New Year’s Eve! Celebrating, parties, and libations—including wine and champagne: CORKS! Why not plan to recycle yours instead of throwing them into the trash?
1915 English magazine illustration of a lady riding a Champagne cork (Lordprice Collection; Wikipedia)
Harvesting cork from trees Photo taken by Patrick Spencer, director of Cork ReHarvest
Cork is a highly sustainable material. It’s natural, renewable, and biodegradable. It’s also recyclable.
When you recycle cork, you extend its useful life. The material is diverted from a landfill (where, because of overstuffed conditions, even biodegradable items rarely biodegrade) and is (re)used in a wide range of products including floor tiles, place mats, dart and memo boards, and coasters. Reusing cork for these items means not having to harvest and import new material from overseas, which saves energy and reduces carbon emissions.
On Earth Day 2011, Anthropologie & the Cork Forest Conservation Alliance teamed on amazing displays in hundreds of store windows
Cork forests are said to absorb millions of tons of C02 yearly and provide vast quantities of oxygen. Though they’re considered among the most sustainably harvested forests in the world, minimizing the extraction of new cork by reusing what is already available protects them.
PG Tip: Select a nice bowl to collect corks
To locate cork drop-off locations near you, check out the sites listed below. Your local Whole Foods may also have a cork recycling bin.
Set up a spot in your kitchen where you keep your wine corks. Almost 60 percent of the world’s cork is used in wine bottles, so this is likely what you’ll be recycling.
If you’re crafty, you can even try making your own cork bulletin board.
Wine Cork Serving Tray (Etsy.com)
Bookmark This Site: ReCORK America
Bookmark This Site: Cork ReHarvest
Mongabay.com: How Cork Helps Forests And Biodiversity
PlanetGreen.com: Recycle Your Corks With ReCORK America
PracticallyGreen.com: How To Declutter Your House To Prepare For Sale
Give your corks to someone crafty? We found this 16" wreath on Etsy
Okay, now that you’ve nailed the first two New Year’s Resolutions*, here’s a reward: 10 points for eating chocolate that’s delicious, doesn’t contain chemicals, and treats workers fairly.
Dagoba Lavender Blueberry organic chocolate bar
Chocolate! What’s not to love? Well, as it turns out, conventional chocolate production is hard on the rain forest and harder on workers (some of them children).
Conventional cocoa plantations, like most farms, use large amounts of pesticides and fertilizers. They harm the environment and can remain in chocolate. Organically farmed cocoa isn’t permitted to use these synthetic chemicals.
There are a few cacao-specific things to consider as well before your unwrap a bar and devour it. It, like coffee, is a shade tree. To increase production, large plantations cut down the rain forest canopy in an effort to grow trees in direct sunlight. Beyond damaging the forest, this increases the need for chemicals. Many organic chocolates come from shade grown cacao grown on small farms. Some of these farms are also fair trade.
Mmmmm, dark chocolate with hints of orange and spice that's made with Fair Trade Certified Organic Cocoa & Sugar
Taza's 100% USDA certified organic chocolates are handcrafted in small batches from a single origin
Chocolate, coffee, caramel, and salt all in one!
USDA certified organic chocolate is widely available at supermarkets as well as natural food shops. Taste a bunch to see what you like (tough work but someone has to do it!).
A benefit of organic chocolate is that it won’t contain artificial colors or flavors. Go dark enough and it can almost be considered health food.
If you want a fair trade chocolate, look for the label.
As we write, 8 products are live recommendations on Practically Green. For example:
Would you like to buy one? Please do! How about rating it? Simply go to the action page and click click to give your thumbs up.
Do you have a product to suggest? From the same action page, click this button:
Product specialist Rebecca Sama will be delighted to test your suggestion and put it through her no-nonsense approval procedure! (Munch, chomp, YUM.)
Organic Fair Trade Vegan Chocolate Cherry Hearts.. great gift, but you might eat it first!
This gourmet very dark chocolate bar is certified organic, fair trade & contains no soy products.
Organic Dark Chocolate w/ Cacao Nibs, Yacon & Acai. Endangered Species Chocolate
And don’t forget the cocoa!
We found a truly droolicious recipe for hot chocolate at EatingWell.com
*New Year’s Resolution #1: Use Reusable Shopping Bags Regularly
*New Year’s Resolution #2: Turn Off the Lights When You Leave a Room
What's wrong with this picture? Empty room with lights on.
It’s so simple, and yet so hard to remember: Turn off the lights when you leave a room and you can save energy and money.
A standard bulb uses 60 watts of energy an hour. That’s stamped on the bulb. We get that. If you think in terms of kilowatts, here’s a little math: that bulb consumes a kilowatt of energy over approximately 16 hours. A kilowatt-hour of energy costs about 11 cents. So leaving that light on unnecessarily for 16 hours a day all year equals $40.15 down the drain. Leave the lights on in a room with multiple recessed lights and you’ve cost yourself a night out.
CFLs only use 13 watts per hour and the LED equivalent of a 60 watt incandescent uses about 7 watts per hour. So it’s a good idea to switch the kind of bulb you use. Regardless of the type of bulb you have, it’s always a good idea to turn off the lights if you’re leaving a room for more than a few minutes.
Everyone has their own way to remember to turn off the lights. Implement your own. If fear of a nagging spouse doesn’t do it, try doing a last lap around the house before leaving. Hang a reminder sign on the door. Or bribe your kids to check.
