My family has decided not to exchange gifts this year because we already have enough stuff! But if you have gifts to buy, make thoughtful, fair-trade, eco selections that will be easy on the Earth.
Here are some of our favorites in alpha order:
All for the One
Educate your child today about a greener tomorrow by purchasing the beautifully illustrated book Easy to Be Green. If you would like it autographed, at check out, indicate in the gift message block that you want it signed by the author AND if you want it personalized with the gift recipient's name and/or the gift giver's name (Santa, Mother Earth, etc.).
Carbon Fund
Give a gift this year that reduces the carbon footprint of someone you care about. Your donation supports projects that help the climate by reducing carbon emissions. Choose from guilt free wrapping paper, coal for being naughty, carbon offsets for yourself, your family or your office, or plant 10 to 100 trees.
eco-artware
Not just art, this site sells all types of cool gifts from recycled, reused and natural materials.
Green America
Check out Green America's list of simple holiday gift ideas.
Herban Lifestyle
You'd be surprised how many evil chemicals are in traditional bath and beauty products. Herban Lifestyle's are chemical-free and good for the Earth.
Ten Thousand Villages
With stores all across the U.S., Ten Thousand Villages provides vital, fair income to Third World people by marketing their handicrafts and telling their stories in North America.
If you like to shop in person and live near the Baltimore/Annapolis/DC area, here are some more picks:
Community Forklift
If you are looking to give your home a makeover for the holidays, come to Hyattsville, Maryland to check out this not-so ordinary home improvement center which not only sells surplus and salvaged building materials, but also new green materials. They also have cool antiques such as mirrors and lighting fixtures.
Earth Alley
Located in the kitchy Hampden section of Baltimore, this store sells eco-friendly and fair trade gifts.
nest
Located in Clarksville, Maryland, nest sells items that are organic, recycled, environmentally friendly, fair trade, hand made, and supportive of a healthy lifestyle.
Enjoy!
Showing posts with label holidays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label holidays. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
This Holiday Season, Entertain to Sustain
Below are 5 quick tips to help entertain to sustain for the holidays
Source Your Food Locally and Select Organic Options When Possible
It is always best to pay a little bit more for organic options for food and beverages since they contain less of those evil "ide": pesticides, insecticides and herbicides. Your body will thank you for ingesting less toxins which will contribute to better health in the long run.
Local options are also better because the average distance our food travels from source to table is 1,600 miles. In contrast, the average distance from local farms to the farmers market is less than 50 miles. Going local is a much better option because you not only reduce the carbon footprint since the food travels a smaller distance, but you also support your local economy. For every $100 spent on a locally owned business, $45 goes back into the community. Finally, the food is fresher and therefore, tastes better and don't you want to serve tasty food to your family and friends? To find a farmer’s market near you, go to Local Harvest. Many are open year-round.
Opt for Dishware Over Disposables
When serving food, I urge my clients to use glassware, silverware and dishware over disposables. It is best to select an option that you can reuse over and over again. Be sure to use an earth friendly detergent such as Seventh Generation and don't let the water run while washing your dishes! Use the dishwasher and make sure it is full before you run it.
If you must use disposables, stay away from that evil plastic stuff that takes decades to biodegrade. I use bambu Veneerware
Made of certified organic bamboo, it is compostable and breaks down in 4 to 6 months. Many grocery stores are carrying compostable disposable plates made of bamboo, fallen palm leaves, sugarcane pulp and other natural products. You can also get cups that look plastic, but are made of corn. They may cost a bit more, but your grandchildren will thank you for taking care of the planet instead of throwing more plastic in the landfill.
Use Soy or Beeswax Candles
Traditional candles are made with paraffin, a petroleum byproduct, which burns dirty and pollutes the air. Soy and beeswax candles are the earth friendly option. Years ago, the only beeswax candles I could find were taper candles, but Beeswax Candle Company sells tea lights, votives and even pillar beeswax candles. They'll ship to you in earth friendly packaging and while it may look like they've used those evil polystyrene packing shells, they actually dissolve in water.
Floral, Greens and Other Decor
The name of the game is to stay local and seasonal and/or pick floral that can be dried and reused. Ask your florist where they source their flowers from. You don't want flowers coming from another continent – that causes a huge carbon footprint. If you put up a Christmas tree, aim to get one that is balled in burlap so that it can be replanted. Also, when decorating around your home, use any tree branches trimmed from your tree or leftover from the tree farm. I've lucked out and snagged FREE greens from a tree farm that I later used for a client's holiday party. I decorated the tables with these, bubble vases filled with water, cranberries and floating beeswax candles. It was inexpensive and festive.
