How to Make Next Year's Holidays (And Your Life) Greener

As 2009 draws to a close (along with the double-aught decade), it behooves us to think about how we can live a little bit greener during the coming new year, including next year's holidays. I think this post from the blog, Green Lakes Green Pages, has some truly green suggestions.

I know, I know . . . we just finished with Christmas. Even so, some of these ideas can be implemented right now. Things like shopping smarter, using fewer materials that'll be tossed in the trash and recycling whenever possible--these are all things you can do now, rather than wait for the next holiday season.

So, please consider incorporating these green practices into your new year's resolutions. And carry through on them throughout the year. Up to and including the next holiday season.

Then, just rinse and repeat.

BTW--Happy New Year!!!

Quick! Buy a Gift! (And Make it Green)

If you've been putting off your Christmas shopping until the last possible minute, because the unbearable and mind-numbing process of fighting your way through throngs off similarly stressed-out shoppers in overheated malls makes you want to go a bit postal.

If the mere thought of standing in line and having to hear "Jingle Bells" and "Silent Night" play over and over and over, as you wait your turn to be checked out makes you want to scream bloody murder.

If the thought of the credit card bill you're accumulating is enough to make you grind your molars down to the gum.

If all this Christmas cheer and the pressure to pick a gift for someone you care about and make it a gift they'll like is more than you can bear, as it is, plus you're concerned about buying a "green" gift and not a nasty, non-eco-friendly one.

Well, take heart! Because Green Building Advisor has a handy-dandy last-minute Christmas shopping list of energy-saving gifts for you folks who are desperate for ideas and want to save the planet, too.

Except--wait--who wants to get a light bulb or a low-flow showerhead for Christmas? And what's this? A night light and a faucet aerator? You must be joking. I mean, seriously, WTF???

Well, good luck and, whatever you do, don't get any of these.

The Copenhagen Conference: What Happened?

Well, now that the big and majorly media-hyped 2009 Copenhagen Climate Conference has taken place, the question is what exactly was achieved? Did all the participating nations link arms and sing "Kumbaya," then walk away with an agreement that would help save the world from global warming? No. No, they didn't.

In fact, the general consensus from both the conservative and liberal sides of the media seems to be that the conference was a bit of a bust (for different reasons, of course).

True, they didn't achieve any kind of agreement or treaty about this issue. But was the conference a complete waste?

Despite the lack of an enforceable agreement of any sort (to the extent international agreements can be enforced), at least one person can find a silver lining in the form of three important things that may have been learned from the exercise: acceptance, fear and clarity. Well, that's all very warm and fuzzy, but how meaningful is it?

I tend to take the slightly bleaker view that it's probably past time to talk about all this. We should have learned any lessons that needed to be learned by now. And, if you disagree, try reading the Copenhagen Prognosis--the patient's not looking at all well.

Windows Better Than Walls for Saving Energy?

I have to admit I've always considered windows to be less energy-efficient than walls. However, this article is full of calculations that demonstrate why this doesn't have to be so.

Part of it involves having the right windows installed, which would be "high-solar-gain triple-glazed windows [that] gather more heat than they lose." Another factor is what direction the window faces--north, south, east or west. Apparently, any direction but north is okay, according to the calculations. Theoretically, north might be okay, but those calculations have never been proven.

This article tosses terms like "R-values" and "shading coefficients" around with aplomb. Got no idea what they mean, but they sound good.

If you feel up to a bit of technical talk, the article is worth a look. And it even tells you why people shouldn't live in glass houses (let alone throw rocks, if they do).

Contrasting Examples of Art's Sustainability

A while back (a long while--in fact, last July), I ran across a post on Greenwala about how modern art might be contributing to waste management problems through unusual exhibits like the one discussed that was made up entirely of plastic zipties. The question was posed as to what would happen to all those zipties after the exhibit was dismantled (as it no doubt eventually would be). Been meaning to post about it here for months, but it got buried in my bookmarks and forgotten.

However, I was reminded of it again, when I saw another (more recent) Greenwala post about art created entirely from discarded items, all obtained by dumpster diving. A case in which one man's trash is really another's treasure.

Two interesting (and highly contrasting) examples of sustainability (or lack thereof) in creating modern art.

A Challenge to Chipotle's 'Food With Integrity' Claim?

Since the first time I went to Chipotle, I've been aware that they claim to support sustainable agricultural practices. For instance, it's been my impression that they use nothing but free-range chickens (and other eco-friendly meats) in their menu items.

However, while Chipotle may have a soft spot for animals, their humanity appears not to extend to human farm workers, according to this article in Grist.

The problem involves a grassroots farmworker group that's been urging Chipotle to enter an agreement to improve wages and working conditions for Florida tomato pickers since 2006. The article discusses (at length) the history of this situation and Chipotle's refusal to deal with the issues.

The article's author, Sean Sellers, has challenged Chipotle to a debate over its treatment of farmworkers and whether it's really consistent with the principle of "food with integrity."

So--does this mean I don't have to feel guilty about going to Baja Fresh?

Making it a 'Green' Holiday Season (And Crunching the Numbers to Prove It)

This wonderful article on LEDs, CFLs and incandescent lights thoroughly examines the issue of which type of holiday lighting is most eco-friendly. While acknowledging that the up-front costs of LEDs are much higher than incandescents, the author goes on to argue that the LED user will save money in the long run. Then does the math to prove it.


(Photo via FreeFoto.com)

In addition, there's a holistic analysis of Christmas holiday lighting options and a general dislike of overindulgence in holiday lighting (no matter how spirited or well-intended the gesture). You do have to wonder (in the author's words): How much pollution is a string of lights worth?

While we're on the topic of "green" holidays, let's talk about eco-friendly options for wrapping gifts. This Examiner article on the topic may be more humorous than informative in itself. However, it does include a link to Gaiam.com, which lists specific "green" gift wrap options (including gifts you don't have to wrap at all).

Walmart Recycles Cardboard to Make Pizza Boxes

Okay, first Walmart takes the lead in developing a sustainability index. Now, it turns out the retail giant is recycling its cardboard boxes to create Walmart Deli Pizza boxes.

According to Walmart, this program (performed in conjunction with Pratt Industries) can "prevent 8,600 tons of solid waste from going to landfill, and save 125,000 trees, and 40,000,000 gallons of water."

And (can you believe this?) according to one source, this is something that's rarely, if ever, been done by other retailers.

The article concludes, "The goal of the project is ultimately to have all product packaging made from 100% recycled corrugated supplied by Walmart via Pratt back to Walmart."

We are talking about Walmart, right? That big box store you see in all those big box shopping centers nestled among the suburban sprawl? And how many trees do you suppose got taken out to build them ("them" being all those Walmarts and the suburban sprawl developments they serve)?

So . . . genuine caring about the environment or empty gesture? I'd like to think maybe Walmart's trying to improve its karma. (Hey, it's the optimist in me!) Still, I can't help but notice the irony. (Hey, that's the cynic in me . . .)

Is There BPA in That C-a-n?

With all the concerns raised lately about BPA (aka Bisphenol-A) in plastic bottles and even (eek!) canned foods, I thought this blog post from Environmental Health-Wellness-Beauty provided some really great succinct guidance on the issue.

So thanks Shane Shirley-Smith for this useful information!