Green Gift Wrapping Suggestions

I admit it, I stole these great suggestions from a Minnesota state government website. But they are just so clever and creative. I challenge you to incorporate them into your gift wrapping plans this year. I will!

PS - These suggestions save money too.

Trying to avoid the "gift wrap trap?" Here are some great ideas for gift wrapping alternatives.

• Scarves, handkerchiefs or bandannas.
• Old posters and maps.
• Pages from a child's coloring book taped together (especially nice for relatives who would enjoy the artwork).
• Old sheet music.
• Newspapers (foreign newspapers are great).
• Last year's holiday paper (press with warm iron if wrinkled).
• Wallpaper scraps.
• Home-sewn cloth bags.
• Fabric scraps.
• Pictures or advertisements from magazines and catalogs.
• Sunday comic pages.
• A present in a present (for example, a hat in a matching scarf, jewelry in a wooden box, cookies in a reusable tin or cookie jar, barbecue grill utensils or picnic supplies in a tablecloth, kitchen gifts in towels or all-purpose cloths).
• A plain box decorated with leftover glitter, paint, markers, etc.
• A cake pan, basket or a wooden box.
• Reusable decorative bags.
• A “Hollywood box:” individually wrap or decorate the top and bottom of a box with a separate lid. Encourage the recipient to reuse the box.
  Purchase wrapping paper made from recycled paper.

Packaging:

• Dry, popped popcorn (include a note explaining that birds can eat it.)
• Biodegradable starch packing peanuts.
• Used packing peanuts from previous gifts (unwanted packing peanuts, if they are clean, are accepted by many packaging stores for reuse).
• Crumpled ads from the newspaper. (The ink on glossy paper won't smear as it does on the rest of the newspaper.)

For more go HERE

Dreaming of a "Green" Christmas?

Its December finally! The snow is falling here in Washington, DC. Already, people are hosting parties and talking about seeing family and friends. Its a really exciting time.

About now, you are thinking about your holiday budget, your travel plans, your shopping list, or your holiday meal. These are all pieces of your December puzzle. Of course there is one more piece, the green piece. You can't forget that one!

This holiday season its really easy to incorporate some eco-thinking into your routine. Newsweek has some great tips on doing just that, most of them I've addressed before, but let me organize them into one easy post.

1. Use LED Lights: Target, Wal-Mart, Home Depot, etc. all sell LED holiday light strings that look just like traditional lights. How are they different? They're technologically advanced! A string of these lights will last longer and use 80-90% less energy. Make sure you attach all of your lights to timers so they don't stay on when nobody can see them.


2. Bring Your Own Bags: This year, bring your own bags to the mall and reduce the clutter of paper shopping bags around your house. Bring a clip to attach receipts to the outside of your bag so you don't have to worry about being detained for shoplifting.


3. Make Your Wrapping Part of the Gift: Isn't gift wrap one of the biggest wastes of money and resources? Instead, buy some scarves, wraps, sweaters, etc. to wrap those gifts and give them something extra they can keep. Or better yet, wrap gifts with materials you have at home. Retailers also sell recycled wrapping paper for you traditionalists.


4. Buy A Real Tree: Fake trees are manufactured using petroleum and contain lead. They're also not biodegradable. This year, buy a real tree and bring it to the recycling drop-off point in your community so they can make mulch out of it.


5. Throw Greener Parties: At your holiday party, make sure you buy food that is organic and grown locally as much as possible. Only use plates, glasses, utensils, etc. that are reusable. Keep recycling containers convenient for your guests.

You can read more HERE.

Real Trees vs. Fake Trees - What is Greener?

Its that time again, time to make the decision whether to pull out your old boxed fake tree and start attaching those color coded wire branches, or drive down to the farmer's market and tie a real tree to the roof of your car.

Maybe you never though much about it, but there are some pretty significant differences between fake and real trees when it comes to their impact on the health of your family and the environment. Since this blog is all about integrating the "Green Piece" into your daily life, let me explain those differences, they might surprise you!

Your first instinct might be to think fake trees are better for the earth because they are "renewable." Although they are used year-after-year, the polyvinyl chloride (PVC) used to create them is horribly destructive to the planet and relies on gasoline as its base. You can learn more about PVC HERE.

