Earth Day 2010: Top 10 Deals, Perks, Freebies

April 22, 2010— -- If getting down and dirty in a neighborhood garden isn't your thing, merchants across the country have come up with plenty of other ways for you to celebrate Earth Day today.

In honor of the 40th anniversary of the worldwide day of environmental awareness, companies are offering a slew of perks and discounts.

"We're seeing more than we saw last year," said Luke Knowles, founder of the deal-aggregating blog Coupon Sherpa. "Companies just want to seem like they're environmentally-friendly, so they're trying to take advantage of this as much as possible. If there's an opportunity, merchants will jump on board to take part."

Knowles and his team put together a list of 40 deals to mark the occasion's 40th anniversary and save you money. Check out a few of the best deals below.

Amazon

With Amazon's help, you can read yourself to a greener world. Through the online retailer's Read, Reuse, Recycle program, you can save up to 34 percent on Earth Day books for children and adults.

For less literary shoppers, the company also offers a trade-in program, which allows customers to exchange used movies, DVDs, hard drives and other items for Amazon gift cards.

Babies 'R' Us

Reusable shopping bags make an appearance every Earth Day, but this year Babies 'R' Us is going one step further. With an online coupon that's valid through April 22, customers can get a free tote bag and 25 percent off all clothing and shoes that fit inside.

BBC's Planet Earth

The BBC wants you to celebrate the planet by watching its popular television series documenting natural wonders. To help you get started, the first episode of the "Planet Earth" series can be downloaded free on iTunes from April 12 to April 26.

Earth Day Deals: Hats, T-Shirts, Cosmetics and More

Burt's Bees

If you purchase $50 worth of its goods online, Burt's Bees will throw in a free Head to Toe Starter Kit with trial-size natural clearners, lotions and creams. (Just be sure to place your orders by 11 p.m. April 30.)

Cash for Appliances

Did you know that more than 70 percent of the energy used in homes powers appliances, refrigerators, heating, cooling and water heating?

To help families save on utility bills and conserve energy, each state has created a rebate program in which families can trade in old appliances for money to buy more efficient products. Several states have chosen to launch their programs on Earth Day. For details on your state's program, click HERE.

Disney

Stop by a Disney store today with six empty plastic bottles or soda cans, and if you can toss the bottles into a bin, you'll receive a free eco-friendly hat. (Disney is the parent company of ABC News.)

Hanes

If you can't spend Earth Day planting trees, let Hanes do it for you. If you buy three Hanes products, the Arbor Day Foundation will plant a tree. And you'll get a free Earth Day T-shirt in the process.

The offer is good through May 1. Visit the promotion's website for more information.

Origins

Bring your skin care product of choice to an Origins store today, and in return, it'll give you a full-size container of one of its chemical-free cleansers. Origins says it'll take a full or empty tube of your product and will recycle or responsibly convert it to energy.

Pottery Barn Kids

At 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. today, Pottery Barn Kids is celebrating Earth Day with giveaways, story time and other activities.

Walgreens

Between April 18 and April 22, Walgreens customers can get 22 percent off a variety of green items, from cleaning supplies to beauty products. From April 22-25, the company also said that it would donate 30 percent of the sales from products from its Earth Day store to the World Wildlife Fund.

If you use the coupon code $6365 on April 22, Coupon Sherpa also said you can get $1 inkjet refills at Walgreens.

Bonus: REUSE Jeans

Think it's impossible to be fashion forward and eco-friendly? Think again. REUSE jeans offer the season's trendiest styles in sustainable denim constructed from 80-percent recycled fabric. The company's motto: step into a smaller carbon footprint one leg at a time. In addition to skinny, straight and boot leg jeans, REUSE sells denim skirts and shorts on its Web site, REUSEJeans.com. In honor of Earth Day's 40th anniversary, everything on the site is half off through April 25 – punch in the promo code EARTH to refresh your closet and help the environment without hurting your wallet.