Eco Friendly Decorating By This Old House

You can judge for yourself, but I'm finding their ideas slightly STUPID. None are DIY. You have to buy them all, which means you're adding to the decorations you already have.

Are you supposed to throw the old ones away? If so, how green is that?

If you need to replace something, then yes, follow these ideas. But don't buy them just because the article says they're green.

REDUCE is part of the 3 R's in conservation.

A Green Easter

Easter should be about more than gluttony. Children shouldn't be allowed to see how much candy they can eat prior to the church service - or Easter brunch in a restaurant - which ever way you Christians choose to 'celebrate' it. Adult shouldn't be eating everything in sight at that all you can eat brunch buffet. And families in general shouldn't be looking toward another huge meal in the afternoon - one that rivals Thanksgiving.

Easter History
First off, Easter is a rather arbitrarily assigned date. It is on the first Sunday following the first full moon following the Spring equinox - March 20/21. As you can tell, Rome chose to place it close to the spring celebrations of many different cultures, in order to better convert those cultures to Christianity.

As an American culture, Easter didn't become a large event until after the Civil War, when comfort from that devestation meant turning to religious holidays. Since the first settlers were here to escape both the Anglican and the Catholic church rules, the celebration of Easter was a minimalist event at best.

So between the Pagan influence and the settler's Protestant ways, America's cultural heritage with Easter is scant at best. So, rather than expanding on the capitolistic ways the retailers would have you believe has been with us since Christ himself, try a different tactic. Try toning it down a bit.

Suggestions

Buy Local

Particularly during this economic climate, buying local will be of paramount importance. Buying locally has a few different implications.

The first is to buy as many locally produced goods as possible. Use the local bakery and the local butcher to buy the items you need and can't make yourself. It may mean you buy less, but less isn't such a bad thing. Since most of our food is transported an average of 1500 miles, buying locally produced goods cuts down significantly on greenhouse gasses produced just by transporting them.

The second way is to buy from locally owned stores. Don't go to Sam's to buy your Easter food or candy. Go to Maine's, The Giant and other locally owned stores. Even Wegmans isn't local. It's in the state, but it's well outside of the 100 mile radius that is considered "local". By purchasing from locally owned businesses, your dollar is kept IN your community.

Studies in England, Maine, Colorado, and Tennessee have proven that a single dollar goes as far in the community as $1.76, while that same dollar used at a chain store only goes as far as .76 to .82. England's local economy fared far better than the US, however, the numbers are still staggering.

And considering the amount of money that is spent just on candy - American consumers spend over 1 million dollars on Easter candy every year and that nearly 20 billion jellybeans are produced just for Easter - that adds up to a significant portion remaining in the local economy.

Buy American.

I know there is much ado about protectionism. However, buying American is similar to buying locally - it keeps wages up and more money circulating in American, than leaving its shores. American chocolate, jelly beans, peeps, etc. And if you have a local chocolatier, great! Buy from them!

Buy Organic

While buying local is the 'New" buying organic, it makes a difference. The less you buy that ruins the environment, the better. And if it's local AND organic, you've hit the jackpot! Organic is slowly coming down in price, so the sacrifices made aren't nearly what they used to be. Grass-fed beef (preferably from intensive grazing - will post the article soon), versus lot-fed (CAFO) beef, pastured chickens and turkeys versus CAFO fowl, pastured pork versus CAFO pork, milk produced without hormones, pastured chickens for eggs, rather than industrial eggs, etc. The products are out there to find and are becoming more common every passing season, so that's wonderful!

Buy Fair Trade

There is movement afoot for Domestic Fair Trade as well as International Fair Trade, which is well established. There are several local organizations, VUMC included, that sells fair trade products at least monthly. Please check into it.

Get Rid Of

Get rid of the plastic. Who thought of plastic Easter eggs? Wrap the goodies in small bits of bright paper. And plastic grass?! Odd! Get your shredder out and shred some left over wrapping paper, the funnies or brightly colored pages from a magazine. Considering the kids look at the plastic for a total of 4 minutes or less, it doesn't make sense to spend the money OR the oil in making it just to throw it away.

If you don't already, buy special baskets and keep them for the child's entire Easter life. We had our own baskets every year, and always looked forward to finding OUR basket. It builds a tradition and a strong family connection, as well as cutting down on waste.