Carpool with Your Family
When I think of the song, "Over the River and Through the Woods" it makes me think of a family traveling together in one sleigh to their final destination. Too many times in our modern society, we pick convenience over the earth friendly option, but it can have a huge carbon footprint. So when the 30 members of your family are gathered at grandma's house before going out to dinner, instead of taking 10 vehicles with 3 people each, aim for 5 vehicles with 6 people and mix it up a bit. You'll form a stronger bond with your relatives and may have some funny stories to tell later.
Source Your Food Locally and Select Organic Options When Possible
It is always best to pay a little bit more for organic options for food and beverages since they contain less of those evil "ide": pesticides, insecticides and herbicides. Your body will thank you for ingesting less toxins which will contribute to better health in the long run.
Local options are also better because the average distance our food travels from source to table is 1,600 miles. In contrast, the average distance from local farms to the farmers market is less than 50 miles. Going local is a much better option because you not only reduce the carbon footprint since the food travels a smaller distance, but you also support your local economy. For every $100 spent on a locally owned business, $45 goes back into the community. Finally, the food is fresher and therefore, tastes better and don't you want to serve tasty food to your family and friends? To find a farmer’s market near you, go to Local Harvest. Many are open year-round.
Opt for Dishware Over Disposables
When serving food, I urge my clients to use glassware, silverware and dishware over disposables. It is best to select an option that you can reuse over and over again. Be sure to use an earth friendly detergent such as Seventh Generation and don't let the water run while washing your dishes! Use the dishwasher and make sure it is full before you run it.
If you must use disposables, stay away from that evil plastic stuff that takes decades to biodegrade. I use bambu Veneerware
Made of certified organic bamboo, it is compostable and breaks down in 4 to 6 months. Many grocery stores are carrying compostable disposable plates made of bamboo, fallen palm leaves, sugarcane pulp and other natural products. You can also get cups that look plastic, but are made of corn. They may cost a bit more, but your grandchildren will thank you for taking care of the planet instead of throwing more plastic in the landfill.
Use Soy or Beeswax Candles
Traditional candles are made with paraffin, a petroleum byproduct, which burns dirty and pollutes the air. Soy and beeswax candles are the earth friendly option. Years ago, the only beeswax candles I could find were taper candles, but Beeswax Candle Company sells tea lights, votives and even pillar beeswax candles. They'll ship to you in earth friendly packaging and while it may look like they've used those evil polystyrene packing shells, they actually dissolve in water.
Floral, Greens and Other Decor
The name of the game is to stay local and seasonal and/or pick floral that can be dried and reused. Ask your florist where they source their flowers from. You don't want flowers coming from another continent – that causes a huge carbon footprint. If you put up a Christmas tree, aim to get one that is balled in burlap so that it can be replanted. Also, when decorating around your home, use any tree branches trimmed from your tree or leftover from the tree farm. I've lucked out and snagged FREE greens from a tree farm that I later used for a client's holiday party. I decorated the tables with these, bubble vases filled with water, cranberries and floating beeswax candles. It was inexpensive and festive.
Carpool with Your Family
When I think of the song, "Over the River and Through the Woods" it makes me think of a family traveling together in one sleigh to their final destination. Too many times in our modern society, we pick convenience over the earth friendly option, but it can have a huge carbon footprint. So when the 30 members of your family are gathered at grandma's house before going out to dinner, instead of taking 10 vehicles with 3 people each, aim for 5 vehicles with 6 people and mix it up a bit. You'll form a stronger bond with your relatives and may have some funny stories to tell later.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Eco Holiday Shopping and Eating
If you are still looking for some original, fair trade, earth-friendly gifts by local companies – and I’m sure you are – check out the following retailers that participated in the December holiday party for the Chesapeake Sustainable Business Alliance held at Clementine Restaurant in the Hamilton neighborhood of Baltimore.
earth alley is located in Baltimore’s Hampden neighborhood and was voted by Baltimore Magazine as having the Best Eco Gifts in 2008, earth alley has one of the largest selections of eco-friendly handicrafts in the Baltimore region. Items include jewelry, purses, massage oil candles and fair trade cards from Rwanda, children’s toys, home décor items and personal accessories. I just purchased a fabulous, fair-trade purse made in Cambodia.
