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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?

Green Your Home – Sierra Club Green Home

March 31, 2009 in Healthy Green Home, News by Jennifer | No comments

There’s a new website in town for home dwellers looking to go green (or go more green). The newly launched Sierra Club Green Home was created, as you may have guessed by Sierra Club and covers a wide range of green home topics.

I went to check it out, and here’s the lowdown…

Pros:

First of all, this is a great looking website. Very nicely done, easy to navigate, and there are plenty of clear headings so you can find what you need fast.

They created centers related to various topics like the “CO2 Center” and “Solar Center” where you’ll find tips about carbon offsets, how to lower your energy bills, all sorts of solar heating options, energy calculators, and much more.

There’s a home health area that’s pretty cool. Plenty of healthy home tips including how to eat healthy and tips for raising healthy and green kids.

I really like their green video section. I was pretty impressed – they have videos ranging from fashion to food to composting.

There’s a forum too, but it’s not too busy yet. Not a huge surprise since the site is newer though, but it’s a nice feature.

Few ads!!!! Yay.

Cons:

I didn’t like that you had to register for some features. For example, they have a healthy home quiz I wanted to take, but they want you to register for that quiz. On the plus side, it looks like you only have to register once and the registration is a basic fill in your email type form. Still, come on; I can find other calculators online that won’t make me stop and register. When you spend a lot of time online, it’s a pain.

Overall:

I’d give this site an A. I was familiar with much of the info, but of course green is what I do. I do however, think that if you’re newer to green or want an easy to read green home guide, this is a pretty nice site and super easy to manage.

Visit Sierra Club Green Home.

Green Apartment Life – Easy Ways To Get Sustainable

March 16, 2009 in Green Audit, Green Your Home by Jennifer | 1 comment

This week we’ve been looking at green apartment living. So far we’ve discussed:

Now we’ll look at some green tips that apply to anyone, even folks in an apartment, and later we’ll check out some sustainable decor and furnishings for apartment life before wrapping up this series.

When you live in an apartment, some green rules won’t apply. Unless you live in a very flexible apartment complex, you may not be able to do things like install a low-flow toilet, change your heating and cooling source, or build a rain barrel. But there are still plenty of ways to go green when living in an apartment. Such as…

Insulate your apartment. Caulking is iffy in an apartment but weather stripping and door draft stoppers are usually ok.

Ditch your landline phone.

Turn Down the Thermostat. You may be better off than a home dweller in this case, especially if you live on a first or second floor with an apartment above you. The extra layer of housing can help to seal in heat in the winter and keep it cooler in summer.

Live simply for a better, greener life.

Use eco-smart lighting like compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs and LED lighting.

Conserve water!

You can solve indoor air pollution even in an apartment. The same tips that work for a house work for an apartment.

Rethink your disposables. Using items like cloth napkins and cleaning cloths over paper towels is not only eco-friendly, but handy in an apartment. Apartments tend to be short on space and it takes more space to store huge packs of paper towels.

Hold a green audit! Not all green home audit questions will apply to an apartment dweller. However, there’s still a lot you can audit and possibly change to stay green. Check out the following home audits and simply cut out questions that don’t apply – such as roofing or landscaping issues.

Do you live in an apartment? How are you keeping it green?

Green Apartment Life – Tools for Living Green While Renting

March 14, 2009 in Green Your Home by Jennifer | 1 comment

This week we’re diving into green apartment life – a big deal since the 2008 Current Population Survey notes that about 32% of U.S. residents rent instead of own their home. That’s a lot of households to green up.

Even if you can’t find a totally green apartment community, there are some tools that can help apartment dwellers live green…

An urban compost bin: Anyone, even apartment dwellers can compost. There are plenty of smaller compost bins available. You can set on on your deck or even on your kitchen counter. Once you’ve got some nutrient-rich soil, you can do the following with it:

  • Grow a killer container garden on the patio.
  • Give it to a pal who owns a house and has a garden.
  • Donate it to a local community garden or school.

