It’s hard to believe another year has passed and it’s Memorial Day again.  While honoring the memory of American soldiers killed in combat, we also welcome the warm weather and sunny skies that indicate the unofficial start of summer.

Here are some easy green tips that honor the Earth and help reduce your impact this summer.

FOOD & BEVERAGES

• Treat your family to fresh delicious food while supporting your local farmer’s market.
• Transport your goodies to the park or beach in a natural willow picnic basket and be sure to bring your re-usable water bottles.
• If you have to use disposable plates, napkins, cutlery and cups, please choose those made from recycled paper or biodegradable materials such as sugar cane fibers or corn-based “plastics.”
• Barbecue solar style!  Whether you’re in the middle of nowhere or in your own backyard, solar ovens use the power of the sun to cook your meals pollution-free!
• Recycle bottles and cans
• Compost fruit and veggie scraps

THE BEACH

• Kids love recycled plastic beach pails to build castles in the sand
• Organic cotton and bamboo beach towels come in all sorts of fun colors
• Biodegradable sunscreen will help protect you from the sun’s harsh rays and won’t leave harmful chemicals on your skin or in the ocean

THE BACKYARD OASIS

• Eco-friendly furniture, decorative accents, decks, fences, lighting and plants can add style to your outdoor “rooms.”  Read my earlier post about “greening your outdoor spaces” here.

LOCAL EVENTS

• Bicycle or walk to local destinations and events such as holiday parades
• Pick up litter along the way and you’ll prevent pollution to streams, rivers and the ocean and ultimately help save sea life.

photo by General Wesc

The weather outside may be frightful, but your holiday habits don’t have to be.  Looking for ways to be more kind to the earth this season?  There are plenty of easy things anyone can do to make their home more efficient and comfortable this winter.  I’ve made a list and checked it twice, and think you won’t find my tips more naughty than nice. 

1. LIGHTING:  If you’re opting to decorate the heck out of your home’s exterior, but want to save money on the energy bills, check out the wide array of LED lights (light-emitting diodes) on the market.  They use only a tiny fraction of the energy that conventional string and decorative lights use, plus they last much longer!  Save even more money by putting your lights on a timer.  This way, they can turn on just as you’re coming home to light your way up the driveway and won’t be forgotten at bedtime when you’re too tired to remember to turn them off.
2. DECORATING:  Deck your halls with re-purposed items or those made with recycled content or natural materials.  Try to limit use of wasteful disposable items.   Here’s a few ideas:  orange pomanders, holly boughs, cranberry garland and handmade salt dough ornaments.  Also, homemade holiday cards (like the one pictured here) are extra special.
3. TREES:  Real Christmas trees are actually better for the environment if you purchase one that can be replanted in the yard in the spring.  You’ll get a lifetime of enjoyment out of it instead of just a few weeks.  Keep in mind that most artificial trees are petroleum-based and won’t biodegrade at the end of their life-cycle.
4. GIFTS:  Look for items with minimal packaging, especially non-bio-degradable bubble plastic.  Shop the “Green Pages” for eco-friendly and fair-trade treasures.  Consider purchasing a sponsorship of a natural place (typically $20 or so, which sometimes include stuffed toy animals you can include as part of the gift).  The Sierra Club, for instance, offers packages to help protect awe-inspiring wild places like Yellowstone, Grand Canyon Park and Giant Sequoia National Monument.
5. GIFT WRAPPING:  Wrap in the newspaper’s funny pages, old calendar pictures, posters or other paper destined for the recycling bin.  Kid’s drawings make a cute wrapping for small gifts.  Also, by wrapping the top and bottom of boxes separately, the paper will remain intact and they can be used again next year.  Re-usable gift bags are great since they can be used year-after-year.
6. SHIPPING GIFTS:  crumpled magazine pages provide great padding to breakable packages instead of bubble wrap or foam peanuts.
7. HOLIDAY FEASTS:  Local and organic food and spirits taste better!   Remember to compost fruit and veggie scraps.  Also, washable, fabric napkins make any meal feel more special.
8. HEATING YOUR HOME:  An extra sweater will keep you warm and toasty without having to turn up the heat, so why not sport that one in the back of your closet with the big, red-nosed reindeer on front?!  If you’ll be lighting your fireplace this chilly winter, take a look at some tips I wrote on increasing its efficiency and cleaner-burning logs.  Read my previous post to save energy and money on home heating this winter.
9. RECYCLE and RE-USE all that you can, from compostable food scraps, to paper, cardboard, bottles, plastic and cans.
10. BE THANKFUL for all that is good in your life!  After all it is the season to be jolly.  Happy Holidays!

