green christmas
Obviously a work in progress...
12/21 - Recycling Your Fresh-cut Tree
http://www.realchristmastrees.org/
Make your Christmas Tree Last Longer
2 parts water
1 part uncaffienated soft drink (or corn syrup/vinegar mix)
1 penny
The acid in the soft drink/vinegar helps both the Christmas tree and cut flowers pull in more water. The sugar feeds the tree/flowers. The water - well - waters the tree/flowers. The penny?! - the penny's copper acts as an antifungal/bacterial/algal.
12/20 - from the Grist
"The Story of Stuff." Another reason to procrastinate Christmas shopping.by Katy Balatero
LED lights:
This site has the best selection
http://www.offthedeepend.com/c-23-led-string-lights.aspx
You can also find these at local stores - all are selling them now at very similar prices.
A Positive Note on LED's From TheGrist.org
The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree will be lit tomorrow, and then we can no longer deny that The Holiday Season is in full swing. We can, however, feel a little greener while we ogle it, as the towering evergreen will be lit by energy-efficient LED bulbs and powered in part by solar energy.
see also, in Grist: Times Square New Year's Eve ball goes green
11/28
Big-Boxing Day
new in Grist: A gift guide for eco-minded shoppers headed to big-box stores
A gift guide for eco-minded shoppers headed to big-box stores Sure, it would be nice if you could buy everyone on your holiday shopping list a biodegradable, organic, hemp trivet whose proceeds support fair-trade farmers in the developing world. But let's get real -- we don't all have the time or money or inclination to track down gifts of that ilk (and Uncle Hal's never been such a fan of hemp, anyway). That's why Grist hit three big-box stores this year -- Target, Wal-Mart, and Kmart -- to see what kind of green-leaning gifts they offer. Follow expert shoppers Sarah K. Burkhalter and Sarah van Schagen as they prowl the aisles in search of bargains that are good for the planet and good for your wallet. (And if you wouldn't be caught dead in a big-box store, don't start writing that angry letter to the editor yet -- we'll soon be offering unimpeachably green suggestions for a stuff-free holiday.)
Green Christmas Tree (From The Grist.org)
Is there such a thing as an organic Christmas tree? How chemical-intensive is conventional Christmas-tree farming? If I want a Christmas tree, what's the most eco-friendly way to go?
Your fan,Lisa
Seattle, Wash.
Dearest Lisa,
Since you are not only a fan but also my senior editor, who told me you are considering purchasing your own Christmas tree for the very first time this winter, the "Christmas spirit" has suddenly come upon me.
Lisa, there is such a thing as an organic Christmas tree, and there are also Christmas-tree farms that use Integrated Pest Management (IPM). Most Christmas trees, however, are grown using conventional agricultural methods, and the growers regularly spray pesticides for various tree pests, and apply fertilizer to the plots. Why, why do they do this? It's the way they were taught, it's the way the industry works, and switching to organic involves a learning curve, potential product loss, and perhaps little financial reward if you can't find the right market for your trees.
North Carolina Extension measured the amount of active pesticide ingredient applied per tree (1/4 oz. over the tree's lifetime), while other sources point out the real damage organophosphates used on tree farms do to workers and the environment. IPM is a great system of pest management, and may be spreading as an industry practice, but it's usually hard to know if the sidewalk tree sale includes IPM trees.
A few years back I examined the artificial vs. real tree question (that column contains tidbits I will not repeat here), and came down on the side of real trees. Most artificial trees are vinyl Chinese imports (No On Vinyl!), and quite a few contain lead. Christmas party conversation fodder: Christmas décor is apparently one of the largest categories of Chinese imports.
The Rest of her answer
http://grist.org/advice/ask/2007/11/19/?source=weekly
Not finding cheap recycled gift wrap paper. WOW $5 for a 2x3 piece? Plus S&H?! Nope. I don't want to know the energy involved in making it just to say it's out of recycled.
I'd rather use gift bags - which I'll look for tomorrow. Too late now.