Rent and borrow: If you need tools for a project, a bike for a specific marathon (i.e. you’re not a regular rider), or a special crock pot, see if you can rent or borrow the item before purchasing one. Why this is green:

  • With less stuff you can live smaller and reduce your overall footprint. Storage space need for items you rarely use is lame and not very green.
  • Buying stuff you only use once is a waste of resources and supplies.
  • Saves you cash that you could use for higher ticket sustainable items. Would you rather own all your own tools that you only use twice a year, or a killer organic mattress?

Be a green human: Technically actions make a far bigger difference than where you live. I.e Portland, Oregon is known as a green hub but just living there does not make you green. You need to practice green living skills like eco-cleaning, saving water, recycling and so on. You could live in an eco-nightmare of a city, but with proper green living skills, your own little home base can still be eco-friendly.

Recycle: Creating a dedicated home recycling area is possible even in an apartment. There are loads of smaller recycling bins available that can make recycling in an apartment easier.

What green living tools are you using in your rental?

How To Green Your Apartment – Find A Green Apartment Complex

March 14, 2009 in Green Building, Green Your Home by Jennifer | No comments

Sorry to be MIA folks – I caught a bad cold, which actually I think may be allergies, so I was out of commission. However, I grabbed some meds, and it’s all good now. Well, better anyhow. In any case, the other day we started looking at How To Green Your Apartment.

Today we’ll look at the basics about how to actually find a greener apartment to rent.

There aren’t too many actual green certified, LEED, or sustainable (etc) apartment complexes around. However, some are popping up. The downside is that you’ll likely pay more rent for a “green building” and most of the ones that have been built are in major cities or places that are known as green hubs. If you don’t live urban you’re almost out of luck. That said, it doesn’t hurt to do a search. Your local chamber or commerce, real estate agent, or apartment finder company may be able to help you find a greener building.

Tips for any apartment building: Read the rest of this entry »

Green Apartment Living – How To Green Your Apartment

March 11, 2009 in Green Your Home by Jennifer | 1 comment

Often folks discuss changes you can make to your dwelling that are pretty specific to a home you buy which can leave apartment dwellers feeling left out in the cold.

However, green living is not just for folks with a mortgage. Anyone can live green; no matter if you live in a house, a duplex, an apartment, or RV. Ok, an RV is pushing it because of gas issues, but you get my drift.

This week I think we should look at some green living concerns that affect apartment dwellers. To get started, here are some posts from the past that can apply to anyone, in any sort of home setting.

This week we’ll also look at how to green audit an apartment vs. a house, green changes you can make that won’t flip out the landlord, see if we can find some green apartment choices, and more…

If there’s something specific you’d like to learn more about that relates to green apartment living let me know in the comments.

Early Organic Gardening Planning – Fast Green Gardens

February 16, 2009 in Organic Gardening by Jennifer | No comments

If you’re planning an organic garden for spring, I hope you’ve been gathering ideas for non-toxic, healthy landscaping. If not here are a few eco-garden starter ideas.

Make your own non-toxic weed killer: Mix 1 ounce orange oil and 1 teaspoon liquid soap (I’d use natural) with 1 gallon of 10% white vinegar. Put some in a spray bottle and use it to spot spray weeds that pop up. Shake well before use.

Start collecting egg cartons: Use these for seed starting vs. plastic cups. You can also try composting or biodegradable seed starting pots.

Plan for crop rotation: Crop rotation is important for an organic garden. This keeps soil at a fertile level and inhibits disease and insects. So, if you’ve been planting your lettuce and carrots in the same places year after year, this season, sit down with a notepad and sketch out a new planting plan.

Save your coffee grounds: During the planting season you can sprinkle used organic coffee grounds into the soil to both enrich the soil content and keep pests like slugs and snails away. You can use non-organic, but organic is better due to the rich mineral content.

Get a better bag for leaves and debris: Snag some 100% biodegradable cornstarch-based leaf bags to gather the leaves and other debris from your yard then toss it straight into the compost bin.

Need more organic garden ideas?