(photo by Laura Manning)

I came across an intriguing grassroots organization that is working to make upcoming holidays “Good for people, good for planet and good for communities” across the country.  This non-profit group has many great ideas for parties, costumes and even replacing handouts of overly sweet treats on Halloween. 

Nationwide events and participation have been increasing significantly since 2007, so apparently, kids can have fun without getting all hopped up on sugar!  They’ve compiled a long list of fun treasures and healthy treats that kids love.  Great ideas include homemade crafts made with recycled materials, gifts from nature, stickers, collectible cards, coloring books, organic snack packs, and coins to raise money for charity.  For chocolate lovers, fair-trade and organic is a delicious choice.  Besides, dark chocolate is healthy since it’s so rich in antioxidants, right?!

Kids can collect their goodies in reusable and/or personally decorated bags.  Wind-up LED flashlights can light the way while walking through spooky neighborhoods.

So, for this haunted holiday, practice your purchasing power and look for the Green Halloween logo at your local retailers. The group hopes to inspire more people to incorporate eco-friendly practices and products into other holidays and birthdays too.

For a host of other festive suggestions for kids, schools and communities, visit Green Halloween®’s website here.

Pictured above is one of last year’s winning “Pumpkinfest” jack-o-lanterns, Peace, Love and Happiness by Katie and Louisa Scott.

Here’s an informative list of easy tips that can be implemented in any dorm room.  The only thing I would add to the list is something to warm up the floor, such as eco-friendly carpet tiles made from recycled content.  See my earlier post here about these ingenious, modular floor coverings.

As crisp leaves begin to fall, it signals that it’s time to go back to school.  If you’re concerned with the impact all of your supplies has on the environment, there is something you can do — choose to purchase goods that are earth-friendly.  Whether it’s notebooks made with recycled content or banana leaf fibers; crayons made from soybeans or recycled wax; or, back packs made from hemp or recycled rubber, there are plenty of options out there.

Where to find green school supplies:

• Celery Street
• Green Earth Office Supply
• The Naked Binder
• Rebinder
• The Ultimate Green Store
• Amazon
• Office Depot
• Staples

photo courtesy of O’BON

Thinking about adding a potting shed, storage shed, studio or playhouse to your yard?  Well, the good news is that these utilitarian outbuildings can actually be attractive, functional and even eco-friendly. The following sheds are made from recycled materials:

• Greensheds offers kits for do-it-yourself homeowners across the country, as well as standard and custom sheds built on your site (in the San Francisco area).
• YardPods offers high-end prefab “rooms” available in do-it-yourself, finish-it-yourself or complete designs.
• A great alternative to a concrete base is a reuseable, recycled plastic base system called ecobase.
• When building your own shed, consider using reclaimed materials and/or FSC-certified wood (means it was harvested responsibly).
• Don’t forget to brighten up your environment with solar-powered lighting.

GO GREEN EXPO, the nation’s premier green business and sustainable lifestyle show known for its innovative and interactive programming, returns to the Los Angeles Convention Center on January 22-24, 2010 for the second year in a row as the first stop on a nationwide tour that also includes New York City, Philadelphia and Atlanta. Following last year’s show that reached more than 10,000 attendees, Go Green Expo 2010 will focus on the next steps in environmental responsibility and the growing green revolution.

Go Green Expo invites all business leaders, eco-minded consumers and
their families to explore the latest innovations in energy-efficient and
environmentally-friendly products and services and participate in
interactive seminars featuring leaders in the green industry, local
politicians and community organizations.

Joining the lineup this year are keynote speeches by actress and holistic living author Mariel Hemingway, award-winning actor and director Ed Begley Jr., industry adored eco futurist John Picard, son of famed Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Paul Pelosi, Jr., eco-fashion icon Linda Loudermilk and Sarah Backhouse, host of The Planet 100 on Discovery’s Planet Green.

