- Use things other than wrapping paper to wrap your gifts. There are plenty of things around everyone's home that can be re-used to wrap a gift...old maps, newspaper, brown paper grocery bags and even your children's finger painting or drawings to add an extra special touch to a gift. And while I'm on the subject of wrapping papers...if you receive gifts with wrapping paper on them, do your best to recycle it and use it for your next year's gifts!!
- Use alternatives to gift boxes. While most gift boxes can be recycled or used for gifts the next year, you can also use things other than boxes to put gifts in that can be used by the receiver for other various things. For example, use a basket...which can be used for many other purposes, or buy a reuseable grocery bag and put your gift in that (I'm sure the receiver of your gift would be happy to have a handy reuseable bag!).
- Use alternatives to bows and ribbons. While we all want our gifts to look special, there are other ways to give the gift a special look without using wasteful bows and ribbons. I like to use natural things of the season, like sprigs of holly or pine...they give a gift a festive look and are very eco-friendly!
- Make gifts for your friends and family instead of buying them. While it is much easier to just go to the store and pick up a gift, homemade gifts are often more thoughtful and definitely more eco-friendly! Some things I suggest are homemade cookies or other baked goods (who doesn't love a good dessert...am I right??!!), or homemade soaps or candles (I've decided to make my homemade laundry soap and dish soap for my girlfriends this year!) or if you're experienced in knitting or crocheting, make a scarf/mittens/hat or even a sweater for the special people in your life. Another great homemade gift idea that I've done in the past is to make up the dry ingredients to different things like cookies, breads, hot chocolate and even soups...it's a good way to give people a head start on making these things themselves using the stuff you've given them! Also, something that is always a great gift for family is pictures! Pictures of your children, a family picture or a collage of memorable pictures are just a few ideas.
- Be smart about your Christmas tree!! When getting a Christmas tree, try to be as eco-friendly as possible. While re-plantable trees are the best bet for being green, they are not often allowed in housing facilities and are often too big and bulky for a lot of small houses...or if you don't have a yard to plant them in, it doesn't do much good either! If you like cut trees, then find a place willing to give vouchers for re-plantable trees in the spring. And artificial trees are another eco-friendly way to have a tree. You can reuse the same tree year after year!
- Use energy-efficient lights! While they may be more costly, they are a great way of cutting down the electric bill and using less energy during a time when we keep them lit day and night....especially if you are a very festive person who loves to light your house on the inside and outside!
- Give to the less fortunate. During a season of giving, it's important to remember those who do not have the means to buy things for their families or themselves. A great way to give to the less fortunate and be "green" while doing it is to give your gently used items to clothing and toy drives. These places provide for families and individuals in great need. There are many retailers and non-profit organizations collecting all kinds of gently used items this time of year. So go through your stuff, your kids' stuff and provide the less fortunate people with things like clothing, coats, hats, gloves, scarves, and toys....not only will you be doing a good deed, but you will also be doing something environmentally friendly by putting your old items to good use!
Monday, December 6, 2010
I'm Dreaming of a "Green" Christmas....
With the Christmas season now in full swing, there are a few things that we can all do to be more environmentally friendly! Here are just a few green tips that you can use:
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Homemade Granola
I love granola!!! Maybe it's the hippiness that has been instilled in me or maybe it's just the taste and the fact that it's good for me, I don't know...but it is a staple in my diet! My family and I eat granola a LOT...whether it be as cereal, as a snack, as a topping on our favorite yogurt or just mixed in with some fresh fruit...we consume large quantities! It's also a great snack for parents and children alike who are on the go and need something quick and easy to eat! I have found a great recipe that is fairly easy to make and tastes really good and allows me to have control of what goes in the granola that we eat!
Ingredients:
raw oats
ground flaxseed
ground wheat bran
(I also use ground hemp seed, but it is optional)
raw seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, sesame...whatever you have on hand)
slivered or sliced almonds, pecans or walnuts (this is optional and your choice as to which you want)
1/2 cup canola oil (this is what the recipe calls for, but I opt to use safflower oil)
1/2 cup peanut butter
splash of water
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon cinnamon
dried fruit (your choice....cherries, raisins, figs, blueberries, cranberries, etc.)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325.
Spread raw oats onto one or two baking sheets/roasting pans. I don't measure the amount that I use...just use enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Then add plenty of flax seed, wheat bran, seeds and nuts. (again, I don't measure these things, so I just add a generous portion of each...a little more of the thing I like...or just use what I have of any of these things)
Then mix together the oil, peanut butter, water, honey and cinnamon in a glass measure cup/bowl and microwave for approximately 1 minute...just to melt the honey and peanut butter a litte to make for an easier way to mix.
Then stir the mixture into the dry ingredient on the baking sheet.
Bake at 325 for 20-30 minutes or so, stirring once or twice.
Remove when toasted to a light brown.
When the granola is cooled, add the dried fruit.
*Note, I make a large quantity of this when I do make it and just divide it up into freezer bags for easy storage and and easy way to just grab on the go. If you do freeze any, be sure that it is cooled completely before bagging it for the freezer.