Get rid of excess. If the kids don't eat the hard boiled eggs, don't decorate them. They can color and make beautiful designs on paper just as easily as on hard boiled eggs. Give them about half the candy. This isn't Halloween revisited. It's Easter. No one should do what my sister did, which was to eat an entire pound of a solid chocolate bunny before the early service at church. While she didn't throw up, she didn't feel good for 2 days.

Make Easter special. Or, do as the settlers did and be very quite about it. Christ was.

A Green Valentine is a Red Valentine

So does that make green the new red? Whatever.

This is such a simple concept that has been taken completely out of context that it is shameful to participate. Diamonds, Gold, Flowers, Dinner out, Cards, Champagne and Strawberries, Chocolate. What are you to do?

Let's go simple again.

Don't Buy Jewelry.
Like a friend of mine says, it doesn't keep your stomach full and doesn't keep you warm (although some would say it can make you hot). Besides, new studies are showing women are more likely to want high tech gadgets (not that it's a green choice), than jewelry. Diamonds may be forever, but they aren't rare. They have had the most well-executed marketing plan ever to make you believe they are rare and are to be coveted. They aren't.

If you must, consider buying an heirloom piece from a jeweler. Since the energy has already been used to create the piece, you're effectively recycling it. So many of the settings from years past are far more elegant than anything you can find now that it only makes sense to purchase an heirloom.

Don't Buy Flowers
The floral industry has a horrid record of using pesticides, herbicides and synthetic fertilizers to maintain their industry. They also grow in false, forced conditions that are anything but energy saving. When was the last time a rose smelled like a rose?

If you must, buy a living plant - which will help filter the air in the home/office. You can also ask your florist about organically grown flowers. This part of the industry is growing rapidly and like Christmas tree growers, ends up being a sustainable market which improves the environment rather than degrading it.

Don't Eat Out
The service is almost as bad as New Year's Eve because so many other couples are eating out. Why do that to what should be a relaxed evening? Besides, restaurants are right up there for energy consumption - along with steel and aluminum production factories. If looking at it per square foot, they may actually pass these two industries. The energy wasted is appalling.

If you must, seek out a location that uses locally grown food stuffs. The chain restaurants use highly processed foods that are shipped in from hundreds of miles away. This only contributes to damaging your body and the environment. The best answer to this is to cook your own meal for your heart's desire.

Don't Buy Cards
World-wide, over 1 billion Valentine cards are given each year. And you thought Christmas was bad! What more is there to say?

If you must, seek out cards printed on recycled card stock, that use biodegradable inks, and is made by a local artist. You support the environment and your local economy. Sending an e-card is even better!

Don't Buy Champagne and Strawberries
Yes, it's supposed to be the ultimate in luxurious combinations. But strawberries aren't in season, which means they must be forced to grow in less than ideal conditions (proven by the latest freeze in FL) - and must be shipped from far away (like, say, FL to NY).
True champagne is only from France, so shipping is a concern. Sparkling wines made in the champagnoi method are often shipped from CA and many growers use a large number of chemicals to keep their vines 'healthy'.

If you must, buy only champagne. You can buy a local sparkling wine variety - particularly here in NY. Look for an organic wine, of which there are a growing number. Don't throw the rest of that magnum away! Use it in your cooking - it's superb when added to any sauce. And don't buy the strawberries - save that luxury for when they are in season. The wait is more than worth it.

Don't Buy Chocolate
Chocolate isn't native to North America. Face it - it's a luxury we've made into a staple. So giving it for Valentine's Day just isn't as special as it should be anymore. And because of over farming, pesticide, herbicide and fertlizer use, cocoa plant varieties are becoming rare or extinct. How sad for the Earth!

Make a white cake with an orange glaze. Make a cinnamon coffee cake. Yes - MAKE it. I know it's a stretch, but making something is far more loving than running into your local drug store and buying the first box of chocolates you come to.

If you must buy chocolate, there are many food clubs in the area that sell fair trade chocolate. Find one and buy from them. While you're at it, buy a pound of coffee to go with that chocolate and support organice fair-trade organizations.

What Else Can You Do?
There are many things you can do for your sweetheart that would probably be more appreciated than any amount of chocolate or cards.