If you truly cannot remember, install a motion sensor. This is particularly good for kids’ rooms and offices.
Lutron Wireless Occupancy Sensor
Struggling to remember to turn off the lights? Try installing one of these wireless wall-mounted sensors that detects the heat from people moving in an area to determine when the space is occupied and turns the lights on or off accordingly.
Use reusable shopping bags regularly: Why does it matter? Why should you bother?
Nuts for Blue Avocado... order via Practically Green!
We all use reusable bags daily—purses, computer bags, backpacks. But when it comes to shopping bags, we collectively reach for paper and plastic. According to the Worldwatch Institute, Americans throw away some 100 billion polyethylene plastic bags a year—an unfathomable number.
Polyethylene is produced largely from natural gas. Technically plastic bags are reusable and recyclable, but only a small percentage of them are recycled—Environment California estimates five percent, while the EPA says its closer to twelve percent. Either way, a plastic bag in a landfill takes about 1,000 years to break down, according to multiple sources. And a study by the Ocean Conservancy found plastic bags made up about nine percent of the debris along various U.S. coasts.
Not surprisingly, plastic bag taxes and bans are popping up all over the world as well as stateside; they’re currently banned in San Francisco. Why wait to figure out what rules your town is going to implement? You can reduce your personal use of plastic and paper instantly by switching to a reusable shopping bag today.
L.L. Bean is the King of Canvas bags
The trick to reusable bags is remembering to bring them with you. Set yourself up for success by stashing them in car trunks, purses, and jacket pockets.
Canvas versions are best for heavy hauls. For regular errand runs and groceries, bags made from recycled bottles stand up to most loads.
While there are tons of cute reusable bags on the market, don’t overdo it. Any bag takes energy and resources to make.
No matter what you’re celebrating, family time and school vacation means a busy kitchen!
Cooking Quesadillas ChopChopMag.org
You can tell we’re obsessed with great healthy food on Practically Green. We follow lots of foodies to stay inspired and informed @practicallygrn; e.g., @EatingWell, @WholeFoodsPR, @CKummer, @barry_estabrook, @Food52, @famdinner. We can never resist a new cookbook. Some of our favorites this year:
The Art of Eating Well won 2011 James Beard Award for best Healthy Focus cookbook
Check out Alice Waters’s EdibleSchoolyard project
Thank you, Corby Kummer, for pointing out two excellent books for leftovers, aka recycling food:
And one from last year that’s truly stained/beloved by now:
We had a Q & A with Sally Sampson of ChopChop magazine to get psyched to involve friends and relatives and have a great time in the kitchen this season–not just eating and drinking but also dreaming up menus and helping to prepare.
PG: Lots of families will be home together during the school vacation and what better time to get cooking! Please give us a few pointers.
ChopChop: Cooking is one of the best ways for families to bond. It’s also a great way for kids to take ownership of their health. ChopChop’s mission is to educate kids to cook and be nutritionally literate. The first step in this process is getting kids excited about spending time in the kitchen and making them an integral part of meal preparation. To draw them in, let them pick what you will make together. Show kids what to do, and then let them do it themselves or with help, when necessary. Even very young children can measure, pour and stir. Make sure each young chef has an age appropriate task that let’s them feel that they are part of the process.
Baked Veggy Frittata
PG: What are some recipes that families can do together for fun meals — e.g., dinner where everyone does something, even smaller kids.
ChopChop: Recipes that involve everyone are the most exciting for families. Our Baked Vegetable Fritatta is an example of this. An older child can help chop vegetables and grate cheese (organic, if possible!). A younger child can measure out ingredients and help crack the eggs. Either can help stir the vegetables and add ingredients. Adults can move the dish from stovetop to oven, and everyone can eat it.
PG: Looking ahead to the New Year, what are some great recipes and strategies for bringing delicious lunches to school and work?
ChopChop: Try this great recipe for lemony hummus (from White House chef Cris Comerford) spread onto a wrap and filled with turkey and cheese. We also had a romaine lettuce roll up filled with hummus, vegetables, pumpkin seeds and rice. Many of these wraps and sandwiches can be made with leftovers right after dinner. Salads are always easy, but make sure the dressing is in a separate container so it doesn’t get soggy. Remember that salad doesn’t have to be just lettuce and vegetables.
Lettuce Roll-Up
Don’t give your kids food you don’t think they should be eating! Sit down with them and make a list of what they want and plan lunch options together. Put in a few different textures and flavors for variety-some crunchy (carrots or peppers), some chewy (dried fruit), some sweet (apple sauce) and some spicy (like our spiced pumpkin seeds).
Many of these recipes are available under the lunch section at chopchopmag.org.
Getting ready for some serious year-end partying? Consider using biodegradable or recycled tableware!
No matter what you’re celebrating, you can kiss goodbye the cheezy paper party supplies. SustyParty has amazing hand-stamped and colorful compostable plates and cups, just in time for your year-end bashes.
Every once in a while, reusable plates are truly not an option. Unless you have a lot of like-minded guests who would be happy to BYO table settings (a rare but fantastic group of people!), the next best option is to look for party goods made of recycled plastics or bio-based materials. Choosing either minimizes waste as well as the consumption of fossil fuels, a non-renewable resource.