Additionally, PVC manufacturing generates multiple types of carcinogens. Because 85% of America's fake trees are produced in China, this manufacturing process is even more unregulated and unruly.

We all know how China loves its lead. This love extends to your fake tree. Lead is used to strengthen the otherwise weak PVC. The Children's Health Environmental Coalition has warned consumers that fake trees shed lead-laced dust. That's why your fake tree will probably contain a warning not to inhale or eat any dust or parts that may come loose. So much for eating out of that box of chocolates sitting under your fake tree this year.

Real trees aren't perfect either. Because farmers may use pesticides or fertilizers to improve growth time and crop abundance, real trees could contribute to pollution of lakes and streams. Not to mention the annual waste generated by all those trees dumped on January 2nd.

Your best bet is to buy your real tree from a Farmer's Market where a local farmer can testify to whether the tree was grown organically or with chemicals. After you are done with the real tree, chop it into smaller pieces so it is easier for garbage processing. Go to THIS SITE to find tree recycling areas in your community. If you can, buy your tree at a farm where its roots are still in tact a week before Christmas and re-plant it in your yard after the holidays.

I hope that makes your decision over which Christmas tree to use this year a little easier.

Find out more HERE.

Another Show-Down Lost by Congress

I have to say that for a long time I defended this Congress and its seeming lack of accomplishments. I felt like they had accomplished some important legislation but failed to properly publicize their work. Plus, there is a political perfect storm in Washington, between a veto-happy President who is not up for re-election, a narrowly divided Congress, and a very politically diverse majority party. However, Congress' complete failure in raising fuel economy standards has me utterly frustrated.

The current fuel economy standards are identical to those of 1978. They are older than I am. In spite of technological innovations and improvements, not only do we have the same internal combustion engine of the early 1900's, but we also have the same fuel efficiency standards of the disco-era. There is a dual reason for the lack of courage by former and current politicians to make changes to this standard...1) Oil Special Interests, 2) Automobile Special Interests.

In the face of very serious public demand for low-impact automobiles these two groups have been hugely successful in slowing innovation down to a complete halt. Every election cycle, politicians espouse the need to break our reliance on foreign oil and to build a manufacturing sector that would create new jobs while leading the world in energy technology. But once the campaigns are over, these same politicians march to the tune of the special interest pied piper.

A perfect example of this cowardly approach to legislating is the soon-to-be-passed CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) reform bill. This bill was initially designed to set a path to innovation for the United States by setting a strict fuel efficiency standard that must be met by 2020. Every automobile would have had to get at least 35 miles per gallon by that date. The idea was, if automobile companies were forced to make trucks more fuel efficient, they would just create a new technology that would far surpass the 2020 goal and everyone would benefit.

But once again, politicians caved to the special interests and created enough loop holes in the CAFE Reform Bill that the carrot-stick scenario is gone. There are no more incentives for automobile companies to innovate.

For instance, "work trucks" like the Dodge Ram and Ford F-150 will be exempt from the new fuel standards. My father drives an F-150, and not for construction purposes. In addition, if an automaker builds a car that will burn either gasoline or ethanol (a flex-fuel car) then they can avoid the new standards. Do you know where you can get ethanol? I don't. In fact, only about 1.5% of those who own flex-fuel automobiles actually fill them with ethanol. The jury is still out on whether ethanol is any better for the air then gasoline.

The saddest part of this whole debacle is the fact that politicians pretend this new reform is actually good news. They create media opportunities where they can brag about how good this is for the health of our environment and how it will stave off global warming. Folks, it isn't going to mean a thing to anyone.

I guess Congress is finally accepting the fact that it hasn't accomplished anything over the past year. They are pushing through watered-down legislation just to have the opportunity to brag about something. Unfortunately, they are doing so at the cost of our environment and our economy. Read more here.

Hybrids Awash in Green-Washing

There is a phenomenon in the corporate PR world called "Green-Washing." This innocent sounding term is in fact a terrible trend in polishing up a corporation's image to give consumers the impression that the corporation is concerned about the environment. Pretty advertisements and completely insignificant changes to the corporation's policies are used to bring in more money rather than actually do something about the health of our planet.

Unfortunately, hybrid technology in automobiles have started receiving the Green-Washing treatment. Two cases in point...

