green holiday

You are currently browsing articles tagged green holiday.

Get Ready for the Greenest Holiday Ever!

November 29, 2009 in Holiday, Holiday Gift Guide by Jennifer | No comments

No matter what winter holidays you celebrate it’s easy to green them up. Before we kick off the 2009 winter holiday season this December I thought we’d look back at some of the best green home holiday tips from last year. Then stay tuned for brand new holiday tips over the next couple of weeks.

greenest holiday ever

GREEN HOLIDAY BASICS

TREATS & GIFTS!

SPICE UP YOUR HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

PLAN AHEAD

Also as you start thinking about the new year consider a Ban on Paper Calendars.

Ten easy ways to green Christmas

November 19, 2009 in Holiday by Jennifer | No comments

Christmas is one of those holidays that’s actually pretty darn easy to green up. Simple choices can lead to a green Christmas and a more meaningful holiday celebration. Following are some ideas…

green your christmas

1. Green your Christmas tree: There are so many choices when it comes to the tree that it can seem hard not simple, but it all comes down to a few bits of info…

  • Reusable plastic tree = not so green.
  • Cut trees from a conventional farm = ok, but still not too green.
  • Cut tree from an organic farm = greener.
  • A living tree = green!
  • Alternatives like a wreath, small tree, plant, or other recyclable option = green.

To get an in-depth look read the most eco-friendly Christmas tree.

2. Green your lights: No matter where you like to place holiday lights, LEDS save you energy and look beautiful as well.

3. Green your wrap: Reuse last year’s Christmas wrap; use the comics; use a reusable container; use wrap made with recycled paper.

4. Green your greetings: Don’t send cards this year, call your loved ones instead or send an e-card. Make cards with recycled craft supplies. IF you really want to send a paper card, send one made of tree-free paper, plantable paper, or choose from the many recycled Christmas card options available.

5. Green your holiday baking: Use organic ingredients and eco-safe bake ware. No time to bake? Find the most Amazing Organic Holiday Cookies.

6. Green your shopping: Don’t shop like mad. Make a small list of meaningful gifts you’d like to get and stick to it. OR make crafty homemade holiday gifts. You can also give many gifts that actually give back.

7. Green the toys: If you’ve got kids, Christmas toys are likely on your list. Make sure you get safe, lead-free, non-toxic toys this year.

8. Green your Christmas stocking: This year use an eco-friendly Christmas stocking AND stuff it with safe fun green treats.

9. Green your holiday supplies: Plan on using goods for the holidays that are made with recycled materials or that can easily be recycled. You’d be surprised at how many options there are for a nice recyclable holiday season.

10. Green your Christmas mindset: The biggest challenge surrounding getting green for Christmas is simply wrapping your mind around a new way to celebrate. Read I’m Dreaming of a Green Christmas and/or Celebrate Green for ideas about how you can celebrate in a fun way while keeping it green and meaningful.

How are you greening your Christmas this year?

Vegetarian Thanksgiving Menu

November 9, 2009 in Holiday by Jennifer | 2 comments

We recently looked at why you should go vegetarian more often – meat = bad eco-footprint. Thanksgiving is actually a really easy meal to go vegetarian with and that means a super green Thanksgiving. Families tend to serve more veggie dishes on Thanksgiving already so losing the turkey is the big challenge. But you can do it. If you’re considering a vegetarian or even vegan Thanksgiving below are some helpful links…

Is this your idea of a veggie Thanksgiving? Think again!

Is this your idea of a veggie Thanksgiving? Think again!

Extras:

Green Valentine’s Day Decor Ideas

January 19, 2009 in Holiday by Jennifer | No comments


Yesterday we looked at Green Home Ideas for Valentine’s Day today we’re going to see some specifics…

If you’re having a party, if you have kids, or if the thought of fun cupid style decor simply appeals to you, take a look at these green Valentine’s Day decor ideas:

Heart Garland (shown above) – very nice heart garlands made from eco-friendly felt.

Read the rest of this entry »

Green Valentine’s Day Tips – Green Home Ideas for Valentine’s Day

January 19, 2009 in Holiday by Jennifer | No comments

Sweetheart Rose Bouquet from Organic Bouquet

There are so many ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day that are not only fun, but clean and green. Ok, maybe not so clean (melty organic chocolates) but definitely green.

  • Two words: organic flowers! With so many lovely organic flower choices nowadays, it’s seriously a crime to buy conventional. Organic flowers are grown under safer conditions for both humans and the planet, and don’t have icky chemicals. All you want to smell is that lovely rose scent.
  • Make your own Valentine’s Day cards out of recycled materials you have laying around the house. Collage cards are especially cool (and vintage looking) and allow you to use up bits and pieces of stuff. If you must go with new Valentine’s Day cards, choose cards made with recycled and eco-friendly materials.
  • When choosing decor, pick items that are sustainable and recyclable. Such as recycled paper decor or wool decor. Soon, in an upcoming post, I’ll bring in some specific decor ideas (I’ve got some cute ones!).
  • For your party use real dishes and cloth napkins. It’s gentler on the earth than disposables. If you go the disposable route choose recycled or sustainable materials made with soy inks and non-toxic coatings. Two good choices include, Amy Butler tableware or Bambu.
  • Look for organic and fair trade Valentine’s Day goodies. Chocolates, lollies, cupcakes, cookies, punch, wine, and more are all available in nice earth-friendly versions. Later we’ll look at some good specific options.
  • If you’re looking to spread some romance (more than fun) light candles, just make sure they’re organic soy or beeswax.