Compostable hand-stamped star cup made of sugarcane bagasse
Heart cups “These babies are also tough: microwave, freeze or put boiling liquid on 'em”
Jessica Doubilet and Emily Holsey met each other at a party (where else) in New York, and they’ve teamed up on a terrific inventory of cool party products that won’t add stress to groaning landfills.
“We wanted to bring FUN to sustainability.”
Plates are compostable & recyclable. Colored w/ natural dyes. Made of tapioca, potato, and grass.
At the end of the day, we ask ourselves: Will this product be good for the environment, the people who made it, and the people who will use it? We also screen our products for these specific standards.
Organic party crown is machine washable, comes w/ a pack of attachable felt shapes: critters (see fish in photo), flowers and numbers 0-9. Update age year after year!
All products must meet at least three of these attributes: renewable (made from a renewable resource); compostable (it biodegrades in 180 days); recycled (made from mostly recycled content); regulated (3rd party verifications and certifications such as Fair Trade or B Corp or Cradle to Cradle); green energy (produced by green energy); made in the USA; durable; non-toxic; artisanal producer.
Shop by color, theme, category, or material
Picture one of these non-toxic, biodegradable straws in your next peach rum colada!
Watch for an expanded product line in 2012 (hint: wedding) and check out their blog for updates; join SustyParty on Facebookand follow them @sustyparty.
P.S. Don’t forget to recycle the corks!
And click here for a quick reminder of 11 sustainable party tips:
It’s getting down to the wire for holiday gifts! When you’re rushing, it’s so tempting to just go to any store, buy the first thing you see that’s mildly appropriate, and be done with it. But that’s how you wind up kicking yourself saying “Why did I get that [insert word: unhealthy, energy-sucking, clutter-inducing] thing. What was I thinking!?!” Even if you’re in a rush, there are good, healthy, and green choices out there.
1. Look for new-to-you vintage goods on eBay. This doesn’t have to mean antique. We know of 3 PG team members who bought from eBay this holiday season: a stainless-steel Calphalon pasta cookset; Hanna Andersson kids’ clothes made from organic cotton; and, in a frenzy, a basket full of outstanding designer scarves and neckties in perfect condition. They all cost less and earn health & stuff points on Practically Green. And psst, this Mrs. Claus is a firm believer in picking up a little something for herself… found an amazing pair of Prada boots on eBay — and miraculously they fit!
2. Opt for durable, safe materials for clothes, including organic cotton or other natural fibers. It’s not just Hanna Andersson. Brands like Patagonia, Nau, Levi’s, and Eileen Fisher use organic cotton in some of their clothing. Seek out local designers using organic materials at holiday arts and crafts fairs in your area.
Nau vest has a recycled polyester shell
3. Towels and sheets come in organic materials, too, and they make lovely gifts. Gaiam is a trusted source, and The Company Store, L.L.Bean, and Target all offer versions.
Won't you sleep better on organic cotton? This bedding is from The Comapny Store.
4. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: a DIY seltzer machine is a gift that keeps on giving! Make your own sparkling water is a complete no-brainer once you’ve got a Soda-Stream penguin.
5. Stuff a reusable bottle into your beloveds’ (reusable) stockings! Have someone on your list who would switch, but complains about bulk? Check out Vapur’s foldable, flat, BPA-free water bottle — so easy! you can buy it or lots of other choices right from the PG action page.
6. Got kids? Give toys made from sustainably harvested and renewable wood. Our users have suggested several great options! One of our favorite playthings ever:
Wooden Play Kitchen from HazelNut Kids keeps children busy for days on end
7. Doesn’t your home deserve a gift, almost any day of the year? We fell for this Plumen CFL bulb. Magical! (… even though we do, philosophically, prefer LEDs.)
Plumen bulb transforms Restoration Hardware shade!
8. If your skin feels a bit dry and neglected after all this shopping, treat yourself to a fabulous Weleda product — or two: our favorite is a squidge of rose oil with a dollop of aloe cream, mix together in the palm of your hand and stroke your deserving epidermis.
9. We’ve said it before and we’re saying it again: Experiences make great gifts! Whether it’s a local theatre production, a day at the slopes, a membership to a museum, or a gift certificate for a local farm to table restaurant—these are low impact gifts that often can be ordered right from your laptop.
What a wonderful gift: ski trip to Sugarbush!!
P.S. If your gift recipient would like to get inspiring communiques like this one on a regular basis, please take him or her by the hand to Practically Green! Registered users receive a timely letter from our team every week. And thank you for subscribing to our blog!
Close friends of Practically Green know the story: Susan’s son Hunter was diagnosed with myriad allergies, she went crazy trying to find reliable clear information to make her household healthy and green, and she decided to create a LEED for Life: Practically Green.
Challenges remain. For example: how to stock up on candy and special treats that are safe for everyone, family, guests, visitors. Ta Da! A few weeks ago, Susan found a wonderful site called the Natural Candy Store. This small California company is run by two sisters, Dawn and Irene, and their mom Molly. You can see their favorite candy here.
For example, Caramella Vegan Salted Caramels, $13.95. Ingredients: Organic unrefined cane sugar, organic coconut milk, organic agave nectar, organic cocoa butter, organic dark chocolate (organic cocoa mass, organic unrefined cane sugar, organic cocoa butter, sunflower lecithin, natural vanilla), organic coconut oil, sea salt.
