deck the halls with eco-friendly, falalalala lalalala

I l o v e the holiday season.  Despite the insanity of it all (psycho shoppers, freezing cold, dark at 5 PM, etc), there is so much to look forward to: family, friends, gift-giving, decorations, and FOOD.  

This holiday season, try substituting some of your regular decorations, cooking, wrapping, and cleaning products with eco-friendly ones.  For example, if you MUST buy new Christmas lights, at least make sure they’re LED, like these ones I found on ecofabulous.com: http://www.holidayleds.com/ .  Here are some other nifty ideas to help eliminate the insane amounts of food and product waste:

-use recycled foil (found at Whole Foods or other specialty markets), and try rinsing it out after using it (if it’s not disgusting) to recycle it again.

-make good use of your leftovers (in other words, eat ALL of them).  There are some awesome recipes for leftovers on the Food Network and Cooking Light website.  Wow I’m a nerd.

-store leftovers in your tupperware instead of plastic bags or foil, they’ll stay fresher and will save a ton of unnecessary waste.

-clean up the catastrophe that is your kitchen with products like Method or the magnificent-smelling Mrs. Meyers (my personal fave is the gardenia scent).  This will help keep gnarly chemicals from seeping into our sewers and brains.  Method even has holiday scented cleaners.  Mmm. www.methodhome.com

-please tell me you only run the dishwasher when it is TOTALLY FULL, otherwise I will have to hunt you down.

-as far as wrapping goes, the least you can do is buy recycled paper such as Greenfield Paper products, which have fun holiday designs: www.greenfieldpaper.com (found on GorgeouslyGreen.com).  OR, you can save money AND paper by re-using all the crap you didn’t use last year.  Take all of those annoying scraps that didn’t make the cut in ’08 (anyone get the pun?!) and make your own personal, unique, magical wrapping creation.  Or go to town with your newspapers, magazines, etc.  Maybe even grab a sharpie and test your drawing skills to make your wrapping even more unique.  Go crazy and use a gift as the wrapping, such as a reusable canvas bag or an old tin box.  Be eco-conscious and reuse all your boxes from last year that are shoved somewhere in your laundry room.  The possibilities are endless!

-same goes for decorations – REUSE is your new favorite word.  It is pointless to spend money on new ones when I guarantee you already have some lodged in your attic/basement/storage closet etc.  Especially all those weird objects you made your parents or friends during elementary school.  Like I said, get creative. 

-if you are throwing a party, avoid paper plates and paper napkins.  They are the epitome of wasteful, and wasteful is the epitome of evil.  It will once again help you save your money and your morals.  If you MUST get disposable dinner wear, at least buy biodegradable or recycled ones.  Yes, they are slightly more expensive than the regular stuff, but throw Mother Earth a bone and deal with it.  You can probably find it at your local supermarket, but if not here’s a great website for biodegradables and other fantabulous eco products (maybe even some gifts..?):

www.branchhome.com

-keep tuning into your inner artist and try making your cards instead of buying cheesy ones at Walgreens.  It will be fun and meaningful.  If you do buy cards, make sure they’re recycled.  Check out the plethora of options on greenpromise.com. http://www.greenpromise.com/resources/environmentally-friendly-christmas-cards.php

Also browse through the wide selection of stationary and holiday cards on www.greenfieldpaper.com

-make your traditional meals even more delicious by using organic ingredients.  Humor your market’s produce dude by asking him what’s in season – you know they could use some company, they always look bored.  Try baking some tasty treats with seasonal fruits or making some side dishes with seasonal veggies.  Test your cooking abilities and try making stuff from scratch!  Pair that with organic wine and friends or family and you’ve got yourself a party.

Here’s a link to 5 healthy holiday foods (may help prevent one from chunking up on sugar cookies):

http://www.cookinglight.com/eating-smart/smart-choices/5-healthful-holiday-foods-00400000001519/

-R E C Y C L E - E V E R Y T H I N G you possibly can.  Buy every recycled product you possibly can.  Reuse everything you can.  You know you want to.

-about 8 months ago I decided to stop eating meat, so my mom is a little confused about the whole Christmas dinner situation.  People don’t realize that it’s easy and just as delicious (plus now I just get to pile on all the scrumptious side dishes, which I am more than OK with).  Check out some mouth-watering recipes for vegetarian holiday dinners on the Food Network website: www.foodnetwork.com.  Cooking Light is also one of my favorite foodie sites and magazines: www.cookinglight.com.  Save a turkey, pig, duck, chicken, or cow, and have a very happy, very green holiday.