Are you dreaming of a greener Christmas this year? If you’re tired of the over consumption and environmental blindness that takes over our society every December, there are things you can to lessen your impact without compromising your family traditions.

Feasts: Make out your grocery lists early so you have time to look for locally produced products. Even better, impress visiting friends and family with a menu built around locally produced foods. The less distance your food travels, the fresher it is and the less fuel goes into getting it to your table.

On days you do a lot of cooking, turn down the thermostat a couple of degrees. The oven will compensate, saving a little energy. If you have no small children or overly curious pets in the house, leave the oven door cracked open when the food comes out, making the most use of the heat you already have.

Travel: Consider going out of town for the holidays just once for the entire season. For example, Thanksgiving can be a local family and friends event this year, while Christmas can be the holiday everyone travels to Grandma’s house, instead of flying or driving long distances for both holidays. Limiting travel will save on fuel emissions and save you a little green, too.

Shopping: Shop online to save yourself a lot of time, stress and gas. If shopping with family or friends is a tradition you don’t want to lose, go in prepared. Have your stops organized to save on gas and avoid running in circles all over town. Pack the car with reusable shopping bags, cold beverages in reusable bottles, and friends and family that need to make the same stops you do.

Gifts: The greenest gifts skip the malls entirely. Give a donation to a favorite charity in a friend’s name. Give a hand-made gift that uses your talents. Give the gift of your time to a family member who needs help with a home improvement project, childcare, or just wants to hang out you more often. Re-gift a family heirloom to a younger member of the family.

If you insist on buying a “regular” gift, be sure it’s something useful to the recipient, not something that will make clutter, gather dust, and be in the landfill by next December. If all other ideas fail, edibles and potables, provided they aren’t over-packaged, are an easy, earth-friendly gift choice.

Wrappings: Ripping up expensive wrapping paper is over-rated. Use your newspapers to wrap (reusable) gift boxes. Keep the tape use to a minimum and throw it in the recycling bin after it gets ripped open. If you can get your hands on unprinted newsprint (often used as packing material by people packing up to move), decorate it with personalized images or messages. The unprinted paper recycles just as well, and can also double as tissue paper.

Consider the value of gift bags. If properly cared for, a few good gift bags can be passed among family members for many years, greatly diminishing the paper products used in gift-wrapping. Even better, package your gift in a reusable shopping tote. The package not only becomes part of the gift, but also encourages earth-friendly habits in the recipient.

Admittedly, these are all little changes you can make to your holiday routines, but little changes add up, especially when you encourage those around you to do the same. Just put some thought into your actions and purchases. You don’t have to sacrifice your traditions to make your holidays greener.

Originally posted 2009-08-22 00:08:08. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Make It An Earth-Friendly Holiday Season

Do the environment, your family, and your friends a favor and celebrate the holidays in a earth-friendly manner.

Choose your tree carefully. If you buy a real tree, purchase one that you can plant in your yard after the holidays. If you choose to use an artificial tree use recycled materials for decorating and limit the lighting.

Decorate your tree with items you have recycled or can reuse in a decorative way. Be creative. Edible decorations such as popcorn and cranberry strands are earth friendly.

Use items found in nature for decorations. Pinecones and gourds are great for holiday decorating.

Buy cards that are printed on recycled paper. Use can reuse the front of old greeting cards to make name tags for gifts.

Wrap gifts in recycled paper. Or, rather than wrapping gifts, put them in reusable cloth tote bags.

Be creative and wrap your gift in a reusable towel made from recycled cotton. Put your gifts in decorative baskets. Use a scarf as a wrap for a gift.

Shop online to save gas. If you don’t shop online, limit the distance you travel to shop.

Buy gifts from organic and earth-friendly stores.

Give a membership to a conservation group as a gift.

Adopt an endangered animal in the recipient’s name.

You can find many items online that support the Rainforest. These items would make great gifts.

If you have friends or family that do not shop for organic items, give them a gift card for an organic grocery store to introduce them to earth-friendly shopping. If they already shop at organic food stores, a gift card to their favorite store will be appreciated.

Refrain from using disposable plates, cups, and napkins at holiday gatherings. Use cloth napkins and recruit some help with washing dishes after the meal or party. Good conversation can occur at the sink while doing dishes.

Give a gift that is not materialistic. Give a personalized coupon book to a friend or family member offering to perform certain task for them such as prepare a meal or take their turn at carrying out the trash.