Do something for each other - clean the house, do the laundry, take the kids out for awhile, give a foot rub, give a back rub, make a cake, make brownies, make dinner, take a walk with each other, vacuum the car out, wash the car windows.

Write "I Love You" in unexpected places - like half way through a roll of toilet paper or paper towels.

Little things done because you care mean far more than anything big or preplanned. So think small!

12 Days of Christmas Cookies

I've pooped out at day 7. LOL Oh well.

If I had been able to keep going, what great Xmas presents! Which is, actually, the reason I make them all.

Date bars - my personal favorite. They are dates, pecans, a little flour, egg and sugar and that's it. Wonderful cookies! If you like, you can roll them in powdered sugar, but it isn't required.

London Short Bread - sort of a sugar cookie, but not that much sugar. Butter, egg, flour, corn starch and sugar.

Nut balls - folks laugh. I don't care what they're called. They're delicious as well. Pecans, butter, flour. Roll in powdered sugar.

Kiss cookies - I love them. They're a little crisp - I was tired making them. Chocolate chip cookie dough without the chocolate chips. I put regular kisses and the cherry cordial kisses on this time. I do hate the individual wrapping, which is why I don't make them every year.

Muffins - this year saw apple, cran-orange and blueberry.

Peanut Butter cookies - still have to make these.

Welsh Cakes - ahhh - another most haven't heard of. Very simple - griddle cookies. You use dried fruit - currants are the traditional, flour, sugar, egg. Roll them out, cut them with a biscuit cutter and flop onto your griddle. Simple. Not too sweet. Just right. I made blueberry, cranberry, and currant.

And while there is significant effort involved, the amount of money is minimal for the amount of joy they bring. I give them to friends and family alike, for so many don't take the time anymore.

Did you know that even doing all of this labor yourself, and using your oven daily, you are still saving an incredible amount of energy, rather than buying premade cookies? Think of the shipment of ingredients, the industrial energy consumed in preparing them, the packaging - the making of the packaging, the shipping to the store, you buying, reboxing and giving out.

Making them yourself is far better for the earth, and your soul! It's wonderful therapy to create so much joy with such simple measures.

Post Thanksgiving Oil Recycling

How many fry their turkeys for Thanksgiving?

I'm still pretty amazed that fad is hanging on.

However, it is, so we have to figure out what to DO with all of that peanut oil that people just don't think can be used more than once.

Sad, but true.

Do you pour it down your drain, into your garbage bags, on someone else's land? Or do you save it in cans and jugs, hoping one day to get rid of it the right way?

Some towns are setting up locations for people to take all of their "dead" cooking oils.

Denver is one such town.

Post your oil on Craigs List

A biodiesel forum to offer your oils

You could even post on your local freecycle page

The main thing is, if you're not going to reuse that oil or cooking grease, don't just throw it in the landfill or down the drain. Give it another life - so to speak. It can be used to all of our benefit in the engine of someone's car or truck.

Thanksgiving

It amazes me how different Americans celebrate Thanksgiving. Some are incredibly simple, others, like my family, are for more "enhanced". Not good or bad, just different ways.

Our family has always been farm oriented. We've been here since the Mayflower, so we've got that agrarian blood flowing. We've also got a very long history of "make do or do without", and while we went through the Great Depression, our family rarely went without enough food and never without shelter.

We also come from a long line of good cooks! Which means Thanksgiving is a GREAT dinner!

Our one indulgence - oysters. Everything else is standard farm fare, just really good farm fare.

Turkey - trying to buy locally grown is difficult. I wouldn't tell my parents this, but hopefully in another year I'd like to be raising a couple of turkeys every year just for Thanksgiving. Besides, a great bug eater would be a good thing! Nitrogen poopers to build the soil - life would be good!

I just have to find out if the town will allow it. LOL - no biggie.

Candied sweet potatoes - easier to find locally, and again, am hoping to grow my own starting this coming year. We'll see. But - the best way to cook them for Thanksgiving - there's only one way really - slow cook them with no water, some butter and a lot of brown sugar. The sugar draws the water out of the thickly sliced potatoes, giving them a great texture that isn't tender, but isn't bad either. It's great! It can't be explained. But just try simmering some in the sugar for a couple of hours until they turn a burnt sienna color and just a little wrinkly looking. They are THE best.