Our customers have a variety of lifestyle and dietary needs – natural, organic, vegan, gluten-free, allergen-free, corn syrup-free, kosher, food dye sensitivities, fair-trade, GMO-free, etc…. they pay very close attention to ingredients. We work hard to provide as much information as possible about each item, including a complete ingredients list…. We want to make it easy for anyone, whatever their special dietary requirement, to find candy they can eat and feel good about eating.
The increasing incidence of conditions like ADHD and autism is also a significant factor. Many parents find that a diet free of artificial ingredients reduces symptoms, with research suggesting artificial colors and preservatives do indeed increase hyperactivity in children. Sugar always gets blamed for making kids hyper, but the research has never supported that — it’s probably all the artificial, petroleum-derived artificial colors and flavors that usually goes along with sugar that’s the real culprit!
Find out what food you buy regularly that contains artificial sweeteners (5 points on Practically Green)
Find out what food you buy regularly that contains artificial colors and flavors (10 points)
Find out what food in your house has artificial preservatives in it (5 points)
Choose organic or natural candy as a treat (10 points)
What makes this frosting blue? Cabbage!
Surf Sweets Organic Jelly Beans w carrot juice concentrate
Let’s stop talking and start ordering and enjoying! Dawn promises excellent customer service, and expedited deliveries are available for last-minute types.
Bonus: choose free samples with every order.
Cruise through the Candy Store guided by this key
Did we mention salted caramels? From Dawn’s description:
Enrobed in award winning milk chocolate & sprinkled with grey sea salt. Wrapped in festive holiday label! This simple & beautiful caramel highlights the richness of true Madagascar vanilla beans. From the first and only organic & fair trade bean-to-bar chocolate factory in the US!
Size Information: Each 1.83oz/52g box contains 4 caramels.
Ingredients: Sugar**, cream (milk)*, non-GMO corn syrup*, cocoa beans**, milk powder*, butter (milk)*, cocoa butter**, grey sea salt, ground vanilla bean*. *Organic **Organic & Fair Trade
Organic info: USDA Certified Organic
Theo Salted Caramels, Organic & Fair Trade
Last but not least, the Hangover Drops from England are miraculous, according to Dawn: “These all-natural, curative candies taste like yummy fruit punch (non-alcoholic, of course!).” Ingredients: Sugar, glucose syrup, citric acid, ginseng, natural flavors: bramble, lemon, orange, raspberry, rosehip, natural color: beetroot red.
Find them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter @cleancandy
Perfect timing: just when we were beginning to obsess about all the egregious waste and outright landfill tossing that happens at this time of the year, along comes Robin Freedman with her tips on Waste Management for the Holidays:
Robin Freedman
“If each of us took a few small steps to reduce the waste we produce or increase the amount of materials we recycle during the holidays, we’d save a large amount of materials, energy and landfill space. There’s tons of ways to cut back on waste at this time of the year, or in any season!”
Robin works for Waste Management, headquartered in Kirkland, Washington. It’s the largest “environmental services provider” in North America, so they know a thing or two about trash. WM looks at waste as a resource, focuses on how to turn around materials in the waste stream, and finds ingenious ways to repurpose waste – into new materials, as energy, and via conversion technologies. Here are her ideas for bringing waste management to your life, with links to Practically Green so you can watch these actions contribute to your score.
1) Composting can reduce the amount of organic waste produced in the home. Holiday meal preparation can generate a large amount of potato peels, fruit rinds, coffee grinds, other vegetable waste and eggshells, that can all be composted. A new compost bin filled with homemade treats can make a great gift for those looking to take recycling to the next level.
2) If you have a fresh tree, garland or wreaths, be sure to recycle them when the holidays are over. Check Earth911’s Christmas tree recycling center for local tree collection and recycling opportunities.
3) If getting your holiday decorations out of storage makes you ask yourself where you’ll find space to put them away in January, maybe it is time to clean out the attic or basement. Before you throw things away, consider whether an item still has a service life and is acceptable for donation to an organization such as the local Value Village or Goodwill Services.
4) Thousands of paper and plastic shopping bags end up in landfills every year. Reduce the number of bags thrown out by bringing reusable cloth bags for holiday gift shopping. Tell store clerks you don’t need a bag for small or oversized purchases.
5) When packaging gifts, consider reduced or no-waste wrapping options. Put a reusable bow on the gift; place the gift in a reusable bag such as a backpack or purse; or package small, themed gifts in a larger item – such as plates or tableware in placemats or a tablecloth or kitchen utensils in an apron or decorative dishtowel. Also, you can use last year’s wrapping as packaging material.
6) Make your own wrapping paper by using old maps, posters or pages from the newspaper or magazines. Recycled-content wrapping paper is also available. Save bags and bows to use again and be sure to recycle the newspapers or brown paper shopping bags after the gift is opened, or use it for padding when shipping gifts.
7) Consider giving no-waste gifts, such as music or sports lessons, memberships to a gym, the philharmonic or a museum, favors like babysitting or tickets to a sporting event or concert. Find out the gift recipient’s favorite charity and make a donation in his or her honor, or commit to volunteering with that organization.
With a little imagination and commitment, we can use this holiday season to create new traditions that help preserve the environment. For more information about Waste Management’s comprehensive list of recycling services, visit www.thinkgreenfromhome.com.
