of subjectivity in the language surrounding the shift we are experiencing at this time.

In the day to day operations of Eco Gift Expo, we are constantly being asked, “what does it mean to be ECO?” So we have set out to define the term and we do so realizing that there is, in fact, subjectivity. In other words, this is our opinion and we keep updating it. We welcome your contributions to this dialogue and look forward to hearing your thoughts on the topic.

ECO comes from the word ECOLOGY, which is defined in Wikipedia as “The scientific study of the distribution and abundance of life and the interactions between organisms and their environment. The word "ecology" is often used in common parlance as a reference to the natural environment or environmentalism.” ( HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecology" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecology)

Borrowing from this definition, we here at Eco Gift Expo define the term ECO as follows:

e-co adj. The state or quality of an individual or group of individuals whose lifestyle is guided by two main principles:
Leave less of a negative imprint on the Earth
Leave more of a positive imprint on people.
e.g. “That company is fully eco. They only import fair trade, organic products.”
“Barbara invests solely in clean tech businesses. She is so eco.

e-co adj. A product or service that adheres to the same principles laid out in section one here above. These products usually lead to long-term health and happiness and do so with little or no negative impact on the planet.

e.g. “Clothing made from Organic Cotton and Bamboo? Organic Chocolate?
All natural skin care? These are the best eco gifts I have ever seen.”
e-co adj. The type of lifestyle that includes health, happiness and the well-being of people and the planet as core themes.

e.g. “Apparently Michael bought an electric car to fit his eco lifestyle.”

The take-away for us from these definitions is the idea that being “eco” is a whole mindset, which includes but is not limited to sustainability. How we eat, how we treat other people, what we decide to spend our money on is all a reflection of our belief system and lifestyle. The Eco Gift Expo is a place where we can uplift each other during the holidays with great music, great food and great ECO ways to spend our money on gifts that will hold true to our definitions. As such, Eco Gift Expo is a microcosm of how we would like the world to be year round. It is our great hope to see you out there this December and in many places between now and then.

---Tommy