Mashed potatoes - again, easy to get locally. I cook them in home made chicken stock, a little garlic. Mash them while a little dry and then reheat when the turky is resting to be cut. Add a little milk, wisk them and they're piping hot for dinner!

Peas, string beans, corn - all home grown, all cooked normally.

Cranberry sauce - it just can't be thanksgiving without it - even if we have to get them from more than 100 miles away. I'd like to put a highbush cranberry in, but it's going to be another year or two before that happens. Still, we make our own. Grind a bag of cranberries (wash, of course) with an orange - rind and all. Add about a cup of sugar and you've got some of the best cranberry sauce you'll ever want. The freshness of it beats the jelly any day. It also mixes well with any muffin recipe to make THE best cran-orange muffins you could ever hope for.

Stuffing - normal. I've heard of different ways you can make it, by baking potato bread with onions, celery and poultry seasoning. But that just seems like a lot of work when it just doesn't have to be that way. We use 0ld bread and cut it up ourselves. All of our regular breads are locally made, so I don't worry about making my own. I just buy the older bread that's on sale and cut it myself. Why spend 10-fold for a bag of pre-cubed when you can have it cut in 5 minutes?

The oysters. Ooo - the oysters. We go for native oysters, rather than imported. And we only have them at 2 holidays, so I'll take that sin. Cut them into quarters or smaller. Mix them with about an equal amount of oyster crackers. Mix in a bit of cream, a small bit of butter and bake them for about a half hour. That's it. Delish!

Home made pickles! There is nothing better than home made pickles - both sweet and dill. Dill are easier to make than sweet, but all are worth the effort.

Apple sauce - home made. From apples grown on the property. Hopefully more in 3 years! I just planted 3 more trees.

This is what Thanksgiving is about - bounty. Home made bounty.

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.

Green Halloween

Better late than never I suppose. Here it is, the 11th hour (almost literally) and I'm just thinking that, ooo, maybe someone would like to green up their All Hallow's Eve.


Go To Green Halloween for some ideas

A Few Suggestions From Environmental Defense

About.com's suggestions

From StopGlobalWarming.org

This Halloween, Think Green
by: Teri Goldberg 28 September 2006

Ten tips for an earth-friendly holiday

Consumers are expected to spend $3.12 billion on candy, costumes and other Halloween goodies this year, according to a survey conducted by BIGresearch for the National Retail Federation. That's a big pile of candy corn. It's also a lot of crumpled candy wrappers, paper party props and plastic political masks in the trash the very next day. So this Halloween, why not think green?

Putting together a green Halloween is as easy as an orange and black one. Here are a few tips to get you started:

1. E-mail party invites rather than snail-mail them. Free e-mail greetings abound online. "Talking" and/or "dancing" ghosts, ghouls, mummies and more are there for the taking at cyber card shops postcards.org/postcards, greetingsdepot.com and e-cards.com. The best pumpkin card patch this year has to be castlemountains.com, which features 96 animated cards, some with short plots or story lines. Witches on brooms warn revelers not to drink and drive. Party invites come with electronic pumpkin piñata games.

For retro-themed parties, consider vintage postcards at Penny Postcards or Antique Halloween postcards. There's no flash but the illustrations are spectacular.

Kids also can carve out their own party invites at BillyBear4Kids.com.

2. Serve healthy and seasonal foods. The options are endless. Remember pumpkins are not just decorative items. The tender meat of the seasonal gourd can be pureed for soups, mashed for pies or spiced up for a main entrée, such as an Indian curry. Healthy recipes for all things pumpkin are posted at Vegweb, from vegetarian pumpkin chili to "Stroke of Midnight" pumpkin bread. Recipes for the sweet squash are also plentiful at epicurious.com/recipes. Serious home chefs might consider whipping up some pumpkin pesto or pumpkin flan with pumpkin seed praline.

Apples also are at their best this time of year. So make use of the crunchy fruit. Fill party bowls with several varieties of fresh apples, from tart Pippins to sweet Spartans. Serve cider hot or cold. Bake a few apples for healthy, tasty dessert.

