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 Are you holiday’d out? Had enough egg nog, parties, and cookies? Ready for a bit of hibernation? Before you can put on your slippers and flannels you must deconstruct your holiday décor. Here are some Sensibly Green tips
TREECYCLE your live tree!
What does your trash service do with the trees they pick up? Most trash haulers offer a Christmas tree pick up and take your tree to the landfill. I called five of the regional haulers and all of them deposit trees in landfills including J.P Mascaro & Sons and Allied Waste Services (formerly BFI, now Republic).
The good news is that many municipalities offer tree drop off days. To find a center that accepts and turns holiday tree into compost go to http://www.earth911.com
Have you heard of The 3/50 Project? Founded by Cinda Baxter in the spring of 2009, The 3/50 Project began as a blog article response to the bleak economic news being hurled at all of us by the media. The challenge Cinda proposes is that we consumers shop at three local businesses and spend $50 per month at these establishments. The challenge is not suggesting that we add an additional $50 of spending to our monthly budget but rather that we tweak our current spending habits by buying local.
Why should we do this? By supporting local businesses we grow and strengthen our local economy. These local shops pay property tax, provide jobs, and pay sales tax. Sure big chain stores and franchises pay taxes and may hire local folks but the bulk of the money you spend in that store leaves your town and ends up far away. According to The 3/50 Project site, “For every $100 spent in locally owned independent stores, $68 returns to the community through taxes, payroll and other expenditures. If you spend that in a national chain, only $43 stays here. Spend it online and nothing comes home.” 
We are all busy and shopping online can seem like a convenience but there are tradeoffs to every shortcut. The obvious tradeoff is that you can’t see or touch the product you are buying and you must wait for it to arrive. If the product arrives damaged, it is extra time and a maybe a trip to the post office to wait even longer for your gift to arrive again.
Our budgets may be a bit tighter this year and online shopping it not always the best bargain when you factor in the shipping costs. And then there is some potential risk with scams and credit card theft, but let’s not even go there.
Think sustainable shopping this season. Sustain your local, independent business owners with the holiday gift of shopping in their stores. If you combine local shopping with the following ideas you will have “greened” up your holiday shopping.
- Save fuel by grabbing your friends, neighbors or family and piling into 1 car and heading to a town center where there are plenty of shops to choose.
- Bring your own bags…this should be rote by now.
- Avoid items that are disposable and have excessive packaging.
- Try giving an experience like museum, or special events tickets.
- Look at Freecycle for great kids gifts. www.freecycle.org
Happy holiday preparation! Remember, if you’re stressed, you have missed the point. Enjoy yourself. Enjoy each other. Be kind to yourself. Be kind to others. Be grateful.
For more information on The 3/50 Project go to http://www.the350project.net
Thanksgiving kicks off a season of holidays for many in the U.S. For me Thanksgiving is THE holiday. It’s origin in gratitude for friendship, working together, and celebrating the harvest makes it a superstar of holidays. It is the holiday that’s purpose is to celebrate connections; our connection to one another, our food and the earth.
Here are some green thoughts for the season…
 Yule Log
Want to enjoy a warm cup of organic local apple cider by a roaring fire? Make sure your wood is local hardwood like oak or hickory. Those woods burn the longest and provide the most heat. Try an artificial wood log made from recycled wood waste but be sure that the brand you buy does not contain paraffin which is a petroleum based chemical that produces toxins when burned.
Wrapping Paper
Opening presents is fun at every age. Most of the wrapping paper you find in the mega stores in NOT recyclable and therefore ends up in a landfill. Save money and recycle by using the comic’s page or the holiday ads from the newspaper. Try old maps or brown paper bags that your kids (or the inner artist in you) can decorate. Wrap you presents with another useful gift like a scarf or holiday dish towel or bandana. Make “ribbon” by cutting strips of fabric from old sheets, towels or clothing. The ribbon can then be used as a cleaning rag or recycled at a center that takes cloth.
 Yummy Holiday Food
The best ways to green your holiday table is to buy local and organic whenever possible. Unless you live in Hawaii your after dinner coffee will not meet that criteria (buy fair trade) but it is easy to buy local when it comes to your turkey, dairy and veggies. Local means you are reducing the carbon footprint of your table and eating more nutritious food as well.
 Gift Giving
How about taking recycling to another level and regift for the holidays. Not only is regifting green by it will save you green and in this economy that is sensibly green.
I am not talking about wrapping up the dusty item that you couldn’t give away at your last yard sale. But that that fondue pot resting in the original box in the back of the closet because you are lactose intolerant would be a great gift for your friend who loves to entertain. Think regifting is for you, check out www.regiftingrevival.com.
