Holidays - Reduce Waste This Christmas

Reduce Waste This Christmas

- Christmas is responsible for more waste and consumption than any other holiday. North American's trash increases by 25% over Christmas - which equates to 25 million extra tons of garbage going to the landfill. By recognizing the incredible waste that is generated the urgency to do something becomes apparent. A truly useful or environment friendly gift is a better ecological choice. Here is a brief list of ideas to inspire you.

- For the homeowner - thermostat control that automatically turns the heat down at night. A low flow shower head attachment. A draft cozy (placed in front of doors to prevent drafts) and tubes of caulking or weather stripping. Dimmer switches or compact fluorescent bulbs. Hot water tank and hot water pipe insulation kits.

- For the gardener - subscription to an organic gardening magazine or a membership to a seed organization. Bird, bat and butterfly houses, baths and feeders ? or the patterns to build them. A composting worm bin or a membership with an environmental group.

- Tickets to a performance, restaurant gift certificates or services such as lawn care, diaper, cleaning, music lessons, exercise or dance classes, tune-up or tire rotation services ? all support local business.

- Dehydrated, canned or preserved foods make excellent gifts. Frozen dishes are treasured by those that find cooking tasks cumbersome.

- Brazil or cashew nuts as they promote a living tropical rainforest.

- Books (i.e. Trash Talk).

- A reusable coffee filter and whole organic coffee beans.

- If you choose to purchase electronics, consider those powered by solar or rechargeable batteries.

- For holiday photo memories using a digital camera and getting pictures put on CD's reduces chemicals, paper and cost. Choosing 36 exposure film rolls reduces packaging and waste.

- Consider a live tree. At the end of the season, donate it to individuals, the city, schools or parks. Plant it in your own yard for privacy, shade or erosion control.

-- Written by Dave and Lillian Brummet based on the concept of their new book Trash Talk, a guide that offers useful solutions to reduce waste and better manage resources. http://www.sunshinecable.com/~drumit

Sonya Rykiel Perfume Shop online for Sonya Rykiel Perfume at low internet prices and fast delivery from perfume | healthboutiques.eu

Dental Insurance | Health Insurance | Home Owner Insurance | Life Insurance Quote

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |

Traditional Anniversary Gifts Year By Year, The Twentieth - One Hundred Years
Twentieth through the twenty-fourth anniversaries traditional gift is china. Vintage china tea cups, bone china ornaments or a replacement piece for your own china are presents to consider along with a table for two at a Chinese restaurant or a trip to China.Traditionally speaking, silver is the gift for the twenty-fifth through the twenty-ninth anniversaries. Silver dated ornament, a silver frame, a watch, silver cufflinks, silver pen and jewelry are appropriate gifts. A...(related: Holidays)

Use H-o-l-l-y To Beat Christmas Cooking Stress
What does holly, that untidy traditional greenery you just have to festoon your house with every year, have to do with not tearing your hair out before it's even Thanksgiving? Plenty. You can use H-O-L-L-Y to help you get organized.1. H: Help...(related: Holidays)

The Bloated Bar Mitzvah Celebration: 6 Ways To Take It Back
Bar Mitzvah celebrations have grown exponentially in size and scope in the past twenty years.That's great news for me; I derive much ...(related: Holidays)

Getting Great Pictures Of The Kids This Halloween
There she was in all her glory. Long white lab coat, frizzy hair, safety goggles -- and a face smeared with the black ash of an experiment gone terrifically wrong. She was, at least on this Halloween night, Dr. Abby Normal. But for most of her life I had known her as Abigail, my daughter, and I had just taken some of the most legendary photos of her life.These weren't your garden-variety portraits. Not exactly Wal Mart studio stuff either. They were pictures taken of my kids in their natural element -- being kids. That is the real photo opportunity of a holiday like Halloween.For treasured images this Halloween, here are some quick tips to remember to get once-in-a-lifetime photos:1. Stop Posing -...(related: Holidays)

How Parents Can Win The Battle To Keep Your Child Safe From Strangers This Holiday Season
When we think of Holiday shopping, we think of all the glowing lights at our area malls and the various eye-catching decorations in shopping centers. Along with distractions with our 'to do' list in our heads, we get preoccupied with carrying bags and scoping out gifts. But with all the whirlwinds of diversions, we cannot put our guard down with who is scoping out our own children.To help with this here are the top 7 things parents can do to prevent their young from falling prey to strangers and child kidnappers in the busy hustle and bustle of the season.1. Stay connected. Make sure you have your children with you w...(related: Holidays)

Colored Contacts For Halloween - Make Sure You Dont Go Bump In The Night!
Ok, the end of October is approaching, and you desperately want some colored contacts for Halloween. Why? Well, possibly because no one else will have any, maybe because you like to go that extra yard when you dress up, or maybe you want to get your own back on one of the neighbours kids for frightening your cat. Whatever the reason, colored contacts for Halloween make a lot of sense.But what do you choose?Well, some of the more conservative colors like blue, brown or green probably wouldn't cut it. These colors are too subtle and could be used for work maybe, or a dinner party where you are trying to impress. Animal eyes are prett...(related: Holidays)

Gypsy Fortune Teller Halloween Costumes ? Easy To Make
As a little girl I often loved to dress up as a gypsy, whether it was for Halloween or just for play. Maybe it's because I long to be free to do as I want and go where I wish, without the societal constraints we have to live by (that's why pirates are so fascinating to people too). Whatever it is, creating a fortune teller costume was the highlight of Halloween.Back then there weren't many places to buy fancy costumes (nor did we have the...(related: Holidays)

Contact Lenses For Halloween
It is never too soon to begin planning the perfect Halloween costume, and frequently the best ones require a lot of planning and special effects items. Luckily for all the Halloween fa...(related: Holidays)

Experience Mothers Day In A Whole New Way
Mother's Day is the day when sons, daughters and husbands buy gifts and flowers to recognize the incredible work mom has done raising the children. But some moms are unknowingly cheating themselves out of the full experience of Mother's Day. Many moms treat Mother's Day as a complete...(related: Holidays)

Easy Costumes Kids Can Make
The kindergarten class I was teaching was scheduled to perform a dramatic recitation. We needed several flower and bumblebee costumes. Since I have found that kids love making their own costumes, I wanted the class to be able to participate as much as possible in the process. Therefore, I came up with an easy costume idea and had the grade 7 class come in and assist, one student per kindergarten child. In about 1 hour all of the costumes were complete and the kindergarten class looked adorable. It was a great experience for everyone....(related: Holidays)