3. Buy pumpkins, apples and other seasonal items from a farmer's market. Produce bought at farmers' market will not only taste better but saves energy. "Most foods in the United States travel an average of 1,300 miles before reaching us, burning large amounts of fossil fuels," according to the Web site for the National Town Meeting for a Sustainable America held in Detroit in 1999. Buying produce directly from the farmer also cuts out the "middleman" and increases the farmers cut or share of the profits. (To learn more, see "Ten things you can do to support a sustainable food system")

Consumers in the Northeast can seek out apples with the seal of approval from Core Values Northeast (CVN), a partnership between apple farmers in the Northeast and Mothers & Others for a Livable Planet, a non-profit consumer advocacy group, which promotes "apples of superior taste and quality while maintaining healthy, ecologically balanced growing environments." The Web site lists stores in New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, which carry apples with the CVN eco-label.

4. Make use of all pumpkin parts. After carving a pumpkin, make sure to save the seeds. Bake them and serve them to party guests or feed them to our fine feathered friends, the birds. There's no problem putting pumpkin seeds out for birds, wet or dry, confirms Dr. Ellen Dierenfeld, a nutritionist at the Saint Louis Zoo, which accepts pumpkin donations after Halloween to feed to the animals as a seasonal treat.

If possible, bury or compost the carcass. Check out pumpkin the burial rituals at pumpkin craving 101, to "lay your pumpkin to rest with love and dignity."

5. Use re-usable plates, cups, utensils, napkins and tablecloths. Paper party goods can be expensive and just add more clutter to our nation's landfills. Look for re-usable party props at house ware shops and dollar stores. The best deal I found online was a 12-piece set of plastic orange utensils at crateandbarrel.com for 75 cents, reduced from $2.95.

Pottery Barn Kids also has a delightful collection of Halloween-themed dinnerware and linens, now on sale. The festive tablecloths, which feature smiling pumpkins along its edge, come in two sizes. The small tablecloth sells for $23.99, reduced from $35. The large cloth costs $30.99, marked down $45. A set of four matching napkins and placemats are available for $9.99 and $19.99 respectively. The dinnerware set — now $26.99, reduced from $39 — contains four melamine plates, four bowls and four acrylic tumblers.

6. Make your own costume or buy one at a second-hand shop. An old sheet still makes a great ghost. Just make sure that the sheet cost less than a commercial ghost costume. Many boomers also have some hippie clothes stashed somewhere. Find them and let your teenager be a part of the Woodstock generation without living through all that rain and mud!

Can't find anything suitable in the house? Use Goodwill's online store locator to find a thrift store near you or shop at the online auction. This year, Goodwill not only organized merchandise into a special Halloween section but also offers up some creative costumes ideas made from second-hand garb.

7. Give out healthy treats. Finding nutritional treats has to be one of Halloween's challenges. But with some serious thought, it can be done. Some ideas that come to mind include:

Hand out individual microwave popcorn packs. Newman's Own Organic has three varieties of organic popcorn — butter, light butter and no butter/no salt.

Pick up some honey sticks or fruit leather at health food stores or tea shops. Stash tea sells honey sticks in bulk at its Web site. Each $7 pack contains 35 sticks. Fruit leather is available in bulk at Stretch Island Fruit Leather.

There's also plenty of healthy candy bars on the market these days. Sundrops, a fun treat made by nspiredfoods.com/sunspire.html, is billed as "a natural alternative to M&Ms." The candy-coated chocolate drops are pricey at about 89 cents a bag but they look like and almost taste like the real thing without having the artificial colors, flavors or preservatives.

8. Instead of using paper or plastic disposable bags to collect treats, use or buy a recyclable bag. Be creative. Make use of old straw baskets or an old metal pot with a handle. Exceptionally cute "commercial" totes are available this year at cyber party shop plumparty.com. The felt totes, priced from $6 to $12, also can be used as party bowls.

9. Teach your children well. Teach them not to litter. Tell them pumpkin jokes. My favorites culled from the Web include: What's the ratio of a pumpkin's circumference to its diameter? Pumpkin Pi How do you mend a broken Jack-O-Lantern? With a pumpkin patch What is a pumpkin's favorite sport? Squash.

10. Experience nature. Visit a pumpkin farm. Pick fresh apples. Talk a long walk outside. Look up at the sky. Notice the moon. Remember, it's Halloween.