More Valentine’s Day green tips to come…

Now tell me, how do you plan to spend the big day?

Nine Last Minute Green Home Holiday Gifts Ideas

December 17, 2008 in Holiday, Holiday Gift Guide by Jennifer | No comments

Everyone loves flowers during the holidays. I really like the Kindness Blooms Holiday Bouquet – Red tulips and Stars of Bethlehem, in a frosted recycled glass vase. Certified as sustainably grown. Plus right now you can save 10% on holiday flowers from $19.99.
Read the rest of this entry »

Three Quick Green Holiday Packing and Wrapping Tips

December 16, 2008 in Holiday, Organic Gardening by Jennifer | No comments

  1. Save all your old newspapers, magazines, and tissue paper, and send them through the shredder to make instant thin packing strips. If you have colorful strips, say from magazines, you can use them in holiday gift bags or baskets even.
  2. Skip gift tags and try simply jotting down who a gift is for on the package itself. You can also write on the gift’s bow or ribbon. Or use old gift tags (save them each year).
  3. Make a gift super reusable by packing it in a nice reusable bag or lunch sack. It’s a two for one gift!

For more green gift wrapping tips visit: Eco-Wrap Your Holiday Gifts

Have A Recycled Holiday Season

December 10, 2008 in Holiday by Jennifer | No comments

The holidays are the perfect time to put reuse to good use. Try the following…

Reuse holiday cards. Cut the fronts off and re-glue them to blank paper (recycled of course). Embellish as you like, and send.

Reuse holiday wrap. Each year save your holiday wrap for the next. You can also save holiday gift tags, bows, tissue paper, and packing materials for mailing gifts.

If you have to buy new wrapping paper, purchase recycled gift wrap.

Use oddball wrap. Wrap a gift in newspaper, old art projects, found vintage or thrift tins, a reusable bag, or an old box.

Use recycled table items for holiday parties and events.

Recycle holiday meal leftovers into your compost bin and turn it into great garden matter.

You can recycle your Christmas tree by buying a live tree, that you can then re-plant (not totally recycling, but you get the idea). You can even go extreme green, and decorate a tree outside instead of buying new.

Purchase recycled gifts and toys. All sorts of gifts can be bought used, and many companies make new items out of recycled goods. See gift ideas (many recycled) from Best Green Home Tips.

What other holiday reuse ideas can you come up with?

Save Money with Great Discount Codes for Green Gifts

December 9, 2008 in Holiday, Save Money by Jennifer | 1 comment

I found some nice discount codes for green gift items this month. I’ve posted them just about everywhere, but then thought, HEY, Best Green Home Tip readers might like these too.

Save on Dwell goodies:

Not all Dwell items are eco-friendly. Many are though, and this is a nice sale. Just check materials before buying if you’re looking for all perfectly green items.

Save on Night Owl Paper Goods items such as, eco-cards, reusable bags, sustainable calendars and more! (see items below code – click on the product image to learn more)

:: Night Owl Paper Goods Owliday Discount :: www.nightowlpapergoods.com

:: Receive 25% off ALL ORDERS now thru Dec. 31st! :: Coupon Code friend08

:: Share with friends! :: Use over & over!

Green Christmas Shopping – 3RLiving Exclusive Discount to Unplugged Living – 3R Living has the coolest green gear, and now, you can score it for less.

Easy, less expensive, green holiday shopping! Gotta love it.

Eco-Holiday Table Setting – Green Dishes for the Holidays

December 8, 2008 in Food & Drink, Holiday by Jennifer | No comments

We’ve been looking lately at setting your holiday table, using green techniques. So far we’ve seen;Set Your Perfect Eco Holiday Table – choosing a table and Linen Choices.

Today, let’s look at some eco-dishes and serving items that go on top of your table…


Clear Glass Wine Decanter and Set of 4 Goblets – lovely recycled glass decanter with 4 recycled goblets.


Oceana Wave Plate – Pearl (set of 4) or Oceana Square Plate – Pewter (set of 4) – great place settings in recycled seaglass. Perfect as a set for formal holiday meals.
Read the rest of this entry »

Tons of Green Holiday Links – Crafts, Food, Gifts, & More!

December 3, 2008 in Holiday by Jennifer | No comments

I pulled together this post I’ve been sharing at my green-minded blogs. And I thought readers here might enjoy it as well. This post is chock full of green holiday goodness – plenty to get your holiday season off to an eco-friendly start:

Green Treats & Recipes

Remember, no matter the treat or recipe, you can always green it up by exchanging organic and natural ingredients for conventional.

50 Cute and Tasty Christmas Cookie Ideas

Cherry Dot Cookies

Organic Holiday Cookies!