Truck picks up the Bagster, literally!
P.S. if you’re still looking for a very special gift for that certain someone, consider a Bagster – WM’s Dumpster in a Bag! It’s a 4’ x 2’ x 8’ collection bag, perfect for the DIY guy or gal on your list. Why’s it green? It takes the place of a metal dumpster, which has to be fetched off your premises one at a time; a truck can haul off 12 Bagsters in a single trip for proper disposal. Find out more at Bagster’s thriving Facebook page.
Taking a break for the holidays? Power down before you leave your office/dorm/apartment/house!
The lights are on... but is anyone there to use them?
Here’s a super handy checklist from the University of Chicago’s Sustainability office, complete with links to Practically Green actions for more info, tips – and points to boost your PG score.
What You Should Power Down and Unplug
* * * * *
Holiday lights and other decorative lights
Laptops, computers, and chargers* (or put into sleep mode)
Printers, copiers, scanners, and fax machines
Coffee makers, microwaves, and other kitchen appliances
Televisions, DVD, and CD Players
We’ll add 3 ideas to the list:
Adjust your thermostat so it’s not needlessly heating/cooling your space
Close your window shades so you keep heat in (or out)
Install smart power strip to turn off electronics completely
Ilsa Flanagan, the University of Chicago’s founding Director for the Office of Sustainability
The Power Down program targets “anyone who’s going anywhere for the holiday break,” according to Ilsa Flanagan. “We have students in dorms and off-campus, post-docs and professors from all over the world, and many of them travel at this time of the year. It’s so simple and easy to take a few steps before you head out.”
With over 35,000 faculty, staff, and students at the University and the Medical Center, the energy savings can be impressive! Almost all electrical devices continue to draw power when plugged into an outlet. For example, any device with a remote control draws power while on “standby.” Any charger with an adapter, such as a laptop or phone charger, also draws a small amount of power even when the device is unattached. These small electricity drains add up when aggregated across the campus.
UChicago’s comprehensive green campaign targets plastic water bottles, recycling, and year-round energy usage. More info here: http://sustainability.uchicago.edu/ and on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uchicagostudentsagainstbottledwater
Signage promoting tap water
Take charge of your energy usage on Practically Green! Top four Home Energy actions as we write:
Turn off the lights when you leave a room
Install LEDs or CFLs in most light fixtures
Turn thermostat down by 4 degrees in the winter
Click here for dozens more Home Energy actions.
A glimpse of all the Home Energy actions on Practically Green
Checking off those actions, watching your score grow — and comparing progress with friends — is even more exciting when you can also see how much money you’re saving – this month and over an extended period of time. What if your utility sent you a colorful monthly statement that shows how your usage compares to that of your neighbors across and down the street (or hall); wouldn’t you be interested to know how you stack up? Enter Opower, an Arlington, VA-based company that started in 2007 and is growing fast, landing on Forbes Most Promising Companies list a few weeks ago.
Opower partners with every utility they can to make your bill a statement of your cash savings, and performance – against goals you set and (here’s the clincher) vs. your neighbors.
From an Opower-ed bill
As we write, 10 million people get a user-friendly utility bill that Opower process for some 60 utilities in the US. They’ve helped save a total of 525 gigawatt hours and more than $60 million in energy costs across all those customers.
The key is a colorful, informative billing statement that makes data on electricity usage appealing. “We know that people spend about 10 minutes a year thinking about this,” Opower’s Steve Hambric explains. “We wanted to make it easy for people to relate to their own consumption and understand how to control it. We’re trying to make energy usage understandable and actionable.”
Get timely text tips!
Our guess is that customers with an Opower utility are spending more time learning about energy efficient moves they can make, saving money, and enjoying the process more.
Opower monthly statement shows how your energy consumption compares
If your utility doesn’t partner with Opower already, enter your email address and zip code here: http://social.opower.com/. Watch for a powerful Facebook app early in 2012:
…the app will enable consumers who choose to participate to benchmark their home’s energy usage against a national average of similar homes, compare their energy use with friends, enter energy-saving competitions, and share tips on how to become more energy efficient.
Searching for a way to say I love you, I really really love you?
As in, I really love you enough to stop texting and actually make you something? Even if I’m not a world-class artist?
Solution! Make a homemade card instead of buying a new one
String of lights is sewn across these cards; each light is cut from a magazine. Found on Etsy.com
Who doesn’t love receiving a homemade card? Not only do they really show someone you care, but also making cards by reusing paper and materials you already have around the house reduces the consumption of natural resources. You’ll save money, too.
Cookie cutter cards seen on MarthaStewart.com
While there are eco-friendlier greeting cards on the market, making them involves manufacturing emissions as well as the impact of transporting the cards from factories to stores—even if they’re printed with the best possible ink on 100 percent recycled-content and/or FSC-certified paper. DIY cards made from recycled scraps have a much lower footprint. By some estimates, not sending 50 cards a year (holidays plus birthdays add up!) saves five pounds of waste and 1,000 pounds of emissions.
These Holiday Santa cards at Etsy.com are made of upcycled napkins
Get creative. If you’re not, never fear, there is plenty of inspiration to be had online. The only thing to avoid is buying new materials to make your cards. That defeats the purpose!