Choose the Greenest Plants for Home Landscaping

February 3, 2009 in Organic Gardening by Jennifer | 4 comments

You can plant almost anything when it comes to landscaping – BUT that doesn’t mean you should plant any old thing. Part of using environmental landscaping for your home means focusing on plants that make sense for your location and site. Right now is a great time to consider which plants to choose – before you buy organic seeds or plant starts.

Why bother choosing the correct plants?

  • Your landscape and garden environment is more likely to thrive on its own. This cuts down on evasive care and nurturing.
  • You’ll reduce fertilizer, water, and pesticide use if you choose plants that naturally thrive in your specific environment.
  • Your plants will attract the helpful bugs, birds, and butterflies you want in in your garden and eliminate the pests you don’t want around. Native plants are much better at this task than weird non-site specific plants.

Tips for choosing the right plants:

I suggest starting at your local nursery. The folks at a local site know the area, know the weather, and know the water. A pro can help you find the best native plants and flowers.

Read Heat-Zone Gardening: How to Choose Plants That Thrive in Your Region’s Warmest Weather. This book will help you choose plants that will thrive in your area and is not only handy for warm weather regions but everywhere.

Better Homes & Gardens has an extensive regional gardening section, as does the National Gardening Association, and Gardenplace.com. You can also use basic Plant Hardiness Maps. All of the above resources allow you to make smart plant decisions – i.e find the best plants for your landscaping needs that cause the lowest eco-impact.

Tree Planting Where You Live can help you decide which trees to include in your landscaping plans.

What’s your gardening region? Does your region make it harder to plant what you like?

Organic Gardening Planning – Helpful Tools for Organic Seeds

January 12, 2009 in Uncategorized by Jennifer | No comments

In the last post we looked at getting a jump on your organic gardening with organic seeds. Here are some more helpful tools…

Organic Seedstarting Mix: 100% Organic Germinating Mix with sphagnum peat and perlite for a fine texture, and the addition of compost, protein meal and trace minerals for healthy growth.

Garden Starter System: Reusable vs. plastic seed starter bins. Other ways to start seeds include recycled egg cartons, yogurt cups (cut a hole in the bottom), or real planters that later will hold flowers.

Sun-Mar Continuous-Use Auto Flow 200 Composter: If you don’t have a composter yet, it’s time to get going with that. You still have time to start recycling your food scraps into healthy soil for the summer gardening season.

Grab a great organic gardening book: Read the rest of this entry »

Planting Trees for Your Home and the Planet

October 5, 2008 in Organic Gardening by Jennifer | No comments

I always hear green skeptics say things like – “You tree huggers, always talking about planting trees!” Which of course is far from true, there are plenty of green actions you can take that have nothing to do with tree planting.

That said, tree planting (not to focus on green stereotypes) is one great way to green your house, and the environment, all at the same time. Here are some benefits of planting more trees near your home…

It’s easy: Of all the green action steps you can take, tree planting has got to be one of the easiest. Anyone can plant a tree. To learn specifics visit Arbor Day (if you join you even get 10 Free Trees) or How to Plant A Tree.

Trees save energy: Using smart landscaping, the average home can save $150+ a year on energy costs. Trees add as sun and wind blockers, create natural awnings, and more. Trees also help reduce water needs on plants planted nearby. To learn about earth-friendly, energy saving landscaping read: Using Environmental Landscaping at Your House.

Trees create, restore, and promote habitats: Birds, animals, insects, and people all need trees to enjoy. As habitats are destroyed, as we fill in land with concrete, we’re making the world a less nice place to be. Planting trees helps to restore balance.

Trees promote human health and well-being: Trees are relaxing. I always feel better in say, Oregon than the middle of Albuquerque, where large trees are rare. Trees reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the air, and a newer study shows that neighborhoods with plenty of trees have reduced instances of youth asthma.

Trees protect land: Besides cleaning the air, which is great for animals and people, trees stop massive erosion and create natural shade for other shrubs and plants. In fact less mulching is needed for plants who live under trees.