Did you ever decorate butcher paper when you were a child? The technique has not changed, and neither has the rewarding fun. Get your kids involved in this green, economical project this year. Here are some ideas for making home-made gift-wrap.

1. Paper bags

This is a simple, uncomplicated way to make wrapping paper. You can just use the decorated brown paper bag as a gift bag, or cut the bags up to make sheets of wrapping paper. If you have rubber stamps, by all means use those. But if you don’t, or if you want a different design, there’s no need to run out and buy them – you can make your own ink stamp from a potato, or employ your children’s hands to make multi-colored hand-prints with tempura paint.

To make your own potato stamps, you’ll need:
- a potato
- a permanent marker
- small knife, such as an Exacto
- ink or paint

Cut the potato in half. Use the permanent marker to draw a simple design, such as a triangular tree-shape, on the cut end of the potato. Then, using a small, sharp knife (grown-ups only for this step!), cut away the negative space around your design. The part that is not cut away will be your stamp. Use the other half of the potato for another design.

Dip the potato in ink or tempura paint and stamp away. White paint on brown paper adds sparkle, green and red are seasonal, and a variety of colors is interesting and fun. Let the stamp design and color choice say something about you and your family, or about the gift recipient.

2. Newspaper and catalogs

Wrapping a gift in the colorful Sunday comics is old-fashioned and economical. You can also contact your local newspaper and ask if they will give you the end of the paper rolls. These are blank ends of the newspaper rolls that are thrown away after each printing. You can decorate this as you would the paper bags.

Use the pages of all those catalogs you get in the mail for colorful gift-wrap. Some of the pictures in catalogs can be really beautiful, and they are certainly festive and seasonal.

3. Old maps

Who doesn’t have old, unused maps lying around? Search your car, desk drawers, etc. and you will probably find a map you no longer need. This is an especially whimsical way to wrap a gift for someone who is moving, has just moved, or otherwise lives far away.
Great for the traveler.

4. Skip the bows

Instead of wasteful bows, fasten something creative to your wrapped gift, such as seashells, interesting seed pods or other natural autumn treasures, or dried flowers. A sprig of holly, cinnamon sticks, or feathers also make creative gift-finishers. If you opt to use bows be sure to save them from one year to the next.

Have fun making your own green wrapping paper this season. Enjoy saving money and going green!

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1. Instead of giving a tangible item, give an experience
A gift of this nature will not require boxes, wrapping paper, or other wasteful materials. Give your friends season tickets to the symphony, theatre tickets, or a gift certificate to a restaurant. You will be helping to build memories with such a meaningful gift, and your recipients won’t have to find a place for yet another gift item.

2. Pamper your friends
Arrange for a massage therapist to come to your friend’s house, or give him/her a gift certificate for a relaxing massage. From pedicures to haircuts, giving such a gift will be a real treat. Who wouldn’t want to be pampered a bit during the busy holiday season?

3. Retro is in
Reusing and recycling is in, and retro fits right into that. With a little DIY spirit, you can create a meaningful gift from thrift store finds. Your local Good Will, for instance, might have decorative pillows for sale for very little. Buy some and decorate them with buttons or embroidery, and you’ve created a unique gift. The same goes for yard sales, where you can find jewelry, books, or clothing that is in excellent condition. Make it unique by adding your own style to the items.

4. Home-made gifts mean a lot
When you make a gift for someone, you have to think about who they are and what they’d like. People really appreciate this time and effort that is evident in a home-made gift. Are there any foodies on your list? Buy a vintage container, mug or cup at an antique store (tea cups are usually to be found in abundance in antique stores) and fill it with home-made candies or cookies. You can also make your own gourmet cocoa mix using sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, and powdered milk. That goes well in a handsome mug, as does attractively wrapped loose tea and an infuser (avoiding the waste of tea bags).

5. Food is always appreciated
Aside from the usual cookies and candy, there are practical and meaningful food items you can give the people on your gift list. Bake them a loaf of home-made bread (thus skipping that pesky plastic wrapping on store-bought bread), or even an entire meal. You can bring it to them or invite them over.

6. Give something living
Sprout some culinary or medicinal herbs in your windowsill and give your friends a useful, living gift. Nothing brightens the darkest days of winter like growing plants, and this is one gift that is truly green!

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If you celebrate Christmas you most likely put up a Christmas tree. Which do you us, A real or fake tree? What is the best green Christmas tree choice? Whether you do it the day after Thanksgiving or on Christmas Eve, the decision over what kind of tree you are going to have still has to be made. Here are some of the pros and cons of artificial trees and real trees.

1. Artificial trees

Pros:
Probably the biggest asset to owning an artificial tree is that you can use it year after year, making it a less wasteful choice. In fact, you don’t even have to take the lights or decorations off if you have a place to store it upright. Artificial trees tend to be inexpensive as well paying for themselves within a year or two. For people with allergies, artificial trees can be a real boon – many a Christmas-season “cold” is actually an allergic reaction to all the live greenery brought indoors.

