Whole Foods Market, Harbor East, 1001 Fleet Street,  410-528-1640 

 Whole Foods Market, Mount Washington, 1330 Smith Avenue,  410-532-6700

Earth-Conscious Clothing Store Nest, 5809 Clarksville Square Drive, Clarksville, 443-535-0212 

While virtually every clothing product is organic, handmade, or fair-trade, the store also spreads its eco-love to the community by sponsoring monthly environmental events and belonging to "Conscious Corner," a group of green stores in the area. Clothes at Nest are made of organic cotton, hemp, soy, bamboo, and even recycled soda bottles. Customers can even sign optional eco-pledges, such as washing your clothes in cold water when you take them home.

Eco-Aware Home Décor can be found for just about anything  you need at Bluehouse, 1407 Fleet Street, 410-276-1180

The retailer/café sells chemical-free home décor made from recycled materials and paint with low- or non-toxic chemicals. All of the coffee and tea in the cafe is organic and fair-trade, meaning farmers get equitable compensation for their labor. Bluehouse's stationary, business cards, bags, and napkins are made from recycled materials. It even gives out used coffee grounds for gardens or compost piles.

Eco-Friendly Construction Company A lot of the construction giants are taking on more eco-friendly projects these days, but one that's all green, all the time is Baltimore Green Construction, 814 W. 36th Street, 410-889-3193 

They built the first home in Maryland made out of pressed straw from wheat fields. They also recently broke ground on the Masonville Cove Environmental Education Center, a radically low-energy space with solar panels and insulated windows. Proof that its homes save on energy? -- One customer thanked them for her $25 utility bill.

Eco-Gifts You're giving more than just one gift when you buy from Earth Alley, 3602 Elm Avenue, 410-366-2110 

Almost every trinket lining the yellow-green walls of this fair- trade eco-oasis is made from reusable material and supports nonprofit causes in the artist's country of origin. Gifts include lightweight aluminum bangles, delicate necklaces made from broken plates, mirrors framed with tightly rolled magazine pages, intricate metalwork made from recycled oil drums, candles that melt into massage oil, and bowls made from tightly-wound telephone wire. This shop will make you reconsider the artistic value of everything you've ever thrown out.

Energy-Efficient Building Form is function at the Herring Run Watershed Center, 3445 Belair Road, 410-254-1577 

The new headquarters for the Herring Run Watershed Association, which improves the environmental quality of the watershed. The center has a "living roof" with tons of plants that absorb rainwater and a cistern that collects more rainwater for plumbing. There are also insulated windows, skylights, and a light well to maximize natural daylight.

Green Festival Who said helping the environment is all work and no play? Baltimore's EcoFestival, held each spring  in Druid Hill Park, features bands, food, and art, all while promoting an eco-friendly lifestyle. Attendees at this year's event—including Mayor Sheila Dixon—could listen to the tunes of folk rocker Caleb Stine while munching on veggie burritos and sipping organic Bluebird Coffee. They could also practice yoga moves in the wellness area or browse the more than 100 vendors with information on solar panels and composting.

Green Transportation Initiative Bikes whiz by frequently on the streets of Portland and San Francisco. In Baltimore? Not so much. But Velocipede Bike Project, 4 W. Lanvale Street, 410-244-5585 wants to change all that. The cooperative project collects donated bikes, teaches people how to repair them, and provides affordable, refurbished bicycles and parts to its members. To join, you pay a monthly fee of $33 or give three hours of volunteer time. Once you're an official co-op member, you can pick out a frame, fix up a bike for yourself, and call it your own.

Organic Salon Who says you can't look gorgeous and be good to Mother Earth? Since 2006, Sprout, 925 W. 36th Street, 410-235-2269

Promoted as the most eco-friendly salon in town. Besides using chemical-free products like Aubrey Organics, John Masters, Druide, and its own hair-care line, the salon has bamboo flooring and energy-efficient lights. Sprout also buys renewable energy credits from wind farms around the country and it recycles everything it can—yes, even the hair it cuts, which is used for sponges and fertilizer.

Sustainable Car Dealership Nowadays, you can purchase a hybrid vehicle from just about anywhere. But Northwest Honda, 9701 Reisterstown Road, Owings Mills, 410-363-8700  is hardly just anywhere. The dealership has a "green roof," with approximately 60,000 drought- and frost-resistant plants (which makes storm run-off go into the soil rather than the watershed), plus 87 insulated glass panels, and light sensors that automatically switch on and off to conserve energy. The dealership's main heat source uses recycled oil from cars. It's no surprise that there is currently a waiting list for Northwest's Civic Hybrid—we "Greenies" tend to stick together.

Sustainable Restaurant The Dogwood, 911 W. 36th Street, 410-889-0952

Both a good restaurant and a good neighbor. Its market-driven menu uses locally produced ingredients like chicken from Springfield Farms in Sparks, salmon from local fisherman Gaylord Clark, and other food from Tuscarora Organic Growers Co-Op. The restaurant (and catering company) composts all of its food waste and uses corn-based plastics and containers made from sugar cane.

Use of Greenbacks What better way to build a greener future than to catch architects while they're still in school? That was the thought of Baltimore developer John B. Colvin and his wife, Karen Colvin, who donated $3 million to the University of Maryland's School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (its largest gift ever) to start a program concentrating on green design. The donation established the Colvin Institute of Real Estate Development, which features courses in green design, adaptive reuse of old buildings, and energy-efficient structuring.

Baby Greens  Shannon Delanoy had a hard time finding sweatshop-free clothing for her daughter Alice. So she started the Sweet Pepita, sweetpepita.etsy.com, baby clothing line last year. The line takes retro T-shirts and blends them with brightly colored, 100-percent organic cotton shipped from New Mexico. Kline makes shirts, dresses, scarves, bibs, and hats. She explains that most of the T-shirts that she alters come from thrift stores or friends' closets, so some toddlers get adorned with a Guinness logo or Jimi Hendrix decal. A small price to pay for sustainability.

Earth-Friendly Art  MICA professor Hugh Pocock first began offering his "Climate Change and Sustainability" class in the fall of 2007. The goal of the course is to educate students—in any major—about the science of global warming and the art of sustainable planning. The most ingenious part? All students are asked to do a carbon footprint project, where they calculate their own carbon footprint, document a simple way to reduce it, and develop an art project in response to their findings.

 My Organic Market (MOM), 7351 Assateague Drive #190, Jessup, 410-799-2175  is so appealing to so many. The concept began in 1987 out of owner Scott Nash's garage in Beltsville. Today, MOM has five retail locations—Rockville, College Park, Alexandria, Jessup, and Frederick—which sell organic food that a typical family on a budget can actually afford. And they walk the walk, too: The Jessup location, for example, features skylights, energy-efficient equipment, and a bamboo service desk.