12/21 - Recycling Your Fresh-cut Tree
http://www.realchristmastrees.org/
Make your Christmas Tree Last Longer
2 parts water
1 part uncaffienated soft drink (or corn syrup/vinegar mix)
1 penny
The acid in the soft drink/vinegar helps both the Christmas tree and cut flowers pull in more water. The sugar feeds the tree/flowers. The water - well - waters the tree/flowers. The penny?! - the penny's copper acts as an antifungal/bacterial/algal.
12/20 - from the Grist
"The Story of Stuff." Another reason to procrastinate Christmas shopping.by Katy Balatero
LED lights:
This site has the best selection
http://www.offthedeepend.com/c-23-led-string-lights.aspx
You can also find these at local stores - all are selling them now at very similar prices.
A Positive Note on LED's From TheGrist.org
The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree will be lit tomorrow, and then we can no longer deny that The Holiday Season is in full swing. We can, however, feel a little greener while we ogle it, as the towering evergreen will be lit by energy-efficient LED bulbs and powered in part by solar energy.
see also, in Grist: Times Square New Year's Eve ball goes green
11/28
Big-Boxing Day
new in Grist: A gift guide for eco-minded shoppers headed to big-box stores
A gift guide for eco-minded shoppers headed to big-box stores Sure, it would be nice if you could buy everyone on your holiday shopping list a biodegradable, organic, hemp trivet whose proceeds support fair-trade farmers in the developing world. But let's get real -- we don't all have the time or money or inclination to track down gifts of that ilk (and Uncle Hal's never been such a fan of hemp, anyway). That's why Grist hit three big-box stores this year -- Target, Wal-Mart, and Kmart -- to see what kind of green-leaning gifts they offer. Follow expert shoppers Sarah K. Burkhalter and Sarah van Schagen as they prowl the aisles in search of bargains that are good for the planet and good for your wallet. (And if you wouldn't be caught dead in a big-box store, don't start writing that angry letter to the editor yet -- we'll soon be offering unimpeachably green suggestions for a stuff-free holiday.)
Green Christmas Tree (From The Grist.org)
Is there such a thing as an organic Christmas tree? How chemical-intensive is conventional Christmas-tree farming? If I want a Christmas tree, what's the most eco-friendly way to go?
Your fan,Lisa
Seattle, Wash.
Dearest Lisa,
Since you are not only a fan but also my senior editor, who told me you are considering purchasing your own Christmas tree for the very first time this winter, the "Christmas spirit" has suddenly come upon me.
Lisa, there is such a thing as an organic Christmas tree, and there are also Christmas-tree farms that use Integrated Pest Management (IPM). Most Christmas trees, however, are grown using conventional agricultural methods, and the growers regularly spray pesticides for various tree pests, and apply fertilizer to the plots. Why, why do they do this? It's the way they were taught, it's the way the industry works, and switching to organic involves a learning curve, potential product loss, and perhaps little financial reward if you can't find the right market for your trees.
North Carolina Extension measured the amount of active pesticide ingredient applied per tree (1/4 oz. over the tree's lifetime), while other sources point out the real damage organophosphates used on tree farms do to workers and the environment. IPM is a great system of pest management, and may be spreading as an industry practice, but it's usually hard to know if the sidewalk tree sale includes IPM trees.
A few years back I examined the artificial vs. real tree question (that column contains tidbits I will not repeat here), and came down on the side of real trees. Most artificial trees are vinyl Chinese imports (No On Vinyl!), and quite a few contain lead. Christmas party conversation fodder: Christmas décor is apparently one of the largest categories of Chinese imports.
The Rest of her answer
http://grist.org/advice/ask/2007/11/19/?source=weekly
Not finding cheap recycled gift wrap paper. WOW $5 for a 2x3 piece? Plus S&H?! Nope. I don't want to know the energy involved in making it just to say it's out of recycled.
I'd rather use gift bags - which I'll look for tomorrow. Too late now.
Labels: christmas, Conserve, green, holiday, recycle, reduce, reuse
posted by Leslie at
11:31 PM
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