First, Toyota has rolled out its new Hybrid Toyota Hylander SUV. The promotional materials for the car are designed to give buyers piece of mind when they buy this vehicle, because they are buying a "hybrid." What the materials don't tell you is that Toyota expanded the Hylander's width, height, and weight. In the end, these changes + the new hybrid engine result in ZERO additional fuel economy. The Hybrid Toyota Hylander SUV gets the same gas mileage as the previous, non-hybrid model. Read more HERE.

Second, the Lexus LS Hybrid costs $104,000. At that price, this car should get both incredible fuel economy AND great performance. But Lexus decided to focus exclusively on performance by installing a 5.0-liter V8 engine with a high-output, electric drive motor that gets 438 horsepower. This sedan gets 20 miles per gallon in the city and 22 on the highway. What a waste of hybrid technology and a waste of an opportunity to design a luxury automobile that doesn't waste fuel. Read more HERE.

This is a frustrating trend to see in the automotive industry. They are taking advantage of consumers' positive impression of hybrid vehicles. It almost makes you think that the car companies have a stake in fuel sales and no matter what technology offers, they must still find a way to keep us all addicted to gasoline. I hope buyers don't fall for these tricks.

Green Piece Blog's Linkage

I wanted to make a note of all the great blogs and sites on the internet that have linked to or mentioned this Green Piece Blog. I certainly appreciate their attention and I encourage all our readers to stop by these sites to see the great content they are contributing to the net.

http://www.foodfacts.info/blog/2007/10/fast-food-and-keeping-green.html

http://www.elrst.com/2007/11/02/green-roofs-and-walls-a-brilliant-idea/

http://www.360eats.com/index.cfm?blog=Fast%20Food%20News

http://www.ecollo.com/post/2007/10/3-tips-to-be-green-when-you-choose-fast-food.aspx

http://www.greendaily.com/2007/11/04/renew-a-room-with-green-planet-paints/

http://www.abundancetips.com/News/Abundance-Tips/Cozier-Calmer-Greener-Office.html

http://sew-knotty.blogspot.com/

Plasma, LCD TV Electricity Usage

In a former post you can read HERE, I wrote about how plasma TV's burn through more electricity then traditional tube televisions. This was pretty alarming to myself and many readers, mostly because the world is moving away from tube TV's and toward these flat panel displays.

If you are thinking about buying yourself or somebody else a new TV this holiday season, CNET has gone through the process of documenting the energy usage of the major flat panel displays to help make you a more educated consumer. I'll post the information below. You can read more by going HERE.

Samsung HL-T5687S
56-inch rear-projection
0.12 (Watts/Square Inch)
154.78 (Total Watts)
$47.45 (Yearly Cost)
Most-efficient (plasma)

Vizio P42HDTV
42-inch plasma
0.25 (Watts/Square Inch)
188.26 (Total Watts)
$58.70 (Yearly Cost)
Most-efficient (LCD)

Sony KDL-46S3000
46-inch LCD
0.22 (Watts/Square Inch)
202.58 (Total Watts)
$61.83 (Yearly Cost)
Fewest watts consumed

Sharp LC-32D43U
32-inch LCD
0.33 (Watts/Square Inch)
144.11 (Total Watts)
$44.41 (Yearly Cost)
Most watts consumed

Panasonic TH-58PZ700U
58-inch plasma
0.42 (Watts/Square Inch)
609.53 (Total Watts)
$185.28 (Yearly Cost)

Whole Foods Bag Discount

Just a quick note to discuss something that happened to me this weekend.

I was at Whole Foods shopping for all the Thanksgiving fixings. When it came time to check out, I handed my cloth bags to the cashier as I always do. This time, however, she counted out the bags and entered the number into her register. Then, a magical thing happened, it deducted money from my bill!

It was like 7 cents/bag, but still! I don't know how long this program has been in effect, but it was very rewarding. Thanks Whole Foods.

Recycled TV

With this Writer's Strike going on, there will be a lot of recycled TV episodes on the air. Of course recycling TV shows doesn't impact the environment. A lack of TV recycling programs does. Now a group named Electronics TakeBack Coalition is urging television manufacturers to expand recycling programs for TV's.

