Mom Goes Green

Yes, ‘tis the season and the clock is tick, tick, ticking away (a week and counting…. eek!).

I recently wrote about some of my favorite ways to give, with some tangible and intangible ideas for giving the gift of green and/or helping the environment and some of its inhabitants.  Well, as I realize ideas I didn’t give or discover more great options, I can’t help but want to continue to share… especially because of that damn “ticking clock” and the stress of it all.

So, I know a lot of us would prefer to give “something”, but if you give something, there are a lot of great ways to give a gift that doesn’t impact the planet like traditional giving… so, give these some thought:

• Give a live plant.  Who doesn’t love a beautiful plant to liven & brighten their home while consuming some CO2 and giving some oxygen!
• Give an organic fruit basket. (Be sure to refer to my do and do not buy organics list!)
• Give a framed work of art… not from a famous artist… one created by your kids… or YOU, for that matter.  It would mean more than a Picasso to most recipients!
• Give your best homemade “goodie” and share the recipe! Or simply share the recipes of some of your favorite dishes.
• Give a “helping” certificate. Whether it’s for running errands, babysitting, cooking a dinner on request or even setting-up a “non-recycler” with all of the tools to start recycling, it will be appreciated!
• Give CFLs or recycled batteries & a charger. They’re energy saving and keep nasty trash from landfills.  Plus, it’s like handing over $$ because they will save, save, save!
• Give a handmade gift… like a candleholder made from a glass jar or a pen holder from a can.    Get creative, use recycled materials and remnants… you’re creative, so CREATE!
• Give something that can be used. If the recipient won’t use it, it’s waste.  Sounds harsh, but    it’s true.

Still not finding something that feels like “the one”?  Well, there are still lots more ways to “give back” and give the gift of green.  Please consider:

• Change the Present – you can contribute and honor someone by helping to restore a fragile ecosystem in Kenya, purchase carbon offsets, plant trees, preserve wildlands, adopt wildlife or any one of about 1600 causes of your choice!

And if you feel you need to give a more traditional gift, at least check out:

• Treehugger Holiday Gift Guide - for over 100 green gift ideas, from gadgets to fashions to toys
• MSN Green – everything under the sun, including a terrific list of 25 great green gifts under $25

Is your head spinning?  Well, just grab that “to do” gift list and look no further for answers… I hope I’ve given you everything you need to cross off the entire list.

(frame image from:  www.kidsartframes.com )

My least favorite part of the holidays has to be the stress over what to “give”.  I am hard pressed to know anyone who really NEEDS anything.  We’re all pretty fortunate and for that, I am definitely not complaining.

Are you having gift-giving dilemmas too?  (I think the sound of a huge “yes” was probably deafening!) Well, here are a few miscellaneous items that I have given kudos recently, including:

• The “Starter Kit for Change” – packed full of great green goodies for yourself, the earth-lover in your life or to help a newbie get started (and they’re havin’ a holiday sale!)
• Cynergreen Bottles – fab, affordable bottles to keep the BPA away from loved ones
• Movies:  Wall-e (for kids), An Inconvenient Truth (for adults) and Planet Earth (for the whole family)
• Memberships – to environmental organizations, zoos, botanical gardens, etc…
• Any kind of reusable bag

But I also firmly believe that the recipients of gifts don’t always need a tangible gift.  I would much rather know that my gift was a gift of “doing good” for the earth and environment.  Do you know someone like this?  If so, this list may be for you, for them, for our planet!

Also consider THESE amazing gifts:

• Adopt an Acre of Rainforest and other of earth’s wonders – for preservation and restoration of some of the world’s most amazing places
• Adopt an Endangered Species – to protect endangered animals and their habitats
• Rescue the Reef – for preserving an undeniably crucial part of our world’s oceans
• Plant a Billion Trees Campaign – for protecting and preserving Earth’s largest and most endangered tropical forests in Brazil
• Give-a-Tree – plants a tree in one of America’s National Forests in honor of a recipient

(If you have a similar cause that is near and dear to your heart, let me know… I’ll add it to the list.)

So this year, consider forgoing that purchase of a socket set (he has six already) or that body & bath set (she has six already) or that sausage sampler basket (the whole family hates sausage).  Instead, give the gift of “green”, “environment”, “eco-“, “earth”, “nature”… call it what you will… just consider it…

Our planet needs gifts more than we do.

I’ve never been shy about telling you when I love (or despise) something and I recently learned about one of the coolest things on the planet… and considering the season of giving, I absolutely have to share this one and give it some MomGoesGreen love!

It’s called the “Starter Kit for Change” and it contains some of the most thoughtful, eco-friendly items to get anyone and everyone started on the road to “green thinking”.