Highlights to include:

• 300+ local and national businesses showcasing products and services in all areas including Business & Electronics; Energy, Conservation & Recycling; Food & Beverage; Health, Beauty & Fashion, Home & Building, Media, Education & Careers, and Travel & Transportation.
• Career Fair featuring 16 companies such as Coca-Cola Enterprises, ITT Systems, California Solar Innovations, ICF International and Sun Edison.
• The latest in cutting edge and high performance greener transportation including the sleek and chic Tesla Roadster, Honda’s 2010 Insight, Honda Element, more Electric Vehicles, Electric Bikes and Converter Kits.
• Organic Food & Spirit Pavilion.
• Screening of top enviro-film “Tapped,” an inspiring movie that features an alarming look at the bottled water industry, its rampant growth and damaging effects on the environment, and what’s been called the greatest marketing swindle of all time.
• Pet Expo USA, the nation’s green pet show where attendees can peruse eco-friendly pet products from toys to food and bedding to accessories, learn about new pet services, enjoy pet training demonstrations and even adopt a furry friend.
• Kids Zone, featuring eco-friendly games, non-toxic art, fun
  folk music and other earth-loving activities.
• Complimentary Yoga Classes for people of all ages and
  experience levels.
• Indoor Rock Climbing Wall.

Visit GoGreenExpo.com for more information.

Winter may be a great time to “hibernate”, but if the air inside your home isn’t up to par, then it’s time to follow some tips to improve and maintain the quality of the air you breath.  These tips will be especially helpful for sufferers of asthma, children and the elderly, but of course all members of the household will benefit from cleaner air!  According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, indoor air is typically more polluted than the air outside.  “Health effects from indoor air pollutants may be experienced soon after exposure or, possibly, years later.”

Reduce indoor contaminants by:

• Changing filters in forced-air heating systems every 3 months, or when they become dirty, whichever comes first.
• Cleaning and freshening the air with non-toxic products.  See my earlier posts on inexpensive, home-made cleaners here and here.
• Avoiding harmful VOCs, or volatile organic compounds, if you’re sprucing up the house with paint.  Low-VOC paint and paint that contains zero VOCs are readily available and can be color matched just like any other paint.
• Making sure combustion appliances, like gas stoves, fireplaces, boilers, and furnaces are working properly.
• Regularly cleaning, dusting and vacuuming to reduce allergens such as dust mites and pet hair & dander.
• Fixing plumbing leaks and getting rid of excess moisture, in the bathroom, kitchen and basement.  Throw away items that have been contaminated with mold and mildew, and thoroughly clean surfaces, such as bathroom tiles, that have become moldy and mildewy.  Make sure exhaust fans vent to the outdoors.
• Eliminating secondhand smoke in your home (and car).
• Being aware of sources of carbon monoxide, an odorless, colorless and toxic gas that causes health effects which are often mistaken for the flu. Install carbon monoxide detectors in living spaces.
• Testing your home for cancer-causing radon, a naturally-occurring radioactive gas that can enter a home through cracks and openings in floors and walls that are in contact with the ground.  Testing your home is simple and inexpensive.

photo courtesy of Muffet

You’re sure to find one-of-a-kind clothing, jewelry, toys, and home decor.  Perfect gifts for the upcoming holidays!

The 30 workshops and presentations will focus on green building and energy efficiency, renewable energy & fuels, and green living & gardening.  Participants can attend multiple workshops for only $10!

Be sure to visit the EarthWays Center, a division of the Missouri Botanical Gardens, when it’s open for public tours on the 3rd Saturday and Sunday of each month.  It is a sustainably renovated Victorian-era home filled with information about solar electricity, geothermal heating and cooling, native plant landscaping, super insulation, non-toxic and sustainable home maintenance products and other features.

Visit the Green Homes Festival website for more information.

photo courtesy of Wikipedia

The event is being held at the San Ramon City Center in San Ramon, California on August 29-30, 2009.  Eco-Festivals, Inc. is a non-profit organization which aims to educate people on how to incorporate environmentally-friendly practices into every day life and live a green lifestyle.