holidays

Ready to live greener come 2010? There’s no better time to start than your annual New Year’s Eve Bash. Not only will these easy and effective tips help the environment, they can even save you some money. What eco-conscious consumer doesn’t like the sound of that?

Borrow from Friends and Neighbors – What better way to reduce your carbon footprint by borrowing instead of purchasing brand new? Reusing is after all one of the green movement’s primary mantras. In addition, borrowing everything from music CD’s to wine glasses can keep your party budget in check. However, be prepared to invite all those you borrow from!

Opt for Eco-Disposable – If you must go disposable, purchase biodegradable or eco-disposable options that aren’t harmful to the environment. You can find a wide range of eco-disposable tableware at BiodegradableStore.com or GreenPartyGoods.com.

Send E-Vites – Forget snail mail! The latest trend in party invitations is one that is both good for the environment and your wallet. E-vites are essentially online invitations that can be sent via email. We love the clever, catchy cards you can create and send for free at SomeEcards.com and MyPunchBowl.com.

Eco-Friendly Spirits – What New Year’s party is complete without a little bubbly? For champagne and spirits that taste as good as they are for the environment, choose organic alcohol. In order to qualify as an organic alcohol (according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture), the alcohol must be made from ingredients grown on certified organic farms and processed in a distillery certified organic. The Organic Wine Company or Fleury Wine are great organic and reasonably-priced options.

Green and Cheap Décor – Use scented soy candles, silver and gold ornaments, and recycled wine bottles to set the stage for a festive, glossy New Year’s party. DIY confetti can easily be made from scrap paper, newspapers, or used holiday wrap.

Green Hangover Kits – Looking for a green party favor to send off with guests as they leave? A “green” hangover kit is an eco-friendly option that gives guests the right kind of hydration they’ll need in the morning! Give each guest a reusable water bottle filled with tap water, some ibuprofen, and a packet of Emergen-C (available at most drugstores). They’ll be grateful in the morning!

With the economy still in the dumps and budgets tight, this holiday season is the perfect time to give creative, homemade gifts that mean more and cost less. Not the creative type? We’ve got easy ideas for everyone on your list that won’t cost you a dime.

For the Kids:

Have an aspiring artist? Make recycled crayons into their favorite shapes.

Recycled Crayons – Instead of throwing out all those old, stubby, broken crayons, why not melt and mold them into cool shapes for the little artists in your family? Simply melt them in the oven using a muffin tin or metal cookie cutters. Learn how to make recycled crayons here.

Paint Soap – Homemade organic paint soap is a great gift for kids; it makes bath time more enjoyable and can easily be made from items you probably already have in the house. Made entirely from organic ingredients, the colorful soap won’t hurt your kids or your tub. Check out Tree Hugging Family’s Organic Paint Soap recipe.

Cookies in a Jar – Cookies are just about kid’s favorite treat so give a fresh-from-the-oven gift that will keep on giving. Use old mason jars (or whatever jars you can find around the house), layer each dry ingredient of your favorite cookie recipe separately so each layer is distinct, and attach the recipe using a ribbon. Cookies in a Jar is a great way to get the kids involved in holiday baking. Give each child their favorite kind of cookie!

For Mom:

Gifts of Service – What busy mom wouldn’t like a little help? From making dinner to babysitting, housecleaning to running errands, offer your time or a skill that can lighten her heavy load. Get creative make “service coupons” that she can redeem whenever she wants.

An Apron – These kitchen cover-ups are hot this holiday season and perfect for the mom who loves to cook.  If you’re sewing-inept, you can purchase plain cotton twill aprons for as low as $6.00 a piece. Dress it up for mom using fabric strips, fabric paint, buttons, decals, and whatever else you can find around the house.

Fill handmade bath bags with mom's favorite toiletries.

Bath Bags – Scrap fabric can easily be made into a small bag or pouch using a sewing machine or glue gun (find instructions here). Fill the bag with mom’s favorite bath beads, lotions, or soaps and tie it with matching ribbon or lace.

For Dad:

Fridge Magnets – Print smaller copies of your favorite photos of your dad and glue them to thick cardstock. Laminate the cardstock (which can be done cheaply at a local print shop), cut out the pictures, and attach them to small magnets.

Books on Tape – If your dad loves to read, select a few of his favorites or the latest bestseller to put on tape! Using a small microphone and basic software available on most computers, you can create a MP3 recording of your readings that can easily be transferred to a CD or MP3 player.  This way, dad can listen to his favorite books when on the go.

Assemble all the art supplies you have and the kids' favorite photos of dad to create a personalized photo album.

Personalized Photo Album – If you’re looking for something handmade the kids can give dad, try personalized photo albums or scrap books. Have the kids select their favorite photos of dad and create “pages” for each photo. Collect recycled construction paper, stickers, stamps, and markers the kids can use to decorate and have them write captions or notes for each picture. For just a few dollars, you can have the albums laminated and bound at a local print shop to preserve them for years to come.

The holiday season truly does bring out the best in people…and the waste. With millions of blinking lights, chopped-down trees, and tons of packaging waste, the holidays have become an environmentalist’s worst nightmare. But take heart! We’ve got ten super easy ways to make your festive decorations even greener (pun intended).

