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December 11, 2009

Making the holidays even greener than usual

Green Quick Fixes

Despite the world's problems, this is the time of year to share and celebrate! I searched out the following Green Quick Fixes to help you participate in the jubilation while keeping carbon footprints conservative and by supporting recycled, fair-trade and eco-friendly markets.

The tree

Artificial trees can be reused, and real trees can be sustainable. There is an interesting comparison slanted toward the living tree at santaslaststand.com by a sturdy-looking tree stand manufacturer. Note, the steel product does not appear to be recycled, but I haven't yet found any recycled material tree stands.

Pesticide-free trees can be safely composted and even disposed of in a pond, and you don't have to worry about toxic residues in the home and around family and pets. Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-labeled trees ensure that sustainable practices have been followed.

Locally, you can cut your own organic Christmas tree at Hopestill Farm in Sherborn, which is FSC-certified, or Evergreen Farm in West Newbury. I'm headed to the latter, which has been a Christmas tree farm since Colonial times. The Lovejoys, who price their trees at $40, do not use any toxic pesticides or nylon wrap in keeping with their environmental sensibilities.

Illumination

LED lights use only 10 percent to 20 percent of the energy as conventional incandescent lights, and the holiday versions are becoming more readily available each year. This week, I saw some cost-efficient string lights at Family Dollar, Rite Aid and Ann & Hope Curtain & Bath Outlet and picked out some for my tree.

For outdoor displays, environmentallights.com and holidayleds.com have many offerings. The latter, in Michigan, also recycles old string lights. In the Northeast, atlanticinlandenvironmental.com of Pennsylvania recycles lighting. Gardenfun.com offers solar yard ornaments. And if you are looking for stylish nontraditional illumination, be sure to check out bambeco.com's chic outdoor Soji Solar Lanterns.

Beeswax and soy holiday candles, though not menorah-sized, are available at Whole Foods Market in Swampscott. Eco-friendly versions of the Maccabee miracle tributes are proving hard to come by — many of the Eastern Massachusetts candle shops I called seem to have gone out of business or don't have them. Kolbo Fine Judaica in Brookline and traditionsjewishgifts.com both have beeswax menorah candles starting at $11.95.

Decor

Start with what you already have — ornaments and shiny trimmings that worked last year can work now, too. Try secondhand and consignment shops for holiday decorations, trading in some of your own instead of letting them sit in storage.

For new, environmentally friendly ornaments, as well as gifts like recycled material handbags and organic clothes, try shop.therainforestsite.com and click "Shop Green." This site had some of the best prices I've seen online, such as $28 for stretch organic yoga pants and recycled bike chain ornaments from $6.95!

Branchhome.com also has a selection of green ornaments and home goods. And globalgoodspartners.org, under "Holiday and Christmas," has beautiful silk, felt, wire and bead fair trade ornaments. Judaica is available, as well, including a gorgeous challah cover made in South Africa.

Inhabitots.com offers colorful stockings and tree skirts made from recycled sweaters. You can make your own tree skirt with eco-friendly or recycled fabric following instructions at crafts.suite101.com. I also searched etsy.com and found a promising recycled fabric tree skirt and stockings made from coffee bags and recycled sweaters.

Cards, photos and gift wrap

Recycled and renewable source holiday cards and photo cards are widely available in stores and online. Mygoodgreetings.com had stylish photo-card templates and started at $1.59 each, though that's expensive when compared with local drugstores that offer photo cards for 29 cents and deliver within the hour.

Consider electronic holiday cards, too. Bluemountain.com's have always been so entertaining, and you can get across a lot of sentiment in under a minute!

Recycled gift wrap is available at earthloven.com, greenfieldpaper.com and greenraising.com. Green Raising has some posh reusable cloth gift "wrapsacks" that may be more appropriate for that special someone's decadent or sanguine gift.

Along with recycled paper holiday cards, you can pick up recycled gift wrap, from $4.95, at Whole Foods.

¢¢¢

Andrea Fox, a Beverly resident, has been writing about environmental sustainability and eco-topics for nine years. She is a member of the Society of Environmental Journalists and a watershed protection advocate in Salem Sound Watershed. Visit her Web site at msgreenquickfixes.com.

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