Try taking paper you’ve only used on one side and decorating over the printed part. Use that stash of old greeting cards you might already have lying around. The recycling bin is a great source for images, letters, and photographs—from magazines, catalogs, kids’ drawings, and newspapers. Cut and paste these onto your card.
Special scissors create cute mini cards on Etsy.com
Buttons, beads, glitter, and more give any card pizzazz. Or head to the yard for leaves, flowers, and feathers.
If you’re an artist—or live with a young budding one—drawing and painting pictures and designs is always nice, especially with eco-friendly paint.
Here are a few of our Useful Links – for the full list, click to the PG action page!
Making-Handmade-Cards.com: Card Making Ideas
Treehugger.com: Does Green Greeting Cards Mean E-Greeting Cards?
Do you have a product or link to recommend? (Wink wink to @EcoKaren of EcoEtsy… ) Please do!
Guess how many Christmas trees are cut down and decorated for the season — in hotel lobbies, nursing homes, reception areas, and living rooms across the world? An estimated 25-30 million Christmas trees are sold every year in the US alone. And what happens to all these trees on December 26th? Like so many questions of eco-friendliness, the Christmas-tree one encourages thinking about the life cycle of things: For each item we use, where did it come from, how did it reach us — and what becomes of it once we’re finished? (For more on life-cycle assessment, we recommend reading Cradle to Cradle, one of our most dog-eared books ever, by architect/visionary Bill McDonough.)
Balsam Hill artificial tree
Are artificial trees greener because they’re used year after year? Or do fake trees use harmful elements in their manufacturing process?
This tree from Balsam Hill looks so real, right? Choose Aspen Estate Fir with faux wooden trunk, Colorado Mountain Spruce, or from a dozen other choices; decide height 6 – 30 feet tall, prestrung with LED twinklers. In cramped space? Consider the flatback model. Even order branch samples if you like! We can appreciate their no-shed, low-maintenance practicality on a TV set — but what’s the admire the True Needle ™ foliage, but what are they actually made of? Plastic? What type? Recycled plastic? (There’s no info on site, and the customer service number was busy when we called….)
Flatback tree saves space
Is it greenest of all to purchase a potted tree that can be planted after the holidays? Practically Green says Yes! Use a live Christmas tree. Treehugger.com’s Ask Pablo columnist tackled this conundrum:
…from a carbon emissions standpoint, a live tree cut from a tree farm (where it is replaced), and then composted was greener than a fake tree. That said, he contended that if you hike out into the woods and cut a tree yearly and do not replace it, then the fake tree is the way to go.
The greenest Christmas tree is actually a third option: a potted living tree you plant outside after the festivities. It will continuously absorb carbon long after it’s holiday decorations are removed. And it requires none of the resources used to manufacture and then ship an artificial tree. It’s also a lot better looking.
A potted tree that can happily grow for decades is ideal, but we realize this is not a practical solution for everyone.
Size: A live tree is heavier than a cut one, because of the root system, and the tree portion is likely to be smaller than you might expect. The folks at Rockefeller Center would have a terrible time finding a large-enough pot for their tree, which is 74 feet tall this year. Transporting immense trees from their native forests to their December habitat is a mindboggling carbon-footprint calculation; imagine adding a massive root ball to the equation?
Xmas tree at Rockefeller Center, a 74-foot-tall Norway spruce decorated with 5 miles of lights (30,000 LED bulbs) & will be turned into lumber for Habitat for Humanity after the holidays.
Our 2010 tree grew 8" taller in one year
Planning ahead. Planting a live tree after the holidays is one good solution, but it requires planning: you have to prepare a hole in your yard (if you live north, dig in advance of frost) or arrange to donate the live tree to a park or school nearby that wants it. Call city hall to find out.
Timing. You can’t bring a live potted evergreen indoors for more than a few days before it begins to suffer from the raised temperatures.
What to do with your cut tree after Christmas has come and gone? Some alternatives:
Mulch. Many towns and cities offer a free mulch program for spent trees, and some even pick up the trees curbside. At Dunbar Cave State Park in Tennessee, about 1,000 recycled Christmas Trees get mulched for use on hiking trails every year.
Power. Residents of Burlington, Vermont, can drop off their trees to be chipped and burned to generate electricity for area power companies.
Dunes. Other municipalities organize projects to use trees for erosion protection. We’ve heard of these efforts in Louisiana, Alabama, the New Jersey shore. The Rockefeller tree is destined to be used as lumber for Habitat for Humanity.
Some 20,000 trees help create a stretch of dunes, 4-9 feet high, along the mile-long oceanfront in Bradley Beach, NJ
Habitat. The Heron Rookery at Baker’s Lake reuses Christmas Trees as nesting materials.
Illinois: Telephone poles, Christmas trees & 1,300 birds. Photo, Robert Sliwinski
Here’s a state-by-state directory of tree-recycling alternatives.
**** Season’s Greetings to one and all! ****
"G" is for GIFT!
This holiday season we’re waving our magic G wand to gently encourage more eco-friendly gift-giving. Actions like Give an eco-friendly gift, Give experiential holiday gifts, and Shop local businesses regularly help:
We all want the gifts we give to be meaningful and appreciated. Time to add eco-friendly to that mix. What’s better than giving or getting something that contributes to a healthier, greener planet for all? Whether the person you’re shopping for is a committed environmentalist or your present will be the first time they’ve had the opportunity to try something green they wouldn’t have considered on their own, it’s sure to be a conversation starter.