Only 12.5% of electronics waste is recycled in the US each year according to the EPA. Unfortunately, half of that amount (160,000 tons) is exported and dumped in developing countries. Because of the huge number of people looking to dump their old televisions, many states like California, Maine, and Maryland have enacted laws requriing electronic recycling.

The Electronics TakeBack Coalition believes that rather than states and their citiznes worrying about how to recycle old electronics, its the responsibilty of electronics corporations to collect these products and properly dispose of them. So far, the campaign by Electronics TakeBack Coalition has been successful in convincing Sony to create 75 nation-wide drop-off points for consumers to recycle Sony products. Next year that number will expand to 150 drop-off sites.

If you want to encourage other companies, besides Sony, to create such a program, you can sign a petition at the Electronics TakeBack Coalition website takebackmytv.com.

In the meantime, you can look for existing drop-off sites for your electronic waste by going here.

Read more about this story at MSNBC

Happy America Recycles Day!

Its pretty appropriate that this year's America Recycles Day falls exactly one week before Thanksgiving. Not just because I give thanks for the invention of recycling, but because Thanksgiving is a time when its particularly easy to forget to recycle. In fact, the holiday season is so busy, many people completely neglect the green piece.

If you want to learn more about America Recycles Day go HERE. If you want some stimulating advice on how to maintain the "America Recycles Day" ethos during the holidays, scroll down.

Thanksgiving: I'm hosting Thanksgiving this year for the first time. My family isn't a tree hugging group, so I have to come up with ways to integrate eco-thinking that aren't too intrusive. Here's my plan...

1. Only use reuseable dishes and glass ware - While it is tempting to run out and purchase stacks of paper plates, plastic cups, paper napkins, and plastic utensils to cut-down on dishwashing, ignore that impulse. You will save a lot of money by using reuseable dishes. Plus, all that gravy will just cause paper plates to cave-in.


2. Provide Separate, Labeled Garbage Cans for Recycling - I plan on serving pumpkin beer at my Thanksgiving get-together. There will also be a few two liter containers of soda. Inevitably, people will be helping out in the kitchen and throwing garbage away. Plus, those bargain hunters will be shuffling through the newspaper looking for Black Friday deals. Make it intuitive for your guests to help your recycling effort by putting out 3 separate garbage cans labeled for Glass/Plastic, Paper, and Other.


3. Buy Local, Organic Food - Your guests may never know it, but you certainly will be proud of yourself if you visit the Farmer's Market this weekend and pick-up the fruits, vegetables, wine and turkey for Thanksgiving dinner. Everything will be pesticide free and fresh from your "backyard." This action reduces the packaging waste, oil consumption, and foreign farming that grocery store chains induce.

Holiday Giving: Like it or not, gift giving is an inevitable part of the holidays. There are some things you can do during the holidays to cut down on waste and be a greener Santa.

1. Less Packaging is More Packaging - Many items purchased during the holidays are notoriously over-packaged. This is especially true for toys. When you are looking for the perfect gift, keep in mind how much plastic and cardboard is being used to package that gift. Look for outdoors toys that aren't heavily packaged like bikes, wagons, etc. Or buy gift cards for services like iTunes or Netflix.


2. Avoid Excessive Gift Wrap - How many yards of gift wrap did you use last year? Imagine, taken together, how much gift wrap is used each year to wrap holiday gifts. Its unimagineable the amount of paper that will go directly to the dump just so our gifts look pretty for one moment. There are ways to avoid this situation. First, look for recycled gift wrap. Second, in place of traditional gift wrap, wrap gifts in a dark colored tissue paper and use less pieces. Third, avoid gift wrap altogether where it is unnecessary (use gift cards instead).

Your Home Is Leaking Energy

Silently, while you sleep, a dark menace is draining your bank account of hundreds of dollars per year. It drains while you are at work, while you are on vacation, and while you are out with your friends. Quietly it burns through money without you even knowing it. What is this dark menace? The Energy Phantom!



Actually, its your VCR, DVD player, stereo, TV, computer, cell phone charger, iPod speakers, etc. Basically any device that sits plugged-in to the wall outlet is draining energy from your home, even when it isn't being used. Some estimate that this waste of electricity accounts for 5-10% of your monthly utility bill. That may not seem like much, but when you account for all the energy phantoms nationwide, it costs the U.S. $5.8 billion annually and contribute more than 87 billion pounds of carbon dioxide into the air.


