Some of us get our best holiday shopping ideas while stuck in traffic, but Memorial City Mall in Texas, US is rewarding shoppers for doing their part to help reduce traffic and improve the environment.

The mall has teamed up with NuRide, an online community that rewards commuters for sharing rides with their community members. For the month of December, anyone in Houston who records a shared ride on NuRide will be eligible for a daily draw of a $100 gift certificate from Memorial City Mall.

Maybe the lucky winners can share a ride to the mall!

Retailers can’t wait for Black Friday

Atlanta Journal-Constitution, US

Predawn Black Friday shopping? Phhft.  Midnight’s where it’s at this year. Faced with a skittish consumer worried about the economy and still fearing the return of sky-high gas prices, some metro Atlanta malls and standalone retailers aren’t wasting a minute to entice reluctant Christmas shoppers through their doors …

Shopping centers think green

Philippine Daily Inquirer, PH

The sprawling malls and shopping centers in the Philippines have not been spared by the wave of increased consciousness over the environment that have engulfed shoppers and consumers the world over. More than ever, mall developers are investing in new architecture and construction concepts that promise to reduce the structures’ adverse impact on the environment …

Shopping center cameras up for debate

The Miami Herald, US

On Wednesday, Cutler Bay could become the first municipality in Florida to require shopping centers of a certain size to install security cameras in their parking lots. Town officials say the measure would help police solve crimes. But shopping center owners and other retail industry representatives say the law would unfairly target some businesses and cost too much for not enough of a crime-prevention benefit …

Top boutiques make podcast guides to shopping in Edinburgh

Scotsman, UK

THE Capital’s boutique stores are attempting to lure young shoppers by offering them the first podcast guide to shopping in Edinburgh. The off-the-beaten track stores feature prominently on the Christmas shopping guide targeted at the “iPod generation” …

First Carbon Neutral Zone created in the US

Global climate change is one of the most daunting challenges of the 21st century, but the recent growth and popularity of American eco-consciousness has created a new sense of urgency to address this problem. Today the green movement took a significant step forward as the first “Carbon Neutral Zone” in the United States was announced in Atlanta. By purchasing carbon offsets, an entire retail community, known as The Corner-Virginia Highland, effectively offset its residual greenhouse gas emissions …

Countdown to plastic bag ban

Victor Harbor Times, AU

Plastic bags are already on the way out on the South Coast – ahead of the state government’s transition towards a complete ban, which will start on the 1st of January. Target Country in Victor Harbor will stop giving out single use plastic bags at the end of this month and Lenards in the Victor Central Shopping Centre is already giving out paper bags in place of plastic carry bags …

This year, St. John’s Shopping Centre is planning for a green Christmas. But this isn’t an issue of weather, it’s about the environment.

This year, when Santa stops at St. John’s, he’ll be breaking with tradition and dressing in green. And while he’ll be visiting some malls in a helicopter, and others by sleigh, he’s coming to St. John’s by rickshaw – a very sustainable form of transportation (though is it better than his reindeer express?). Santa’s story time will tell the story of how Santa turned green to help deal with global warming.

Kids are one of the biggest drives for household sustainability, so Santa’s influence is sure to be a great start.

Erina Fair, in New South Wales, AU, hasn’t forgotten about the environment. It’s holding “It’s in our hands,” an interactive expo that aims to teach shoppers about the important changes they can make in their own lives and homes.

From tips on water conservation to ways to recycle more efficiently, the shopping center is helping to educate and inspire. And while saving the environment might seem like a hard sell when we’re all more interested in saving what’s in our pocketbooks, it’s important to remember that being greener is often about being more efficient. Saving electricity means saving power costs, and now is a great time to encourage shoppers to save on both.

Billings Bridge, an Ontario, Canada shopping center, is rewarding shoppers for doing their part to look after the environment.

Every month, the shopping center gives away a $100 gift certificate to one lucky shopper. Shoppers can enter the contest by filling out a form on the mall’s website, but there’s a catch. To be eligible for the contest, entrants must drive a fuel efficient vehicle.

Governments around the world are hard at work finding ways to support their citizens’ eco-friendly decisions, so it’s great to see businesses getting involved too. We’re all in this one together, after all.