Cons:
Storage can be difficult, unless you get a very small artificial tree. The normal-sized ones are not small, and can take up space in your basement or attic. Also, you don’t get the lovely smell of fresh-cut evergreen.

2. Real trees (cut)

Pros:
There is something fun and festive about the tradition of taking the family out to the tree lot to choose the Christmas tree. The scent of pine or spruce fills your house, and it’s exciting to bring it home and set it up. You can choose the size, texture, and color you like.

Cons:
Cut trees can be pricey, and it seems wasteful to throw them out each year. Also, as mentioned above, they can induce allergic reactions in some people. And as the tree dries, the needles fall off and have to be vacuumed or swept up.

3. Real trees (live, with roots)

Pros:
Live Christmas trees are meant to be planted after the holidays, making this a much less wasteful choice. In fact, you can follow a German tradition and plant the tree after the holidays, water and trim it during the year, then dig it up again for the next Christmas.

I personally have about four trees in my yard that we purchased years ago when they were baby trees. At that time they were up to my knee. We bought one each year and decorated it for inside the house. After Christmas when the weather was warmer we planted it. Those tiny trees now tower over the house, providing beauty, warmth and memories.

Cons:
Tiny animals as mice can hide in the root ball, then infest your house. Live trees are also much more expensive than cut ones, and they are much heavier to carry. Finding a suitable container that will be attractive, accommodate the root ball, and not mess up your floors is also tricky.

After a few years of struggling with setting up a live tree we opted to go the fake route and have used the same fake tree for many years.
For us the fake tree is easier to manage and we feel a good green Christmas tree choice.

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As green awareness spreads over middle America, more and more people want to have a fun, environmentally responsible holiday. This book shows how to enjoy the Christmas season while leaving a smaller carbon footprint. Readers will learn how to do the following: choose between a real tree and an artificial one; find alternatives to holiday cards; avoid the holiday catalog crunch; find or make gifts that are green or teach green; have warm, cozy green fires; create eco-responsible (more…)

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During the holidays, there are many places looking for donations to help their users. Here are 5 places to donate food and clothing for the holidays (and throughout the year).

1. Homeless shelters or soup kitchens

This is a busy time of year for such organizations. Volunteering your time to help feed and shelter those in need will help the shelter staff as well as the needy. Putting a face on people who are less fortunate can have an impact on your family, and induce a sense of gratitude.
These places always need food, personal items like razors, shampoo, toliet paper and more.

2. Charities

Meals on Wheels, Good Will, and local charities need help during the holidays. Donations of food or money are welcome, but time is especially helpful. You can help organize food baskets for food pantries, make and deliver meals to shut-ins, or pass out hot drinks to charity workers.

Your community organizations and schools may host an event that organizes and delivers toys to needy children. In addition to purchasing new toys this is a good time to look at other toys you may have that are not used and in good condition. If the organization only wants new toys another community program or non profit may want them.

3. Church programs

Most churches have food pantries or other programs for needy people, and help is welcome. Some churches have groups who visit shut-ins and sing carols, and anyone can participate. There are also Christmas food baskets that need to be organized and delivered, and like other charities, churches will often collect and deliver toys to needy children. Taking a good look in your pantry for extra food stuff can be very helpful.

4. Assisted living or nursing homes

The holidays can be very lonely for residents in personal care homes. Elderly people miss their deceased friends and family at this time of year, and they also may miss their homes and their old life. Bring some holiday spirit to these special people by visiting, singing carols, or making and passing out cards.

In addition many nursing residents will appreciate something to cuddle with such as dolls and stuffed toys in good condition you no longer need.

The staff of assisted living facilities also needs some help and encouragement at this busy time of year – workers are often on vacation, leaving fewer staff. Bring the nurses and other workers a plate of cookies or hand out cards.

5. Soldiers in the military

Organizations such as Any Soldier put together and distribute care packages for soldiers stationed overseas, and volunteers are appreciated. Your family can make home-made items to include in the package, too.

There are many places to donate food, clothing and time for the holidays. And so many that truly need what you can give.

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1. Slow things down. At 70 miles an hour you are not driving to save gas. A car engine operates most efficiently at around 55 miles an hour. At that speed you will burn the gas you need and waste as little as possible.

2. Every time you plunge your foot to the floor, or brake hard, you are consuming extra guess. When you are driving to save gas you will drive gently. Accelerate moderately and brake smoothly. Always anticipate the need to slow down so that you don’t have to slam the brakes on at the last moment, or corner harder than you meant to. D

3. Keep your tires properly inflated. Your engine uses some 20% of its efforts just overcoming the resistance of tire rolling. That percentage figure increases when the tires are under-inflated. The amount of gas you burn increases too. Keep your tires inflated at the manufacturers recommended level at all times, and only then will you start driving to save gas.

4. Lighten the load in your car to a minimum at all times. When traveling, travel light. Check your trunk for excess goods that are not needed. The lighter the car the less gas consumption.