There are many many things you can do to lower your utility bill and put a stop to these little jerks. Obviously you can unplug things that you aren't using and re-plug them when you need them. There are more convenient ways to address the problem though.


For instance, you can plug all of the previously mentioned devices into a power strip (or surge protector) and flip the switch before going to bed or leaving the house. There are more advanced power strips, called Smart Strips, that have different outlets for different purposes. Your equipment that needs to be "on" at all times, like a cordless home phone, stays on. Meanwhile, equipment that can be turned off, like a DVD player, is plugged into the outlets controlled by the "off switch."


If hitting a switch is too laborious for you, why not plug your surge protector into the outlet controlled by the light switch on your wall? Don't have such a light switch? How about a remote controlled power outlet? Attach the button to your keys and hit it when you leave the house and hit it again when you come inside. Of course, you could always use the classic wireless on/off device, The Clapper!


What I'm trying to tell you is that a simple, inexpensive device will not only save you money every month on your utility bill, but it will reduce your demand for electricity, and therfore reduce your contribution to global warming. Stop the Phantom now!

Oil Spills On 2 Coasts

One of the ways Oil corporations convince Americans that oil is the best energy source available is by insisting that current technologies guarantee the safest, cleanest, and most secure means for drilling and transporting oil. The public relations machine run by oil companies is so smooth, it has been successful at staving off government investment in renewable energy technologies, auto industry investment in more efficient automobiles, and attempts to block drilling in America's most serene natural habitats. Again and again we are all duped by this enormously powerful industry that acts as the perpetual victim while reaping the world's largest revenues in history.

The oil spilled in the Black Sea and the California coast is not just on the feathers and skin of the birds or sea life there, it is on all of our hands as well. In the face of record oil prices and terribly outdated vehicle fuel efficiency standards, we have sat silent and let this industry play us like fiddles.

There are real things that we can do to kick the oil addiction.

First, it is time to trade-in that gas guzzling car. It is patriotic to do so because it is in our national interest to rely on American sources of energy rather than Middle Eastern sources. There is such a proliferation of hybrid automobiles now that even the Toyota Camry comes in hybrid form. If you need a larger car, many SUV's currently run on powerful hybrid engines.

Second, its time to reconsider public transportation. Buses are circling your communities completely empty while they burn gasoline in the process. If not public transportation, than car pooling.

Third, many energy plants in cities across the U.S. burn gasoline to create power. That means the lights you forgot to turn off, the TV you left on, the AC or heat set too low/high, are all contributing to the oil crisis in our world. Why haven't you replaced those outdated incandescent light bulbs with longer-lasting, energy saving CFL florescent bulbs? Turn off the entertainment center power strip when you go to work, nobody is going to be listening to your stereo while you're gone.

Fourth, stop taking those plastic bags at the grocery store. Plastic is manufactured using petroleum. Tons and tons of petroleum is used every year to create bags that will be used once or twice. Instead, purchase or use your own cloth bags at the grocery store. They are stronger and they don't require oil for manufacturing.

Fifth, buy locally grown food rather than food shipped in from South America. There are many farmers' markets in every community in America. They feature fruits, vegetables, and meats all grown in your backyard rather than shipped in from a foreign country. Obviously, you will have to go to the grocery store to buy some products, but reduce your impact by only purchasing those things you need.

Fifth, contribute money to organizations and venture capitalists who fund development of new energy technologies. The federal government is too chicken to stand up to the oil industry, but we aren't. If our taxes won't go to new technologies that will create jobs and make America the most innovative manufacturing nation in the world again, then we'll just have to write checks to the people who will make this happen.

Sixth, call your Congressman/woman, your state Representatives, and tell them to stop giving subsidies and tax cuts to oil companies. There is no reason that when these corporations are making record profits, they should get tax breaks and tax money. Its our money, we know how to spend it better than the government or the oil companies. Vote only for Presidential candidates or other politicians who promise to do this.

Seventh, tell your friends, neighbors, families, relatives, co-workers, congregations, etc. to come on board. The 21st century will no longer belong to the 20th century's oil barons. If we all work together and make real changes in our lives, we can finally wave goodbye to the dirty, messy, costly energy sources of the past and look forward to a cleaner, cheaper, and economy-growing energy sources of the future.