Two moms/musicians/friends/eco-girls developed a company called rocklovepeace and put together an amazing kit that contains:

• a reusable tote bag (“reuse”)
• an arbor day tree seedling (“plant”)
• fair trade hot chocolate (“be fair”)
• a treeless journal (“write”)
• a Sudoku booklet with a recycled pencil (“think”)
• a compact fluorescent light bulb (“switch”)
• gratitude cards (“be grateful”)
• an envelope to help end hunger (“give”)

They thought of everything and I’m not exaggerating when I say that.  The gift box and paper they come in are recycled, the ribbon and bag are biodegradable, the tags are embedded with flower seeds (they  can actually be planted!) and an enclosed booklet explains the importance and impact of every element included.

The reusable bags are even made from fabric remnants and no two are alike (and they’re SO much more stylish than the cheap-o bags!).  Plus, every bag is inscribed with Mahatma Gandhi’s inspirational quote:  “We must be the change we wish to see in the world.” Doesn’t that describe the mission we all wish to accomplish?  Del and Melanie are on this mission too… to educate, motivate and activate CHANGE!  Plus they are donating a portion of the proceeds to Action Against Hunger.

This is truly the coolest thing I have yet to see…The “Starter Kit for Change” is the gift of going green!  And if I got this from someone, I would be thrilled… actually, I got this gift for myself and now I think I’m one pretty cool gift-giver too!

(Scenario:  Christmas morning. Family gathered. Piles of presents. Happy faces.)

*  Obnoxious amount of gifts from “Santa”:  $812
*  Pristinely decorated artificial Christmas tree:  $349
*  Evergreen-scented soy candle:  $22
*  Not swearing profusely while you try to extract your kid’s gift from the package:  PRICELESS!

Who hasn’t found themselves in this scenario… it sometimes feels like you need a screwdriver, wire cutters, pliers and a blowtorch to get the toy out of the box, thanks to those tightly wound plastic-coated wires, screws and extra cardboard strategically folded and molded to hold the contents in place!  And not only is it annoying, it’s definitely environmentally-unfriendly!

There is such a trend of overpackaging (especially for toys!) and it’s so aggravating knowing that while the cardboard can be recycled, there’s still a ton of waste when the toy is finally liberated!

But I’m happy to let you know that Amazon just launched its “Frustration-Free Packaging” initiative that includes Fisher-Price and Mattel toys.  The products are exactly the same, but the packaging has been streamlined to use less materials.

This program will be growing and expanding over years to come, and you can see examples of the products that are included at Amazon.  But one example of what this really means is the Fisher-Price Imaginext Adventures Pirate Ship.  It will now be delivered in an easy-to-open, recyclable cardboard box. This eliminates:

• 36 inches of plastic-coated wire ties
• 1,576.5 square inches of printed corrugated package inserts
• 36.1 square inches of printed folding carton materials
• 175.25 square inches of PVC blister packaging
• 3.5 square inches of ABS molded styrene and two molded plastic fasteners

Want to know what this also eliminates?  Swearing, headaches and major environmental guilt!

We’re getting ready to head off to another kid birthday party… I imagine you can already feel me shuttering through the monitor with thoughts of the waste I’m about to encounter!

The birthday boy is in our daughter’s class, but I can’t say that I really know him and I had no idea what to buy… so we landed at Toys R Us, and the search began.

But while we were there, I made a great discovery. “Geoffrey” has taken a nice “giraffe” step in the right direction. There, in the front of the store, were the most adorable reusable bags. They were not shamelessly emblazoned with the Toys R Us logo. They were simply decorated with polka dots, stripes, flowers, solid colors, animal prints… plenty of cute, colorful patterns for any kid, of any age…even adults!

Best of all, they were only $1.49! I know I have said that gift bags are the best option, over wrapping paper, but I’m really rethinking that. I think about larger gifts and having spent $4.99 to buy one big enough for the gift and now, I can spend $1.49 and give the kid a bag that they can use to lug books from the library, tote toys to grandma’s, cart towels and snacks to the pool, haul overnight gear to a sleepover… very cool! And truly, they’re nice enough to use for anyone’s gift, not just kids. I really think I’m going to make a trip back there and pick up a bunch for all of my gift-giving.

Plus, I have a second discovery to share. A great line of fabric gift bags from Lagniappe Gift Wrap. They’re made by a fellow mom, they come in all kinds of themes and sizes, are made from natural fibers and tie at the top. They could be used for just about anything, but I think they give a beautiful, upscale feel to the gift, when a reusable bag just won’t do — and then they can be put to other uses afterward or simply passed on!  I even hear they’re going to start making treat bags soon… BONUS!  I don’t think I can stand buying another plastic treat bag.

(So, honey, when you buy me that beautiful new diamond for being such an awesome wife you can put it in a nice little jewel bag!…. hmm, was that too obvious? ) 

I just can’t take any more gift waste — so, whatever you do… bag it, tag it, tie it, give it… but just don’t “trash” it!

So, who hasn’t heard the green mantra:  “Reuse, Reduce, Recycle”.  Presumably, if you’re here, you know it by heart but, despite being first in line, the “reuse” often gets forgotten.

It’s no less important, but I think we all start thinking green when it comes to new products, new purchases and new actions, so that’s where we all need to be reminded about reusing what we already have and putting it to good use.