5. Only run your car’s engine when you actually need it. It has been estimated that consumers sitting in line in idling cars at the fast food chain Burger King waste an amazing 16 million gallons of gas a year. Starting your car uses about the same amount of gas as it will burn in one minute when idling. If you think you will be waiting longer than a minute, switch off.

6. One of the best eco driving tips is to think of ways you can entertain at home. Staying home and not driving as much is one of the best things you can do to save on gas consumption.

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Planning an Eco Friendly Party

Yesterday I talked about how this year’s inauguration will be eco friendly for the first time ever. You must have known that a post about hosting your very own eco friendly party was going to follow, didn’t you?

Unless you have millions of friends (and millions of dollars), chances are that you won’t be hosting a party like the Obama’s are. No matter how many people will be coming to your party, there are lots of things you can to go make your next party greener.

Here’s a list of things you can do:

~ Going green starts with the planning portion of your party. When you send invitations, do so via email or phone calls instead of using paper invitations. Doing so starts your party off on the right foot.

~ When you invite people, encourage them to carpool to your party. Less people driving means less carbon dioxide entering the air. How

~ As you plan the food and decorations, think about how you’ll be able to recycle or compost the items that you’ll be using. For example, fresh flowers can be composted when you are done with them. If you don’t want to use plates that will need to be washed, consider using compostable plates instead of items that will end up in a landfill. Compostable plates can be hard to find locally, but they can be ordered online from places like Amazon;

~ Know how many people are going to come to your party and plan your cooking needs accordingly. Don’t prepare more food than what you’ll need and have a plan to use your leftovers. If you have lots of leftovers, send guests home with some so they don’t have to be thrown away.

~ As you plan your menu, consider using organic and locally-grown food as much as possible. If you have a garden, use vegetables from your own garden in your cooking.

~ While you prepare food for your party, compost the waste that you create.

~ Set up a “recycling center” at your party. This ensures that your guests know where to dispose of different items. For example, you can have one spot for cans and bottles, one for your compostable plates, and one for regular garbage. Your goal is to have as few items in the regular garbage container as possible.

~ After the party, make sure that you recycle and compost everything that you possibly can.

~ If you need to send thank-you notes, consider doing so via email. Let your guests know why you are sending emails instead of traditional thank-you cards. If email isn’t your style, make sure that you purchase thank-you cards made from recycled material.

Have a great eco friendly party and know that you are doing something good for the environment.

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The plans to make the inauguration eco friendly have been well thought out and even include someone who will follow horses through D.C., picking up their waste and then bringing it out to farms to be used for fertilizer. We’re not sure who they hired to do that job, but we think it’s great!

They are planning a 100% organic menu that’s going to include both vegetarian and vegan selections for guests. The bar will even be serving local and organic beverages. How cool is that?

The eco friendliness will extend to lighting, decorations, and audio-visual equipment. The event will utilize LED lighting and says that they’ll be monitoring energy usage throughout the event.

They are also planning to compost flowers that are used during the event and leftover food. I was anxiously looking for information about how much waste they plan to generate, but have been unable to find anything. I think it’s be incredibly cool if they could plan a zero-waste party…but that’s pretty doubtful. I’m impressed with what they are doing, but I have a feeling they’ll still be LOTS of waste produced – which is to be expected from an event like this.

While I’m all for the concept of an eco-friendly inauguration, and eco-friendly parties in general, I think there are to major things that need to be considered.

First, I’d like to hear how much waste was produced as a result of this party vs. say, the inauguration of George W. Bush eight years ago. Getting solid numbers after the event would show how far we’ve come and how far we need to go.

Second, the transportation associated with getting all of the people who are attending an event like this is huge. With an estimated 3 – 5 million people showing up in Washington D.C., one could assume that a lot of carbon dioxide is going to be put in the air as a result of the inauguration. The event coordinators are encouraging those who are traveling to the event to purchase carbon credits to offset their carbon footprint; I’d like to see people take it once step further. I think it’d be great if celebrities attending the event got on commercial flights instead of taking private jets. I’m also hopeful that once in Washington D.C., people will choose to walk or take public transportation while getting around the city.

Overall, this is a step in the right direction. I’m glad to see the new administration taking a step in the right direction and hope that it encourages others to host eco friendly parties of their own. Come back soon to learn how you can make your own next party a bit more eco friendly.

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Happy New Years

As you start another new year, I challenge you to look for at least one way you can make even a small change in your life to become more eco friendly. Here’s a few ideas to get your started:

~ Start a compost pile

~ Commit to saving electricity by turning out lights

~ Teach your kids the importance of energy & water conservation

~ Investigate alternative energy options for your home

~ Start a recycling center at your home

~ Reduce your consumption

~ Purchase recycled products

~ Grow an Edible Garden

~ Buy local foods

There’s a million other things you can do – find something that works with your lifestyle, and implement it this year!

At My Lil Green Dress, I commit to providing you with quality information to help you on your way to a greener, more sustainable lifestyle!

I hope 2009 is a prosperous and wonderful year for all of you!

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