Ingredients:
raw oats
ground flaxseed
ground wheat bran
(I also use ground hemp seed, but it is optional)
raw seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, sesame...whatever you have on hand)
slivered or sliced almonds, pecans or walnuts (this is optional and your choice as to which you want)
1/2 cup canola oil (this is what the recipe calls for, but I opt to use safflower oil)
1/2 cup peanut butter
splash of water
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon cinnamon
dried fruit (your choice....cherries, raisins, figs, blueberries, cranberries, etc.)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325.
Spread raw oats onto one or two baking sheets/roasting pans. I don't measure the amount that I use...just use enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Then add plenty of flax seed, wheat bran, seeds and nuts. (again, I don't measure these things, so I just add a generous portion of each...a little more of the thing I like...or just use what I have of any of these things)
Then mix together the oil, peanut butter, water, honey and cinnamon in a glass measure cup/bowl and microwave for approximately 1 minute...just to melt the honey and peanut butter a litte to make for an easier way to mix.
Then stir the mixture into the dry ingredient on the baking sheet.
Bake at 325 for 20-30 minutes or so, stirring once or twice.
Remove when toasted to a light brown.
When the granola is cooled, add the dried fruit.
*Note, I make a large quantity of this when I do make it and just divide it up into freezer bags for easy storage and and easy way to just grab on the go. If you do freeze any, be sure that it is cooled completely before bagging it for the freezer.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Homemade Dish Soap
For those of you who enjoy saving money or like to make your own safe products for your home, you will love this!! Now, not only can you make your own homemade laundry detergent, but you can now make your own dish soaps too!!! For just fractions of the cost of buying store soaps and a few easy ingredients, you can make your own dish soap that is safe for your family and safe for the environment!! I have a couple different recipes, depending on how you prefer to wash your dishes. One is for washing dishes by hand in the sink and the other is for a dishwasher.
This first recipe is for a liquid soap that can be used for washing dishes in the sink by hand.
Ingredients:
1 cup liquid Castile soap
3 tablespoons water
scented oil of your choice (or you can buy a scented Castile soap, or even use lemon juice for an easy scent)
Combine the ingredients in a container of your choice...easy as that!!! (I've seen it put in glass bottles with a metal spout for a fancier look, but I just pour it into an old dish soap container so I can re-use at the same time!!)
*Note- For those of you who aren't familiar with the liquid Castile soap, it can be found in some grocery stores and in most health food stores. I have also found it online at Target, which also sells all kinds of the scented ones too and it's pretty convenient to buy it that way also.
Here is a picture of the one I like to get which is lavender scented...it costs approximately $9 for this 32 oz. bottle, but if you do the math, you can get 4 cups out of just this bottle, which means you can make the soap 4 times with just one bottle..at an average cost of just $2.25 per mixture. And if you have ever bought organic dish soap from a store before, you will know that it costs much more than $2.25!!!
This first recipe is for a liquid soap that can be used for washing dishes in the sink by hand.
Ingredients:
1 cup liquid Castile soap
3 tablespoons water
scented oil of your choice (or you can buy a scented Castile soap, or even use lemon juice for an easy scent)
Combine the ingredients in a container of your choice...easy as that!!! (I've seen it put in glass bottles with a metal spout for a fancier look, but I just pour it into an old dish soap container so I can re-use at the same time!!)
*Note- For those of you who aren't familiar with the liquid Castile soap, it can be found in some grocery stores and in most health food stores. I have also found it online at Target, which also sells all kinds of the scented ones too and it's pretty convenient to buy it that way also.
Here is a picture of the one I like to get which is lavender scented...it costs approximately $9 for this 32 oz. bottle, but if you do the math, you can get 4 cups out of just this bottle, which means you can make the soap 4 times with just one bottle..at an average cost of just $2.25 per mixture. And if you have ever bought organic dish soap from a store before, you will know that it costs much more than $2.25!!!This next recipe is for a dishwasher soap. (FYI..if you already make your own laundry soap, this is a great recipe because it uses the same ingredients!)
Ingredients:
(the amount of the ingredients really depends on how much you want to make)
1 part 20 Mule Team borax
1 part Arm & Hammer washing soda
Mix the borax and washing soda together in a bowl...be sure to break up any clumps. Transfer into an air-tight container of your choice. (I just use a glass canning jar, as shown)
And there you have it...two easy ways to make soaps for washing your dishes that are safe and free of lots of chemicals and also eco-friendly...at a fraction of the cost of regular dish soaps!
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Finding Safe Products
Now that I've scared you (or hopefully at least made you aware of the dangers) with the videos about the chemicals in cosmetics and personal care products, I'm going to share a very useful resource to use for researching all of these chemicals and find out what's safe and what isn't and find manufactures who do produce safe products. The website is http://www.safecosmetics.org/. It's full of information that is necessary for any consumer wanting to buy safe products for their families. Check it out!
Need Green Tips at Home?
If you're looking for a great resource with lots of information on green living....check out the book "It's Easy Being Green" by Crissy Trask. Not only does it give you tons of tips for things you can do at home, at work or on the go for being eco-friendly, but it also gives lots of facts and information on how living green can impact the environment in a great way, it gives suggestions on how to go about getting involved in small ways to make an impact on the Earth conscious movement and it also gives lots of different resources (including stores, websites and organizations) who promote being green or who offer green alternatives to regular services.
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