Local artist Heather Shreve is now offering limited edition eco friendly holiday cards. All the 5 x 7 cards come in bundles of 25 and are printed on New Lead eco-friendly paper and come with 100% red recycled envelopes. Of course, the designs are original and quite frankly, instilled a sense of calm in me when I received my supply. That is something we can all use during this crazy season.
Part of the Conscious Corner community in Clarksville, Maryland, that also includes organic vegetarian restaurant Great Sage, independent natural and organic Roots Market and Bark, a natural pet products store, nest (Natural Elements Selected Thoughtfully) offers products that support independent artists, fair-trade importing, organic farming, and recycling, as well as items that promote a healthy and conscious lifestyle. Quite frankly, I can never get out of there empty handed! Since it is a mere 15 minutes away from me, I often make a quick jaunt there to purchase casual as well as business casual work clothes, Sigg water bottles, music, jewelry and books to give as gifts.
If you are tired of those unoriginal, metal pet ID tags, check out Pet Tag Creations which offers unique, handcrafted pet identification tags. A portion of their profits are donated to rescues and shelters. Their artists handcraft each one with care and the tag can list your pet's name and phone number or simply be worn as pet flair. My cat Grits sports one of these original creations and always gets favorable comments at the Vet’s.
Portable Rainbows Glass Art Gallery features beautiful glass sculpture, tableware, beaded and fused glass jewelry, and mobiles by these amazing and talented artists! They are 100% wind powered and Frances Aubrey, the gallery’s owner, donates 5% of Portable Rainbow’s profits to the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, a nonprofit that she works with regularly to pass global warming legislation. When you see Frances, ask her about CCAN’s Polar Bear Plunge.
After you are done shopping, check out Clementine restaurant. They do fancy pants comfort food with a cross cultural twist at a reasonable price. They change their menu daily, but you usually find their amazing mac and cheese. Clementine is comfy and spacious and also offers free Wi-Fi.
Finally, don't go empty handed to those holiday celebrations. Be sure to bring along a bottle -- or three -- of Black Ankle wine. Not only is it local, but it is also biodynamic and REALLY GOOD!
earth alley is located in Baltimore’s Hampden neighborhood and was voted by Baltimore Magazine as having the Best Eco Gifts in 2008, earth alley has one of the largest selections of eco-friendly handicrafts in the Baltimore region. Items include jewelry, purses, massage oil candles and fair trade cards from Rwanda, children’s toys, home décor items and personal accessories. I just purchased a fabulous, fair-trade purse made in Cambodia.
Local artist Heather Shreve is now offering limited edition eco friendly holiday cards. All the 5 x 7 cards come in bundles of 25 and are printed on New Lead eco-friendly paper and come with 100% red recycled envelopes. Of course, the designs are original and quite frankly, instilled a sense of calm in me when I received my supply. That is something we can all use during this crazy season.
Part of the Conscious Corner community in Clarksville, Maryland, that also includes organic vegetarian restaurant Great Sage, independent natural and organic Roots Market and Bark, a natural pet products store, nest (Natural Elements Selected Thoughtfully) offers products that support independent artists, fair-trade importing, organic farming, and recycling, as well as items that promote a healthy and conscious lifestyle. Quite frankly, I can never get out of there empty handed! Since it is a mere 15 minutes away from me, I often make a quick jaunt there to purchase casual as well as business casual work clothes, Sigg water bottles, music, jewelry and books to give as gifts.
If you are tired of those unoriginal, metal pet ID tags, check out Pet Tag Creations which offers unique, handcrafted pet identification tags. A portion of their profits are donated to rescues and shelters. Their artists handcraft each one with care and the tag can list your pet's name and phone number or simply be worn as pet flair. My cat Grits sports one of these original creations and always gets favorable comments at the Vet’s.
Portable Rainbows Glass Art Gallery features beautiful glass sculpture, tableware, beaded and fused glass jewelry, and mobiles by these amazing and talented artists! They are 100% wind powered and Frances Aubrey, the gallery’s owner, donates 5% of Portable Rainbow’s profits to the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, a nonprofit that she works with regularly to pass global warming legislation. When you see Frances, ask her about CCAN’s Polar Bear Plunge.
After you are done shopping, check out Clementine restaurant. They do fancy pants comfort food with a cross cultural twist at a reasonable price. They change their menu daily, but you usually find their amazing mac and cheese. Clementine is comfy and spacious and also offers free Wi-Fi.
Finally, don't go empty handed to those holiday celebrations. Be sure to bring along a bottle -- or three -- of Black Ankle wine. Not only is it local, but it is also biodynamic and REALLY GOOD!
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