My sincere thanks to all who are reading this blog; have a joyful holiday filled with gratitude. Remember, small changes that you make can change the world.
At a meeting I attended last week someone asked the question, “Is using a dishwasher more energy efficient then washing dishes by hand. She wondered if the dishwasher manufacturers weren’t the ones promoting the idea that built in dishwashers are the greenest way to handle our dirty dishes.
I wondered if that may be true. Over the years, I have read many articles on this debate and did not really take time to research the sources so I thought I would tackle this conundrum myself.
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Hand Washing |
Dishwasher |
Energy Star Dishwasher |
| Water Usage |
2 gallons per minute |
6 gallons per cycle |
4 gallons per cycle |
| Energy |
.30 kWh per 2 gallons |
1.59 kWh per load |
0.87 kWh per load |
Here are the stats I compiled from www.energystar.gov
All things being unequal, we must assume the same amount of dishes for the comparison to be accurate. A standard dishwasher holds an eight place setting and six serving pieces.
Can you hand wash and rinse a load of dishes with just 2 gallons of water? If so, then hands down, hand washing can be the greener choice. If so, perhaps you should contact the Guinness Book of records for your amazing dishwashing skills. In the interest of science, I attempted this feat. I used a double sink and filled bowl #1 with 1 gallon of warm soapy water for scrubbing. In bowl # 2, I prepared a 1 gallon jug filled with warm water to use for rinsing. On the counter piled a 4 piece place setting and 2 serving pieces. As my grandmother taught me, I started with the glassware, then silverware, onto plates but I was out of rinsing water. And frankly, the pieces that were done were not sufficiently rinsed to my liking. I then attempted the experiment again with four gallons of water. I kept the same 1 gallon for washing and now had three gallons to rinse. I was able to wash and rinse less than half of the amount of dishes a machine would with the same amount of water. It is hard to beat the machine.
According to the Energy Star website, using a dishwasher “can save you over 230 hours of personal time over the course of a year. That’s almost 10 days!” That’s what I’m talking about.
So the answer is….built in dishwashers win. If you have an Energy Star dishwasher and only run it when it has a full load then it is clear cut. If you have the dishwashing skills of a ninja then perhaps you can beat an older, average machine.
Let’s not forget the reduce and reuse part of the 3 R’s mantra. If we don’t dirty a dish it does not need to be washed so only use 1 glass or cup per day per person. Skip the separate salad plate and just use one plate per person at dinner. Skip the serving dishes all together and serve directly from the pot or pan you cooked in.
Greenest Choice: Energy Star dishwasher run only when there is a full load.
Happy washing!
 Wissahickon Growing Green Features
Tax Credits for Home Energy-Saving Projects
When: Wed Oct 7, 2009, 7-9 pm EDT
Where: Whitpain Township administration building, meeting room B, Wentz Road, Blue Bell PA
Join WGG member Jennifer Bryan as she tells us how she has made changes to her older Philadelphia area home, one energy saving way at a time. She’ll talk about personal challenges and also offer advice on how to use state and federal tax credits for money back on these projects. Topic to be followed by open WGG discussion. Free and open to the public. RSVP: WissahickonGrowingGreener@gmail.com or 215-542-8849.
RSVP: http://www.bigtent.com/home/calendar/event/19773732
 Use these recipes to create nontoxic, green cleaning products that will save you big money. Here are just a few of the dangerous chemicals to avoid found in most household cleaning products: AlchoholNaphthalene, AmmoniaPDCBs, Bleach, Butyl, DyePhenol, FormaldehyclePropellants, CresolPetroleum distillates. 
Disinfectant Cleaner
1/2 cup borax
1 gallon undiluted white vinegar
This combines the disinfectant properties of borax with the strong cleaning and deodorizing properties of vinegar. The vinegar smell quickly dissipates and leaves your home with no odor.
Glass Cleaner – No Streaks
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 quart warm water
TIP: Use a microfiber cloth or crumpled newspaper instead of paper towels for lint free results. Don’t forget to recycle to newspaper
Toiler Bowl Cleaner
Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of baking soda into the bowl, then pour about 1/4 cup of vinegar, scrub with toilet brush
Tub & Tile Cleaner
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 gallon water
Vinegar removes most dirt and does not leave a film
Helpful Hints
Save time by making the cleaners in advance and storing them in reusable spray bottles. Remember to label the bottle! You can use a piece of painters tape and a permanent marker. Add your favorite essential oils to any of the formulas for fragrance.
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