The Christmas Tree

Whether you opt for a live, fragrant tree or an artificial one is more your style, here’s how to make this quintessential holiday decoration more eco-friendly:

Artificial or Real, Make your Tree Greener!

• For some, Christmas just isn’t the same without a real, majestic pine in their home. These days, nearly all trees sold seasonally are grown on Christmas tree farms, so you aren’t damaging forests by choosing a cut tree. Purchase your tree from a small-scale, sustainable, and if possible, local grower.
• Consider replanting. Choose a smaller tree, wrap the roots in burlap, and replant it once the holiday is over.
• If replanting isn’t an option, recycle your Christmas tree. Each year, nearly 98 percent of all trees end up in landfills. Most cities offer free recycling programs after the holidays that can turn old trees into mulch and wood chips. Visit Earth 911 to find a program in near you.
• There’s a lot of controversy on whether or not artificial trees are worse for the environment. While they do consume significant energy and petroleum-based materials when manufactured, they can last for years and thus save gas and reduce the amount of carbon emissions emitted to get a new tree each year. Look for artificial trees that use a significantly less amount of PVC.

Christmas Lights

The use of Christmas lights can often increase a home’s energy bill by more than $100. Here’s how to cut the bill and your energy waste:

• Use lights with light-emitting diodes, or more commonly known as LEDs. They release less heat and are 90 percent more efficient than traditional Christmas lights, lasting a staggering 200,000 hours.
• To ward off energy waste, calculate just how much energy your Christmas lights and decorations will zap using the Christmas Lighting Energy Calculator.

Gift Wrapping

StopGlobalWarming.org estimates that nearly 4 million tons of gift wrap and other packaging is thrown out during the course of the holiday season. Mind-blowing, isn’t it? Here are a few gorgeous, eco-friendly ways to adorn your gifts:

Reusable Silk Gift Wrap

• Within the last week, MEH has posted a myriad of ingenious, green ways to wrap all your gifts, from recycled wrapping paper to reusable bags. Here’s one more to consider: reusable silk wrapping. Available in a wide array of colors and patterns, this wrapping is as green as it is gorgeous.

Tree Ornaments, Baubles, and Trinkets

Think DIY when it comes to eco-friendly tree decorating that the whole family can enjoy.

• Use old ribbons, material, or fabric to create bows for your tree.
• Paint pinecones and branches found in your very own backyard and use real holly.
• Get creative! Candy canes, gingerbread men, pipe cleaners, popcorn strings, and reusable paper chains are just a few of the endless possibilities for DIY tree decorating.

October 31 will be upon us in just a few short weeks and children across the country are gearing up for one of their favorite holidays (second only to birthdays).  In the midst of decorating your home and finding the perfect costumes, take a moment to ponder how what you’re doing is impacting the environment.  And while you’re at it, try implementing the tips below to help you have a green and festive Halloween.

Fair Trade Gold Coins

Candy – For the little trick-or-treaters who come knocking on your door, pass out eco-friendly that’s healthier than its conventional counterparts.  For example, Endangered Species Chocolate offers all-natural Halloween treats and donates 10% of their net profits to help support endangered species and habitats.  You’ll also find a great selection of natural candy at Natural Candy Store or you can get fair trade gold coins from the Global Exchange Fair Trade online store.

Costumes – Instead of purchasing a cheaply-made costume you’ll throw away after just one use, get creative and make a costume out of what you already have around the house – think cardboard, scrap fabric, towels, accessories and whatever else you can find.  Or try swamping costumes with friends and neighbors (remember FreeCycle?), so everyone gets a new costume without throwing anything away.

Decorations – Instead of using throwaway paper decorations, make and purchase décor that can be used for years to come.  Use rechargeable batteries for decorations that require batteries and try making your own!  Make sure you use non-toxic paints and fabric made from organic cotton.  If DIY isn’t your style, Etsy is a great place to find eco-friendly, handmade Halloween decorations.

Reusable Halloween Decorations

Pumpkins – No Halloween is complete without (organic) pumpkins!  But instead of letting them rot on your doorstep, put every part to good use.  The seeds are delicious when roasted and you can even make homemade pumpkin pie or pumpkin soup (pie pumpkins work the best).  Cut up the remaining pieces to use in your compost bin.

Trick-Or-Treating – Don’t drive the kids around and wait in the car every time they ring a doorbell; you’ll only waste gas and further contribute to carbon emissions.  Instead, walk door-to-door in a dense neighborhood.

With the Holidays coming up, there are a million ways that we can go green. One of best ways we can do so without impacting the environment is to consider how we use, (or not use) paper.

I have recently stumbled upon this great website, Babymomento, (based out of Los Angeles, CA and Tokyo, Japan), that custom makes birth announcements and holiday cards, all via the Internet.

Here’s how it works: Choose your design, email your photos to Babymomento, and your announcements will be ready to go!

Now you have the option to save tons of paper with the just one ecard! Everyone in your family can announce the “new addition”, or send holiday cards to family and friends. A “one for all” approach thanks to Babymomento!

No paper is used so it really is environmental-friendly and each e-card is one of a kind. I think it’ a great idea. If people want to print them out, it’s their choice. Think of the great eco-friendly greenness you can create. You gotta love it!