Vintage Pucci silk scarf, 35 x 32", on eBay @ $24.99 -- wow!
The Practically Green team has lots of ideas: how about a gift card to Whole Foods or an enamel flowered thermos from Vivaterra? If you’ve got a bare fireplace mantle or front-hall table, a pair of Crate & Barrel’s ornamental trees made of recycled tin can make a festive statement. We’d never say No to a cashmere sweater from Stewart + Brown, a pair of Levis (many of which are made using less water, or with organic cotton, and or with green commuting in mind), or faux leather booties or clutch from eco-sylista Stella McCartney….
Vivaterra flowered thermos
Stella McCartney eco-friendly pleather boot
Levi's new Commuting Jeans, suitable for bikers... women's model coming ASAP we trust!!
Stocking stuffers: Preserve’s cool returnable toothbrushes and PeopleTowels portable hand towels are staples: easy! Ladies we know love opening a naturally fragrant gift basket from Weleda.
AmaraGold bracelet of recycled precious metals
Recycled-tin tree: decoration from Crate & Barrel
Local wines, beers, and/or chocolate are always a hit.
If you’re going to give jewelry, consider something made of recycled gold and silver from AmaraGold. Or try Fab.com or Uncommon Goods — not everything is green, but you might luck out! For a serious statement, you can’t go wrong with Tiffany, Cartier, Hermes… You can be utterly certain these gifts won’t get tossed – we even save the boxes forever!
Hermes wallet and box on sale at eBay (the last time we looked!)
Clementine crayons
Clementine is a sure hit for budding artists. And for huge drawing paper? Save those big pieces that come in your packages — and for serious artists, Strathmore has good options.
We’re frankly book fanatics. If there’s a parent on your list, you can’t miss with The Family Dinner; foodie thinkers must have the new illustrated edition of Michael Pollan’s Food Rules; and creative cooks who are veering toward vegetarian will dash to the kitchen for days with books like Yotam Ottolenghi’s Plenty, or The Simple Art of Eating Well, and/or Kim O’Donnel’s Meat Lovers Meatless Cookbook tucked under their arm.
Speaking of gardening fanatics, please go for the ingenious wooden compost bin that Priscilla Woolworth designed (silver eco-sandals are another subject):
Valentina Wooden Outdoor Compost Bin
Novice composters will adore one of these spiffy stainless counter-top buckets — and yes we definitely recommend the accompanying plant-based biodegradable bags unless you relish slop.
Elegant Compost Bucket stays elegant with bio-bag liners
Compost liners made from biodegradable cornstarch, from Gardeners Supply
We blogged Corporate gift ideas here; and 12 Reasons to Shop Local here.
Don’t forget to wrap it all Practically Green style! Consult our Guide to Gift-Wrap that’s Eco-Friendly and Free – or go ahead: splurge on fancy paper and bows! (Join a great conversation on our Facebook page: “Where do you draw the line?” Great answers, from generous hot showers to snail-mail holiday cards and fancy Christmas wrap).
Jane Iredale cosmetic gift sets
Eco-happy nail polish from Butter London
Practically Green’s users have submitted hundreds of excellent items: consider (and rate) the recommended products on any relevant action. For example, clothing made of organic cotton or other natural materials; Buy a toy made from renewable materials; Non-stick cookware; Cosmetics.
We must sneak in the amazing beeswax candles from Big Dipper! After all, what could be greener than turning out the lights and enjoying a natural flame? (Psst: excellent customer service: the last few times we ordered from Big Dipper they included some complimentary honey-filled candies with the order.)
When you complete 9 shopping actions on Practically Green, you get the Green Shopping badge and a discount on a reusable tote from Blue Avocado: sweet! Perfect to stuff smaller gifts inside!
For more ideas, have a look at all the eco-friendly gift guides bursting onto the scene this holiday season — our very favorites are from Treehugger, Green Depot, Eco Etsy’s amazing shops, Ethical Ocean, Proxy Apparel, Treehugger, EcoFabulous. Do you have a resource to recommend?
And then… there’s a whole flank of people saying ***No to new stuff this year!!*** The now-famous Black Friday ad from Patagonia started this trend with a huge “Don’t Buy this Jacket” headline. Will they sell more Patagonia jackets than ever before? Stay tuned….
One friend supports teacher salaries in Zambia in honor of her children’s teachers; another likes to gift from her closet (granted, hers is an exceptional treasure trove); a third is committed to giving only experiential presents this year. Still another is outfitting her teenaged kids with Eton solar-powered flashlights… just in case the power goes out again. All agree that eBay and ThredUp are amazing.
We welcome your gift-giving suggestions and mantras, this season and into the New Year. Please check back on Practically Green for everyone’s recommendations and submit yours!
The news of Chevy Volts catching on fire does not encourage us to buy one any time soon – regardless of GM’s buy-back offer. We hope it’s an easily fixable glitch (anyone know how to fix a battery-coolant leak?), because the idea of being able to plug in instead of fill up is extremely appealing.
Click here for all of Practically Green’s Green Car actions.
We asked Jeff Evanson of Tesla for the big picture. Jeff’s a former race-car driver. Do these early days of electric-vehicle (EV) development remind him of the early days of aviation, when the Wright brothers et al crashed into cow fields and could not seem to get off the ground?