Originally posted 2009-12-01 23:13:53. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

The holidays are the time of year that we celebrate with family, friends, and co-workers. We all look forward to spending time together sharing favorite treats and stories. While planning these events you might ask yourself how to make your holiday season more earth-friendly. With a little bit of preparation, it’s possible to have a green festive season without breaking the bank.

A great place to be earth-friendly is around the house. Everyone likes holiday lights but they can create a large energy bill. A wonderful alternative to traditional holiday lighting is the newer LED holiday lights. These consume considerably less electricity and they have a much longer life span. Manufacturers have expanded their product lines considerably the past two years so there’s sure to be a style that matches what you are looking for. To save even more money, put those lights on an outdoor timer. Not many people are watching your lights at 3 AM.

Try shopping from your house this season. Many retailers offer online coupons and free shipping around the holidays. Shopping online will save you time and gas money! If you do need to pick up some gifts, check the air pressure in your car’s tires before beginning your adventure. Under-inflated tires really hit you in the wallet. Next, grab those cloth bags and go shopping at stores with locally made products. You will be supporting local businesses and the confidence that they won’t contain any unsafe chemicals.

Try alternative gifts for the person who already has it all. Everyone needs batteries around the holiday time. What a perfect time to buy rechargeable batteries and a battery charger. They can be used repeatedly, reduce waste, and save money in the long run. Buy them a pass for the mass transit system and they’ll be green and save gas money. Buy carbon off-set credits to promote sustainable living practices. Better yet, help them to sign up for renewable energy programs offered by their local energy company.

It’s possible to have green holiday parties at home and at work. For your next get-together try using compostable and biodegradable partyware made from renewable sources. There are now a wide variety of earth-friendly eating utensils, plates, cups, and napkins. Many can be ordered online from www.ecoproducts.com and you can check their greenness rating at www.evo.com. While you are having that party, try to separate waste products into recycling streams and make it a zero waste event. Some community non-profit waste reduction organizations will even do this for you for a small fee.

Think of the elderly people in your life. Many on fixed incomes will struggle this winter. Think who could benefit from home weatherization, CFL bulbs, draft saving door sweeps, or a programmable thermostat. Schedule a home furnace tune-up for them. Their furnace will burn more efficiently and be ready for bitterly cold January days.

No matter the holiday you celebrate, everyone can be earth-friendly. It might take a little planning or just as easy as grabbing the cloth grocery bags. We can all help reduce our impact and save some money in the process.

Originally posted 2009-12-10 09:22:32. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

With the holiday seasons coming up soon, I’m going to give you some of my ideas to make it an earth-friendly holiday season.

Let’s start with gift wrap/boxes. Reusing newspapers or even wrapping paper from last year is a good idea. Less trash to go to the landfills. Kids always like comics, use it to wrap stuff up. Any boxes that you get through the year can be reused. Nothing like opening up a gift to see a toaster box, but you find out there is video games inside. I’ve even reused gift wrap to cover boarders of my pictures on my walls during the holiday season.

Not sure about you, but having a real tree for Christmas is earth friendly since they can be recycled by places. Buying a artificial tree is a good idea since it can be reused and stored easily, but they can’t be recycled and have a lot of chemicals in them. That is good for the environment when they sit in a landfill. As long as you dispose of your Christmas tree the right way, it will be earth friendly.

Old cards or ornaments can be reused. Cards can be placed on a stand during the holiday season for memory purposes from past holidays. Pick some leaves from the fall and use them on a card or decorations. Even sending online greetings are a good idea to save on paper used or stamps for all those cards to be mailed. Remember, it’s the thought that counts. Toilet paper rolls or paper towel rolls make good props for decorations. Instead of throwing them away, put them in a box for your holiday uses.

I have never been a big fan of a lot of lights during the holiday seasons. It’s a waste of energy. If you’re going to use alot of lights, use a timer so they turn off or come on at a certain time. You can spread you cheer through small amount of lights and just stick to basic props to show off holiday spirit. Energy is wasted every holiday season with a lot of lights running, etc. It isn’t good for the enviroment, especially with high soaring energy prices.

Never use disposable dishware at parties. Have everyone pool together some dishes for parties, save money and it will be a earth friendly party.

Overall, things above will make for a earth friendly holiday for everyone. We all can enjoy our holiday season a little bit more.