Hey It’s Sugar Cookie Day – worth it for the pretty snowy cookie image alone.

Bacon Nut Stuffing – don’t forget, pork is a high pesticide food item, so buy organic if you make this dish.

Top 10 Turkey Tools

Pumpkin Cheesecake – one of my personal favorite treats.

What Else Is In Your Beer? AND Vegan Beer & Wine – I know beer and wine do not make a meal, but hey, they are treats, and if you have a drink, you may as well get the best.

Homemade Eco-Holiday Crafts

Read the rest of this entry »

Make A Holiday Ice Wreath

December 2, 2008 in Holiday by Jennifer | 1 comment

Here in Oregon, it’s never too snowy. At least not where I am in Oregon. However, if you live somewhere super chilly, this beautiful ice wreath above is the perfect alternative to store-bought holiday outdoor decor. It’s completely recyclable, made of all natural materials, and so lovely. It would look great hanging on a gate, and a smaller one could even hang on your door.

BEST OF ALL: You will not believe how easy this is to make. Plus it’s way fun for kids.

Learn how to make Festive Ice Wreaths

[Image and tips via Junk Creation]

Seven Tips for A Greener Holiday Season

November 20, 2008 in Holiday by Jennifer | No comments

Anyone can green up the holiday season. Try these easy seven tips out…

  1. Make homemade eco friendly gifts instead of buying new, overpriced, bad for the environment gifts.
  2. Use LED lighting for all your holiday needs. LED tree lights, LED house lights, and special LED accessory lights.
  3. Use recycled wrapping paper for gifts. You can even make your own with homemade paper, old newspaper, or last year’s wrap. After festivities recycle the wrap again.
  4. Make it an earth friendly year by buying fewer overall gifts. Make time for your family and friends vs. purchasing products for them. I suggest a nature walk. Think it’s too cold? Read, 25 Reasons To Get Outside During Winter for ideas.
  5. Have a tree-free year, or at least learn more about the best Eco-Friendly Christmas Tree options.
  6. Host an Eco-Friendly Winter Party — Save Heat and Save Money!
  7. Green your holiday baking – use organic ingredients and eco-safe bake ware. No time to bake? Find the most Amazing Organic Holiday Cookies.

To learn more about green holiday tips related to Christmas, check out this book review; Green Christmas.

[top image via Holiday LEDs]

Green Holiday Gift Guide: Spicy Kitchen Find

November 7, 2008 in Holiday Gift Guide by Jennifer | No comments

This beautiful spice block is made with 100% reclaimed mahogany and food-safe walnut oil/beeswax finish. I think it’d look great on any holiday table; such as you can use it for salt and pepper during a holiday meal, or fill it with cinnamon sticks and cloves for tea. A perfect gift for a tree hugger who likes things a little spicy!

$56 – Spice Block
+ Branch

Happy Green November!

November 2, 2008 in News by Jennifer | 1 comment

Well, it’s November folks – this year is flying by. I hope everyone had a happy Halloween. Now it’s time to start thinking about Thanksgiving, winter home prep, and winter holiday home decor.

Here’s what’s going to be happening in November at Best Green Home Tips:

The holiday gift guide: With the holidays coming up, it’s best to start thinking about which eco-friendly holiday gifts you’d like to buy (or make) for friends and family. Because this blog is about greening your home, all the gifts featured in the gift guide will be home-based, with maybe a few oddballs thrown in for fun.

Winter prep: If you haven’t started already, it really is time to outfit your home with options that will keep your family warm and save energy. We’ll be looking at more of those options during the month.

Green holiday prep: Thanksgiving and the winter holidays are almost here. I’ll have tips about greening them all, starting this month.

Green product reviews: I’ll be posting at least three green product reviews in November…

The usual: Of course I’ll be posting plenty of green home tips all month long. You might want to Subscribe to the Best Green Home Tips feed so you don’t miss a post (it’s free and will keep you up to date).

If there’s anything else you’d like to see posted here during November, let me know in the comments.

Green Halloween Decorations for Your Home

October 2, 2008 in Holiday by Jennifer | 2 comments

Holiday decorating is a tradition for many households. Now that spooky old Halloween is upon us, it’s time to break out the ghosts and pumpkins. Here are some tips for keeping it green this Halloween:

Jack O’ Lantern fun: First of all there’s the question of your pumpkin (or pumpkins as the case may be). There are some good arguments for organic pumpkins, but cost is a factor as well. I actually covered this topic at another blog of mine, so instead of rehashing the issue, I’ll simply link you there: Should you buy an organic pumpkin for Halloween?

Spooky decor: There’s no need to buy brand new Halloween decorations. You can break out last year’s decorations or make plenty of your own with a little imagination and some recycled goods:

You can also recycle plain old paper into great crafts. Last year, my son and I created a collection of gravestones and spooky trees on our living room wall.

Scary lighting:

Some people like to hang lights for Halloween. If your family does this, make sure you snag some energy saving LED light strings. Holiday LEDS has a large selection of Halloween colored lights to choose from.

Have fun and don’t forget to stock up on plenty of Fair Trade Treats for Halloween.