A reader recently commented about my “a-ha moment” when I replaced a few sets of blinds with new ones.  I nearly threw them in the trash before I realized… hello!  They’re aluminum… recycle them.  She reminded me that they could have been donated, but truth be told, they were broken (they couldn’t be opened and closed).  No one wants a set of broken blinds because, it goes without saying, permanently opened blinds in the bedroom and bathroom are not such a good idea, unless you enjoy visits from the local authorities.

We have been really conscious about reusing.  We have donated clothing, household appliances and goods, books, toys, furniture, everything imaginable.  About a year and a half ago, we decided to replace our family room furniture.  It was getting a little worn and we’re lucky enough we could afford to replace it.  I won’t pretend it was easy to find an organization to come and pick it up (it spent two months in our garage while my husband’s car sat outside in the dead of winter) but I wouldn’t have it any other way.  Aside from the need to see that it gets reused, it’s also important to remember that it’s the spirit of giving that also matters.  There is always someone less fortunate than we are and, my heart would have broken if it landed in a trash dump… I snuggled my babies on those couches!

I just want us all to remember that this is a part of being green.  If you have something you don’t want, don’t let it find its way to the curb.  Find it a home.  Every community has organizations that want these items – national and local non-profit organizations, shelters, community service groups – so many.  They will either get the items to those in need or sometimes sell the items cheap, so the giving is doubled – someone who needs them (cheaply) gets them and the organization makes money for their cause.

There is a reason that we’ve all heard the phrase “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”  And this planet just doesn’t need any more “fill” in the landfills!

If you don’t already know of an organization in your area that needs your help a quick search is likely to turn up plenty, or here is a list of national organizations that want your help:

* Goodwill
* The Salvation Army
* Vietnam Veterans of American
* Purple Heart
* Easter Seals
* (30 Charity Ideas for your furniture) — FYI: Special Olympics picked up ours!

(If you have a charity for donated goods that is near and dear to your heart and you would like me to add a link, please let me know…I’d be happy to!)

So, you may remember my frustration with “My neighbor – the tree hater!”  (She chopped down a dozen healthy, beautiful trees in her backyard!) Well, this weekend the saga continued.

I was snuggled up with our daughter (who had planted herself in the middle of our bed) in the early morning, enjoying “snooze-land”,  and my eyes nearly popped out of my head at the sound of blaring chainsaws.

I could not believe my ears.  First of all, it was way too early for chainsaws.  Secondly, I thought “how could she find more trees to kill…they’re all GONE!”

Lo and behold, it was my OTHER neighbor, on the other side!  Has everyone in my neighborhood lost their marbles?  They were taking down two trees and I truly can’t imagine why, except that they were squarely in the middle of a section of yard…and they probably had a selfish reason I don’t want to know about.

Our kids were mortified.  At first they wanted to go over there themselves and tell them to stop, “because cutting down trees is mean to the earth.”  When I told them they absolutely weren’t going over there, they demanded that I go!  When I tried to explain that it’s their yard and I can’t tell them what to do, they actually seemed disappointed in me!  As bothersome as that was, it actually made me proud of them for being so passionate.

If nothing else, it gave us the opportunity to discuss how important trees are – for providing oxygen and shade, improving air quality, conserving water, preserving soil and supporting wildlife (as both food and habitat) and so much more.

This additional ‘loss of nature’ has me wanting to plant trees!  Better yet, for our next gift-giving occasion, let’s all give someone a tree.  Seriously.  The National Arbor Day Foundation has made it very simple.  It’s their “Give-A-Tree” project and it helps to replant our national forests for a very small donation.  They even give you a nice little card, that explains the project, to give to the recipient.

Oh no.  I just realized I need to buy 14 of them…

Everyone loves a party, for whatever occasion. But those gift-giving occasions… yeah, not so earth-friendly (for so many reasons!).

I recently attended a kid’s birthday party with our daughter. Parties themselves create so, so much waste, but here is what I saw that left me dumbfounded…

* Kid unwraps present – Mom throws wrapping paper in trash bag!
* Kid opens card – Mom throws envelope in trash bag!!
* Kid pulls present from gift bag – Mom throws GIFT BAG in TRASH BAG!!!

I nearly choked. And I’m sure other moms noticed me standing there, wide-eyed and bewildered, staring at the trash bag. But I know the trash bag wasn’t collecting recycling because it was collecting “trash-trash” too.

I’ve made a new pact with myself not to use wrapping paper if there is any way to avoid it. I use gift bags. And I REUSE gift bags. I don’t care if they look a little used. Who cares, really. Two friends of mine have been passing the same bag back and forth for years! It started as a joke, but in reality, it’s pretty practical.

Most non-metallic wrapping paper can be recycled, but gift bags are great because they can be used again and again, until they get tattered, and THEN recycle them.

Say “goodbye, wrapping paper”…say “hello, gift bag!” Could Mother Earth talk, I’m sure she’d love a celebration, but celebrate Mother Earth by not turning it into an Un-Happy Trash Day.