Originally posted 2009-12-14 20:28:39. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Bing Crosby dreamed of a white Christmas and Elvis sang of a blue Christmas, but what about a green Christmas. Yes, we can all do our part in helping to preserve our planet by going green and participating in an earth friendly holiday. Our faith, culture, heritage, family and friends are all celebrated during this time, so why not make a conscious effort to celebrate and contribute to the beauty and wonder of our great Mother Earth.

It may seem a little overwhelming if this is your first attempt at such an undertaking, but armed with some knowledge and a few pointers it’s a piece of cake. Keep in mind, you may not single handedly save the earth with your efforts, but every little bit helps. Each year you will get practice and expertise, until celebrating a green holiday is as routine as doing the laundry (which by the way should be washed with phosphate free detergent).

Thinking green starts before the big day. Your preparations and shopping can include an earth friendly approach. If the weather permits, enjoy a nice walk to the grocery store or shopping mall, rather than add to the abundance of pollution caused by car emissions. Public transportation is an earth friendly alternative, when the weather won’t cooperate. Better yet, online shopping allows you buy gifts while burning no fuel at all. Remember to carry your reusable shopping bags, to avoid being saddled down with all those environmentally unfriendly plastic bags.

The last few weeks leading up to the holidays result in a barrage of cards arriving in the mail, most of which aren’t recyclable. Sending ecards through the internet is an excellent alternative. For those who insist on tradition, there are cards made from recycled materials. Hand deliver as many cards as possible.

If adorning your house with festive lights choose LED, rather than the old large style. LED lights use about 90% less energy than the traditional lights. Put your lights on a timer to prevent forgetting to turn them off at bedtime, which wastes energy.

When selecting gifts keep the environment in mind. There are many companies that make their products from recycled materials. Avoid purchasing gifts that require batteries. They don’t break down in the landfills and create an environmental hazard. Opt for gifts with little or no plastic or cardboard packaging. Gift certificates are a great option, as there is no packaging and they don’t need to be wrapped. Making a donation to one’s favorite charity is the perfect gift for those who have everything.

Wrapping gifts creates mounds of paper waste, but there are ways to reduce such waste. Old comics and newspapers, scraps of fabric, maps and butcher paper are all great for wrapping gifts. Gift bags are good too, as most people save and reuse them. If tying ribbon around gifts, the need for tape is eliminated. Cut up old holiday cards to use as gift tags. When the gift giving is over save boxes, bows, ribbon and bags, to be used again.

Instead of chopping down and killing a tree, buy a potted tree which you can decorate, then plant outside after the holidays. An artificial tree is good, as it can be used year after year.

Celebrating a green holiday doesn’t require a great deal of effort, but can have a great effect on the environment. When the holidays are over, the only footprints we want left behind are those from Santa’s muddy boots, not those from harmful carbons and greenhouse gasses.

Originally posted 2009-08-20 14:05:21. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Make it an earth friendly holiday

The first thing that comes to mind, in making the holiday’s earth friendly is, PLEASE! Buy a Christmas tree don’t cut down a Christmas tree. This devastates me, beyond words. I hate and I know is a strong word, but I hate cutting down a plant, tree, and flowers from its life source (roots) for a temporary enjoyment. Why not buy the whole plant, tree or flowers and plant them. The enjoyment and satisfaction of the plant will then return many years of enjoyment. You could decorate the planted tree inside or outside. I see many homes every year during the holiday’s with decorations outside around a live tree. These people have all my respect. I thank you and mother earth thanks you.

Here is some common basic knowledge. Trees produce oxygen thru there leaves. Just in case you didn’t know. There are over three hundred million people in the united states, according to the United states POP clock.Thats a lot of oxygen needed .I cannot stress enough how selfish I believe cutting down Christmas trees are. No I am not pagan. Just want to have oxygen to breath.

There are so many ways to celebrate this holiday without reducing the amount of oxygen these trees would have produced prior to being cut down.

The National Christmas Tree Association states that, one acre of Christmas Trees can produce enough oxygen that is required for eighteen people.

Here is another suggestion for an earth friendly holiday. First but your tree, then makes your own decorations.

During the holiday season, families come together and create memories. Why not make memories by making your decorations for your tree with your family using natural resources.

