I'm dreaming of a "Green" Christmas!

Following last weekends "Black Friday" sales I am compelled to discuss the most wasteful holiday of the year... Christmas!!! Christmas's message of love and kindness has been overshadowed by overindulgence and greed. Individuals nation wide rise at ungodly hours to stand in line and buy cartloads of items that they most likely do not need. And all because prices are drastically slashed.  Can someone say MATERIALISTIC!

Take some time and think of all the waste that is produced during the holiday season... it's frightening really.  Besides the fact that most of the presents we give and receive are unneeded.  We place each present in a box that we then wrap in pretty papers or shove into gift bags.  In a matter of seconds these presents are ripped open and the festive papers are instantly discarded.  In the height of all this Christmas excitement, wrapping paper finds it's way to the trash can, not the recycling bin.

This year my family and I will be incorporating as many ecological practices as we can into the Christmas season. The idea began when I vowed to buy only green gifts. We have also decided collectively to bypass holiday wrapping paper.  Instead we will be wrapping all of our presents with outdated newspapers and recycled material.

Plastic Bottles

This past week as I walked through Eau Claire's campus mall I came across a group of three shivering girls. This trio withstood the cold Wisconsin temperatures to take a stand against the use of plastic water bottles. With clip boards in hand they asked for student and faculty signatures, to petition a ban on the distribution of plastic water bottles on campus..... I readily signed.

I commend these three girls and whomever else was behind this call for change.  I find the use of plastic water bottles to be uncomprehending.  I cannot fathom why any individual would waste their time and money, buying disposable water bottles when they could spend a mere10 dollars on a reusable, environmentally friendly, water bottle.

Plastic Statistics

• Nearly 8 out of every 10 water bottles will end up in a landfill

• The production of plastics is estimated to account for 4 percent of the energy consumption in the US

• Less than 1 percent of plastics are recycled

Read more plastic facts at Earth911

Organic

HallowGREEN

Halloween is right around the corner and I can't wait.  It is, hands down, my favorite holiday. From transforming my house into a creepy lair to dressing up in odd costumes I love every part of this spooktactular holiday.... well almost every part.  Halloween, although amazing, is not very economical. However it is possible for you to green your Halloween by making a few simple alterations to your holiday traditions.  Consider how you could incorporate the three R's (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle) this October 31 and enjoy the new and improved eco-friendly, earth-friendly celebration....

Just a few SCARY statistics

• According to recycleworks.org we produce 25% more household waste during the period from Halloween to New Years than any other time of the year. This turns about to be about 1 million additional tons of garbage to our landfills each week during the holidays. -YIKES!
• Over 6,000 synthetic chemicals are used in the processed-food industry.- Eat up kids
• In the United States, during the halloween season we use, on average, 998 million pounds of pumpkins 

Check out these green websites for some great Halloween ideas
Green Your Halloween
Eco Halloween Etiquette
Green Costume Ideas
Eeeeek-o-friendly

Use your brain... and your legs

Why drive when you can bike... Biking is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint and your waistline.  It's almost too easy to jump in your car and drive to work or to run and errands. But riding your bike has tons of benefits. I ride my bike as often as possible and I do this for many reasons.  Riding bike is more efficient than driving because the time you lose in mph you gain in finding parking.  Also, you get to experience the outdoors!  I love the feel of the wind against my face. atching the scenery fly by me gives me an immense sense of freedom. 

Check it out!!
*60 Benefits of Bike Commuting

Compost!

Compost is organic material that is created by combining organic wastes such as grass clippings, food scraps and manure.  It is a safe and easy practice and is beneficial to the environment.  So... compost away!

Compost Leads to Nutrient-Rich Soils

Compost can lead to the regeneration of poor soils.  The process of composting produces beneficial micro-organisms that break down organic matter.  The end result of the composting process is humus, a nutrient-rich material.  Humus is proven to raise the nutrient content and aid in the retention of moisture in soils. As found on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website, "Compost has also been shown to suppress plant diseases and pests, reduce or eliminate the need for chemical fertilizers, and promote higher yields of agricultural crops."  

Compost Cleans Contaminated Soil

The process of composting has been proven to absorb certain odors and treat volatile organic compounds (VOC's). It prevents heavy metals from one contaminating water source and two, being absorbed by foliage.  Also, according to the EPA, "The compost process degrades and, in some cases, completely eliminates wood preservatives, pesticides and both chlorinated and non chlorinated hydrocarbons in contaminated soils."

Compost Prevent Pollution

Taking part in the composting process will decrease the amount of garbage you attain.  It is amazing how much organic material we dispose of on a regular basis. Besides decreasing your at home waste, keeping organic material out of landfills aids in the avoidance of producing methane and leachate.  As far as pollutants go, compost is able to prevent storm water runoff from reaching water sources and works to prevent erosion.

  

*I found this list on the EPA website. It consists of some of the great things that can be credited to the composting process.


Did You Know That Compost Can...

• Suppress plant diseases and pests.
• Reduce or eliminate the need for chemical fertilizers.
• Promote higher yields of agricultural crops.
• Facilitate reforestation, wetlands restoration, and habitat revitalization efforts by amending contaminated, compacted, and marginal soils.
• Cost-effectively cleans soils contaminated by hazardous waste.
• Remove solids, oil, grease, and heavy metals from storm water runoff.
• Capture and destroy 99.6 percent of industrial volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) in contaminated air.
• Provide cost savings of at least 50 percent over conventional soil, water, and air pollution remediation technologies, where applicable.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has tons of great information about composting, including what materials are safe to use and what to steer clear of.
*Click here to check out this awesome website :)

Trash Trash Trash

The population of the United States is made up at large by consumers.  We buy buy buy, but give no thought as to where it will end up when the newest item becomes outdated.  We toss items without even bothering to consider if they could be recycled, reused or donated.  America needs to open their eyes to the damage that is already occurring and the repercussions of our carelessness that will continue to effect us in the coming times.  I recently read an article on the Natural News website discussing the lack of room in landfills.  The article provides a disturbing account of the state our environment  is currently in.  The article states:

"A lump of trash is floating in the water near the North Pole twice the size of France; it's about 33 feet deep.  Landfills around the world are overloaded.  "First world" trash is shipped to "third world" countries and people living near the dump sites are getting sick.  Even our healthy foods have become nutrient depleted because of improperly cared for soils, and all while literally millions of pounds of pesticides are dumped onto the land daily."                                                 

To read more of this article, click here!

There is not much we can do now other than begin changing our ways.  A few (of the many) things  that we can do to decrease the amount of garbage we create are:

• Compost
• Buy used, NOT new
• Garden
• Donate used goods
• Repair and refinish furniture
• RECYCLE!
• Print on both sides of paper
• Use reusable coffee mugs and water bottles

*Check out more ways to reduce by clicking here