Wright Brothers Kitty Hawk 1st Flight 1903, McMahan Photo
“It’s not really like aviation,” he explained, “because we’re transforming an existing industry.” It’s more like the invention of the iPhone, which has revolutionized handheld communications and so much more. Tesla launched a two-seat roadster in 2008 at an exorbitant price, and the strategy worked: it’s sold out and is being driven mainly by celebrities and other high-end types. “We wanted to prove that EVs don’t have to drive like a golf cart.”
Assuming electric cars are safe – and Jeff assures us they are – what is so great about EVs?
- they don’t use a drop of gasoline: they plug in
- cost of gasoline: zero
- emissions: zero
- cost of maintenance is also likely to be less, because there’s much less to break: “there are practically no parts replacements, no hot boiling pieces of metal under the hood; no bulky spark plugs…”
Chevy Volt
Battery range varies depending on the battery – and on factors like speed, cargo weight, climate control, and topography – it takes more oomph to drive uphill than on the flat. The Nissan Leaf can go for approximately 100 miles on a single charge; the Volt goes for 35 miles.
The Leaf has a partnership with SunPower solar for residential charging stations; this quick video is the simplest visualization we’ve seen of how the sun can easily power your EV.
Nissan Leaf: solar powered and charging
We’ll confess a crush on the Tesla S series, made in the USA, coming in summer 2012. It ’s available with a range of 160, 230, or 300 miles. Model S will be able to be quick-charged – 150 miles in 30 minutes. (Here is the New York Times’ story about Tesla fast-charging.) The Tesla S will also cost significantly more than a Leaf or a Volt: $57,400, or $49,900 after a federal tax credit for green vehicles. Jeff compares the sedan to a BMW 5-series in size, except it has more cargo space because there’s no engine under the hood!
Tesla Model S
We spoke with Camille Ricketts at Tesla to find out what it’s like to work there. No, everyone doesn’t get a free roadster. But Camille and others who commute to the Palo Alto headquarters can do so in a shuttle van; they can order fresh produce to be delivered at the office; and employees bring their dirty laundry to work, where it’s sent to an eco-friendly dry-cleaning service.
Of course, before you buy a new vehicle, consider a pre-owned one. And if you take an EV for a test drive, please let us know how it goes!
BMWi goes from 0 to 62mph in 8 seconds. Eta, 2013, price tba.
It was very thoughtful of the Wall Street Journal to include a big piece of wrapping paper in its gift guide this weekend.
Full page, 4-color gift wrap: delightful!
Here’s how it looked once I cut it out of the newspaper:
And after wrapping a present!
A decent ribbon helps...
This got me thinking about all the other ways to Wrap a gift using used wrapping paper, boxes, bows, ribbons.
- Snip up a discarded piece of clothing (clean, of course). I’ve found this is an extra-special surprise when the recipient used to wear the item him or herself! The example below was saved from last year – complete with one end still taped in place.
- Leaf through magazines and catalogues destined for the recycle bin or (gasp) the landfill. Our top publishers and ad agencies spend a fortune to make these glossy photos look great; why on earth not use them to wrap presents? (In photo, the two packages next to the small blue box w/ green tie.)
- If you’ve remodeled lately, or if you have an architect nearby, you’ve got access to fascinating white-and-black wrapping paper. Use a bright ribbon to tart it up. (Example below has fresh springs in the bow knot.)
- Maps and nautical charts.
- Paper shopping bags with cool designs.
- Tissue paper from your (we hope eco-friendly) dry-cleaner.
Front, L to R: hubby's shirt, nytimes.com magazine, WSJ; Rear, L to R: recycled building plans, blue box from UncommonGoods, Vanity Fair mag
How’s that for a start? (Don’t tell me you’re already done with your kris kringling!) And what are your eco-gift wrapping tips?
Why is Sending e-cards for the holidays green?
If you send out holiday cards, or if you think you really should—and if you haven’t gotten around to it yet, consider this:
Greeting cards aren’t large, but their impact is. A quote from the book Green Christmas puts this fact into perspective, “According to Hallmark, the 1.9 billion Christmas cards sold each year in the United States could fill a football field ten stories high and consume 300,000 trees.”
E-cards to the rescue! Sending an electronic card for any holiday reduces the number of trees cut down, avoids the unsafe chemicals involved in processing and printing on paper, eliminates the transportation of getting cards from printing plants to stores, and keeps unrecycled cards out of landfills. By some estimates, not sending 50 cards a year (holidays plus birthdays add up!) saves five pounds of waste and 1,000 pounds of emissions.
That factoid is from this Practically Green action:
It’s worth a total of 15 points for impact in the Energy and Water categories … one of the 542 actionable and manageable positive next steps you can take in your life starting right now today. Only 1% of Practically Green’s community has already checked it off… be part of boosting that percentage during the next few weeks!
Smilebox lets you add music and video to e-cards
Check out a bunch of other great other ideas for greening your holiday:
A peek at the Holiday Eco Actions on Practically Green
Rebecca Sama, Practically Green's Products Specialist
Our products team just added three new e-card recommendations, submitted by you the Practically Green community and vetted by to be sure they meet our Product Guidelines.
Two of the World Wildlife Fund's free animated e-cards
Choose from the pingg vault.. or upload your own designs!
From the cocodot collection
You can't go wrong with PaperlessPost, and we love the animated envelope opener....
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