I have created a list of available natural and recycled resources you can use during the holiday season for making ornaments to decorate your live Christmas tree:

1-acorns

2-popcorn

3-pine cones

4-holly berries

5-recycled paper (for making ornaments)

6-solar lights

7-burnt light bulbs (recycle and decorate them)

8-empty plastic water bottles (recycle and fill with sand and place candle inside)

9-use cutzo branches, you can weave them to make wreaths, garland

*cutzo will produce quicker if pruned on regular bases

10-use different type’s pasta noodles make ornaments

These ideas may sound unusual. I assure you spending the time with your families making these ornaments together will be a memory that will last for a life time.

So how can you make the holiday earth-friendly? Look around and let the earth be your guide. You will be surprised what is available.

Happy holiday! Make memories

Originally posted 2009-10-08 21:57:40. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

The holidays can undermine our efforts to practice green, earth-friendly habits. Who has the time to stop and consider every choice? Arm yourself with these tips so you can make earth-friendly choices.

Send emails personalized with your scanned embellishments, photos or your child’s artwork, instead of cards. Send postcards or buy cards made from recycled material. Re-use cards as gift tags or glue the front to new, folded card stock. Donate used cards to St. Jude’s Ranch.

Try to eliminate traditional wrapping paper. Sturdy paper gift bags, cloth bags or permanently wrapped boxes can be re-used. Wrap the lid and the box separately to re-use. A pillowcase can be made into a drawstring bag for larger gifts. Use cloth ribbons and avoid non-recyclable metallic paper.

Do not use bubble wrap or Styrofoam peanuts to ship gifts. Use crumpled paper or cornstarch peanuts. Consider dealing with a store local to the recipient and arranging for the local delivery of your gift. Donate bubble wrap or peanuts from gifts you receive to a local mailing store for re-use. Have your name removed from unwanted catalog lists.

Buy earth-friendly gifts. A refillable water bottle discourages the use of bottled water. Camping stores have bottles with built in filters for good tasting water on the go. Look for gifts made with recycled materials or that use solar power instead of batteries. Another option is to give tickets to concerts, movies or the theater. Make a donation to charity or adopt a manatee or a wolf in your recipient’s name, a truly earth-friendly gift. Give gifts with no waste such as soap, candles or edibles that are used up.

Use LEDs, 90 percent more efficient, on the house and your tree. A US Dept. of Energy study estimated two billion kilowatt-hours of electricity could be saved in one month if all holiday lights were switched to LEDs.

Mulch, do not burn, your tree so as not to release the carbon into the atmosphere. Re-furbish your old ornaments instead of throwing them away.

An earth-friendly holiday is not too hard with a little planning and when it is all over you can pat yourself on the back for a job well done.

http://news.nationalgeographic .com/news/2004/12/1220_041220_ green_christmas_2.html

http://www.musc.edu/recycle/ho lidays.htm

http://www.eco-artware.com/eco -news/green-holiday.php

To make your holiday choices more earth friendly are by using cloth bags instead of plastic bags. This is more earth friendly and it can also help you save money because some stores charge money for their plastic bags and I also find that you can fit more groceries in the cloth bags than you can in the plastic bags. Why not save money and find all sorts of household items or you can go into your recycling box to find any used stuff such as pop bottles, milk carton, boxes, etc. And use this stuff to make crafts for any holiday gifts. You can grow your own vegetable garden, it’s healthier for you and for your planet. You can also build your own flower and herd garden in your back yard to add color and beauty. Also, you can use paper plates to save on doing dishes and any plastics plates, cups, and utensils and any of these items can be reused. Another cool idea is to Shred used paper and is another holiday choice that is earth friendly. You can reuse the paper to make homemade paper for holiday cards, then take a wet tea bag wipe it all over the paper and let dry for an hour. this will give the paper and old paper look to it. You can also save money on gas if you buy yourself a environmental, earth friendly car. This idea would save so much money on gas and it very safe for the environment.

Another possibility is to make homemade handcreams, facial masks, makeup, clothes, bath oils, theraputic oils, incense, incense and candle holders or candles for someone special, instead of buying items that is not save for the evironmentand another great way of saving money.

All these ideas are really great for any holidays all year round. I have tried most of these ideas and I think they are amazing and very sufficient. It has saved me money over the years and I love making homemade items that is very earth friendly and you will love doing these things if you put your mind and heart to it.

So enjoy having fun with these ideas for making holiday choices more earth friendly. You will find craft ideas in books, internet, or at your local library.

The Earth was once lush with trees. Even a mere 100 years ago, the planet was heavily forested and wooded. Since then, businesses the world over have been stripping our lands of our beautiful and ancient trees, deforesting the Earth and leaving us gasping for fresh air. Yet, we have a collective opportunity, this Holiday, to begin a national and global tradition of reforesting the Earth.

One of the most Earth-friendly acts which you can take, this Holiday (Holy-day) season is to display a living Christmas tree in a planter, rather than purchasing a tree which has been cut down. It is, also, more in keeping with Jesus’ admonition “Do not kill”. Then, during the spring, you can plant your lovely Christmas tree outdoors, to grace the environment for hundreds of years to come. By the time you have reached your senior years, then, you will have planted a veritable woods for the birds, squirrels, and other woodland creatures. How much more beautiful can a Christmas gift be?

A baby Christmas tree in a planter, decorated with red velvet bows, is, also, an inexpensive, yet, lovely gift for your relatives and friends, so that, they too, can begin a tradition of planting their Christmas trees and enhancing their environment, year by year. In fifty years, merely because you have been so mindful and generous, homes and fields around America will begin looking like fairy-book homes and woods, beautiful and entrancing…and the true spirit of Christmas will be growing everywhere.

Such beautiful little trees can, readily and more cost-effectively, be purchased on-line, as well, saving you gas money and helping to freshen the atmosphere.

Another lovely and Earth-friendly gift idea is expanding upon Johnny Appleseed’s quest to provide poor people and woodland creatures with many generations of apples to eat. For instance, even though, today, they can easily walk to the grocery store for meat, hunters tend to advance their particular brand of violence by saying that, “if the populations of deer are not thinned out, many deer will die of starvation”. However, if the deer live within an environment of apple trees, they do not starve, rather, they thrive!

As such, all of the little Bambi’s of the world will be grateful for the Christmas gift of apple trees planted in yards, parks, woods, and forests. And, as word spreads, the poor will be able to grab a simple, nutritious bite to eat, without having to scuffle through garbage bins.

Moreover, whenever you eat a fresh (not refrigerated) apple, if you save and plant the seeds in planters, by next Christmas you will have a wonderful set of inexpensive gifts for your family and friends, spreading the wealth and good cheer. Some of you might even decide to begin a small business selling apple seeds, seedlings, and/or young apple trees.

The gift of life is the greatest Holiday gift of all.

Joy to the World – Earth-friendly Tips for the Holidays

The environment is a top priority now more than ever; and with the holidays just around the corner, many

find it difficult to celebrate with their loved-ones and remain environmentally responsible. But you’ll find that

its easier than ever to go green for the holidays.

What You Can Do

The most obvious way to remain earth-friendly during the holidays is to shop online. This saves a

tremendous amount of gas, and time! But what else can you do to lessen your impact on the environment?

You can opt for LED holiday lights instead of traditional incandescent lights. They are 85-90% more energy

efficient than those old bulbs, and can be purchased for under twenty dollars. For a little more, you can buy

solar-powered holiday lights and use no electricity!

Reusable gift bags have been popular for some time. However, some common household items like

newspaper comics, fabric remnants and old clothes, even old maps and calendars can be used for unique and

stylish homemade wrapping paper. News offices will even give away newsprint roll ends, which can be

decorated any way you like.

What to do with your tree after Christmas can be a problem, but you can go green here too. Many areas

offer free pickup of your Christmas tree, which can be used for mulch, or man-made cover for aquatic

wildlife. Contact your local sanitation department for details.

Your Gifts

Finding earth-friendly gifts is easy, and can be fun. A simple search in your favorite search engine can lead

to some surprising and educational green gift ideas. The suggestions below were found in a matter of

minutes, but there are earth-friendly options for just about any gift you have in mind.

Live gifts, such as herb or flower garden kits, or planting a tree in your loved-one’s name are wonderful.

You can also buy recycled or organic products; backpacks made from recycled or reconditioned plastic bags,

organic and locally grown food products, and products that have multiple uses top the list. Purchasing gifts

with little or no packaging cuts down a great deal on holiday waste. Consider sending email cards instead of

traditional hand-written cards to eliminate even more waste; they are mostly free, they offer many styles and

animations to suit your loved-ones tastes, and some even allow you to record a personalized message.

Your Loved-ones

Asking for charitable donations in your name, or earth-friendly gifts like those above, is a great way to set the

tone for a green holiday season, but you can go a step further. Talk with your loved ones about how you feel

about environmental concerns. Encourage them to make earth-friendly choices about their holiday

celebration, as you intend to. Setting a shining example may be the most important thing you can do!